irst begun landing
their troops, it had not yet been definitely decided that Saloniki was
to be held permanently, or at least as long as the war lasted, but by
this time the value of the port had been realized. So long as it was
held in strong force it constituted a constant threat against any
attempt on the part of the Austro-Germans to push their invasion down
into Egypt. Further, it was suggested by naval experts that if ever it
passed into the hands of the Germans, it might easily become the base
for an effective submarine warfare in the eastern Mediterranean, which
would be extremely dangerous to the allied fleets in those waters,
already the scene of considerable submarine activity, as was
demonstrated by the sinking of not a few transports, war vessels, and
other, ships by the enemy. These waters could not be dragged with
steel nets, as had been done in the British Channel. As the terminus
of the railroad running through Macedonia from Belgrade, Saloniki was
potentially an important city. Austria had long been aware of the high
significance of this port and it was, in fact, the final objective of
her "Drang nach Osten" policy. When it fell to Greece after the
Second Balkan War she had been bitterly disappointed, which was one
reason why she had done her best to spur Bulgaria on to precipitate
that unfortunate campaign. And this was another little matter which
probably helped to swing the balance of Greek sympathy toward the
Allies. What prosperity Saloniki had enjoyed during Turkish rule had
been entirely due to its big Jewish population, which had been the
mainstay of its commercial activities.

When Greece acquired possession little change followed, and when the
troops of the Allies began to disembark in the beginning of October
they were at once confronted by a serious difficulty in the absence of
docking and local transportation facilities. There was, further, the
serious difficulty of obtaining space ashore for camp ground for the
troops, as well as suitable level stretches for aeroplanes, Greek
troops being in occupation of all such spots. Moreover, the railroad
facilities, even when given over entirely to their use, were
inadequate.

So long as the outcome of the effort to join up with the Serbians
remained in doubt the Allies had not given much energy to fortifying
Saloniki in great strength, but immediately the retirement was decided
upon this task was undertaken with some dispatch. On and after
Decem