Evening journal., 1915-08-26
DELAY SUCCESS OF
Allies CAMPAIGN
Attempted Forcing of Dar-
danelles Considered Ill
Advised and Ill-Planned
STRENGTH OF TURKEY
WAS UNDER ESTIMATED
By HENRY WOOD

SOPHIA, Bulgaria, July 3O.-(By I
Mail l)-Governmental. diplomatic and
military circles generally throughout |
the Balkans have become pessimistic /
to an extreme degree regarding the
success of the Allies campaign
against the Dardanelles. The almost !
unanimous verdict is that the action (
was both ill-advised and ill-planned
In the first place, II is declared the
Allies unquestionably underesti-
mated the strength of the Turks.
They are declared evidently to have
taken into consideration only the
weakness shown during the two
Balkan wars and to have overlooked
entirely the regeneration and re-or-
ganization which has taken place in
Turkey since the Young Turks Sc
cured full control of the government.
In the second place the lack Of
| quick. vigorous. effective action In
the execution of the plan of attack is
roundly criticized. II on the day the
Allies bombarded the Dardanelles'
fortifications for the first time the
fleet had been sent through the
straits regardless of cost, it is the
general impression here the Darda-
nelles would have been forced
Now the forcing of the straits by
the fleet is regarded as an absolute
impossibility the Turks having had
ample time to prepare defenses Of the
most modern and adequate kind.
Similar criticism is also levelled
against the land action on the penin-
sula of Gallipoli. Not only did the
Allies underestimate greatly the
strength of the Turks. but they allow
ed ample time for the latter to make
up all of the weaknesses and defects
in their defense that would have been
; open TO a land attack made simultane-
Gus with the first bombardment of
4, the straits last February instead Of
two months later.
While ii is not estimated here that
the final capture Of Constantinople by
the land side of Gallipoli is utterly
impossible, IL is, nevertheless, the
. general opinion that now that the
: attack has been reduced to a basis
of trench warfare II can only be ac-
+, complished after a long campaign in
g which every foot Of ground will be
fiercely contested
No secret is made in the Balkans
Of the fact that the original plan Of
! action by the Allies called for. the
landing Of a Russian army on the
D nIBlack Sea coast north OF Constantin-
!. ople and the capture OF that city from
J the Chatalja line in the rear. But
here again the lack Of quick, ener-
= getic action on the part of the Allies
b defeated this plan.
e With the arrival OF German sub.
marines off Constantinople the Turk
Il ish fleet is now almost equal to the
e naval strength which Russia has al
d her disposition in the Black Sea-
e II is known that for several months
j. Russia has been holding an army
l. variously estimated from 200 900 ia
n 100000 at Odessa for this descent on
= the Black Sea coast north of Con-
Il stantinople. By losing. however. the
little naval supremacy she at first
/ had in the Black Sea this has now
been rendered utterly impossible
: While by a sudden move il might be
i possible still to effect the landing oil
the troops, the general opinion here
Z is that the Russian fleet never could
/ keep open the line OF communica-
tions, especially against the submar.
e ines, necessary to insure the con.
lt tinuance of the operations Only a
preponderating naval supremacy such
p as the Allies have in the Mediter.
r ranean could do that.
In general, England, and especially
n Churchill, is blamed here both fol-
Id the underestimation OF the Turkish
strength and for the lack of effective
action.
The Balkans. however, are unani
= nous in the belief that the whole cam
paign could be turned from a some
what doubtful one into one Of Ger
4 tainty by the Intervention of Bulgari;
on behalf Of the Allies. The whole o
the Turkish strength is today. concen
trated in the resistance at the Darda
nelles and at Gallipoli. Part of thl
cannon that are now known TO fairl!
bristle along the entire peninsula o
Gallipoli are to be found a goodl,
portion Of the artillery that formerl!
figured in the defenses of Adrianopl
and the Chatalja line The entir
province of Thrace from the Bul
garian frontier to the gates of Con
: stantinople is declared TO have beei
left almost denuded of defense in or
der to withstand the attack at tn
straits. That Turkey could not resis
still another attack on her rear 4
everywhere conceded here.
Unfortunately for the Allies, how
ever. German diplomacy has so IA
been successful in keeping Bulgari
from making a decision in their favor
= Whether she will be able to DO thi
= till the end Of the war remains to b
seen.