Roumanian Stand.

Enemy Pressure Unrelaxed.

Germans Using All Available Forces.

THERE is no relaxation of the pressure against the Roumanian frontier position and the period of anxiety has by no means passed.

Last night’s report may be discovered the admission that the enemy have found a second vulnerable point, a point, too where the danger is of a greater and more imminent character than that menacing our Ally in the Torzburg Pass.

Torzburg is one of the approaches to Roumanian territory from the Kronstadt region: and Rucar, to which our Ally withdrew at the beginning of this week, is far into the pass and several miles within Roumanian soil.

Here, however, a splendid resistance has been set-up, and the enemy appear unable to make any further progress.

Repeated attacks are being made, but so far without any other result than adding to the enemy’s already heavy casualties.

Elsewhere, too, while the fighting has been of a very violent character, “frontier positions” changing hands several times, Falkenhayn’s troops are discovering to their cost that they are up against first-class soldiers, valorous, resourceful and well directed.

As we have said, however, there is one paragraph in last night’s Bucharest communique which forbids us to think that the failure of the enemy effort is as yet even within sight.

It reads: “In the Trotus Valley, where the enemy advanced as far as the Agas, fighting is proceeding.”

Agas, like Rucar, is seven miles inside, Roumania, and the pass in which it is situated (the Gyimes, about 2,400ft high) is one of those which lead down to the Moldavian low lands where at a distance of about 40 miles from the frontier ridge, runs the lateral railway linking the Bukowina with Bucharest.

This is the main line of communications for the frontier armies defending Moldavia, and also preserves a connection with the Russians who have forces further north.

One wonders if there is any special explanation for the frenzied nature of the attacks made here, as also at Dorna Watra, at the point of junction of the Roumanian and Russian armies.

The blow at “the joint” has certainly developed as an adjunct of the main offensive – so far as could be seen it was not part of the original plan – and there is the not wildly improbable explanation that the Germans are trying to anticipate some big movement which is under way to assist the Roumanians in their admittedly hard task.

The belief is held in quarters where most of the facts are known, that if the Roumanians can keep their frontier practically intact for another week or fortnight Falkenhayn’s effort will fizzle out like the proverbial damp squib.

This hope is apparently based upon knowledge which newspaper writers in common with the general public do not share; and our participation in the hopeful view comes merely from a recognition of certain inherent possibilities in the situation.

The Germans have every reason to push their offensive with all the force at their command.

They are desperately anxious to retrieve a bad position in the south-east before turning to address the gathering perils they are facing elsewhere.