As early as 5 Aug. 1912, engagements be tween isolated detachments of Montenegrins and Turks had broken out, and on 8 August the Turkish minister to Montenegro left Cettigne, the capital. The situation had now become so threatening that Count Berchtold, the Anstro Hungarian Foreign Minister, extended an invi tation on the 16th to the European Powers to join in °conversations° regarding the Balkan problem. France, Germany and Great Britain accepted immediately, but it was too late. The Ballcan states proceeded• with their military preparations, and on 30 September the four members of the Balkan League ordered a gen eral mobilization of their forces. But the Turkish government was not unprepared. For some time previously large bodies of troops had been collecting in Thrace, ostensibly for °ma neuvres.* Turkey followed with a mobiliza tion order on 1 Oct. 1912, at the same time confiscating about 150 Greek boats which were then in various Turldsh ports. An attempt to avert war, made by Premier (afterward Presi dent) Poincare of France by suggesting a joint intervention by Russia and Austria-Hun gary "roved unsuccessful. Montenegro, being practically always under arrns, was the first to complete mobilization, on 7 Oct. 1912, and on the next day declared war on Turkey. It is generally believed that this step was taken without tonsulting the other allies. The Black Mountaineers forcibly occupied the Mojkovatz district, which, though assigned to them by an agreement of the previous year, had remained in the occupation of the Turks. A general con flagration was now inevitable, for not only the Allies, but the Turkish government also, had rejected the mediatory proposals of the powers. The Grand Vizier had informed the latter that Turkey would not tolerate foreign intervention in her internal affairs, but offered, at the eleventh hour, to revive the Law of the Vilayets framed 1880 by an international com mission, but never carried out The Allies re jected the offer as insincere and demanded guarantees, which were not forthcoming. On 13 Oct. 1912 Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece pre sented a joint ultimatum to the Porte, demand ing reforms in Macedonia within six months and immediate demobilization of the Turlcish armies in the Balkans. These demands were refused on thc 17th; to the great surprise of Europe, Turkey had made peace with Italy on the 15th, and now not only declined to negoti ate further with the Allies, but declared war on Bulgaria and Serbia. In the case of Greece, Turkey attempted to win this country over, but met with a refusal followed, the same day, 17 October, by a declaration of war on the part of Greece against Turkey.
At the beginning of the war the Bulgarian forces consisted of eight regular divisions, one cavalry division and numerous reserve organi zations. Their total strength was approximately 340,000 men and 800 guns, divided into three armies under Generals Kutincheff, Ivanoff and Dmitrieff. The supreme command was in the hands of General Savoff. The Serbian forces consisted of four armies, totaling about 250, 000 men and 450 guns. They were commanded by the Crown Prince and Generals Putnik, Stef anovitch, Yanlcovitch and Zilchovitch. Greece had put in the field about 150,000 men, commanded by the Crown Prince and Generals Danglis and Sapuntsakis. Prince Danilo was in chief command of the Montenegrin forces, consisting of some 30,000 men in three groups.
Against this total of over 750,000 men Turkey mobilized three armies and a number of smaller organizations amounting to about 450,000 men and more than 600 guns. They were directed by Abdullah Pasha, Zekki Pasha, Hassan Tahsin Pasha, Essad Pasha, Hassan Riza Pasha and Ali Riza Pasha, with Nazim Pasha in supreme command. Greece and Bulgaria were the only countries of the Balkan League possessing naval forces, the former one modem cruiser, 21 torpedo boats and one submarine; the latter six torpedo boats.
The first successes over the Turks were gained by the Montenegrins. They attacked on 9 Oct. 1912 near Podgoritza and captured the Planinitza and Detchitch mountains. The Bulgarian advance began immediately war had been declared. By 19 October the Second army had occupied Mustapha Pasha on the Turco Bulgarian frontier, and from there proceeded to close in against Adrianople from the north and west. The First and Third armies ad vanced against the fortress of Kirk Kilisse northeast of Adrianople. The Turks attempted to oppose this advance with a force of 70,000 men and a very sanguinary battle was fought north and northwest of Kirk Kilisse 22-24 October. On the latter date Kirk Kilisse fell to the Bulgarians with large booty and the Turks •were forced to retreat in disorder. They finally established themselves on a forti fied line of about 20 miles between Bunar Hissar in the north and Lule Burgas in the south. This was later shifted so that the right wing rested on Visa instead of Bunar Hissar.
The Bulgarians followed and attacked on 29 Oct. 1912. In position, guns, equipment and moral the Bulgarians had the advantage over their opponents. The battle lasted for three days. Though making a valiant stand the Turks were forced back everywhere; by 4 November they had fallen back to a new line with Chorlu as its centre. But the Bulgarian advance was irresistible and this position had to be aban doned by the Turks on 7 November. Realizing the danger of Constantinople being threatened the Turkish government had already, on 3 November, appealed to the European Powers for mediation. The Turks meanwhile re treated within the so-called Chataldja lines, a series of strongly fortified positions running about 20 miles west of Constantinople, from the Sea of Marmora to the Black Sea along a chain of heights. It was not till 13 November that the Turicish retreat and establishment at Chataldja was completed. The Bulgars had apparently stretched their resources to the ut most in driving the Turks back thus far, as they made no further move of importance for several days. This brief respite enabled the Turks to reorganize and strengthen their weak ened ranks by reinforcements from their Asi atic armies, but a serious outbrealc of cholera sunong the troops served to hinder the measures of reconstruction. On the 17th the First and Third Bulgarian armies began an attack on the Turkish lines. In some instances the at tack succeeded, but the natural strength of the position plus the assistance rendered by the Turkish fleet on the southern flank was more than the Bulgarians could overcome. The latter therefore withdrew their forces to the west of Chataldja village and contented them selves with making impossible any Turlcish advance.