Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-05

| The AuStrO-Hungarian armies are rap
| dy approaching their ultimate objective
of Mount Lovcen overlooking the Bocche
| III Cattaro and their sweeping march Ia
Scutati San Giovanni dl Medua, Alesso
and Durazzo and their conjunction there
with the Bulgars advancing from Elbas
san, It is to be expected that no serious
obstacle will be encountered between
Durazzo and Valona.
Can they hope to get possession of this
much-coveted objective, so as TO acquire n
new formidable naval base against the
low lying coasts Of Italy, n base for sub
marines above all, or will this latest eff
fort OF the Central Empires leave them
empty handed as did their former often
sive in Poland and to "A certain extent
their conquest of the Balkans?
AUsTRGANs FACE DIFFICULTIES.
Probably, If the Allies have decided
J to defend Valona, II Italy Is determined
| to- hold the bay which has given her
| splendid naval base on sea where she
| had none, the Austro- Bugars will never
| attain their goal. NalOna can be defended
| successfully against superior forces, as
can any strongly fortified naval base
| which Is not attacked at the same time
! from land and sea. Austria cannot afford
tho risk OF losing her fleet for an attack
| on Nalona from the Adriatc coast, nor
! can her armies really hope to gain n sub
| stantial success from an attack on Va
I Iona without the full cooperation OF her
sen forces.
4 glance at the map will give an idea
Of the absolutely favorable geographical
features the Bay OF Valona and its hinter
land present against attack,
The bay is protected enst and north by
a series Of hills, from 2100 to 5000 feet high.
grouped as to form two big platcaus
on the left banks of the Voyussa River
and its main tributary, the Susiza. Be
tween these two groups of mountains
stretch Of plains Is left, n corridor lead |
ing to Nalona and to the bay This cor |
ridor, however, is crossed by the SusiZa, |
which, though it can easily be forded, as |
its waters are neither swift running nor |
deep except in time of floods, presents |
in this season another obstacle to the |
armies trying to reach Nalona. More
over. tho corridor is completely controlled |
by the fire of Italian batteries, hid on the |
mountains north and south of It, and has |
a width of barely three and onc-half |
miles.
The Austrians and Bulgars attacking
Nalona would necessarily be compelled
to clear the enemy from the mountains
north and south Of the city before they
could possibly get through the narrow
passage. The attack on the mountains
will not be an easy task. The Austro-
Bulgars will be compelled to operate on
unfavorablc ground, without the slightest
help of what in America or in any |
=
mule trails and always exposed to the
fire of artillery and machine guns al
ways open to surprise attacks by troops
which have had ample time to get aC
customed to the roughncss of the country
and perhaps, also, to mountain warfare.
Indeed, it is not improbable that part of
the troops sent to Nalnna several weeks
ago were taken from corps which have
been already fighting on the Alps against
the Austro- -FIungarians.
ITALIANS PREPARED.
Whatever they are and wherever they
come from, 1t is certain that, since it was
decided to defend Nalona, they have
amply prepared for the defense Of the
approaches to the bay as thoroughly as
the Italian STAFF has prepared the de-
fense Of positions conquered on the Alps
and the Isonzo front against counter
attacks by the Austrians
The two rivers and the two groups of
forming the protecting curtain
Of Nalona should prove almost impassa-
BILE to the attacking forces after nearly
l3 months since Italy first landed troops ;
at NaiOna and began to fortify the stra-
teg.C positions of the hinterland. The ,
work must have been completed by Gem ,
eral Angelic, who is in command in
Albania. Valona should he today what a c
recent dispatch from Rome described it-a
tntrenChed camp IL it is so, ,
there can be no doubt that the Italians
will be able to hold out against the at
racking armies, even If the latter will
have superior forces.
The contested city presents, indeed,
much of the features of the IsonzO front.
An army of invasion is compelled to at
tack from the plains defensive posi-
lions set high above, and, moreover, the {
approaches to the slopes of the mountains !
are extremely difficult and few, as the !
plains are without roads Therefore, diff 4
Guilty of moving artillery and supply col :
Imns, and difficulty Of maneuvering over /
4 ground which is now. as always in n
winter time, flooded and marshy, will +
hamper the attacking forces perhaps as
much as the fire from the mountain slopes !
10 which they viii constantly be ex-
posed,
An attempt to get through the corridor @
the north and south group of :
just east OF Nalona would /
mean the certain destruction of the units c
sent TO ford the Susiza. II any attempt a
s to be made to reach Nalona, the heights G
over which the Italians have fortified t
themselves must first be conquered on
The Isonzo front the Italians have fought .
'easelessly for many months and have yet
10 overcome the resistance of the Aus ,
IN the bay. The ships can well remain =
out of the range Of the guns the Aus
.rans will be able TO drag to Nalona, !
through a territory without COmmunica-
tons, In order to really endanger the
of the bay by the Italians 1t S
would be necessary to occupy the narrow il
peninsula stretching north II
ward from the bottom of the inlet to Cape a
Linguetta- This peninsula is formed by I
The Aucroceraunlan Mountains. the high O
est of which, Mount Vasilo, reaches 2490 II
'eet. These mountains have been strongly
fortified. !
once the Austrians got possession OF :
he AucToceraunian Peninsula and of the
eastern shore of the bay, the Italian war
ships would necessarily be compelled 10
seek safety out on the open sea and the
pay would be lost to them.
But is il possible TO accomplish such
a task? Granting tnat the AustTo- Bull !
CARS could turn the fortified hill OF |
south of Valona. cross the Lun- i
rian positions on the heights northwest of
Gorilla, where however, there are good v
md convenient roads on which 10 shift s
rom one place to the other and where
leavy artillery can easily be mspeuvered.
The Austrians will have before them an
almost hopeless task when they will at
empt to storm the fortified heights north.
EAST and southeast OF Valona.
DANGEROUS APPROACHES.
An approach to the city west of the
lOFtheru grOuD OF mountains where the