SALONIKA DEFENCES

Otago Witness, Issue 3250, 28 June 1916, Page 45

SALONIKA DEFENCES

HUNGARIAN ADMISSION. FINEST WORK OF THE WAR. THREE LINES PREPARED. In view of tho suggestion contained in a cable message from Paris that the army at Salonika is preparing for an offensive, it is of interest, to note the latest description of the allied lines in Greece The description is penned by a Hungarian, who was obviously uneasy about the growing strength of the Allies, and was published in a Buda Pesth military paper about the middle of January. It is as follows: " The number of Entente troops at Salonika early this month (January! was estimated by Greek officers to be 200.000. of which the British numbered 80,000. There were very few Serbians at Salonika early this month, and those who reached there were employed on the fortification works. Three railway lines lead from Salonika •> the interior of the country, one tow;■-."a Monastir, one towards Giougolu, and :.iie third towards Dniran. The first station "i the Doiran-Salonika line is Salmanli ■id the first fortified line of defence b four miles from Salonika, between that town and Salmanli. This most powerfully fortified lino is defended by the English. The hilly district is fortified most excellently all around, and is perfectly prepared for the

purposes of defence. The French trenches are between Salmanh and Sarigool. the second station on the railway Jine. They are. not yet completed, but tlioy will undoubtedly prove to bo the most scientific and perfect works ever built in the war. for the Greek officers who saw the works say that the preliminary works show thai: the communication trenches and the underground position? will prove formidable and will be. ab'e to withstand any artillery the Germans may bring: to bear on them UNDERGROUND POSITIONS.

" Th r underground pos ; tions serve the purnose of easily moving; the great guns in well-hidden positions front one plaee to another. The Greek officers thought that not even fcho German positions and entrenchments In Flanders and Ypres can be compared with the A.llies' fortifications at Salonika. The most powerful artillery is at the disposal of the French and English, heavy guns, and a great number of light guns. The third line of defence is now being built be!wren Sarigoel and Kiiindri, but at this point there are only two advanced guards as yet. but there is no doubt that \ovy soon these will be pushed forward as far as Kiiindri. "Besides these preparations numerous road.s and narrow-gauge railways are being built for the transport of supplies and munition-?, in addition to two or three lines of telephone wires to connect the trenches with the battery positions. A new telephone line from Salonika to Orfa across Glisalin has also been installed. As to what is gomrr on between Salonika and Gieusrelu, that is a well-kept secret, and not even th" Greek officers know anything about it. On this territorv the railway hn" in closed, rind not: even French or English civilians are allowed Lo diss it. The Entente command, it i- certain, expects the fttaek of the enemy from ibis region, for tV> terrain conditions along the Jenidje and Vardar arc not very well adapted for for! Ifieation works. HOST OF BALKAN CAMPAIGN. "The situation as regards events at Salonika is viewed with a certain uneasiness In military and political circles. The want of preparation to meet the situation brought about the endless delay in attacking Sa'onika, and the prospect of achieving the objects so loudly advertised after the occupation of Serbia is dwindling day by day. The Russian offensive on the Bcssarabian

frontier is given as one of the main reasons of the delay, besides the lack of heavy artillery on the Greek frontier. As a matter of fact, the real reason of the delay is that the offensive in the Balkans cost such an unexpected number of men, and that consequently without Bulgarian aid such an undertakir.tr as was contemplated was our of the question. "Meanwhile the position of the Allies in Salonika lias improved day by day. so much so that the menace is being turned in a different direction. The formidable fortifications around Salonika and the presence of the Allied armies arc beginning lo he most inconvenient, for. if it doi s nothing else, it engages an immense army at a spot most difficult to supply. The railway lino which was destined to relievo the sufferings of the people at home is overburdened merely in supplying the needs of the army, and ev( n under such conditions the men in Serbia are constantly complaining of shortness of everything, especially foodstuffs."