Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-08-02
THE. TIGHTENING OF THE IRON RING

with such force that Austria unable to detach any
larger numbers of soldiers from this front to augment
the Central lines either west east 1t is, in fact
doubtful If Austria has taken any from the Italian
front during the past two months. \
In the Caucasus the Slav armies began that new
drive which resulted in the capture of Erzerun, Bit
lis and the occupation of the Lake Van region fol-
lowed few months later by the capture of Erzingan
These successive victories have demoraized the Turks
of the Black Sea provinces and are reported to have
cleared Armenia of Turk soldiers The Caucasus
campaign has probably prevented any Turkish activity
on the Balkan front. *.-. .... {
From time to time there have been rmors that eth
er the Central or the Entente Powers were on the
verge of big Balkan offensive. but nothing like a
general campaign appears to have been started in this
region In July well-inforned correspondents at
Berne, Switzerland received news that the Germans
and Bulgarians had half million men ready for an
attack upon the Allies entrencied at Salonki Posi-
bly, the pressure upon other Central fronts was SO
great that the German commanders undoubtedly
control the Bulgarian movements-felt it unwise to
batter at the French and British lines forth of Salo-
Mkt 1t is certain that Bulgaria is none too we'll
equipped and this may have been deterrent factor.
Even with Bulgaria late entry into the war Gar
Ferdinand country was in poor condition for long
fight The two Balkan wars just previous partcti-
larly the disastrous latter one-had pretty well ex-
hausted Bulgarias military In particular
is said that the Bgarans badly in need of shoes.
Napoleon said that an army travels its stomach,
but it quite true that it travels on its feet (no
Irish bull intended) and when poorshod it is below
fighting efficiency. Bulgaria has no shoe factories
and tanneres and reports indicate that it has been
able to get leather from any of its Allies or from
Runlana.
ron July II Karl H. vony Miegand. the Berlin cor
respondent of tile New York World, eabled to his
paper
Now for the first time in the war the military intia-
tive has passed to the other side Germany is fight.
ing on the defensive almost everywhere.
Germany lighting day and night against superior
numbers in the west with heroism and bravery to
which the other side is giving lavish tribute of
Fed on food that at the very best cannot have the
strength forceproducing properties which the
the other eide have in abundance; snatching
few hours rest under hail of shells and shrapnel
or sitting up straight on the hard wood seats Of 4.
jammed railroad cars shunted from front to front.
from point to point, Ike shuttlecocks on the vast
rom-like network OF the German railways, the Ger
soldier today Is performing feats Of prodigious
valor, and showing endurance under adverse condi-
tons against great odds which day.when mill
tary reasons exist no longer in any of the warning
countries against details that cannot now be told,
will challenge the worlds admiration,
Hawaii has become so accustomed to seeing in each
day dispatches CLAIMS and coufter-claiins, ofhcial
statements and official Contradictions that much of the
war-news gets to appear merely routine. Much of
the news concerning this yiselke grip of the Allies.
and the slow, gigantic tightening of that grip, my not
stand out from other war-news as significant, since
public interest fed for two years sensation tends
always to sag. But there are many signs that for the
Central Powers have come the most critical period of
the struggle. Ithls not come sharply and suddenly,
came Frances crisis at the Marne but it has
with slow steadiness which recalls the words of
Kitchener that the Allies could not hope to win in
side three years