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Show GERMANS BEGIN BALKAN DRIVE OPENING OF ACTIVITIES BRINGS BALKAN STATES TO POINT WHERE THEY MUST DECIDE. Russians Meet Defeat at Hands of Von Buelow, Who Has Won Battle in Vicinity of Kubisko, Taking Tak-ing 2,000 Prisoners. IOndon. Sliells from German guns are bursting in the ruins of Belgrade as an army of between 300,0011 and 400,000 Austio-Germans, concentrated along the Serbian border from Orsova near the Roumanian frontier, to Sem lin. is preparing tc cut its way througb to Turkey. With the opening of the Teuton Balkan Bal-kan drive. Kouniania and Greece are brought to a point where they will have to declare either for the powers of the quadruple entente or for the central empires and their ally, the sultan. Reports that the Germans and Aus-trians Aus-trians had mobilized forces estimated from 300,000 to 400,000 men along the Serbian frontier preparatory to a campaign cam-paign to crush the Serbians and open a way for the shipment of munitions to Turkey, have been received from various sources in the past week. There have been several clashes between be-tween the Serbs and Austrians on the frontier in the past few days. Belgrade was occupied by the Austrians Aus-trians after a siege on December 2. 1914, but was reoceupied by the Serbian Ser-bian twelve days Tater, following a fierce battle. The recapture of their capital by the Serbs was followed by a campaign which cleared their country coun-try of invaders. Until a few days ago the Austrains made no further attempt at-tempt to crush their small neighbor, and the intervening time has been occupied oc-cupied by the Serbians in reorganizing reorganiz-ing their forces. Having recovered from the check inflicted on him early the in week by the Russians, Von Buelow, commanding command-ing that portion of the army of Von Hindenburg operating to the west of the river Dvinsk, again has taken the offensive and, according to the official report published by Berlin, has beaten the Russians in a battle in the vicinity vicini-ty of Kubisko, and pushed them back in a northeasterly direction, taking more than 2,000 prisoners. |