December i8, 1915. 
LAND AND WATER. 
IV 
-•s:«v*^«^ 
<> .'"' VODEWA 
Allied Front 
on Saturday 
Dec. 11^ 
SALONIKA. 
shortened, its positions being roughly those 
indicated upon diagram III. by the hne of crosses, 
and running just north from Lake Doiran, past 
Strumitza bridge and station, and across the 
River Vardar to the left where it covered the 
station of Gevgeli. 
At this point we shall do well to notice par- 
ticularly the position of the Greek frontier. 
Pohtical frontiers are, as a rule, '• indifferent 
to the study of military operations, saving so far 
as their crossing may have a moral effect upon 
civilian opinion. 
But in this case, the new pohtical frontier of 
Greece, established two years ago, after the second 
Balkan war, has a considerable strategic signifi- 
cance. Greece is still neutral. It is still doubt- 
ful (at the? moment of writing, Monday noon) 
whether it may not be to the enemy's advantage 
to respect that neutrality, or whether he will cross 
the frontier and continue the pursuit of retreat from 
the Greek territory. 
Meanwhile, the Allied line stood, on Friday 
rast, thus close to the Greek frontier but not yet 
across it. 
Of further movements no definite news had 
come by Monday mid-day, but there was a strong 
rumour confirmed from Allied sources at Salonika 
that the whole right or western bank of the Varda 
had been evacuated, the station at Gevgeli conse- 
quently given up, and that the whole of the Allied 
lorces were concentrated in the comparatively 
small space which is distinguished by Lake Doiran : 
the projecting triangle of Serbian territory in the 
extreme south-east of that state between Bulgaria 
and Greece. 
As the position now stands, therefore, we 
have the AUied- force holding a hne not more than 
twenty-five miles in length, if as much, and imme- 
diately along the new Greek frontier, and falling 
back -towards its base at Salonika before forces, 
hitherto only Bulgarian, greatly superior in number, 
holding it in front and still able to continue 
• indefinitely the threat of turning it by its eastern 
or right flank. 
The suggestion has been made that this 
enveloping movement would be a double one, and 
that while the work being done upon the right or 
Eastern end of the Allied line (work which pro- 
bably depended upon the Struma Valley for its 
communications) was compelling the whole Allied 
line to fall back, other of their forces would appear 
upon the western fiank and work down towards 
Vodena with the object of destrojring the Allied 
forces by a complete envelopment before they 
could take up defensive positions in front of 
Salonika. Such a manoeuvre is possible enough 
to the numbers of the enemy, but there are very 
considerable difficulties in the way of its accom- 
plishment. The turning movement round by the 
left or west would have to invade Greek territory 
before the Allies had fallen back upon it. It would 
either have to come round by Monast'r, following the 
