Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1917-01-06
REVIEW OF EUROPEAN WAR AND OTHER
IMPORTANT EVENTS Of THE YEAR 1916
Great Conflict RACES With increased nenstyRoumana, Fiji
teenth Nation TO Enter Struggle 0verun by Central Pow
ers-TeutOniC Allies Make First Peace Proposals.
United States Faces Several Crises

| launched their great drive on the west
front. A concerted attack was made
on 2J-mile front north and south Of
! the Somme river. July Il, after ten
days ana nights of continuous fight
ing, the British claimed the capture
! OF the whole of the enemy'S first lines
/ of defense on front of 1900 yards.
/ During the remainder Of the month the
( British and French continued their nd
| vance, the British occupying the entire
village of Pozieres July % and the
! French advancing close to Peronne, an
t important railroad center.
During the month Of August the
Russians, after terrific fighting, pierced
/ the Teuton lines on the Lemberg and
/ kOyel fronts and advanced in the Car
/ pathanS. The Italians continued their
drive on Trieste August 0, after days
of terrific fighting, they captured Co
ritz and pushed forward, pursuing the
| rereaung Austrians.
Roumana Enters War.
Roumania, after months of wavering,
| entered the war on the side of the en-
! tente allies with a declaration of war
on AuStria-Hungary. ROumania was
/ the fifteenth nation to enter the war.
| On the same day Italy declared war on
/ Germany and the following day Ger
| many declared war on Roumania. With
the declaration of war fighting began
! between the Roumanians and Aus
trians on the TranSylvanan frontier.
| August 80, the lioumanians occupied
| krOnStadt and HcrmannStadt, the two
chief cities of Pennsylvania. Field
( Marshal Won Hindenburg, whose sue
ceSSes had made him the idol of the
! German people, succeeded General Won
Falkenhayn as chief of the general
staff of the German army August %.
During the month Of September, the
/ Roumanians, cooperating with the
Russians, advanced in northern Tran
Sylvania and BukOwina, but suffered
severe reverses at the hands of the
Bulgarians and AuStrianS in Dobrudja.
The allied troops made decided gains
in the SOmme sector, occupying
COmbles and other important towns
on September 20.
Early in October the tide turned
against the ROumanians and Russians
in Pennsylvania and the latter were
forced to retire before a strong Austro-
German force under command of Cen
eral Won Falkenhayn. On October II,
the Teutons began an invasion Of Rou-
mania. on the Verdun front, the
French smashed the German lines Dc
tOber "a. retaking DOuaumont fort and
village.
The struggle between the ROumanian
and Russian forces on the one side and
the TeutOn and Bulgarian armies on
the other held the center of attention
in November. Taking advantage of
the plight In which the Roumanians
on the Transylvanian front found
themselves Won Mackensen held his
lines in Dobrudja and, attacking the
Danube line, forced the river barrier
at several points. Effecting juncture
of their forces, the Teuton command
ers drove the Roumanians back upon
Bucharest. The Roumanians retreat
ed rapidly toward the capital. burning
villages and all stores of grain and
munitions in the district through which
they passed. November %, the seat
of the ROumanian government was
moved from Bucharest to Jassy, near
the Russian frontier. The Roumanians
evacuated Bucharest December in or
der to save their army.
The Serbians, aided by French and
Italian troops, made a start toward
winning back their country during No
vember. Their big drive resulted In
the capture of MOnastir on November
10. On the SOmme front the battle of
the Ancre opened November 13 with
the capture by the British of five miles
of the German positions, together with
three strong towns.
An announcement of far-reaching
Significance was made in the Russian
duma December by Premier Trepoff,
who read a proclamation announcing
officially that an agreement concluded
by Russia, France and Great Britain
in 1915, and later approved by Italy,
establishes in definite manner the
rights of Russia to the straits and
Constanunople."
The fall of the British cabinet early
in December furnished one of the most
sensational features of the years war
developments. Demands of David
LlOyd-GeOrge for the formation of a
smaller war council to obtain greater
efficiency forced the resignation of Pre-
mier Asquith. LlOyd-GeOrge was made
premier and selected a new cabinet,
the prosecution of the war being
| placed in the hands of five men, in
, Guiding the premier.
The first direct Overtures for peace
came on December 13. when Germany,
AuStria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turk ey
sent identical notes 10 the entente al
| lies through the United States, Spain
| belligerentS arrange a conference for
| the discussion of peace terms. The
notes were transmitted to the allied
governments by President Wilson with
out comment. The peace proposals
were received cOldly. Premier BRAND,
in the French house of deputies, is
sued a warning against premature
| peace, and the Russian duma, accord
| ing 10 announcement made December
| 16 passed Il resolution favOrinE re-
| fuSal on the part of the allied govern
ments to enter into any peace nego-