Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-01-05
REVIEW Of EUROPEAN WAR AND OTHER
IMPORTANT EVENTS Of THE YEAR 1916
Great Conflict RACES With Increased Intensity-Roumana Fiji
teenth Nation to Enter Struggle 0verrun by Central Pow
ers-TeuoniC Allies Make First Peace Proposals.
United States Faces Several Crises

More than 5000 lives were lost. Both
sides claim the victory. Five days later
Great Britain received a staggering
blow when the British cruiser Hamp-
shire was blown up in the North sea
by mine and Earl Kitchener, British
secretary of war, and his entire staff,
were lost. During the early part Of
June the Russians broadened their Of
fensive in Galicia and along the lines
further north and on June Z they an
nounced the recapture of the fortress
of Lutsk in Volhynia and the crossing
of the Ikwa and Styr rivers at several
points.
On July l, the British and French
launched their great drive on the west
front. A concerted attack was made
on a 25-mile front north and south Of
the Somme river. July IL, after ten
days and nights of continuous fight
ing, the British claimed the capture
Of the whole of the enemy's first lines
Of defense on front of $4,000 yards.
During the remainder of the month the
IIClSh IOllllLuSu lICli ou-
vance, the British occupying the entire
village of Pozieres July &c and the
French advancing close to Peronne, an
important railroad center.
During the month of August the
Russians, after terrific fighting, pierced
the Teuton lines on the Lemberg and
Kovel fronts and advanced in the Car
pathians. The Italians continued their
drive on Trieste. August 9, after days
Of terrific fighting, they captured Go
ritz and pushed forward pursuing the
retreating Austrians.
Roumania Enters War.
Roumania, after months of wavering
entered the war on the side of the en-
tente allies with declaration of war
on AuStriaHungary. 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 TranSylvanian frontier.
| August 30, the ROumanians occupied
Kronstadt and Hermannstadt, 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 26.
| 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 Vcrdun 'front.' the
French smashed the German lines Oc-
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 a 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 6 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 10 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 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
Constantinople"
The fall of the British cabinet early
in December furnished one of the most
sensational features of the years wal
developments. Demands of David
LlOyd-George for the formation of q
| gnoIlar W RI, of tnt