Lt.-Gen. Staabs were taken into the space S. of the Alt, the I. Res. Corps was to reach the passages over the Alt at Comana and Heviz, while the Cav. Corps was to reach the N. wing of the IX. Army.
The Battle in the Geisterwald. The Rumanians retired on the whole E. front, without being brought into action by the pur- suing troops of the Austro-Hungarian I. Army and the German IX. Army. It was only after dusk on Oct. 4 that the XXXIX. Res. Corps was able to bring the Rumanians to a stand on the western slope of the Geisterwald in a prepared position behind the Sinca brook. The corps were ordered to attack early on Oct. 5, while the 76th Res. Div. was to advance along the high road to Volkany, the sist Honved Inf. Div. to Vledeny, and the iSyth Inf. Div. over the mountains, enveloping the enemy on the N., in the direction of Krizba. The 8th Mountain Bde., just arrived at Hermannstadt, was ordered to follow the XXXIX. Res. Corps forthwith in the Alt valley. It was intended to allow them to advance W. of the Konigstein towards the road Kronstadt-Campolung.
Morning mists and the time taken by the enveloping move- ment of the iSyth Inf. Div. in roadless mountain country delayed the beginning of the attack on Oct. 5. In order to lose no time Lt.-Gen. von Staabs ordered the 76th Res. Div. and the sist Honved Inf. Div. to attack alone in the forenoon; they soon captured the Rumanian positions, the Rumanian 4th and 3rd Inf. Divs. suffering heavy and bloody losses in their violent counter-attacks. But when the enveloping movement of the i87th Inf. Div. became effective the Rumanians began their retreat into the Kronstadt basin with the utmost haste, at the cost of a great part of their artillery. Close upon them followed the victorious divs. of Gen. von Staabs. Meanwhile the advance guard of the 8gth Inf. Div. had reached Comana on Oct. 5, after, by quick action, succeeding in putting out the fire which the Rumanians had set to the bridge. After a stiff pur- suing action the 715! Inf. Div. took Reps, but, N. of Heviz, met with strong resistance from the enemy which was only broken down on the morning of the 6th. The 8gth Inf. Div. which had been brought up here, was marched through Heviz in front of the 7ist and directed over the Bogat saddle towards Foldvar. The Schmettow Cav. Corps had assigned to it the task of throwing back the 2nd Rumanian Cav. Div. over the line Mehburg-Palos. But the Rumanian Horse escaped attack by a hasty retreat towards the N.E., and established temporarily contact in the Upper Alt valley between the two Rumanian armies, which were diverging more and more.
The Battle of Kronstadt (Brasov). On Oct. 6 the divs. of the XXXIX. and I. Res. Corps in their marching lines sought to reach the western outlets of the defiles of the Burgenland. The attack on the 3rd, 4th and 6th Divs. of the Rumanian II. Army, crowded together around Kronstadt and entangled with one another during the retreat, was fixed for Oct. 7. The 76th Res. Div. was to reach the Torzburg Pass by way of Tohanulu- Torzburg. Kronstadt was the goal fixed for the sist Honved Inf. Div., advancing by Feketehalom, while the i87th Inf. Div., attacking to the N. of it, was to wheel inwards, its flank pro- tected from the N.E. in order to envelop Kronstadt and the entrance to the pass S.E. of it. On Oct. 7 the 8gth Inf. Div. was to reach Foldvar and the 7ist Inf. Div. Miklosvar. Of the Cav- alry Corps the 3rd German Cav. Div. was to push forward through Barot towards Mikoujfalu, to hinder Rumanian move- ments of troops in the Alt valley; the ist Cav. Div., pressing forward towards Szt. Egyhazas-Olahfalu, was to bar the retreat of the rear sections of the Rumanian troops still on the Szekely- Udvarhely-Csiksereda road.
