Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-11-29
AWFUL SLAUGHTER
IN NARROW DEFILE
Alpine Troops Annihilated
Retreating Soldiers With
Machine Gun Fire From
Heights Above Them, as
They Fled.

llCi OCl
13.-(Correspondent of the Associated
Press)-One of the battles of the pre-
sent war which future generations will
study is the one which led to the COM
plete rout and disorganization of the
first Ruman1an army southeast of this
city. For several reasons the battle
in question is by far the most interest
ing of the European war. 1t caused the
retreat. of the Rumanian forces which
had invaded Pennsylvania, and called
for a flank maneuver whose success
was possible only with an enemy who
took too much for granted.
When General Falk enhayn's forces
reached the country north of Her
mannstadt, the general military sit
uation was not favorable for the Cen
trail powers troops. The invading Ru-
manian troops had occupied good posi-
tions and had the advantage of nu-
merical superiority. Kronstadt and
the country north OF that city had been
occupied. The entire valley of the Alt
was in the hands of the Rumanians,
and the Germans and Austro- dungar-
ian troops depended for transportation
upon a few single-tracked railroads of
little strategic value.
RUMANIAN PLAN SPOILED.
Gradually contact was established
with the enemy by advancing the Cen
trail forces right wing. The Vulcan
pass was taken. This done tho Teu-
tonic army pressed slowly forward
along the Transylvanian Alps, driving
the Rumanians before them. The in
tention of the Rumanian general staff
to push as far west as the Thesis riv-
er was wrecked
Hermannstadt had not been occu-
pied by the Rumanians. a 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
strategy. The Ruman-
ians lay south of the city in q half
circle, refrained from offensive man
euvers, and so gave Falkenhayn the
very opportunity he needed to set his
great drive in motion. Slowly the I'm
perial troops were advanced towards
the hills north of the Alt, while against
the Ghost forest in the east cavalry
was thrown to protect the left flank.
This was the situation on September
The Rumanians had the Red Tower
pass in their rear. and a frontal at
tack might do no more than throw !
them upon this. 1t was necessary to |
close the pass. This could be done !
only by sending troops through the |
mountains west of the pass. very
difficult maneuver since the noun |
tains have no roads of any sort. Ar |
tillery and supply train were out OF
the question.
USED ALPINE TROOPS.
General Falkenhayn decided to at
tempt the flank movement with some |
German alpine troops, of which Ba-
varian mountaineers were but a small |
many of the Alpine" SOL
Tiers being in reality natives of |
men who in all their
ives had never climbed a mountain.
Three battalions set out. The men
carried food for four days and their
'egular Issue of ammunition. Reserve
supplies were carried on a hastily or
sanized pack train. Through the foot
Hills OF the mountains a road could be
ised, then paths were followed, and
inally the crests near the Rumanian
border had to be gained through dense
'orests and across boulder fields.
An odd feature of the maneuver was
hat the contact established with the
border guards did not re-
ult in the commander of the First Ru-
nanian army taking some precaution-
Try measure for the protection of his
lank. The German flankers had daily
kirmishes with the Rumanian border
roops. but never met serious opposi-
ion.
GERMANS REACHED HEIGHT.
The flanking force was to reach the
Ted Tower pass on September rs, on
which day a frontal attack was to be
made from the direction of Hermann
tadt. Despite great hardships and
he abandonment at the village of Dus
4 the pack train, the Germans sue
eeded in reaching the heights above
he Alt defile on the morning of the
wenty sixth. Some engineers de-
cended into the gorge and blew up the
DAD at/two points where revetments
made this feasible. Even then the
,tImaniana Saar1 n haua FaIf ah.o1,,+o |