New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-28

Headquarters Of the Serbian Army, MonaS-
tir, Now 27.-The operations carried out by
the Serbian army which eliminated in the
capture of Monastir will undoubtedly count
among the most brilliant episodes of the cam
peign of the army OF the Orient
In order to understand the Importance OF
the success achieved by the combined forces
under the command of Field Marshal Misch-
itch one must consider the position of the
whole army of the Orient, under the orders
of General Sarrail Their lighting line prac-
tically runs from Kavala, or the Egean Sea,
to Valona, on the Adriatic, distance of about
two hundred English miles. Most of this IS
mountainous and all of it offers every posi-
| bic difficulty in regard to lines of communi-
cation. Railways are few, and such as exist
are single tracks, while the roads, at the
time the army was landed, were either of
the most primitive kind or mere sheep tracks,
which go to pieces the instant any strain is
placed upon them.
| -Four months ago the Bulgarian army held
the plain in front of the mountain range
which barred the route toward the frontier
of King Ferdinand's kingdom. Bit by bit,
however it was driven back till, four or five
weeks ago, the Bulgarians were on the de-
fensive on the mountain SUBMITS. They had,
however, during the summer and early au-
tumn a formidable ally working havoc among
General Sarrails troops. The enemy troops
in the mountains escaped its ravages.
On the Struma front, held by the British,
and in the Vardar Valley held by the French,
the position has practically become one of
"stalemate," such progress as has been
achieved being Of the nibbling variety. To
the left of the French lines begin the posi-
tons held by the Serbians, and it is here that
strategy and tactics have at last come to
their own again and the world has been Of
fered the unusual spectacle of force in
ferior in numbers driving a superior one by
sheer force of military skill from one noun
tain stronghold after another
The problem facing Field Marshal Mischtch
was no easy one. IL was to drive the German
Bulgarian army from its intrencked posi-
tions in the plain as we'll as from its hold
on the mountain Businesses on either side.
In the plain we had a Macedonian variety Of
the trenches of the Somme, the French and
Bulgarians facing one another in long lines
of clayey bitches, bombarded night and day
by she'll and shrspnel. In the mountains to
the left, in break Of which nestles the pictu-
rescue city of Monastir, the Russian troops
were slowly but surely working their way
forward. But without the Serbs this would
practically have amounted to "stalemate."
For weeks past this work of clearing the
enemy from the mountain SUBMITS has been
the task Of the Serbian army, reinforced by
certain French regiments d'elite, notably the
regiment of Zouayes. Lies enfants perdus"
of the French army. have notably maintained
their reputation. When the bugles announce:
I'll lie govt gloire la-haut
II lie govt gloire,"
they swarm to the attack with the same elan
as that with which they stormed the Sedan
sixty years ago.
When left the headquarters of the Serbian
army to push toward the front ten days ago
knew that the attack on Monastir was i'm
minent. But no one knew how near il was
as it depended on driving the Bulgarians and
their German allies from certain dominating
positions in the mountains. No one at Serb
ian headquarters had any illusions as to the
difficulty of the task. The Serbian soldier
does not fear the Bulgarian, but he respects
him. He knows that he is obstinate in the
defence and fierce in the attack The Serbs
| have no fear Of the Germans and contempt