A new turn had been given to the Balkan situation by the entrance of Ru mania into the war in August, 1916, on the side of the Allies. It seemed to promise the discomfiture of the Bul garians, for while they were covering an enemy on the S., they would have an other foe on the N. As events turned out, however, Rumania devoted her main attention to the Austrians instead of protecting her Bulgarian front, and in that way brought about her own undo ing. She promptly invaded the Austrian territory of Transylvania from her N. and W. frontiers, her first thought being to secure an area she claimed because of its Rumanian population. Marked head way was made in this adventure, the Austrian resistance being feeble. But from her S. E. front the way was open to Bulgarian and German attacks, Ber lin having hastily sent heavy re-enforce ments under Von Mackensen there through the Balkan "corridor" which had been opened by the possession of Serbia. On September 2, Von Macken sen's legions drove into Dobrudja, along Rumania's Black Sea coast, and cap tured important Danube bridges which formed lines of communication with Rumania across that river. Though aided by Russians, the Rumanians had to fall back to the N. But while they were suffering defeats to the E., their forces in Transylvania continued to gain against the Austrians. Their triumphs were short-lived, the situation there com pletely changing with the arrival of strong German forces under Von Fal kenhayn to assist the Austrians. The Rumanians were driven out of Tran sylvania through the mountain passes into their own territory, which was in turn invaded by the Austro-Germans. Then began the squeezing process. With Von Falkenhayn on one side and Von Mackensen on the other applying the pinchers, Rumania was methodically and ruthlessly overrun, the combined inva sion reaching its high mark on December 2 with the capture of the capital, Bucha rest. Its fall was followed by the sub jugation of more than half of Rumania, who thereafter was practically out of the war.
In a year of lengthened battles on long fronts extending over many weeks of time, the most striking and briefest was fought at sea. This was the great clash between the British and German fleets on the North Sea off Jutland on May 31, 1916. On that day the German fleet emerged from the fortifications and mine fields of the Helgoland Bight that protected its haven and steamed out "on a mission to the northward." Two days previously, on May 29 and 30, British wireless messages from North Sea sta tions told the Admiralty in London of certain radio signals proceeding from the flagship of the German Admiral Von Scheer in Wilhelmshaven. The signals were picked up by directional wireless, which enabled the distance from which they came to be gauged, a discovery that proved to be of the greatest importance. Their significance consisted in the indi cation that the signalling on May 29 showed that the German flagship was in the inner harbor of Wilhelmshaven, and that on May 30 the vessel had moved to the outer harbor. Deducing therefrom that some naval movement of the enemy was afoot, the British Admirs.lty the day before the German fleet sailed ordered Admiral Jellicoe to proceed to sea with the Grand Fleet from its anchorage on the Scottish coast. What the real ob ject of the Germans was in venturing out was not known. One theory was that Germany sought to force a passage for her battle cruisers through the channel between Scotland and Norway into the open sea, so that they could prey upon transatlantic traffic and cripple British industries and food supplies. Another supposition was that the Germans con templated an escape to the open sea, not for the fleet itself, but for a number of fast armed cruisers to raid British trade routes everywhere and supplement the destructive work of the submarines in sinking merchantmen. What only was clear was that the German fleet never left the North Sea, and that its plans were balked by meeting the British fleet, the result of which encounter sent the Germans back to port within thirty-six hours after leaving it, and there it re mained, inactive and useless, for the re mainder of the war.
The main British fighting squadrons, composed of dreadnoughts, was under Admiral Jellicoe's command; in addition he had a division of battle cruisers and another of armed cruisers, as well as destroyers and light cruisers. His van guard was made up of two battle cruis er divisions under Vice Admiral Beatty, supported by a division of dreadnoughts of the "Queen Elizabeth" type under Rear Admiral Thomas. The Beatty
column cruised some seventy miles to the Vice Admiral Von Hipper appeared to the eastward, and Admiral Beatty at once swung to the S. E. to cut between them and their base. Thereat the Ger man commander changed his bearings to correspond, which meant that the two squadrons continued on courses nearly parallel. Their lines presently tended to converge until at 3.45 p. m. heavy firing broke from both at an estimated range of southward ahead of the main fleet. Shortly after two o'clock in the after noon, when it was about 90 miles W. of the Danish coast, German light cruisers were sighted and became engaged with British craft of the same type. A squad ron of five German battle cruisers under nine miles. The almost immediate result was that two of Beatty's battle cruisers, the "Indefatigable" and the "Queen Mary," were struck by broadsides and at once sank This loss placed the Beatty column at a disadvantage in numbers (it began with six battle cruisers and now had only four), but it was re-enforced by the dreadnought division of Admiral Thomas. The Von Hipper column of five battle cruisers was thus pitted against four battle cruisers and four dread noughts, but stood up well before the augmented British fire. Beatty meantime continued to move ahead southward, aim ing not only to cut the Germans from their base but to "cap" their column and concentrate his fire on Von Hipper's leading ships. A column of German dreadnoughts under Admiral Von Scheer however, approached from the S. E. at full speed to join Von Hipper. Their appearance told Beatty that he was out matched. He could not now drive Von Hipper into Jellicoe's arms; but perhaps Von Hipper and Von Scheer could be led there. Beatty quickly changed his plan with this object and himself steamed northward. The two German columns, now joined, took up a parallel course, and the running fight was resumed, both forces heading toward the point from which Jellicoe was approaching. To-. ward six o'clock Beatty again tried to "cap" his antagonist by turning his head to the eastward. Von Hipper countered this movement by himself turning in the same direction; hence the parallel fight continued on the curve made to the E., which duly straightened to a northward line again. Then the "Liitzow," Von Hip per's flagship, dropped out badly dam aged, and the admiral, under fire board ed the "Moltke", via a destroyer. Mean time Admiral Jellicoe, some seventy miles to the northward, was rushing the main British fleet to effect a juncture with Beatty. He had three squadrons of powerful fighting ships, twenty-five in all, including his flagship, the "Iron Duke," and the "Invincible," "Inflex ible," and "Indomitable". The latter trio, commanded by Admiral Hood, was sent ahead to re-enforce Beatty at a faster speed than that of the main force. They joined Beatty just as the latter turned eastward, and swung in ahead of Beatty's column, which now consisted of Leven battle cruisers and four dread noughts. The "Invincible", Hood's flag ship, became the target of the German guns and disappeared in flame and smoke, the admiral going down with her. Jellicoe's ships now appeared in sight to the northward, and Beatty opened his column to let them through, Jellicoe swept down the lane, steering S. toward the head of the German line, Beatty fol lowing suit on a parallel course a little ahead by virtue of his greater speed. Soon the head of the German column was under the concentrated fire of practically the entire British fleet. It was at this stage that the German vessels appeared to have sustained their principal losses. The British had finally "capped" them and were astride the course to the Ger man base. Night, however, came, and with it a mist that thickened to a fog. The German columns, balked from turning S., switched from E. to W., meantime send ing all their destroyers against the British warships. Jellicoe's destroyers met them, when ensued a fight between destroyers in the fog which diverted at tacks between the main fleets. In the dark, covered by their destroyers, the Germans succeeded in turning S. to safety from their westward course, wholly escaping the British fleet. In the treacherous darkness, and in the midst of a stretch of waters probably strewn with mines, Jellicoe hesitated to pursue the retreating enemy, and thus lost them. With the dawn the German fleet had vanished.