Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-06-01
By FRANK H. SlM0NDS,
AUTHOR OF 1.-THE GREAT WAR;"
"THEY SHALL NOT PASS"
chA 1o47-rh. r.;hun> Aeon

Copyriaht, 1e17-Ths Tribune Assn
(The New York Tribuns)..
Since the collapse of Rumania last
year the situation in the Balkans has
been unusually quiet. The offensive of
S~arrail's army, which was designed to
aid the Rumanians, failed utterly In
it's larger purpose, II the capture OF
Monastir proved to be it's sole success:
Nor was this success even locally OF
great value, because the Bulgarlans
and the. Teutonic allies continued and
continue to hold the heights to the
northward which dominate the town.
The death of Field Marshal Viscount
French's sister, as a result or shei! Hre
during the winter, and also the death
of the head OF a section OF the Amerl-
can ambulance, we're minor. indications
of the perilous condition of Monastir
in allied n
A. number OF times during the winter
there have been rumors of an attack
Inv the central powers, and II mas Deen
an open secret at all times that the
allied hold on the M~aceronian town
was of the slightest and that an allied
: evacuation of il has been several times
expected.
Effects of R%ussia's Collapse.
We have now in the last few days the
report of new alice activities in Mace
donia, with the suggestion that tnefe ~
some larger strategic purpose behlnd
the new operations of that polyglot
army which is based on Salonica and
commanded by Genera Sarrail. Con-
ceivably is true. On the other hand
IT is necessary to recognize now
changed is the situation in the Balkans
now that Rumania has cOne In II
been eliminated and Russia has tenn
porarily or permanently collapsed.
There have been, during the present
war, many situations a numner OF
crises in the Balkans. in 1915 the allied
were more hopeful than at
N time since. Serbia was then de-
Tending her Danube frontier. bulgaria
was neutral. Turkey was hard pressed
at Gallipoli, and Rumania seemed on
the point of Joining the allies. At this
point allied diplomacy underworld to
enlist Greece and Bulgaria and failed
completely. Ferdinand, of Bulgaria,
Joined the central powers. Germany
sent Mackensen southwark and opened
the Constantinople- Vienna Berlin rail-
, road. The Serbian army was driven in
to Albania and temporarily on the
European mainland. n the French
and British forces arrived at Salonikl
too late to serve M useiul
Thus in the closing weeks OF 1915 the
allies lost any last chance OF m
ing the Balkans, and Greece, through
It's king. quickly demonstrated Il sOlt-
daritv OF feeling with the central pow
ers which led ultimately to a revolution
ard to a state cf anarchy. There are
two Hellenic governments noW--one
headed by King Constantine, ruling at
Athens and serving he German inter-
est in so far as it is possible; tha- other
headed by Nenizeos at Saloniki and
devoted to the cause of h allies.
SarraiPs Desperate Effort.
Last fall there was a new crisis in the
Balkans coincident with the entrance OF
Rumania into the war. Fol many
ux,.<h N.ro, Soprnt1 had hopn nl1SI-
ing northeast and northwest from Sa-
l6niki and had carried his lines approx
imately to the Greek frontier etween
the Struma river and Lake Presba.
which is southwest OF Monastir. StHl
further to the westward an italian force
based upon vaiona was moving out to
join the allies, who We're themselves
based on Saloniki.
At this time, and particularly after the
German blow ut Ru::ania was disclosed
In its full force, a desperate effort was
made by the Sarrail army to exert so
much pressure upon the Bulgarian
army as to compel the return of tina!
portion OF the army which had been
sent north along the Danube to attack
the Rurnanians botn in the Dobruja and
south of Bucharest. This army reached.
Monastir after desperate fighting. in
which the Serbians chiefly distin-
guished themselves. But by the time
Monastir had fallen Rumania had col
lapsed, Bucharest was In German hands
and the German advance a gone far
north to tho line of the Lower Danube
There was then lacking 4 the Sarrail
army the strength to push further north
in face OF the German refnforcements
which could he safely detached from
Rumania, and Sarrail's situation was
made still more difficult by the man
euvers %of King Constantine. who
seemed to be planning to attack the Sa-
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