New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-07
Justice to Rumanid
Her Destruction One of Tragedies The W@, Was Due HE Pl0gs III
Old REFINE al Pchograd Secret Documents RcoeaL

! On this subject speedily proved fall,,,.-..
the Dobrudja was attacked By large fo,,..
This part Of the immense front of 1900 hls.
metres had now to be defended, and N. Az,
sions called back from Transylvanla. VIZ.
at the first bound, sweeping before them o.
Hungarian troops, they had reached sib,
The I'd, 9Th, 10th and 18th divisions. MI.
drawn in haste and sent, under the commas,
of General Averesco, 70 the Dobrudi,
trieyed the situation By brilliant sue,.,,
thus avenging the check Of Turtukal r.,
by this the Translyvsnisn campaign va, ,,,
promised. For the last time the Run,,i..
government made moving appeal ).
their ally, enumerating in detail -.
strength of the enemy and showing a.,
only the immediate dispatch OF co,,I
cradle rcinforcements could give hone ~ ;,
-isting the two armies with which Falkenb,-.
and Mackensen proposed inclosing Rumssi,
as in a wise How was II possible. ins..I
FOR the Rumanian army, left % its own "a
sources, 70 resist thrty-seven divisions vi,,
? superior armament, twenty Of which a..
longed to the elite Of the German army. WIZ,
a great power like Italy, whose army b,S
given proof of such brilliant qualities b,s
nearly yielded to the attack Of thir,y.tbr.s
divisions composed exclusively OF Aus,,o.
Hungarians? But VI. Sturmer could nav
hardly stop in the disastrous course he b,s
taken. He confined himself 70 prescribing
, regroupng of the Rumanian forces still ls.,
to themselves.
Magnificent Effort
energy of despair, the army retrea:ed ,t.o
by step. defending the passage Of each river,
first the jul, where, after a magnifce,.
effort, it succeeded in retrieving the situation
by destroying the 18th BG-arian Division
killing or capturing down TO the last man
next the Alt, and finally the Argos, the las.
rampant defending Bucharest Al this moment
in December, two Russian divisions, the frs,
since the two divisions sent % the Dobrudja
arrived 20 take part in the defence OF the eso.
ital. But in this battle, which for three Gsy,
remained undecided, their part was null 70,
even there they did not arrive in time. Tia
left wing of the Rumanian army being turned
the divisions which had, under Genera! Aver.
osco, brayely held out on the line Predeal.
Bucharest were obliged TO beat a retreat and
take up last stand on the line Gala,z-Foe.
5ani, thus abandoning with the capital all the
rich Wallachian plain. The Rumanian gov.
eminent gave last proof of their spirit o.
sacrifice in destroying, before they retrested,
everything that could possibly serve for the
revictualling of the enemy. Besides ths
cereals, of which the Germans found orly
very small quantities, all the splendid modern
liant Of the rich petroleum industry va,
Systematically destroyed. An Anglo Rumar!an
commission was intrusted with the task OF
setting fire to the petroleum wells, which
cover a vast region on the southern slope
OF the Carpathians. The sight Of the flames
and the columns Of smoke, which plunged
whole territories into darkness; the regiments
deiling mute and gloomy, the populations
fleeing terror-stricken before the baekness
spreading like cloud which the midday sun
could not pierce, have left on the memory Of
all those who witnessed this grand but ter
rible spectacle an impression which will never
fade. Thus the expected sacrifice was aeon.
plished.
OF the $4,000 soldiers who, on August g.
had marched at the given signal and in whom
Rumana had placed the hope Of the realzs.
ton of her ancient dream, only third ,e.
NAMED 70 continue the struggle along the
line of the Sereth. Well over 100000 men
were killed or wounded, about 100000 had
been taken prisoners in the different places
where they had been surrounded through the
junction of the armies Of Falkenhayn and
MackenSen.
Rumania and yerdun
The year 1915 ended in disaster for Ru-
mania, but she had the satisfaction Of know.
ing that her sacrifice had not been in vain,
and that these successes of the Kaiser's
troops had been largely made up for else
where. For by drawing down on herself the
thirty-seven divisions of elite which would
otherwise have been employed on other
fronts she had saved the armies of Letchit'
sky and Brusiloff from counter-offensiy,
which had caused the gravest anxiety She
could also claim with pride that she had no.
been quite stranger 10 the fulress OF me
successes Of her allies on the Somme and the
Ancre, and that she had contributed TO the
definite and complete check of the Germsns
in the Battle of Verdun-a battle second in
importance only to that OF the Narne-snd
the name of which will predomnate in the
history OF the war in 1916.
Let US hope that the military conferences
of the Allies intrusted with the conduct Of
the war will decide TO use the new army OF
half million of men which Rumania has or.
gained in a way more profitable 70 the COM
plete and definite victory of the Allies.