the Oitoz
Pass and his right flank in the Vulkan Pass were each thrown back. All
during the 15th and the 16th the fighting in the passes continued
desperately, the battle being especially obstinate before the railroad
terminus at Campulung, up in the foothills. At about this same time
the Russians in the Dorna Vatra district, where they joined with the
Rumanians, began a strong offensive, in the hope of relieving the
pressure on the Rumanians farther down. This attempt was hardly
successful, as the German opposition in this sector developed to
unexpected strength. On the 17th Falkenhayn succeeded in squeezing
himself through Gyimes Pass and reaching Agas, seven miles inside the
frontier. At about the same time strong fighting began in the Red
Tower Pass. The battle was, indeed, raging at a tense heat up and down
the whole front. It was now becoming obvious that the Central Powers
had determined to make an example of Rumania and punish her
"treachery," as they called it, even though they must suspend activity
in every other theater of the war to do so. Not a little anxiety was
caused in the Allied countries. The matter was brought up and caused a
hot discussion in the British Parliament. In the third week France
sent a military mission to Bucharest under General Berthelot, while
England, France, and Russia were all making every effort to keep the
Rumanians supplied with ammunition, in which, however, they could not
have been entirely successful.

The Rumanians, on their part, continued defending every step forward
made by the enemy. On the 18th they won a victory in the Gyimes Pass
which cost the enemy nearly a thousand prisoners and twelve guns. At
Agas, in the Oitoz region, the Austro-Germans also suffered a local
defeat. Nor had they so far made very marked progress in the passes
behind Brasso. There seems to be no doubt that had the Rumanians been
able to devote all their forces and resources to the defense of the
Hungarian frontier, they would probably have been able to hold back
Falkenhayn's forces. But Mackensen had forced them to split their
strength.

On October 19, 1916, the situation in Dobrudja again began assuming an
unpleasant aspect. On that date Mackensen began a new offensive. Since
his retirement a month previous he had remained remarkably quiet,
possibly with the purpose of making the Rumanians believe that he had
been more seriously beaten than was really the case, so that they
might withdraw force