The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-11-11
PREPARATION FOR
DRIVE on BAeOAO
torestaliing Projected German Cam
paign, Sir Stanley Maude Ii
Effecting Laison With
El1cnby's Army.
sHERsfaN's MARCH TO
SEA Is DUPLICATED
Tack Of Raw Materials Prevent Ger
mans From Building Railroads for
Turks-English Build ON Old Cara
van Routes.

Paris, Nov. I0.--Torestalling Mar
shal Won Faikenhayn's reported pro-
jsctsd drive against BagdAd. General
Sir Stanley Maude 10 cutting his way
vigorously westward In the aim OF
affecting a Iinison with General AL
nebys army in Palestine.
The stormtng Of Ramadie and the
capture of the Turkish garrison there
and the commander. Ahmed Bey, was
the first step of the British and In
dian columns, operating from Feludja,
THAR only strong point on the Eu-
pirates.
The British troops struck outside of
the old caravan route between Bag
dad and Damascus. and threw back
The Turkish advanced posts to Mus
haid- Meantime the British cavalry
had made an snctrcling movement.
driving In other Turkish outposts and
swinging in themselves from the rear
on Ramadie. The Turkish garrison at
dit was driven into the trap at Ra-
made and then the British attacked
on all sides. capturing all the Turks
In the old city, numbering about L.
goo men.
Pursuing these tactics and captur-
Ing Kasir Amej and other towns west
OF that point would eventually place
The British within striking distance of
Damascus. where they would have the
support of the British feet operating
tn the Mediterranean.
British strategy in such a campaign
would require that General Ellenhy
advance from his position before GAIA
and strike Damascus from the south.
while General Maude attack~>f from
the east and the feet sheiled the posi-
ton from the west.
The success OF such an operation
would allow for the supplying OF the
Mesopotamia force from either Basra.
at the head of the Persian gulf. or
from Egypt and the Suez canal. where
General Eilenby's forces in Palestine
now receive their supplies. 1t would
also permit tNe rapid shifting of
troops from the Mesopotafnian 10 the
Palestine sector or vice versa. and
would nuilify the advantage the Turks
now possess Of being able to trans
fer divisions fCom before GAIA TO in
front OF Bagdad by way Of Aleppo
il in conceded OK course, that the
first action Of the British after dupil-
eating General Sherman's march To
the sea'' and eating their way through
to Damascus, would be 10 construct a
railroad along the route. traVersing
She Syrian desert. Obtaining material
rails ties and rolling st0ck~-would
present the only difficulty TO this task,
as 10y following the ancient caravan
ss.-41A.---e..-S -1--th -N--te-- Anlcs- Anl-a
So encountered frequently,
4 double tracked narrow gauge line
has been built from Easra TO Bagdad
and another doubie~tracked. standard
gau1e line has been laid down from
The Sue1 canal across the waterless
desert 10 Palestine aud right uH TO
the Turkish position at Gaza. A. rail-
road line connecting lsamadia and
Damascus would lie much shorter
than either Of there other two Npes.
The British have already constructed
a line from Bagdad on the Tigrts
across the plain TO Feludja on the
Euphrates. and this railroad is being
extended now 20. Raraadie.
with such a strategic railways at
their backs. the two British generals
.s--Ellenhy and Mapde--couid operate
IN imperative security IN CONVEX gtng
campaigns up the. coast and I'D the
Euphrates TO Aleppo. The loss OF this
city would efTectually end Turkeys
participation In the war in Asia and
eliminate the Ottomans entirely from
Asia Minor
The British. from their present ad-
vAnced position at Samarra< north OF
Bagdad on the Ttgris, are In line for
. blow at Mosoul further up the river.
Co-ordinated British attacks. deliv-
cred simultaneously from Sanarra
north. from Ramadie and Hit west
ward, from Cana nortbward-~coupie
with the cooperation of the British
neet in the Mediterranean. would Sc
~iouxiy interfere with Falkenhayn' s
plans for an onslaught on Bagdad.
Indeed, General Maude's advance up
the Euphrates has disarranged the
I Turkish campaign. as Falkenhayn had
Intended to descend by that stream
instead of the Tigris. counting on
meeting no opposition until no Was
opposite the ancient city OF the Ca
nphA
The Germans are unable to con
struct railroads for the Turks be-
cause of their lack OF both raw ma
tsrial and finished product. Tho rail-
road line from Constantinople to Alep-
DO has been opened by the compile
ton Of the tunnel through the Taurus
mountains. but little can be done with
the line, because of tho extreme short
age of rolling stock. All troop move
ments are made by road and forced
marches, the railroad being used ex-
clusively for the transport OF artillery
and sheI.s. Even food supplies are
barred from the road and proceed by
camel and donkey.
Reports from Cairo indicate that
the British have accumulated a great
stock OF railway construction supplies
north of the Suex canal and have
enough material in reserve there to
build a line from the Palestine thea
ter. across the Syrian desert to the
Ruphrates. Reports from Basra also
Indicate that much railroad construc-
tioa material has been sent up the
Tigris to Bagdad from that point.
When General Maude captured Bag
dad last spring he found. as part OF