Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-11-05
BULGAR|ANS R0UT
FRENCH IN BATTLE
NEAR PR|L|P, CLAIM
Continued from First Page.)

| Continued from First Page.)
sen number only 10000, they are sup
piled with such tremendous weight of
artillery that they are able to batter the
very hills into shapeless masses with
shells from their twelve-inch mortars and
keep up constant cloudburst of shrapnel
under which the Serbs are forced to re-
tire slowly without even seeing their an
tagonsts The native troops, experts in
mountain fighting, take advantage Of
every natural position of strength, how
ever. forcing the Austro-Germans to dis
lodge them, and giving no ground until
compelled to do so. Their spirit is
courageous, but desperate.
| The journey from Nish to Saloniki, the
only practicable outlet to the sea, requires
nine days. Every means of transporta-
ton must be employed over the route to
Pristina and Prisrend through Albania to
can be heard. and in the sky are reflected
the flashes of the guns engaged in the
battle near Prot.
Evacuation Confirmed.
French headquarters at Saloniki con-
firms the Serbian evacuation of Katch-
anik pass and Prot and that the Bull
garian offensive south from Veles is
directed against Prot, between which
points, at Tetovo, the Serbs thus far
have repulsed the invaders, INJECTING
heavy losses.
| French staff officers do not seem to
regard the position of the Serbian army
as critical They declare that the re-
treat which is now being conducted
gives the defending army greater lib
erty of action without imperiling it.
In principle, they contend, the loss or
gain of one town or another is unim-
| lIa6
happens to contain indispensab BILE ma
terial resources. They maintain that
the all-important thing is for the Serbs
to continue their fight undisma yed
while the allies are increasing their
forces. extending their lines and limit
ing the field of Bulgarian action.
Effect Junction With Bulgars.
| SALoNIKI, November 2, via Paris,
November (delayed.-French head
quarters admits that Austro-German
cavalry has effected junction with
the Bulgars in the Bell Jovan region
near Negotin, but asserts the country
in this district is so difficult it is doubt
| full whether the union of forces will
serve any practical end. Negotin is on
| the Danube at point where only the
| river separates Rumanan territory
from the frontiers of Bulgaria and
Serbia
| An OHlCer Oh the serbian general
staff, discussing the situation, said to-
day:
THE main Austro-German effort to
get in touch with the Bulgars is pro-
ceeding very slowly and with exceed
ingly heavy losses up the Morava val
ley, through which the Turks invaded
| Hungary.
Hand-to-Hand Struggles
Gen. Terzitch's division, composed
Of natives of the Morava valley, is Of
fering desperate resistance Four
attacks were required to take Semin-
dria, which had to be stormed with
street fighting, every house being a
fortress. Zabriezge cost three sue
c.ssive charges. which ended in hand
to-hand struggles.
after thirteen days the Austro-Ger-
mans arrived before Malakresna, on
which, they rained 10000 shells and
stornled only after locating Serbian
masked batteries which covered it.
Seeking to retire. the invaders were
charged by cavalry and fed four miles
shattered ranks to resume the attack
on Malakresna.
Will Fight to the Last.
"on the 18th the Austro-German ad-
vance up the Morava valley had
reached only the Lubejo bridge on the
Poschavevata lire. The next day the
line extended as far as Azania. Palanka
fell on the 31st. The total advance in
this section in four weeks was fifteen
miles, scarcely d third of the distance
to Paracin, where a junction with the
Bulgarians must be effected by way of
the Urna valley. Meanwhile the Bull
garians in this section advanced only
as far as the line of the Za5ecar-Nego-
tin railway. The Serbians' situation is
serious but we have no other intention
than to fight until the last"
Fierce Battle at Uskup.
The Daily Chrinicle's Serbian CORE
spondent describes the fighting around
JJskup as the bitterest of the war The
Serbs were outnumbered five to one by
the Bulgarians, but the battle ragged
seven DAYS before they quilted the city.
For the greater part OIL that st. uggle
the contending armies were within 200
yards of each other, and hand-to hand
encounters were Vontlnuous, with heavy
losses on Doth. SIDES
gwen when the Serbs were forced to
fall back beyond the city, the Bulgar-
ians were unable to enter for days. as
the Serbian commitadjis Grregulars)
fought with the Bulgarian commitadjis
40 X edly street by street from cellars
to house tops.
SERBIAN officers declare that one ad-
ditional regiment on their side would
have turned the tide of battle in their
fayors. This, indeed, has been true at
several points where ferocious fighting
has occurred in the past fortnight.
| Serbian Women Battle
Alongside the Soldiers
| and DjSplaV No Fear