New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-13

considerable defeats to Rumanian armies
in Pennsylvania and seems TO threaten an
invasion of Rumania and possible thrust
at the capital.
There remains the question of the army OF
Falkenhayn; where did it come from SO sud
denly and so well organized and equipped!
We are beginning to get an answer 70 this
question. Apparently, ever since the Rus
sian drive in Galicia last June the Germans
have been gathering up an army to coun-
ter-attack from the Pripet Marshes TO the
Rumanian boundary. This army was about
ready for business when the Rumanian
declaration changed the eastern situation
and the new force had TO be turned against
the Runranians. Accordingly, it would
seem the Rumanians have suffered the
punishment prepared for the Russians.
The result has been unhappy for the Ru-
manians, but it has left the Russians in
possession of all of their conquests of the
summer, and it has enabled them to pre-
pare for the counter-attack, if it is directed
against them, after Rumania has been
sufficiently beaten. In other words, Ru-
mania has taken off of Russia's shoulders
the whole Falkenhayn army, she has been
Jolly we'll beaten to pay for her effort, she
may suffer far more heavily, but the net
result of her intervention has been to
occupy two armies, that Of Mackensen and
that of Falkenhayn, which, had she stayed
out. would have been used against the
Allies in Galicia and in Macedonia.
As to the situation before Salonica, it,
too, remains obscure, but we are here, also,
lust beginning to get an explanation OF
the relative slowness of Sarrail. The truth
is that, while he has very large army, the
various Allied governments have utterly
failed to supply the Salonica army with
the guns or munitions which were needed
The lack of transport has fatally handi-
capped the Salonica army, and it is not yet
in condition for general attack. Men
but not munitions and necessary supplies
have been sent, and at the critical moment,
when Rumania came in, the Salonica army
could not do what was hoped of it because
it had been starved for many months, dur
ing which Sarrail begged and pleaded for
munitions.
1t is too early to forecast the outcome of
the present operations. The Germans
have approached the Rumanian frontier,
but it is strong frontier, easily defensi
winter has reached the mountains. If
Falkenhayn is now checked, as Mackensen
was two weeks ago, the net result will be
that a great German army, designed to
overthrow the Russians in the east, will
have been tied down in Pennsylvania. The
battlefront of the Central Powers will
have been extended by several hundred
miles and new strain will have been put
upon their resources in men and munitions.
On the other hand, it is clear that, I'M
less there is a sudden and sweeping change
Rumania stands to lose for the time, at
least, those prizes which she expected to
drop like ripe fruit into her hands. And
in the same way it would seem the Allies
have lost one more golden opportunity in
the Balkans, in that Near East which has
so far been the graveyard of many Allied
combinations. Not impossibly we shall
find later that the failure has been due to
two circumstances, the course of Rumania
in invading Pennsylvania, instead of
striking Bulgaria first, and the failure of
the Allies to munition and equip the Sar-
rail army at Salonica in time for the great
crisis produced, when Rumania came into
the struggle.