New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-23
Italians Establish Contact
with French Across
Macedonia
ALLIES PREPARING
+, DRIVE AT RAILWAY
Heavy Troop Arrivals at
Salonica Presage Spring
Offensive

London, Feb. "a Reuter- dispatch
from Sslonics says that the Allies sue
ceeded in cutting postal communication
between Athens and the Central Powers
when they established contact yester-
day between the French and Italian
troops and cleared the enemy forces
from the road between Goritza' IN
Southern Albania, and Leskovle. The
Central Powers are now restricted 70
wireless and airplane communication
Salonica. Jan. 26 correspondence
New troops, especially large Italian
contingents. are arriving every few
days in Salonica. TO reinforce the
Allied armies. The talk here is gen
eral Of pushing through this spring
the offensive planned for last spring
which the German attack on Nerdun
prevented.
No well informed Allied officer in
the Macedonian theaIre Of war ex-
poets any important attack upon Sa-
lonica by the Germans. Danger OF
attack from the south by the Greeks
was never taken very seriously by the
military experts As the Greek army
is now in the Peleponessus, while the
Entente feet guards the lsthmus OF
Corinth- the only means by which the
Greek forces could march northward-
an attack by King Constantine's sol
diers is removed from the list OF pos
sibilities The continued arrival oil
important reinforcements IN Mace
donia is taken through Greece 70 IN
dictate an early offensive to cut the
German line of communication from
Berlin to ConstantinOple.
In Macedonia to-day there are,
roughly, about 10000 French. 100000
British. 10000 Russians, some $4,000
Serbians and perhaps $4,000 Italians,
counting the latest arrivals, total OF
about $4,000 fighting men. To this
number may be added three regiments
of Greeks, constituting the Nenizellst
army.
General Sarrail mas frequently stated
that he considers half a million men
would be required before active oper-
ations can begin in Macedonia. There
are. therefore, 10000 bayonets still
70 come before an offensive can be
undertaken with fair prospect OF sue
cess. Officers Of the Allied transporta-
ton staff assert that this number can
be landed in Salonica in six weeks at
a pinch.
For a period it was thought that
volupteers IN the NeniZelist army
might be secured in numbers sufficient
10 make up the half-million. Nenizelos'
on arriving az Salonica, declared that
he would be able TO induce 100000
Greeks to follow him against the Bull
garians. TODAY the Entente military
attaches in Athens state that they
have no further hope of securing mil
itary aid from the Venizelists.
OF the original French and English
contingents accumulated in Salonica
for a spring offensive a year ago, be
tween 30 and 80 per cent had TO be
invalided home. mostly suffering from
malaria. To replace the French among
them, the men who were sent were
principally those who had been fighting
on the Somme or at Nerdun. where
they had become exhausted by the long
struggle and we're in need Of rest.
The British reinforcements were IN
good physical trim, but the Greeks,
used 10 Macedonian fighting, consider
the British equipment both heavy and
complicated for mountain work. The
Serbs. equipped like the Greeks and
trained TO similar fighting, are re-
garded a capable Of making the best
comnarative showing.