Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-12-07
TEUT0N ARMIES
ENTER CAPITAL
Noechti, Important Railway
Junction, Also Captured
by Central Forces.
ENDS BRILLIANT CAMPAIGN
Conquest of Rich Rumania
Pronounced Complete After
+ Stronghold Is Seized.
Won MACKENSEN THE HERO
Closed Cracker on Ferdi-
nand's Forces; Fourth En-
tente Capital Lost.
ENDS BRILLIANT CAMPAIGN
Won MACKENSEN THE HERO

BERLIN, Dec. G.-By wireless to
Sayyille. .)-I'ucharcst capital of Ru-
mania, has been captured, IL was Of
ficiaIly announced today.
PIccchti the important railway
junction town SO miles northwest OF
Bucharest, also has been taken.
The fall Of the Rumanian strong
hold has been hourly expected for the
last two days. News that the German
armies, within seven miles of the city.
had commenced a bombardmcnt Of
Bucharest made IL seem certain that
the capital was doomed.
The capture of Ploetchti. on the
main line running north from Bucha-
rest, cuts the main railway line of the
Rumanan armies operating in the
Bucharest region.
The official statement does not In
dicatc whether the entry of the Teu-
tonic forces into Bucharest and
Ploechti was simultaneous. The cap
ture Of Ploechti before that of the
capital would he far more serious for
the Rumanians. Many military OBJ
servers looked for the Rumanians not
TO attempt defense of the capital to
the last, expecting an evacuation In
time to save the forces defending 1t
by n withdrawal of the railway route
remaining to them.
Conquest is Complete.
The taking of Bucharest virtually
completes the conquest by the Teu-
tonic forces of the southern section OF
the Rumanian kingdom, embracing
territory of more than $4,000 square
miles.
The capture Of Bucharest marks
the elimination of an operation ac-
counted by military commentators
one of the most soundly conceived
and brilliantly executed strategical
feats of the great war
From the hour when Field Marshal
Won Mackensen forced crossing OF
the Danube and on November "a set
foot on Rumanian soil. effecting n
junction shortly afterward with Cen
eral Won Falkenhayns armies, driv-
ing thru Wallachia from the west.
there seemed little doubt of the ulu-
mate fate of the Rumanian capital.
Tcuton Pressure Overwhelming.
The relentless pressure of the Teu-
tonic invading armies. with their pre-
pondorance of heavy artillery. proved
too much for King Ferdinand's forces
once the Rumanian front was broken
in western Wallachia and the Danube
crossed behind the line of the north
ern Teutonic interruption. obviously
outflanked on the south by Won Mac
kensen's advance and on the north
by further Austro-German interrupt
tions, thru the mountain passes, the
Rumanians had no choice but to fall
back upon the line of their capital and
now have been forced to yield even
that.
The beginning of the Teutonic cam
\paign against Rumania dates back
n the Rumanian entrance into the
war on August 81. Perhaps taken BY
surprise by the rapidity with whicn
the Rumanans threw their troops
across the Transylvanian Alps into
Hungary and took possession OF
Kronstadt, Herrmannstadt and n
wide sweep of Hungarian territory,
the Austro- German military authori-
ties were awake to the opportunities
in Dobrudja on the Rumanian south
east front.
Bulgarians Start Campaign.
Within n few days the Bulgarians
were found to be winning signal sue
cesses along the Danube, capturing
Turtukai on September and Silis-
, tria on the 10th There remained
then the operation of clearing the re-
mainder of Dobrudja up to the I'M
portant railway line running from tho
Black sea port of Constanza into IN
terror Rumania over the bridge at
Tchernavoda. This Won Mackensen
accomplished something more than
n month later, defeating the Russo
Rumanian army and capturing the
railway, thus shutting off Bucharest
from direct rail communication with
the Black sea and cutting the most
convenient line for sending RUSSIAN
reinforcements and supplies into Ru-
mania.
The Nutcrackcr In Play.
This accomplished. there began the
process of crushing Rumania IN the
nutcracker fashion, made famous ny
the Germans in this war. First, the
Rumanians were pushed back TO their
frontier on the north. This was
easily accomplished, as the invaders
of Hungary We're apparently III
equipped to hold their ground. Gen
eral Won Falkenhayn, in charge of this
operation, then began hammering at
the passes thru the Transylvanian
Alps which II was necessary to carry
to reach the Rumanian plain. The
Rumanians, assisted In some cases Dy
the Russians, tenaciously defended
these passes and their approaches
but all along the line the Teutonic at
tack progressed and finally on No
vomber is came the vital break In
the Rumanlan line. This occurred IN
the upper jul valley when Won Falk-
enhayn won the great battle of Tirgu-
Jul and opened the way to the plains
of Little Wallachia.
Driving southward Won Falkenhayn