World's War Events $v Volume 3: Beginning with the departure of the first American destroyers for service abroad in April, 1917, and closing with the treaties of peace in 1919. — John Shaqi
World's War Events $v Volume 3: Beginning with the departure of the first American destroyers for service abroad in April, 1917, and closing with the treaties of peace in 1919.
History
World's War Events $v Volume 3: Beginning with the departure of the first American destroyers for service abroad in April, 1917, and closing with the treaties of peace in 1919.
World War, 1914-1918
Just as I was about to take my departure, a copy of the new order was
delivered to the Staff Officer with whom I had been conferring about my
visit to the Front. He read it through slowly, his swarthy face flushing
red with anger as he proceeded.
[Sidenote: A series of humiliations.]
"Have you heard of this?" he said, handing me the paper, and controlling
his voice with an effort, "No man or officer of our army is to cross the
---- bridge without a special permit from General Headquarters. It is
only the latest in the long series of humiliations we have had to put up
with. Just look at the way we stand. In Athens our names are posted as
traitors who can be shot on sight. Here it isn't quite like that,
but--well (he raised his hand above his head and let it fall limply in
a gesture of despair), all I can say is that the only officers of the
Venizelist army to be envied are those whose names are recorded here
(indicating a file at his elbow). It's the death-list from
day-before-yesterday's fighting."
[Sidenote: Venizelist troops succeed in big attacks.]
Owing to the delay in issuing my pass in Saloniki, I did not arrive at
Greek Headquarters until the evening of the day on which the big attack
had taken place, and it was day-break of the morning following before I
was able to make my way up to the advanced lines. The Venizelist troops
had taken all their objectives, and held them with great courage against
such counterattacks as the surprised Bulgars--who, not expecting an
attack from the Greeks, had made the mistake of massing too much of
their strength against the British and French attacks to east and
west--were able to organize against them. They had been busy all night
"reversing" the captured trenches in anticipation of a determined
attempt on the part of the reinforced enemy to retake them in the
morning.
[Sidenote: Movement carried out without confusion.]
The hilly but well-metaled cartroad, along which by the light of the
waning moon I cantered with an officer of the Greek staff, had been
thronged all night with the surging current of the battle traffic--an
up-flow of munition convoys and reinforcements, and back-flow of wounded
and prisoners--but I could not help remarking the comparative quiet and
absence of confusion with which the complex movement was carried on.
[Sidenote: The Greeks seem to understand the game of war.]
"Somehow this doesn't seem quite like the transport of a new army just
undergoing its baptism of fire," I said to my companion. "I've seen
things on the roads behind the western front in far worse messes than
any of these little jams we've passed to-night. These chaps are as
businesslike as though they'd been at the game for years."
[Sidenote: Veterans of the Balkan wars.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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