New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-19
rbe Story of Another
Allied Army That
Came Too Late.
d. FRANK H. SIMONDS,
Ar,bor of The Great War.

,m.d failure in the Balkans has been
| -, sorts-military latterly, but diplo-
:. primarily. 1t was the diplomatic
lr,d.r too, that made the military fall
L. inevitable. For months British and
- statesmen talked and argued with
-, Greek and Serb leaders; they
- that by words alone they could
- II the rival Balkan states into an
m.rcs that they could restore the old
Nance which overthrow the Turk and
,,,, against Turk and Teuton alike.
n. thing was always impossible, be-
l.. there never was any chance of
..o,,ilipg the conflicting claims, and
L.. never was any sincerity on the part
| he Bulgarian leaders. These leaders
Ire In fact, the servants Of car, Aus
- Nv birth and German by sympathy,
A as far back as the Treaty Of Buch-
..,,, had signed away his freedom of
..;on 70 Vienna. From the outset he was
,...rmined to join the Germans when the
4ms came for striking, but In the mean
| time he played the Allied ambassadors off
rth claims and demands, which were i'm
ussibe to satisfy completely, but opened
| ne WAY for more bargaining.
In consequence the Allies sacrificed
Serbia. lost Greece and, at the fatal mo-
nsot when Germany was ready to ad-
vnce. found Bulgaria mobilizing to at
tack. Last spring Greece could have been
had If the Allies were prepared to guar
sp,ee her integrity and give her compen-
s,ton in Asia Minor. Instead, they sug-
restsd the cession Of Greek territory to
Bulgaria Then King Constantine dis
missed Venizelos, appealed to the Greek
DsOvls, and venizelOs could only win the
election BY pledging himself TO make no
ussiOn TO Bulgaria. But by this time the
,.ysl attack upon Gallipoh had been at
snptd and failed.
The Desperate Venture.
When Bulgaria was still helpless, but
her purpose well known in the Balkans,
Serbia asked permission TO attack her be-
fore she modified. London refused for
noral reasons and, in consequence, Serbia
lie. in ashes and ruin. Finally, at the last
II. Allies in their folly believed that
Grsece would stand by Serbia when the
Germans and Austrians were advancing,
md the Allies had next to no troops TO
.nd to the aid Of the Serbs. But Greece
remembered Belgium and declined.
Greece having failed, there was left to-
he Allies one chance-not TO save Serbia
"a. to save the Serbian army. Germany
vas advancing on the north from Hun
nry, Austria on the west from Bosnia,
Bulgaria on the east from her own terri
Try. There was a chance-a bare chance,
70 be sure-that the Allies could push a
'sHsf column north far enough 10 open a
rad for the retreat Of the Serbian army
.rOn Old Serbia 10 Macedonia. In sum,
vat the Allies hoped 10 do was what they
ID actually do in Belgium when Antwerp
Ill that is, hold the door open for the
's:sest Of the defeated army.
The geographical conditions Of the Al
a gamble were these: A hundred and
ssnty-odd miles north Of the Greek port
Sslonica the whole Serbian territory
extracts 70 a narrow neck; through this
'sck pass all the roads which come south
''on the old Kingdom Of Serbia TO the
'sE territories, which were acquired by
as Serbs In the First and Second Balkan
ssr Two Of these roads are paralleled
y railroads, one coming south from the
Os,ube. from Belgrade through Nish, the
70tg, branch line, coming southeast
rSca the Kossovo Plain. They meet az
vsfub. which is the neck Of the bottle.
Uskub.
he Serbs were bound to withdraw
f%sdiiy before the Austrian and German
"@sk, which was in overwhelming force;
~ Il the Allies could get 70 Uskub in
lie and hold Il, the Serbs might be able
tone soUth into Macedonia. The one
IN nat was imminent and deadly was
81 ne Bulgarians, marching from east
"pest, would seize the neck Of the bottle
Vskub and hold II. II they did, the
=" could not Join their allies, would
'''s 70 draw back into the Montenegro
~hisins and would there find themselves
barren region, lacking in roads, in
y supply, IN all the necessities Of an
lrnE
1 N problem Was thus plain and lacking
a. Complicated details. To understand
- Allied caror.fe,x a. tLa p.iLana ~ fe