Page:EB1922 - Volume 30.djvu/971

Rh

Transylvania, driving back the weak Austro-Hungarian defence troops in numerous small engagements, not without suffering appreciable losses at many points. The Rumanian advance was substantially delayed by the destruction of roads and bridges effected by the Austro-Hungarian frontier troops, and especially by the bad roads of the mountain country.

By Sept. 3 the Rumanian Orsova group reached the lower course of the Cerna, and the western group of the I. Army occupied the important coal area between Urikany and Petro- seny and had driven back the ineffective Landsturm and miners' battalions of the i44th Inf. Bde. over the saddle of Merisor. The eastern section of the I. Army, which had penetrated by the Roter Turm Pass, occupied positions S. of Hermannstadt, without attempting to take the town though it was garrisoned only by a weak Landsturm detachment. They were plainly apprehensive that by occupying Hermannstadt they would have to extend their bridgehead-like formation beyond capacity.

The II. Rumanian Army deployed cautiously in Burgenland and in the Haromszek, allowing their columns to close up, and receiving fresh reinforcements. The IV. Army forced their way, in continuous fighting touch with the 6ist Inf. Div., through the narrow mountain valleys, and on Sept. 3 their advanced troops reached the eastern edges of the basins of the Gyergyo and the Csik. Meanwhile the first troops sent by the Central Powers were rolling up towards Transylvania. Gen. von Arz was instructed not to use the forces assembling on both army wings to strengthen the covering troops with them as they arrived, but first to concentrate them and hold them ready for wider action. In view of the expected continuation of the Rumanian advance he directed the 3pth Honved Inf. Div. and what eventually, after many changes, became the Sgth Inf. Div., to the dis- trict half-way between Szasz Regen (Reghina-Sas) and Klausen- burg (Kolozsvar); the i8;th Inf. Div. and 3 German cav. regts. of the 3rd Cav. Div. were to be disentrained at Maris Illye; the ist Austro-Hungarian Cav. Div. S. of this place between Hatszeg (Hateg) and Karansebes; the ist Royal Hungarian Landsturm Hussar Bde. at Tovis. The first of the two German General Commands to arrive, Lt.-Gen. von Morgen, took over the command of the 6ist and 7ist Inf. Divs., the ist Landsturm Hussar Bde., the newly arrived 3gth Honved Inf. Div. and the Sgth German Inf. Div., while under Lt.-Gen. von Staabs were placed the 5ist Honved Inf. Div., the iSyth Inf. Div., the ist Cav. Div. and the 3rd Cav. Div., together with the covering troops at Hermannstadt, Hatszeg and Mehadia. The very slow progress of the Rumanians made it possible for the incoming divs. of the Austro-Hungarian army to move forward their disentrainment stations. Accordingly the following disentrain- ment arrangements were made: the 3gth Honved Inf. Div. at Szasz Regen, the Sgth Inf. Div. at Marosujvar, the ist Cav. Troops Div. and the 3rd Cav. Div. (which had been united in the Schmettow Cav. Corps) at Mediasch and Elisabethstadt, the iSyth Inf. Div. at Piski with a regt. intended for Hermannstadt at Alvinez.

Since the Rumanian group pushing northwards over Petroseny might endanger the transport of further reenforcements on the Maros Valley railway, the bulk of the i8;th Inf. Div. was directed against Merisor, in order, in conjunction with the Austro-Hungarian i44th Inf. Bde., and strengthened by the 3 first arriving German Jager batts. of the Alpine Corps, to throw back the Rumanian Mountain Corps over the frontier; and this task was accomplished between Sept. 14 and 22.

The Schmettow Cav. Corps, linking up on the E. with the 5ist Honved Inf. Div. standing directly N. of Hermannstadt, was posted on the heights N. of the Alt as far as Fogaras (Fagara). The Alpine Corps, which was only one div. strong but consisted of excellent troops, equipped for mountain warfare, was dis- entrained with the main body at Miihlbach. The German 76th Res. Div., which was on its way, was to be assembled at Karls- burg (Gyula Fehervar). The Austro-Hungarian I43rd Inf. Bde., which had been stationed at Hermannstadt, was moved behind the N. wing of the I. Army, and there formed into the 72nd Inf. Div. These measures, taken by the I. Army Command, on the

one hand averted the menace to the Maros Valley railway at Piski, and on the other established the operative basis on which the battle of Hermannstadt was afterwards fought.

