The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1916-02-10
A Weekly Review
OF The Great War


Cattaro without encountering
any serious resistance anil at
this rate it will not be long be-
fore Albania is practically in
their hands. The Italians we're
depended upon to defend Alhan-
la with the aid of the Serbian
soldiers there, since they have
always regarded Albania as
,,'bble'hin their sphere of influence
and they were already In posses
sion of it's chief harbors, Duraz-
20 and Avlona. General Giovan-
nj Ameglia, who had charge of
the Italian conquest of Libya, is
in command of the Italian army
in Albania, which includes some
of the veterans of his African
campaign. He was said to have
at his command 175, 900 italian
troops besides the remnants of
the Serbian army which retreat.
ed into Albania, perhaps hun
dred thousand more. There was
also an Albanian force of un-
known number under Essad Pa
sha, WHO might he expected to
defend ScuUari against the Aus.
trians as stoutly as he did
against the Montenegrins three
years ago. All these together
with such Montenegrins as re-
fused TO surrender to the Aus
trians would certainly have been
able to hold the Albanian noun
tains against the invaders for a
time especially since Italy has
command of the Adriatic and
would supply the armies from
the coast while the AustrIans
and Bulgars must come a long
distance overland without rail
saads.or even highways back of
their line.
1t is no wonder then that Eng
land and France were shocked to
hear that Italy was Withdrawing
her troops from Durrazzo as rap
idly as possible and had appar-
emily no intention of trying to
hold any part of Albania except
the port Of Avlona. The muni-
tIons and provisions which had
been stored at Durrazzo for the
campaign are being taken back
to Italy; not to Avlona as might
have been expected.
The British forces on the Ii
girls and Enphrates are in a very
critical situation. A heavy and
long continued transform, unus-
nal in this region, has raised the
Tigris four feet and flooded the
low banks on each side where
the English and Indian soldiers
are encamped. The level and
barren plains afford no natural
protection and elaborate en-
trenchments like those in Bel
gium are impossible
Last week we said that the re-
lief expedition under General
Aylmer had arrived at Essaln,
within elk miles Of the beleagur.
ed force under General Town
shend at KutIel-Amara. This
was the statement made to Par
liment by Austen Cham berlin,
Sec :stary of State for India, but
it seems that he was muddled in
his geography for few days lat
er it was acknowledged that a
mistake had been made in the
location of Almer's army, which
was twenty-three miles away
instead of six. Apparently ths
relieving army has been held in
check by strong force of Turks
near Sheik Said. The Turkish
War Office reports that the Brit.
lsb have been driven back sever.
al miles with a loss of three
tn lusand. If this is true it puts
,,of indefinitely the rescue oil
General Townshend's army
which is entrenched at Kut-e,,
Amara and surrounded by the
enemy; and since this force, va
riously surmised to mum Der be
tween ten and thirty thousan
man 10 altouethar emf off fro,