OCR Text |
Show oo GERMAN ARMIES AT BUCHAREST Rapidity of Drive Through Rumania Unparalleled in Military History. INVADERS CRUSH ARMY Clamp Tentacles on Capital City From Three Sides All Obstacles Overcome. With the German Armies Before Bucharest, Bu-charest, Rumania, Monday, Dec. 4. By Courier to Hermannstadt and Wireless Wire-less to the Associated Press, via Say-ville, Say-ville, Dec. 6. The armies of Field Marshal von Mackensen and General Falkenhayn after a campaign, the rapidity of which has been almost unparalleled un-paralleled in military history, have swept through half of Rumania, have crushed the resistance of the Rumanians Rumani-ans at one strong point after another and now, having driven the Russo-Ru-manian forces beyond Bucharest, both to the north and the south of the capital, capi-tal, are clamping their tentacles on the Rumanian city from three sides. The Germans, with the aid of Aus-tro-Hungarians, Bulgarians and Turks have beaten their way through western west-ern Rumania to their present concentric concen-tric position around Bucharest within a wonderfully short time. They have breasted the natural fortifications of the Transylvanian mountains and the Danube river and have beaten their way through the strongest kind of scientific sci-entific defenses obviously prepared long in advance. They have thrown .the Rumanian army numbering hundreds hun-dreds of thousands of men back In such In such disorder that even apparently appar-ently Impregnable position such as those along the rivers Alt and Arge-chu Arge-chu could not be held more than a few hours. Cross Roaring River. The lino of the Argechu river with Its flooded, dashing torrent, 300 yards to a quarter of a mile wide forming a natural .defense, appeared to be so strong that the Germans themselves expected this last line of defense before be-fore Bucharest would require time and hard effort to force. But the river was crossed .both to the north and to the south of the city almost without breaking break-ing the stride of the advancing armies. The Rumanians left the bridges across the stream to the north of the city intact. in-tact. Rapid Advances Made. The advance of the Teutonic forces in western Rumania has been so rapid rap-id that the military staffs have been forced to change their bases at intervals in-tervals of only a few days to keep up with the troops and to lay plans for settling in towns not yet captured. A trip 1000 miles by automobile in this region, just completed by the Associated Press correspondent, showed show-ed how difficult it is to move as quickly quick-ly as the invading forces. The journey began at Livazeny, just within the Hungarian frontier, with uraiova as ine nrsi ODjecuve. iseiore the Transylvanian passes had been traversed Craiova had been captured. Bombardment of Slavina began the day after Craiova was reached. This bombardment was watched for a time from Piatra, across the Alt river from Slavina. The Germans believed the Rumanians would be able to hold for some time the almost impregnable heights along the river and the correspondent corre-spondent left to watch other features of the advance, but it was necessary to return at top speed to reach Slavina Sla-vina 24 hours after its evacuation and 48 hours after witnessing the cannonading. cannon-ading. The next objective was Karakulu, but it had fallen together with Slavina Sla-vina by the time the correspondent could arrive and even the headquarters headquar-ters troops were moving. Hastening northward towards Tanetesti, one of the seemingly innumerable divisions of General von Faltfcnhayn was found I to have passed already east of the line on whioh the Rumanians late in November attempted to make a stand, only to lose 1000 prisoners and scores or guns. Crossing of Danube. ,. Field Marshal von Mackensen's troops which crossed the Danube had come in touch with General von 'alk-enhayn's 'alk-enhayn's forces between' Rochl de Vede and Alexandria, southwest of Bucharest, before the correspondent could swing southward again, meeting meet-ing evex-ywhere the premature report that Bucharest had fallen. The advance, which often has averaged aver-aged twenty or more miles a day, has been possible mainly for two reasons. First, is the seeming demoralization and lack of leadership of the Rumanians, Ruma-nians, evidenced by the capture of entire en-tire staffs and large sized units, with many guns and much material, by insignificant German detachments which often amounted only to cavalry patrols. Second, is the, amazing offensive of-fensive speed of the Germans, which was indicated by the fact that the correspondent frequently met close behind the front, pressing forward troops which had been seen but a few days previously miles behind the Transylvanian passes. |