Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-12-14
FIRST REPULSE OF RUMAN|ANS is
CAMPAIGN TO LIVE IN HISTORY
Correspondent Gives Graphic Description of Skluly Man.
aged Entente Campaign and Shows How Lack of Initiative
By Rumania Leaders Resulted in Great Disaster
IRr As.eeiaied Pressl


HERMANNSTADT Transylvanla.-
One OF the battles of the present war
which future generations will study is
the one which led TO the complete rout
and DISCRIMINATION OF the, First Rn-
manian army southeast OF this city.
For several reasons the battle in ques-
ton is by far the most interesting OF
the European war. 1t caused the re-
treat of the Rumanian forces which
had invaded Pennsylvania and called
fer flank maneuver whose success
was possible only with an enemy who
took too much for granted.
Ententes Face Hard Problem
When Gen. Falkenhayn's forces
reached the country north OF Her.
mannstadt, the general military situa-
ton was not favorable for the Central
Powers troops. The invading Ruman-
ian troops had occupied good positions
and had the advantage of numerical
superiority Kronstadt and the coun.
toy north OF that city had been occn-
pied The entire valley Of the Alt was
In the hands OF the Rumanians, and
the Germans and Austro- Hungarian
troops depended for transportation
upon few single-tracked railroads of
little strategic value.
Gradually contact was established
with the enemy by advancing the
Central forces right wing. The Vul-
can Pass was taken. This done, the
Teutonic army passed slowly forward
along the Transylvanian Alps, driving
the Rumanians before them. The in
tention of the Rumanian general staff
~ 20 "A a. rrfx
was wrecked.
Rumanians Show Lack Of initiative
Hermannstadt had not been occu.
pied by the Rumanians, failure due
to lack of initiative. The city could
have been taken without much fight
ing, but already the Rumanians had
been given several good examples Of
Falkenhyn's strategy. The Ruman.
ians lay south of the city in a half
circle, refrained from offensive man
euvers, and so gave Falkenhyn the
very opportunity he needed to set his
great drive in motion Slowly the i'm
periai TROOPS were advanced towards
the hills north of the Alt, while
against the Ghost forest In the east
Central cavalry was thrown to protect
the left flank.
This was the situation on Septem-
Der %.
The Rumanians had the Red Tower
Pass In their rear and frontal at
tack might do no. more than throw
them upon this. II was necessary to
close that pass. This could be done
only by sending troops through the
mountains west OF the pass, a very
difficult maneuver since the noun
tains have no roads Of any sort. Ar
tillery and q supply train were out OF
the question.
Flank Movement Attempted
Gen. Falkenliyn decided to attempt
the flank movement with some Ger
man alpine troops, OF which Bavarian
mountaineers were but small con-
tingent, many of the alpine soldiers
being in reality natives OF Meckien.
burg, men who in all their lives had
never climbed mountain.
Three battalions set out The men
carried food for four days and their
regular issue OF ammunition. Reserve
supplies were carried on hastily or
ganized pack train. Through the foot
hills of the mountains a road could
he used. then paths were followed ana
finally the crests near the Rumanian
border had to be gained through. dense
forests and across boulder fields.
An odd feature of the maneuyer
was that the contact established with
the Rumanian border guards did not
result IN the commander of the First
Rumanian army taking some precau.
tionary measure for the protection OF
hss fisnk The German flankers had
daily skirmishes with the Rumanlan
border troops, but never met serious
opposition.
The thanking force was to reach the
Red Tower Pass on September 70, on
which day a frontal attack was 10 De
made from the direction OF Hermann
stadt Despite great hardships ana
,he abandonment at the village OF Dus
Of the mack train, the Germans sue
ceeded in reaching the heights above
the AIT defile on the morning OF the
eeth Some engineers descended into
the gorge and blew up the ROAD a. w
points where revetments mace .nis
feasible Even then the kumanlans
seem to have felt absolutely secure
The fact that in their rear an enemy
was destroying their one direct line OF
communication does not seem 10 nave
troubled them much. Probably tne
thought that the road through the All
Valley and to Kronstadt was open may
be responsible for this.
ORIGINAL Program Postponed
The original program had called for
n general attack at in the morning
on the 26th. The flank troops were
in telephone connection with head
quarters. and so learned that the at.
tack from Hermannstadt had been
postponed. The situation OF the al
pine troops was far from reassuring. A
movement on their own flank might
be undertaken by the Rumanians at
any hour, The 18th passed. The
thanking body had been divided into
three columns, as the pass was ap-
preached. The one advancing close
to the Rumanian border reached the
pass close to Riul Vatului. the Ruman-
ian border point. The central column