The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-10-07
ABOUT TO GRAPPLE'
RUSSIANS and GERMANS COMING
CLOSER TOGETHER.
ITALY READY FOR fight
Certainty That Allies Must Win is
Said to be the Only Thing With
holding the Itabans-Roumanians
About to Change Attitude of Neu-
trality to One of War.

An official communication from
Petrograd says Russia is on the eve
Of the long expected great German
offensive. In accordance with the
Germans favorite strategy, they are
concentrating all their might to de-
liver a heavy blow at one OF the enc
| my's flanks, contenting themselves
with defensive attitude on the other
| fronts.
AS far as it is possible to estimate
| the Germans in the eastern theatre OF
| war number thirty army corps of the
| line and the first reserve. These are
| divided into three groups. The south
ern one, consisting of three army
corps, that has been cooperating
| with the Austrians in Galicia, is now
| concentrating at Cracow.
The central group, consisting OF
four or FIVE army corps, is distributed
| along the River Wartha, which forms
| the boundary of the Polish govern
! ments of Kalish and Petrokov. This
group connects the southern Austro-
| German group with the northern
| group in East Prussia.
The northern group in East Prus-
sia is by far the strongest of all and
numbers probably twenty-five or
twenty-three army corps, amounting
| to 100000 men, ready for active field
| operations, not counting the land
| wehr and landsturm, which are doing
! garrison service.
The concentration of this huge
army is hardly entirely completed.
With the information to hand 1t is
| impossible to decide where the blow
will be delivered, but general consid-
erations seem to indicate that the
enemy's first strategical object will
be to break up Gen. Rennenkampf's
army, which forms the right wing OF
all the Russian forces now in the
field.
In the absence of any definite war
news from Galacia or Servia the
Vienna newspapers continue to assert
| that the military situation in both
theatres of war is favorable to Aus
tria.
Dispatches from Southern Albania
say that the population, harassed and
robbed by both insurgent and Greeks,
| are about to ask the Intervention OF
one of the great powers.
Dispatches from Austria to the
Messagero declare that the Slavs and
| Bohemians are against separation
from Austria, despite the severity OF
the authorities, who have searched
and arrested numbers Of them and
have dissolved associations and clubs
teverywhere. Bohemian regiments are
not being sent to the front, the dis
patches say, owing to the fear that
they will desert the Russians.
Italy is prepared for any eventual
ity. She could take the field In an
| hours notice. Her effective army of
$50, 600 has been quietly modified,
| and it must be remembered she can
call more than 100000 reserves.
Her warShips are so grouped that
| they can be of immense assistance to
the Allies when the time comes to
strike.
There is every indication that Italy
is merely waiting for an overt act by
/ Germany or Austria, such, for exam
| pie, as a violation of SwitZerland's s
| neutrality Possibly cruel usage of
| Italian citizens detained in Austria
may illuminate the explosion.
At present, in spite Of public opin-
inion, the government hesitates to go
to war merely for the purpose Of TAX
ing advantage of Austria's weakness
| or for territory grabbing. A definite
reason for war is desired by the gov
ernment.
Little doubt exists after recent Ital-
| ian newspapers are studied, that a
succession Of grave reverses by the
Allies would lead Italy to enter, the
field. She is maintaining do moth
ing policy now because of confidence
that Austria and Germany must be
beaten.
There is the utmost secrecy as to
Italian military and naval prepara-
tions, and the cabinet discussions are
absolutely withheld from the Italian
press. It is known, however, that the
majority of the cabinet favor action
by Italy.
ue EelIOSIdu CoIlSSpOuoSul VI
the London Daily Mail sends a dis
patch which would seem to indicate
that Roumania is about to change
from her attitude of neutrality to one
of active hostility against Austria.
The correspondent says:
ga telegram received here states
that the First Roumanian Army
Corps has been directed to proceed
to the Austrian frontier. Another re-
port says that Roumanian mobiliza-
tion of 100000 troops is almost COM
pieted.