The world war : $b a history of the nations and empires involved and a study of the events culminating in the great conflictMarshall, Logan
History
The world war : $b a history of the nations and empires involved and a study of the events culminating in the great conflict
Marshall, Logan
Europe -- History -- 1789-1900; Europe -- History -- 1871-1918; World War, 1914-1918 -- Causes
On January 30th the Balkan allies denounced their armistice and a
renewed war seemed imminent. On the same day the Ottoman government
offered a compromise, agreeing to divide Adrianople between the
contestants in such a way that they might retain the mosques and the
historic monuments. As for the Aegean Islands, they would leave these
to the disposition of the Powers.
THE WAR RESUMED
To this compromise the Balkan allies refused to agree and on February
3d hostile operations were resumed. The investment of Adrianople had
remained intact during the interval, and on the 4th a vigorous
bombardment took place, the Turkish response being weak. Forty Servian
seven-inch guns had been mounted, their shells falling into the town,
part of which again broke into flames. At points the lines of besiegers
and besieged were only 200 yards apart. An attempt was made also to
capture the peninsula of Gallipoli, which commands the Dardanelles, and
thus take the Turkish force in the rear. Fifty thousand Bulgarians had
been landed on this coast in November, and the Greek fleet in the Gulf
of Saros supported the attack. If successful, there would be nothing to
prevent this fleet from passing the straits, defeating the inferior
Turkish war vessels and attacking Constantinople from the rear.
Fighting in this region continued for several days, the Turkish forces
being driven back, but still holding their forts.
SIEGE OF SCUTARI
In the west the most important operation at this period was that of the
Montenegrins, led by King Nicholas in person, against Scutari, an
Albanian stronghold which they were eager to possess.
Servian artillery aided in the assault, and on February 8th the
important outwork on Muselim Hill was taken by an impulsive bayonet
charge. The city was not captured, however, until April 23d, when an
entire day’s ceaseless fighting ended in the yielding of the garrison,
the climax of a six-month siege.
An energetic attack had been made by the Bulgarians and Serbs on
Adrianople on March 14th, ending in a repulse, and on the 22d another
vigorous assault was begun, continuing with terrific fighting for four
days. It ended in a surrender of the city on the 26th. The siege had
continued for 152 days. Before yielding, the Turks blew up the arsenal
and set fire to the city at several points. At the same time Tchatalja,
which had been actively assailed, fell into the hands of the allies and
Constantinople lay open to assault.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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