Balkans puzzle

Bulgaria’s secret

Rumoured alteration of plans

The object of Bulgaria’s mobilisation still remains a mystery.

News concerning this latest development in the Balkans is meagre and what there is remains bewildering.

Even in well-informed quarters in London the greatest uncertainty prevails.

According to an Athens telegram, 23 classes were mobilised at midnight on Wednesday but a Paris journal published a message from Salonica stating that, without any apparent reason, the execution of military measures which were to take place in Bulgaria has been delayed for several days.

In some diplomatic quarters in London it appears to be uncertain whether the mobilisation has commenced or whether even any actual date for it has been fixed.

It is pointed out too that the official information available is not as definite as they published in the press.

The Consul-General for Bulgaria at Manchester yesterday said that no Bulgarian would fight against Russia or Great Britain.

This statement is in accordance with what every student of Bugaria’s history will regard as fitting and there are some doubtless who are murmuring “Oh, for a day of Gladstone and the magic of his name.”

If the GOM’s grandson had not been killed in France what an envoy to Bulgaria he would have made!

Meanwhile, what of the new Austro-German offensive against Serbia, for this may have an important bearing on future developments in Balkans?

There is less cocksureness displayed by the enemy writers than was formerly the case and we find the military correspondent of the “Frankfurter Zeitung” expressing the belief that Serbia has all along been taking advantage of her long freedom from attack to develop her army and strengthen her position but he hopes that this time the attack on Serbia will be made with such force that any resistance will be quickly and thoroughly overcome.

He considers that Serbia’s chief difficulties will be her inability to divine beforehand at which point the Germans will attack and the attitude of Bulgaria.

He frankly admits the bravery and skill of the Serbian soldiers and estimates that between 400,000 and 500,000 men will be needed for a comparatively rapid and final German victory over the Serbian Army, which he places at about 400,000 men.

If the latter estimate is correct the former will need revisiting for he has omitted to take into his reckoning the nature of the country itself.

As Mr Edgar Wallace points out, Serbia is in a position to resist any attack which comes against her from the direction of Austria.

She has had a long rest - it is nine months almost to the day since the last Austrian was driven out - to refit and to re-munition her armies.

During that period she has had to deal with a plague of sickness.

Typhus has ravaged the land, taking a very heavy toll of the civilian population but the loyal and generous assistance which the allies have rendered to her have enabled her, so far, to keep her enemy at a distance.