NOTES ON THE WAR CABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17429, 25 September 1918, Page 5

NOTES ON THE WAR CABLES.

By Shkapnel.. the palestine operations. Turkey will be hard hit by General llenby's great victory. The details show iat a section of the Britisli cavalry, havtg crossed the Jordan, advanced down the ist side to prevent the Turkish forces east : the Jordan from taking up positions to nard and keep open the crossings, and that lother section, advancing down the east de, along the Jordan road, rounded up ie enemy stragglers who were endeavourig to read: the fords. . The cavalry from io north and the other sections advancing head of the infantry, from the region north E Jericho, closed the means of escape across ie Jordan into tho Syrian desert country, last of the Jordan there is a. considerable urkish force which, it will be remembered, rove the British from Ammon, on the [edjaz railway, 20 miles east of the Jordan, nd compelled them to reeross tho river to ericho. It now appears that this entorlise on the part of the British was a reconaissance in force to test tho strength o£ the \irks and sound their capabibty of majang , flank attack across the Jordan to attack be British flank and rear if General Allenby, egan operations towards Nablus. It was lso probably a demonstration to assist the Lrabs operating astride the fiedjaz railway,, outh-east of the Dead Sea. When General Allenby had satisfied himelf by means of the reconnaissance that thei Turkish force on the east side of tho Jordau ras not great enough to do him much inury on the flank, and that its hands wera ull enough in opposing the -troops of the : iing of Hodjaz, he made his plans while irobably large reinforcements were on their vay from India and other parts of the Emlire. As soon as these arrived and his ;uperiority was established in all arms of ho service, ho began his great turning: novement between the Nablus road and ho sea. Being himself a cavalry officer uid having- a largo force of efficient horsenen from India and Australia at hia disposal, General Allenby made tho greatest ise of those forces for the purpose- of out* Linking the enemy and cutting off the re:rcat to the north. The coastal plain lent • :tself to a rapid advance of the cavalry.Hie horsemen made a phenomenal-march to the Haiia-Biesan railway, which they. ■. reached in almost two days, and.they were still able then to turn east and cross the Jordan, south of the Sea of Galilee, and accomplish what will rank in the history uf great battles as a classic achievement. As a result of Ins brilliant tactics and of his no iess brilliant strategy, General Allenby routed and destroyed a Turkish army of probably 100,000 men, most of whom, if not killed or already captured, have become parties of straggling and demoralised soldiers neatly; caught in a trap from which, there seem to bo no means of escape. Most of these Turks will bo rounded up and captured as the joint result of the operations of tho advancing infantry, and of the encircling cavalry units working from tho south. All tho enemy's guns and impedimenta of war have been left behind in the mad rush of tho troops to escape. No time will be lost by tho British ia rounding up the stragglers, as General Allenby will by now have other projects in view. It is open to him to advanco northward and seize Beirut Harbour, or to strike at onco across the Jordan and niako for Damascus, tho green jewel of tho desert. Beirut is 80 miles away to * the north of Sefnrich and Kcfr Kanna (immediately north of Nazareth), and Damascus ;a about 75 miles north-east of the position captured on the railway across tho Jordan/ and south of the Sea of Galileo. An 'advance upon Damascus, without securing tho coastal country in the provinces of Galilee and Lebanon, would be a hazardous undertaking as a new Turkish army might appear in the ■ coastal regions. It could be done, however, if General Allenby haa sufficient men to divide his army into two independent armies of sufficient strength to meet any force which the Turks may hurriedly get together, and it may be done if the Arab army effects a junction with the British forces'that- may be detached to operate east of Galileo along tho two lines of desert railways running down from Damascus and joining the inland line from Haifa at Mzerib and Derat. To assist the Arabs advancing from tho south, the British cavalry may push forward and make an attempt to hold Derat, thus cutting tho Turkish lino of supply from Damascus and getting behind the Turkish forces eastward of the Jordan. It would be properly exploiting the defeat of the Turks to take Beirut and Damascus. . BALKAN SITUATION DEVELOPS RAPIDLY. The.breaking of tho Bulgarian line north and east of Monast-ir by Serbo-French forces has developed into a significant achievement. Having reached Negotin, on the Uskub-Salonika railway, -the Allies cut tho main line of the enemy communications, with the Greco-British front east and west of Lake Doiran, thus compelling the enemy to fall back before tho British and Greeks, though their attacks in the Doiran sector were simply containing demonstrations to prevent the Bulgars from succouring their routed forces in the Monastir and Czema regions. Apparently the Bulgarian forces south of Negotin are in full retreat, otherwise they would not be destroying stores and villages in tho Vardar Yalley, and burning the railway stations. Tho Serbs have crossed the Vardar at Negotin, and to the northwards, and the main body is evidently making for Ishtip for the purpose of oufrting the line of retreat of the enemy northwards to Kratova, in New Slerbia, and Kustendil, in Bulgaria, south-west of Sofia. From the Czerna. Plain a part of their force h striking westward, and has cut the railway, a light- line laid by the enemy to the Babuna Deiile, for the purposo of supplying the Bulgarian base at Prilep. On the Western Czerna, north-westward of Monastir. the Serbs are also advancing into the high country, their endeavour being to seize the mountain region and dominate tho country northward to Uskub, which operation, if success attends it, will break the enemy connection with the Austrian forces in Albania. Their advance northward of the Lake region westward of Monastir has already profoundly affected the position.'' oE the Austrians in that State, and tho Italians and : French are now advancing northward, in conjunction with, but slightly behind, the Franco-Serbian advance in the Lake region. There are signs of great changes taking place in the Balkans. Tho Greeks may now soon bo heard of eastward. jof Doiran. One of the cable messages I significantly statos: "Important developments are expected." Received: Messrs J. Wilkie and Oo.'s war map, No. 9. This map is divided into 10mile squares, and shows very accurately by moans of red lines the changes of front winch have been iriade in the three offensives on the west front, the two Allied drives, and the German offensive in which, an attempt was made to reach the coast and to cut oft" Paris from the eastern French, front. Very clearly printed, tho map gives all the important villages, both in front and behind tho fighting front, and thus will provide a useful and easy means o£ following the fortunes of war as far east as a line running north of the MiddleChampagne.