New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-29
KAISER WAY DROP
SAL0NICA ATTACK
Central Powers See No
Advantage in Taking
the Greek Port.
LOOK ON ALLIES
AS BOTTLED UP
Constantine Tells Caste!nau He
Doubts Teutons Can Keep on
Indefinitely.

London, Dec 2s.-Operations OF the
Central Powers against the Anglo
French Amy in Greece were tempo
rarily suspended. in Difference 70 Greek
susceptibilities regarding the Bulgari-
ans. when the expedition retrested
across the frontier, says an Associated
Press dispatch from Vienna, and pos
sibly may not be resumed.
Nothing positive regarding further
military plans can be learned. These
are contingent 10 a certain extent on
the Greek attitude. and il Greece has
no objection to leaving Salonica in the
hands Of the British ard French fur
ther offensive movement, II IS reported.
may not be undertaken by the Austro-
Germans. who. in that case. would
merely stand on the defensive in highly
favorable positions along the Bulgaria
Macedonian frontier.
Salonlca. as viewed in Vienna. has no
strategic Importance so long as Bul-
gars is able 70 defend Southern Mace
donia and her own borders. The occu-
patton Of Salonics BY the Allies is not
regarded as menace 20 any Of the in
terests Of the Central Powers. Bull
garls and Turkey. II is considered that
an offensive sgains, Salonics would be
q political rather than military meas
ure, and from the political standpoint,
II IS pointed out. the value of such an
offensive would be highly problemati-
cal, since the occupation, even tempo
rarily, of Greek territory would involve
only embar-assments and no advant-
ages. The Allied troops are regarded as
safely bottled UP IN SalonIcs.
AustriRns Unperturbed.
Press reports that the Allies intend
TO make Salouica the base for 500, 900
men causes no perturbation In Vienna,
as the Entente troops will have 20 be
met in any case, and il is argued. the
eNpeditlonary forces are operating at
the end of the longest, most hazardous
and most expensive supply line of the
war. while the Bulgarian army, consti-
tuting the major part of the force
barring the route through Serbia, has
the advantage of very short communi-
cations.
II IS added that the operations
against the Anglo-French expeditionary
forces might have assumed a different
aspect had the forces which expelled
the French and British from Mace
donia been Austro- German, instead OF
Bulgarian. Some Austro- German
troops have been detailed. as n measure
to allay Greek apprehensons, as part
Of the frontier guard established by
the Greco-Bulcarian agreement.
The Berlin "Tages Zeitung" prints a
dispatch from Sofa which says:
THE newspaper 'Narodnia Prava'
says that Greece, through its Minister
at Sofia, has informed Bulgaria that
she does not object to Bulgarian troops
entering Greek territory If this step is
/ unavoidably necessary in the interests
of military operations.
Premier Radoslavof expressed his
thanks for the communication. and as
sured the minister that Bulgarian
troops on Greek soil not only would
not harm Greek interests. but, on the
contrary. would aid them"
Dispatches from Athens say that, in
an interview on Christmas with Cen
era Castelnau, chief Of the French
General Staff. King Constantine eY-
pressed doubt that the Central En-
pires would be able TO resist indein-
financial. pressure Of the war.
The Greek sovereign asked the
French commander why by the slow
ness Of their operations they had per
mitted the crushing Of Belgium and
Serbia and the failure OF the Darda-
nelles campaign. General Castelnau's
reply was that nobody denied these
unfortunate results were extremely re-
grettable.
Must Be Prepared, Says Castelnsu.
at would be most highly desirable"
the general declared. "if Belgium and
Serbia were still intact and If Russia
could to-day be revictualled by way OF
the Dsrdanelles. but we must see the
war as a whole. II would be folly
capable Of jeopardizing final victory, Of
which alone we have the right to think
to undertake any military action with.
out the most complete preparation and
every assurance of success humanity
possible.
"If materials and forces are not
available, however painful the result OF
insction may be. IL is truly criminal to
GO of half-cock. Remember the Cri-
mea. where the Russians so long held
the MalakoT tower with fintlocks and
round cannon balls. Well. all the Ger
man line to-day is a row of Malakof
towers. With other rows behind.
But. just as the Russians finally
we're forced 70 give up, so must the
Germans. | have given three sons. |
have two more. but their lives, too, will
be paid, if need be, that victory may
be complete"
Ont AT British Headquarters in Mace
donia, says:
"The new defensive lines laid out by
the Entente Allies around Salonlca
make a sweep OF about fifty miles IN
a vide semi-circle, from the Nardar
River 10 the Gulf of Orphsnos. Nearly
half this distance is naturally defended
bv lakes Langaza and Beshik.
Few sites are better suited by
nature 20 the requirements OF scien-
tifc defence. The position is very SIM
liar TO the Turkish lines at Teha!dla,
where the Bulgars suffered their, only
defeat at the hands OF the Turks IN
1912. save that the valley mere ~
broader and the hills are higher
"The whole of the fifty-mile. arc en-
circiinc Salonica is surrounded by
broad valley. which is morsss IN parts
and would afford little cover 70 an ad-
vancing foe The hills within the foru-
God lines furnish admirable gun en-
nlacements. commanding all approaches.
On the slopes toward the north there
still remain the trenches where the
Turks intended to make their lasi
stand during the first Balkan war ana
some Of their bsrbed wire entangle-
ments have been utilized by the En-
tente Allies. ,
"Many interesting archaeological
specimens have been unearthed during