El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-08
French and English Gather
An Amy OF 3OO.O0OIn
Strategic Greek City.
50 MILE LINE IS
CLOSELY GUARDED
Germans and Turks Hold
Strong Positions But Can
Not Take Ofensioe.

r ONDON. Eng. April s.-No ons
doubts here that the Allies viii
- strike a great blow in the near
east this spring. Just, where It viii be,
Is probably known to less than a dozen
persons. but the great forces at sa-
lonica and the stin larger forces IN
Egypt are not needed on the western
front and are bound to be thrown into
the Turkish empire in such a way as 20
assist the joint AnglO-Russtan OF
fensive in Asia Minor
With the Russians blowing steadily
westward, along the Black Sea coast.
and through the mountains OF Armenia,
the leaders OF the Allies can view
without alarm Turkish reinforcement
to the Mesopotamia Valley army Whlcn
holds Cen TOWnsend's army beselEeu
in b vt El-Amara- and with the assist
the British relieving army Few miles
down the Tfgris.
No one here worries about the stu
alton in the valley Of the Tigris- In
doubt that new forces sent from India
are on their way in sufficient quantity
10 change the fortunes OF war here
In the second, the Turks would be
foolhardy 70 send a great mass OF men
beyond Bagdad with the Russians
threatening their rear and gradually
eating away the territory from which
Constantinople must draw recruits,
supplies ana money.
Difficulties Are Many.
Difficulties Of transportation through
the mountains will prevent the Turks
from checking the Russian advance Tor
some time. It IS thererore expected
here that the German officers who
supply the brains for the Turkish
forces in Asia Minor. will take up some
defensive line. probably to the west OF
a line drawn north from the east enc
Of the Mediterranean, torclly IL
strongly and make their stand here
But at this point the knotty. prob
lem for the German tacticians arises
The Turks not only have to face at
taclSs by Russians through Armenia
from the Black Sea They are also IN
danger Of the great blow the Allies
can deliver on their flank from many
points OF the long coastline OF south
ern Asia Minor They might nave 20
fight an enemy on three sides stimuli
taneOusly. 1t is the consideration or
this problem which undoubtedly
prompted the offers Of a separate peace
Turkey has made in an informal man
ner TO Russia, only to be turned down
sharply.
The Teutonic Allies cannot afford 20
send a large force into Asia Minor for
another reason still 1t would weaken
the Turkish Bulgarian-T eutonic armies
now concentrated west OF CONSTANT
nople- A successful offensive behind.
that is, to the west Of 'ConstantinOpie.
would cut off and leave helpless and
unsupplied all the troops in Asia
IL New Threat.
So field marshal Won Mackensen, In
stead of figuring ON an invasion OF
Egypt, must now decide how to meet
q threat many hundreds OF miles from,
that point
At Salonfki 5000 French and
British and a few Serv1ans hold an
immensely strong fifty mile line oc
mountains and swamp in a great
semi-circle north of the city, and are
opposed by probably 100000 men in al
most equally strong positions.
In the No Mans Land between the
forces small detachments OF infantry
and cavalry scout, seize villages and
fight small engagements.
In the air there is often great ac-
tivity. Great fleets Of Allied airplaues
lombard the German and Bulgarian
camps. They wing their way to Sa-
lonlca and throw their missiles at the
warehouses, piers and ships OF the
Allies. often with the result that Greek
citizens are killed.
With the most elaborate entrench-
ments and underground shelters. con-
CONTINUED on page 20. this secfiOR).