on the European battle fields both in the east and west. This
explains why by May 1, 1916, the Russian front had been pushed less
than twenty-five miles west of Trebizond, even though almost two weeks
had elapsed since the fall of Trebizond.

In the center sector the immediate objective of the Russians was
Erzingan. Beyond that they undoubtedly hoped to advance to Swas, an
important Turkish base. Toward this objective two distinct lines of
offensive had developed by now--one along the valley of the river
Oborok and the other along the Erzerum-Erzingan road and the valley of
the western Euphrates. The latter was somewhat more successful than
the former, chiefly because it did not offer so many natural means of
defense. But to both of these offensives the Turks now offered a most
determined resistance, and the Russians, though making progress
continuously, did so only very slowly.

In the southern sector conditions were very similar. Here, too, two
separate offensives had developed, although they were more closely
correlated than in the center. One was directed in a southwestern
direction from Mush, and the other in the same direction from Bitlis.
Both had as their objective Diarbekr, an important trading center on
the Tigris and a future station on the unfinished part of the Bagdad
railroad. Here, too, Russian progress was fairly continuous but very
slow.

Some interesting details regarding the tremendous difficulties which
nature put in the way of any advancing army, and which were utilized
by the Turks to their fullest possibility, may be gleaned from the
following extracts from letters written by Russian officers serving at
the Caucasian front:

"We have traveled sixty miles in two days, and never have we been out
of sight of the place from whence we started. South and north we have
scouted until we have come into touch with the cavalry of the
---- Corps of the vedettes which the Cossacks of the Don furnished for
the ---- Brigade. Sometimes it is wholly impossible to ride. The
slopes of these hills are covered with huge bowlders, behind any of
which half a company of the enemy might be lurking. That has been our
experience, and poor K---- was shot dead while leading his squadron
across a quite innocent-looking plateau from which we thought the
enemy had been driven.

"As it turned out, a long line of bowlders, which he thought were too
small to hide anything but a sniper, in reality marked a rough trench
line