Middletown transcript., 1915-10-30

w thC 1AuSlAO-ICIudu 6ul-
garian campaigns in Northern and
Eastern Serbia are being carried out
according to plan, despite fierce resist
ance, and the Bulgars who crossed the
Timok and hold the town of Prahovo
are separated from the Germans who
crossed the Danube near Orsova by
only a few miles, in the south things
are not going so well for the invaders.
In the latter region the French troops
have Joined hands with the Serbs and,
according to French accounts, have in
ficted severe defeat on the Bull
garians at Krivolak, 40 miles north of
the point where the Saloniki-Nish Rail
way crosses the Serbo-Greek frontier.
This success places the Bulgarians
who reached Istip, Veles and Uskup
in rather awkward positions, for a fur
ther advance of the allied army would
seriously threaten their flank. In
fact, unofficial reports state that the
advance of the French, who are being
closely followed by the British, has al
ready caused the retirement of the
Bulgars toward Strumitsa
The first desire of the Germans, how
ever, is to open route through North
eastern Serbia and Bulgaria to Turkey,
and this is on the eve of being accom-
plished.
On the other hand, military writer's
do not believe that the position of
Serbia is so desperate as has been
painted. 1t is serious, of course, but
they point out that the Serbians have
many natural defensive positions in
the mountains in which they can hold
out for weeks; that, with the British,
French and other members of the
quadruple powers carrying out their
determination to help Serbia by rush
ing reinforcements to Salonild and
other points, the Bulgars will have an
extremely warm reception, and that
the Germans and Turks, being fully
occupied elsewhere, will not be able
to send them much help.
British correspondents in France
have just disclosed the fact made
known to them by the British staff
that even after the Anglo-French of
fensive in September the Germans had
the greatest difficulty in securing new
reinforcements to meet that adventure
and had to call upon men just returned
from Russia for rest to fill the gaps il
the western lines. From this it is
argued that the Germans cannot spare
a great many men for the Balkans
especially as the Russians are keeping
them fairly busy from the Baltic to thu
Roumanian border.
The Italians by their offensive arr
compelling the Austrians to strengthen
their lines, and the French by the cap
ture of a strongly fortified salien
north of LIE Mesnil, in Champagne
have shown that they have not ye
finished their effort to break through
The French success is considered i'm
portant because the capture of thi
fortified area clears the ground for ar
other general offensive in Champagne
For the same reason the British ar
trying to force the Germans out @
I llcll I6OOuDlS anu lIOlIl Iu6 stag DeaD
to the south of La Bassee These
however, are only preparatory opera
tions, while the Italians are in tn
midst of a great offensive which ha
already gained for them many vail
able vantage points, and, according t
Rome dispatches, may any day plac
them in possession of the fortress {
Gorilla.
The Russians are fighting pitche
battles in the Riga and Dvinsk region
in an effort to retake the ground wo
by Field Marshal Won Hindenburg. Tt
Russians attacks southeast of Rie
have been repulsed according to II
Germans, as were those undertake
northwest of Dvinsk. The Germa
forces, however. which crossed IL
Hloukst, north of the town of th
name, withdrew in the face of a s
perior Russian army.
The German campaign in Courla1
is being interfered with by British al
Russian submarines, which have sto
ped mercantile traffic to the Bait
! ports and one of which has sunk Il
Prinz Adalbert, the sixth armor
! cruiser lost by Germany since the col
mencement of the war, the others /
ing the Bleucher, Scharnhorst, Gneis
nau, Yorck and Friedrich Karl