Middletown transcript., 1915-12-04
BALKAN STRUGGLE
ENTERS new PHASE
Wars Course in the Near East
May Shift.
SNOW STOPS OPERATIONS
Lord Kitchener After Visiting the
Balkans and Italy Has Arrived
At Paris For a Series
OF Conferences.

London. = The campaign in the
Near East is about to enter a new
phase. upon which the, visits of Lord
Kitchener to Paris and Emperor Will
liam to Vienna, it is believed, will
have an important effect.
Lord Kitchener, after visiting the
Balkans and Italy, has arrived at Paris
for an important series Of conferences
with the French star, while the Ger
man Emperor has gone to Vienna to
| see Emperor Francis Joseph and dis
cuss with the Austrian generals what
the next move will be. Presumably it
is a question whether the Central
Powers will attack the Anglo-French
| forces in Southern Serbia or concen-
trate in Western Bulgaria to meet the
threat of a Russian invasion from the
East and the possibility of Roumania
! taking sides against her old enemies,
Bulgaria and Turkey.
So far as Serbia is concerned,
winter appears virtually to have put
an end to any important movements,
although the Austrians are proceeding
to deal with the Montenegrins, whose
frontier they have crossed, while the
Bulgarians are attempting to advance
to Prisrend and Monastir,
With heavy and continuous snow
storms reaching the proportions Of a
blizzard, these operations must be
| slow, especially as the Serbians and
Montenegrins are still Offering stub
born resistance. Monastir, it is ad-
mitted, cannot be saved, but the
Serbians who are defending the city
are determined to resist to the last
and give the civilians a chance to
escape. They hold front some five
miles from the town in the direction
Of Prilep, from which point the Bull
garians, who have crossed the Caras-
sou River, are advancing.
Snow has completely stopped opera
tions on the Anglo-French front in
Serbia, the opposing forces, who are
separated by valley mile across,
having lost sight of each other.
There are no details Of the Greek
reply to the collective note of the
Entente Powers demanding facilities
for the Anglo-French forces, but dis
patch from Athens says it is couched
in friendly terms and is regard ed as
paving the way for the desired settle
ment, which would enable Greece t.
maintain her neutrality and not inter
fere with the plans Of the Allies.
Desperate fighting continues on tn,
| submits around Gorilla; the Italian
| claim to have captured more Austrian
| trenches. but the Austrians declar
| that the attacks all along the Isonz
have been repulsed.
Artillery and aerial fighting ha
marked the progress OF events il
France, while in Russia an almos
complete ull prevails. In the Car
casus. a recrudescence of activity
however, is reported, Petrograd II
cording several scouting expeditions
After clearing the battlefield 6
Ctesiphon, near Bagdad, in Mesop'
tamia, the British have again witt
drawn to the river The Turks repol
that the British were forced to +
tire by reason Of counter-attacks aft
1 suffering very heavy losses. Arti'lel
1 engagements in which the sBr.t s
monitors take hand, continue on IL
Gallipoli Peninsula.
4 The recent successes Of the All
K in Kamerun are considered likely for
runners of the complete defeat of Il
Germans there. They are now co
II centrated at Jaunde and, althoui
well supplied with guns, find 1t dii
| cult, owing to the British blockade
= the coast, to get munitions. II
Allies forces are now converging
Jaunde, while other columns are beil
er sent out to cut off any attempt at ]
We treat from that town.