BULGARIA AND THE WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16970, 2 October 1918, Page 8

BULGARIA AND THE WAR .

CIRCUMSTANCES OF ENVRY. ARMY OF ABOUT 300,000 MEN. The formal entry of Bulgaria in the war date#: from October 5, 1916, the crisis being finally- precipitated by the Russian Jfcnister notifying Bulgaria that diplomatic relations word at an end, a step in which he was followed by his British, and ! French colleagues. A peculiarly compliJ oated cross-current of intrigue preceded the | event, Bulgarian leaning# towards the ! Central Powers bioame apparent id | Auguat—it waa ten far da learned that a j treaty had been signed on July":><• GerI man agents, one . »fi:er another, visited Sofia while Servia, uteasily watchiito the I trend o,f events, gramily warned'the Allies several times- of the sinister possibilities • ahead.' Between September, r 14 and 20 a j treaty was signed bisiween Bulgaria and ' Turkey, certainly but not overtly providing j for a military alliancs, OntSeptember'2.l ; the German advance on Ber?i& began, and |M, . Voniwlos; believli \\ that Greece must come to the assistants, of her ally, asked Britain and Franco for lfiOXw troops. Bulgaria {hen comics cidtomobilise, ex. plaining that she contemplated merely armed neutrality, feceedingly outspoken potcafis were made ficm within the country .against. this actioti;i but to no purpose, King Ferdinand refuting to listen to any counsels. .■.# . ' • >. ■> •• ! On. September 27 -Silervia, advised Britain ?lie considered it wise, to attack Bulgaria before mobiiianliion waa complete, • lhij ? comparative lack, of success attending , the, opening of von Mackerisen's offensive !. leaving her still Ti capable of taking that f, action. This suggestion was. not accepts} by. .the . British | Government, which- declared'that diplomatic and political argu- , ments were -•' against it. The.. Greek molaihfUitiohSconlintil'il , meantime. On October 1 word came that many German , officers were at Sofia iin consultation %ith the Bulgarian staff. Two . days afterwards ; Russia informed the Bulgarian Governmenti .tlat it y would feiittk off ■ 'relations l unless it did not "wil'Jiin 24 hours openly! I break with the enemies of the Slav, cause, and of Russia.", The reply to the Russian Note was unsatisfactory aud on October 5 Bulgaria ' entered the war in fact, placing an army of 300,000 mini at the disposal of Germany, opening communication between the Central Powers and Turkey with itfl | supplies ,of . food, cott:n and metals, and giving a new air of renlity to the German dream of "Mittel Euiopa" and domination frim Berlin to Ba;.;dad. i"l: Bulgaria's active I) aire in the war includes her participation, the invasion "of Serria in the autumn of 1915, the dofence of the Macedonian front against the allied campaign at the end of 1916, which resulted in the.ca))t«! ) of Monastir, asfiistanco to Germany iiind Turkey in the campaign against Ko'.imania. during the same period, arid the occupation of . a largo allied force from October, 1915. till the opening of tho; offeneava oh September 16 last, which has resulted in her defeat and surrender.