Norwich bulletin., 1916-12-13
THE WAR PRIMER
BY National Geographic Society


Bucharest-"A low range Of hills
capital, says a war geography bulletin
| issued by the National Geographic So
ciety, the two directions from which
the main invading armies approached
what was once known as the City of
JOY but which in the few brief weeks
that have elapsed since Rumania en-
tered the lists of war on the side of
the Entente Allies became a city of
sorrow and foreboding. On all other
sides stretch PLAIN and marsh land,
the latter having been drained with
some success.
batteries and redoubts, mounting
Krupr and GrGson guns, constitute the
defeuces Of Bucharest and before the
present war upset all previously ex-
listing theories as to the value of arm
or-plate in protecting the inside of
forts, this city was supposed to be one
of the most strongly fortified IN all
Europe.
with its immediate suburgs Buch-
Arrest covers an area of more than 20
square miles, and its iron ring of de-
dence has D circumference Of nearly so
miles.
1T is interesting to recall that
Bucharest owes it's present system of
forts and batteries to General Henri
Alexis Brialmont, the noted Belgian
general and military engineer whose
name was SO frequently mentioned in
the early days Of the war following the
astounding collapse OF the defences at
Namur and Liege, both of which towns
were fortified according to the princi-
pies developed by him. 1t was owing
to the OPPOSITION which Gen. Brialmont
encountered in Belgium when he en-
deavored. to enlist his government s
support of elaborate plans for fortify-
ing many cities that he left Antwerp
and went to Eucharist in 1883. Here he
drafted the scheme of defense for the
Runnanian capital which in the main
| was followed during the eleven years
(1SS5-96) required in the construction
of the Notifications. Because of his
participation in the strengthening of a
foreign capital, without the consent of
his own government, Gen. BriaImont
was DROPPED from the military service
of Belgium, but a year later he was
brought back to Antwerp to continue
his work of fortifying that city and
| inspecting the defenceA throughout the
kingdom. He continued to take an
interest in Rurnania's defences, how
ever, up to the time Of his death in
| 1903.
I'm contemplating the resistance OF
which Bucharest's ring of forts is
capable it should be remembered that
| the same conditions do not obtain here
as existed at Namur and Lege, for
the rugged mountain passes through
which the Austro- German armies are
descending from the northwest would
| make it extremely difficult, IL not
WIDELY impossible, to transport to tho
vicinity Of the Rurnanlan capital the
gigantic 16-inch Krupp guns which
wrought such amazingly quick des-
| truction at Nalnur and Liege. Neither
could SUCH guns be transported readily
by way of Bulgaria across the marsh
bordered Danube and over the Wallis
chan plains.
For the purpose of comparison it
may be recalled that verdun has 16
mapor forts, where Bucharest has is,
and the perineter of the fortified area
| of the former fortress is about sc miles.
| whereas Bucharst's is nearly so. YER
dun's defences, however, have the very
| decided advantage of being disposed
upon numerous heights surrounding
the town and conandIng the NTeuse.
which flows at the foot of the citadel.
Bucharest lies in plain, on both
banks of the River Dimbevita."