The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-29

ldIgely recruit UnemSelVeS rom
 ians advancing through it had reached
 valley over 20 miles. Before the end of
 the week the main Vardar line was
 reached and success appeared complete.
 RESULT IN MACEDONIA
 AS manifestation of the political state
 fn Bulgaria and her possible collapse as
 belligerent the French and Serbian
 success is of great interest, but as
 military operation proper it needs more
 qualifications than the press as rule
 has given it. The whole line across
 Macedonia is something like 160 miles in
 length as the crow flies, and if you make
 breach in such line of not more than
 p miles and penetrate deeply through
 the breach while the country is such that
 you cannot rapidly move your Hanks
 then you are in danger of forming a
 pocket where you may suffer disaster
 It was on this account that immediately
 following the French and Serbian sue
 cess the British and the Greeks attacked
 on the right of the line by Lake Doiran.
 But this attack, unfortunately, did not
 meet with success.
 The consequence was a curious situa- tion in which two balanced clements, good and bad, were present. The bad element was the possible action of the Bulgarians to the east, where now they had staved off the British and the Greek attack and were coming down on the flank of the French and Serbians. who had thrust so far forward in so short a time and had consequently imperiled their Hanks.
 The good element was the possibil- ity that before any such Bulgarian reaction the French and Serbians would reach the Varder valley in force and cut the railway upon which the Bulgarian front at Lake Doiran 1 depends.
 One of the features of the situation which seems curious is the small num- bers with which the Bulgarians ap- pear to have been holding the part of the front that broke.
 The complete local success in the breach of the line over 25 miles and the very rapid advance beyond 1t pro duced no more than 5000 prisoners and 100 guns. and that looks as though the Bulgarians are keeping consider able reserves up in the country.
 l have to leave the strategical sit- uation at Macedonia this week with | the most interesting point still nde- cided, but before these lines are in print We shall know whether the main line in the Vardar valley has been thoroughly cut or not, and shall see what the consequences of that opera 1 tion will be if it is accomplished. IN PALESTINE
 In Palestine we have had another example, but far more striking, of the effects upon the army morale, when the country behind it is getting wob- 1 ply about the prosecution of the war There can be no doubt at all that the collapse of the Turkish defense stretched across Palestine was the collapse of forces not properly sup ported by public opinion and the gov ernment. And it is probable that this collapse will, in turn, breed further trouble for those who still continue the policy of war in Constantinople. Merely to hang on as an ally of Prussia when you have nothing to gain by it, when you are suffering continuous and now severe defeats, is something that those ruled by the present committee of Constantinople | cannot submit to. he Young Turk government rule in terror is desper. ately unpopular, and certainly won't survive defeat
 DEFEAT IS COMPLETE Now the defeat the Turkish forces have suffered in Palestine has been very complete. Allenby seems to have had | in front of him six divisions two on the Tar side of the Jordan and four holding the line between the Jordan and the sea It further would seem that no consider able reserves were present immediately behind the line. It is one of the curious features in the situation that after the victory in the rapid advance no shock With the arriving of reserves took place Against these six divisions the plan Of the British general command was to leave unmenaced, for the moment. the two divisions east of the Jordan and at- tack strongly the Turkish left between the main trunk road and the Jordan, and while his left was thus being held and the menace of defeat appeared, there to strike with extreme vigor on the much | easier ground of the open sea plain or the Turkish right The desired effect was reached immediately and complete ly. The Turkish lines between the foot hills of the Judean Highlands and the Mediterranean were broken so thor oughly that the cavalry could be sent
 through at once, and they got northward and behind the retiring Turks, captur- l ing at a blow the equivalent to two divi- | sions, with the artillery and nearly all
 the wheeled transport of the Turkish
 forces between the Jordan and the sea. 1 Unfortunately, the pursuit did not man age to get to Nablus in time to destroy
 the whole Turkish army west of the Jor-
 dan. Had Nablus been reached in the | first 36 hours not a man or a gun would l have escaped, for Nablus is the meeting point of all the roads in that region. PERSUIT HELD UP
 ! The pursuit was held up in the valley of Samarun. The enemy covered
 Nablus for at least three days. Con | lsequently, the retirement of the Turks
 on the left will take place up the main
 road from Jerusalem and then on | northwestward by the road which
 passes the Jordan and fords that river. It is true that such retirement can only take place with the utmost dis- organization, and the saving of vehicles and guns across the Jordan valley will be for the most part impossible. But half or more than half of the men may be able to get away by this gate, which remained open to the enemy. There