The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-01-19
Mar LAST WEEK
1HEEE OF GROUND GAINS FOR
CENTRAL ALLIANCE
ALLIES WIN BY NUMBERS

New York Times Reviewer Says Hope
Of Entente is Overwhelming Forces
Turks Threaten Disaster to Brit
tsh in Mesopoeaalia-Battles in
East and West.
Specifically, the past week has not
besn, from the standpoint Of the
Entente, particularly satisfactory
Gallipoli mas been completely aban
doned by the British, Lovcen, the
Calais Of the Adriatic, has been take,
by the Austrians, the British on tbs
Tigris il Mesopotamia are apparently
in desperate straits, the new Russian
offensive along the Styr and tbs
Stripa has apparently bee.- stopped
and a new German offensive il the
Champagne has made progress.
Without further qualification i;
would indeed be = week of woe 10.
the Allies, and CORRESPONDENCE weeE
that would cause the greatest rejoic-
ing in Berlin. Certain qualification.
are necessary, however, in order tha
these incidents may be seen in tSai:
true proportions.
In regard to the final withdrawa
, from GallipoI. it will probably be re-
called that ever since the Serbian in
vasion began these reviews have in
sisted on the utter uselessneSs o.
maintaining the forces that have beer
operating on the peninsula. From
the minute the first shell from the
Eeet was sent into Sedd-el-Bahr Lhc
eatire campaign was doomed to fail
pre-a failure that each passing day
made more apparent.
All of the Allies recognized the
truth. but lacked the courage TO &C
knowledge defeat even in a subsidiar!
aeld. Finally, when it was too late
the Anafarta position was evacuated
and the Turks were left free to con,
centrate their strength on the Acni-
Baba line.
Whether there was possibility o.
the British being driven into tie sea
or whether the impossibility Of ar
advance finally became too evident to
be longer ignored, is not known. Ir
all probability there was no Local
military necessity for the move. The
big naval artillery of the allied flee:
outranges any shore batteries the
3 Turks ~haTe about the tip Of tbs
Peninsula. Under protection Of those
naval guns there is every likelihood
that the Allies could have held on as
long as they were so minded.
There was, however, need Of these
troops in other fields where adyan-
tages could be gained coqmensurate
with the losses sustained, and this is
the most logical reason why the with
drawal was made.
That the British viii, to some eX.
5 tent, IcSe caste as q result is, OF
course, inevitable. Themodern Turks
: have been generally regarded as
pretty far down in the military scale
andSGreat Britain has been extremely
frank in expressing an opinion as to
their lack Of merit.
Turkish territory extended vel,
into the Far East, and the British De
: feat will be trumpeted Throughout,
the empire This will lower British
prestige, and, after this war is over
cause England considerable trouble
before the status Of affairs is the
same as it was year ago.
India seems loyal, and in spite OF
the Teuton propaganda for revolt IS
/ not apt to cause any serious military
trouble. But India will no longer re-
gard Britain as the invincible force
that governs as it will. against which
opposition would be fruitless. The
reckoning will come in the form OF a
demand for government by the con-
sent OF the governed and for voice
IN the government.
At home, in London itself, the feel
ing viii be rather one Of relief. Nc
other operation of the war has caus-
: ed 50 mucn ill-feeling or hostile criti-
cism among the people and in parlia-
ment. Gallipoh has been the rock on
which the government has been in
almost constant danger of founder
, ing and breaking up. On the whole.
1t may well be doubted whether the
advantage thus gained in re-estab-
Ishing unity and faith in the govern
ment at home does not offset the dis
advantages caused by loss of prestige
In the East.
The direct military inference which
this move will exert can be found in
the number OF men, both Turks and
allied troops, released for duty in
other theatres. We have no Official
reports Of the number Of men on
either side thus freed. Unofficial!y
# is. reported that the number Of
Turks is about 100000.
To the Allies it must mean, there
fore, the addition Of at least 100, 0,0G0.
These latter troops could be used ad-
3 vantageously in almost any OF the
other war areas, IN Flanders, Meso-
pctamia, or Saloliki. At the latter
place, the threat Of an attack is ever
present. 1t appears from such infoT-
nation as has come to hand that they
have been sent to SaIoniki to take
part in the defense. But it is not ap-
parent even yet whether the attack
will ever come.
have been sufficiently described in
previous reviews. It is only neces-
sary now to consider one feature. In
attacking Saloniki, the Teutons and
their allies will be trying to force a
with q total perimeter Of about fifty
miles and held by approximately
10000 men, or 5000 to the mile
about the same ratio as prevails in
the German line in France.
OF this distance or nifty mlleS,
forty-hve are so open that it may be
said that the advance against the
line. almost from the moment the at
tackinS force moved south, would be
unprotected by any features Of ter
rain, and would be, from the begin
ming, under fire from guns placed
with positive beforehand knowledge
OF the direction from Which the at
tack would come.
Under such circumstances, to have
an even chance Of success, the attack
ing force would have to be at leas'
double the defense. Not only that
but as the Allies, through their con-
troll Of the sea, can supply and rein. -.
force themselves at will, the attack
must be able to call for new drafts
for the same purpose.