The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-10-07
LONG ROAD TO TRAVEL
Three Lines of Retreat Open,
But Allies Are Close On
Trail In All Directions.
tBy captain Gordon GordoR- SMITH, OF
the Serbian Miastou.t
Washington. Oct. S.-The Aus
trtsn army In Albania In doomed
Vienna admits that IL Is retreatinE
la all haste, hut IL il more than
douhtfui IL IL cnn ind any exit from
fts present impasxe.
Liberty Bonds----

II has only three possible lines az
retreat Two Of these would ronduct
it into Serbian territory One Of these
is around loke and Chorida the other
via Et Basan and Dilro to Prisrend.
The third is by the way OF Soutari and
Montenegro TO the Austrian Herse-
govinean frontier.
But none Of than holds out any pros
peet ~ salvation. Il ii attempts 10 re-
treat by Lake ochrtda II can be he..de q
OF by the Serbian army at Cskub
Cskub lies farther north than Lake
ochride, SO that they would find their
further route barred by King Peters
troops. III addition the Italian divi-
sten Of the army or the Orient is ad-
eancing northward from Monastir and
can head of the Austrians before they
reach the Serbian frontier.
The second route. by the way of FL
Basan and Zebra liz the one followed
by IA large part Of the Serbian army in
the retreat Of 1916. II is mere sheep
track across the mountains. impass bile
for wheeled vehicles of any kind In
fact. there is NOT "a single road for
" Wheeled vehicles in an Albania except
one running from Dura2xo 10 Tfrsana
and another rnnnIne from san GfoSan-
nal dt Neteua. TO Stutari The first
is Ia the hands OF the Italians and the
second can he seized whenever The al
lies please.
II the Austrians SHOULD try 70 reach
frisrend via FL Basan and Debra they
probably viii find the former town in
the hands of the enemy when they get
there, All the food and munitions
they carry with them viii have TO be
transported on pack animals for which
IL will be impossible to ind fodder en-
route. The only artillery the Austrian
army In Albania possesses arc noun
tain guns carried on mule back.
The army of the Orient is beyond all
doubt racing for Prisrend TO occupy II
before the Austrians can reach 1t. AS
1t has thoroughly good roads in Ser
bia over which field guns and motor
traffic can pass it will he militariiy in
position OF superiority The retreat
by either of the roads leading to Ser
hian territory in all proha bility there
fore will spell disaster.
There remains the third line of re-
treat by the way OF. Scutari Rut no
more difficult task could be imagined
than the transport of an army through
central Albania. When | came through
Durazzo in 1915 II took eight days to
cover sixty miles and we had horses at
our disposal. There are precipitous
mountains to be negotiated swamps to
be traversed and the Matt river has to
be forded three times. An army OF any
size could not accomplish the distance
In less than fortnight
While ii is accomplishing this pain.
ful march the allies. who have COM
r,and OF the sea. can land troops at San
Givanni di Medua, less than thirty
miles from Scutari. From that point
a fine macadamized road, the best in
Albania, runs to Scutari. This can be
used by field guns and motor trucks SC
that when the Austrians reach Scutarl
they would find their further route
barred.
If they should turn to the west and
try to gain Prisrend by the valley OF
the Drin Thy the way Of Puka and
Spas l doubt II any man would live to
reach the end Of the journey. The
track runs over Handicapped. snow
clad mountains. probably the most
desolate country in all Europe. When
l crossed with the Serbian headQuar-
ter's stan In 1916, the Serbs sue
cumbed by hundreds every day while
the whole route to Scutari was strewn
with head bodies Of thousands OF horses
that died nf hun Ar-