Bulgarian Offensive in the Dobruja. Meanwhile events of far-reaching importance had taken place in the Dobruja. On Sept. i the III. Bulgarian Army crossed the Rumanian-Bulga- rian frontier. The aim of the operation was the conquest of the Dobruja. After the capture of the bridge-heads of Turtucaia and Silistra the advance was to be made by the Cernavoda- Constantsa railway to the narrowest part of the territory lying between the Danube and the Black Sea. The fortress of Turtu- caia consisted of a girdle of 15 forts on the S. bank of the Danube, which were connected by strongly built field positions. While very great care had been bestowed on the technical develop- ment of the place during the 3 years of preparation, the arma- ment, consisting of only about 100 guns, including the field artillery, was inadequate. Artillery fire against Turtucaia began on Sept. 3; in the comprehensive attacks following on Sept. 4-5 and carried out by the 4th and sections of the ist Bul- garian Inf. Divs. and the German detachment under Hammer- stein, the bridge-head was stormed. The capture of this place by a coup de main was an admirable feat of arms. Only a very small portion of the garrison of the place, the I5th and i7th Rumanian Inf. Divs., which suffered heavy and bloody losses, escaped. Many soldiers were drowned in trying to swim the- Danube, across which there remained no bridge. Twenty-one thousand men and 400 officers, including 3 brigade commanders, together with the whole armament, were captured.

While the remainder of the Bulgarian ist Inf. Div. pushed forward by Akkartynlar and the ist Cav. Div. by Kurtunar, the 2nd Bde. of the 6th Inf. Div. and the garrison of Varna attacked the Rumanian igth Div. on the plateau N. of Dobric (Hagi-Oglu) on Sept. 4 and threw them back northwards.

In contrast to Turtucaia the bridge-head of Silistra was in a state of unpreparedness. It fell on Sept. 9 into the hands of the cavalry of the ist Div. after a short bombardment directed against the Rumanian cavalry.

While the Bulgarian III. Army was pressing forward success- fully on the whole front, the retreating Rumanians were reen- forced by the Russian Expeditionary Corps under Lt.-Gen. Zajanczkowski, which consisted of the XLVII. Corps with 3, and later 4, inf. divs., among them the ist Serbian Div. (formed from Austro-Hungarian deserters) and the VI. Cav. Corps. The Bulgarian III. Army put their main weight in the advance in the space between the Danube and the Dobric-Medzidie (Hagi-Oglu-Megidia) line, while E. of the railway on the right wing only sections of the ist Cav. Div. drawn from the centre of the army front operated.

On Sept. 15 the Rumanian-Russian fighting forces, which attempted to offer resistance on the line Lake Markeanu-Teke Deresi-Karalij-Kara Omer-Mangalia, were attacked by the Bulgars and compelled to retreat along the whole line. The III. Rumanian Army, reenforced by hurriedly-brought-up Russian and Rumanian units, prepared to fight again on the position Rasova-Copadin-Toprai Sari-Urtukioj, which immedi- ately protected the Cernavoda-Constantsa railway and had been partially prepared in time of peace. The attacks executed by the Bulgarians on Sept. 19-20 did not penetrate the line this time. Instead, the III. Bulgarian Army Command were compelled to withdraw their troops some kilometres, to wait for the bringing up of munitions and the arrival of sections of the Bulgarian i2th Div., and the VI. Turkish Corps (25th and isth Divs.). But the counter-attacks undertaken by the Rumanian eastern wing on Sept. 22 were repulsed by the recently arrived 25th Turkish Div., and the Bulgarian-Turkish front was again established on the line N. of Amuzacia.

In the Dobruja generally operations for the time being came to a standstill.

The Liberation of Transylvania. In Transylvania the IV. Rumanian Army advanced from the basins of the Gyergy6 and the Csik through the Maros valley, then over the Gorgeny and Hargitta mountains, and continuously pressed back the 6ist