The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1921-12-28
Greeks and Turks Still at It

London, Dec. 12.-Greeks and
Turks are facing each other on a l2O-
mile front of trenches and earthworks |
in Asia Minor These positions are
likely to remain stationery until the
spring, according to Brigadier Gen.
eral &enophon Stratigos of the Greek
general staff.
The general, who has come to Lon-
don with Premier Gounaris and For
eign Minister Baltazzi, described the
present Greek position as purely de-
fcnsive one. Twelve divisions of g.
600 combatants each are holding a
line almost due north to south be-
tween Eskishchr and Afiun Karahis-
sar, at distance of about 20 miles
east Of the railway connecting these
two important strategical points, with
adequate protection on both ends.
although no big fighting has oc-
currcd for about month, it must not
be imagined that military activity has
emtircly ceased" said the general.
"Skirmishcs and minor raids are of
daily occurrence"
General Stratigos then described
the Greek dash formerly mentioned in
dispatches, first runs west 10 east.
thcn turns nothward and then flows
again westward, forming kind of
hollow square. 1t is in this bend
| that the last big operations took place
The Greek forces LAUGHED their at
.ack crossing the upper course Of the
Sargaria southward and then made &
Scmi-circular sweep nortkeasterward
IN the direction of Ango~a through
he salt desert, driving back Tie
Turks from position to position, on
most difficult terrain.
Although the capture of the enc
my capital was not our immediate OBJ.
jcct We would have taken Angora if
we had had another month of sum-
mer," the general explained. But af
ter % days of hard fighting and
marching. the troops we're very much
in need Of a rest. We were then only
some 40 miles from Angora; but if
we had pushed on after the necessary
period of rest, it would have meant
starting n fresh offensive about the
end of September, when the bad sea.
son sets in. Our forces therefore, re-
crossed the Sangaria; this time on
the south to north bend, in perfect or.
der and not in flight, as had been
enormously reported. The Turks,
thinking that they had US beaten
crossed after us, but we threw them
back across the river. That was be-
tween September Is and 20.
"Meanwhile, we broke up the rail.
way running eastward from Eskis.
hehr to Angora. We tore it up rail
by rail. This again proves that VIC
We're not in fight. No fleeing army
could do that. We did the job thor.
oughly; there is practically nothing
left Of that railway now.
eve next set about to raze the hol
low square, with a view to make
our position quite secure. On one oc.
casion, Sept. %, the Kemalist cav
airy made dash across the Sangaria
and got as far as Sivrihissar, but we
beat them back again."
The general paid a generous tribute
to the fighting qualities of his adver-
series in the defense of positions, but
he considered them inferior to the
Greeks in open warfare. The reason, =,
T. thought, was that the Kemalist
army is raised by compulsion, and the
bulk of the population are hostile to
Turkish rule. Captures Of war ma
tcrial, he added, revealed the fact that
most Kemalist rifles were of Russian
manufacture, and some captured field
guns bore the mark of the Putiloff
Work of Petrograd showing that they
were made as recently as last year.