Evening star., 1915-12-19

In consequence, the allies sacrificed
Serbia, lost Greece and, at the fatal
moment, when Germany was ready to
advance, found Bulgaria mobilizing to
attack. Last spring Greece could have
been had, II the allies were prepared to
guarantee her integrity and give her
compensation in Asia Minor. Instead,
they suggested the cession of Greek
territory to Bulgaria. Then King Con-
stantine dismissed venizelos. appealed
to the Greek people, and Venizelos
could only win the election by pledg-
ing himself to make no cession to Bull
garia. But by this time the naval at
tack upon GallipoM had been attempted
and failed.
When Bulgaria was still helpless, but
her purpose well known in the Balkans,
Serbia asked permission to attack her
before she mobilized. London refused
for moral reasons, and, in consequences,
Serbia lies in ashes and ruin. Finally,
at the last, the allies, in their folly,
believed that Greece would stand by
Serbia when the Germans and Aus
trians were advancing, and the allies
had next to no troops to send to the
aid of the Serbs. But Greece remem-
bered Belgium and declined.
The Desperate Venture.
Greece having failed, there was left
to the allies one chance-not to save
Serbia, but to save the Serbian army.
Germany was advancing on the north
from Hungary. Austria on the west
from Bosnia, Bulgaria on the east from
her own territory. There was chance
"a bare chance, to be sure-that tns
far enough to open road for the re-
treat of the Serbian army from old Ser
bia to Macedonia. In sum, what the
allies hoped to do was what tney dlo
actually do in Belgium when Antwerp
fell, that is, hold the door open for the
retreat of the defeated army.
The geographical conditions OF the
allied gamble were these: hundred
Creek port of Saloniki the whole Ser
bian territory contracts to a narrow
neck: through this neck pass all the
roads which come south from the old
kingdom Of Serbia to the new terri
Serbs in the first and second Balkan
wars. Two of these roads are paral-
leled by railroads, one coming south
from the Danube from Beigratae ,tna
coming southeast from the kossovo
plain. They meet at Uskub, which Is
the neck of the bottle.
The Serbs were bound to withdraw
steadily before the Austrian and Ger
man attack, which was in overwhelm-
ing force; but if the allies could get to
Uskub in time and hold 1t, the serbs
might be able to come south INTO mace
donia. The one peril that was immi-
nent and deadly was that the Bul-
garians, marching from east to west,
would seize the neck Of the bottle at
Uskub and hold it. II they ala, tne
Serbs could not join their allies. would
grin mountains, and would there find
themselves in a barren region. lacking
in roads, in food supply, IN all the
necessities of an army
The problem was thus plain and lack
ing in all complicated details. To un-
derstand tn allied campaign in the
Balkans it Is only necessary to think
of the Serbs being driven south TO-
ward the Uskub neck, the allies push
ing north through the same neck ana
the Bulgars rushing west Win aae
same objective. In distance the ad-
vantage was with the Bulgars. The
chances that they would arrive first
were overwhelming, but II was pos
sfble they might not be able to send
the numbers necessary to hold to their
positions.
Advances by the Allies.
To make the campaign the allies had
available some $4,000 French troops
under Cen. Sarrail, the general who
had saved verdun in the Marne time,
and not more than 10000 British troops.
These had been collected apparently
for some new operation against ga. G
lipou. They were hurried to Saloniki
landed there on the s,,a lhvstaIioe sti1l Creek
prime minister. and kept there after
Ventzelos fell and the Greeks changed
their tune and protested 81,
n seems clear that the Greeks olo
ali that was humanity possible to de-
har l.af
Of men and munitions.
This work went forward slowly. AS
the troops disembarked they were
marched through Salonih and put on
Greek section of the Saioniki,Nish aa,,,S 81,
c;ievgheu. (Gievgelu on the map ac-
companying this article In whlen the
French spelling is employed, Saloniki
appearing as Salonique3 IN 1e,,om
ing the Vardar river through gorEes
ana in a narrow valley, was, at the
outset open all the way to uskup.
But almost simultaneously with the
the Serb frontier the railroad line was
cut by the Bulgars striking west In
small parties from Strumnitza, just
across the Bulgar line, at the point
where the three countries, Greece
serbia and Bulgaria meet. An inn
DOTJanL
French advance came to stop.
This delay proved fatal. For although
the French engineers presently rebuilt
the bridge and the advance pushed on,
events were taking place in the north
which determined the whole course or
the campaign.
Nevertheless, to complete the oescFlp-
ton of this phase, it is necessary to
poirt out that the French, having mn
ished their bridge work., pushed on
rapidly up the Vardar valley. through
the famous Demir Kapu gorges to the
cerna (Izenar) river, which flows
northeast from the Monastir plain and /
enters the vardar, half way between
the Greek frontier and Uskub. French
patrol actually pushed across this
stream and reached the outskirts OF
Veles. not more than twenty miles
from Uskub. Thus the whole episode |
suggested the British experience in the
Sudan, when they just failed to reach |
Khagtum in time to save Gordon.
Bulgaria Takes Her Revenge.
But to the north things were going |
far too rapidly for the allied hopes. To !
the north and west the Serbs were re- |
tiring in good order and keeping their 4
divisions well In hand. But the Bulgar |
operations were going on with almost |
Incredible rapidity. One Bulgarian army |
had moved west from Sofia and Widin |