On the early morning of Oct. 7 the vanguard of the 76th Res. Div. emerging from the mountains at Tohanulu was caught by the Rumanian artillery fire, and could penetrate no farther. The main body had therefore to make a wide detour by Zernesti against the Rumanian left flank, and a pause was made for the arrival of the heavy artillery. Thus this div. could make no further progress on the 7th. But the sist Honved Inf. Div. and the iSyth Inf. Div. rapidly approached Kronstadt, meeting,
however, with violent resistance from the Rumanians on the N. and W. sides of the town, so that it was not until evening that the vanguard of the i87th succeeded in penetrating into the northern part of the town, where an obstinate street fight raged all night. Next morning the sist Honved Inf. Div. also won their way in and stormed the heights S. of the town.
In consequence of the enveloping movement through Zerneste and the threat exercised by the 8th Mountain Bde. approaching W. of the Konigstein it became possible for the 76th Res. Div. on Oct. 8 to seize Torzburg and the heights on either side of it, together with the entrance to the Torzburg Pass. The advance against the pass was continued, and, in addition, a detachment was pushed forward through the Klein Weidenbach valley towards the Tomos Pass in order to bar the Rumanian retreat here. Although this div. failed to reach the road, its appearance in threatening proximity caused a panic-like flight of the troops and transport hastening southwards.
Meanwhile the Rumanians tried to hold up the German advance N. of Kronstadt, and, with reenforcements hurried up partly by rail from Sepsi-Szt. Gyorgy, delivered violent counter- attacks against the E. wing of the i87th Inf. Div., standing at Szentpeter, which was hard pressed till the attack of the 8gth Inf. Div. from the N. struck the Rumanians unawares.
Early on Oct. 9 the victory of the IX. Army was complete. The beaten troops of the 3rd, 4th and 6th Rumanian Divs. retreated hurriedly throu|h the passes, so that, supported by the loth, 2ist and 22nd Inf. Divs. brought up for the purpose, they might undertake the defence of their country against the pursuing German and Austro-Hungarian divs. in fortified posi- tions on the frontier prepared during peace.
Gen. von Falkenhayn in his pursuit tried to cross the mountains simultaneously with the Rumanians, and by a fresh distribution of his army, the I. Res. Corps with the 76th Res. Div. and the 8th Mountain Bde. attacked over the Torzburg Pass in the direction of Campolung. Through the encircling movement of the 8th Mountain Bde. the pass was soon success- fully opened, and the 22nd Inf. Div. which had arrived to support the seriously exhausted Rumanian 4th Inf. Div. was repulsed. But the attack of the I. Res. Corps was held up by the strongly- fortified positions N. of Campolung.
The XXXIX. Res. Corps had orders to push forward through the Tomos Pass with the sist Honved Inf. Div., and through the Altschanz Pass with the i87th Inf. Div. towards the line Sinaia-Isorele. The sist Div. did indeed succeed in storming the summit of the pass, but could not penetrate the 2ist and loth Rumanian Inf. Divs. in their strongly constructed posi- tions. The i87th Div. had a similar experience against the Rumanian 3rd Inf. Division.
The 8gth Inf. Div. had to attack through the Tatarhavas and Bodza passes. After reaching the basin lying S. of the frontier, it was held up by the main body of the Rumanian 6th Inf. Div. and by separate regts. of the 3rd, isth and 22nd Inf. Divisions.
As the German Supreme Command urgently demanded that the strongest possible infantry and cavalry forces should be directed towards Ocna, to control the communications from there northwards by rail, road and telegraph, the 7ist Inf. Div. was put under the command of Gen. Count Schmettow, com- manding the Cav. Corps, who led the div. in forced marches to the Ojtoz Pass. On the summit of the pass the div. overran a position held by the Rumanian 2nd Cav. Div. and forced their way over the frontier. Recognizing their peril the Rumanians rapidly pushed up the 38th Inf. Bde. and sections of the 7th, 8th and the newly formed isth Inf. Divs., and after long engage- ments with many vicissitudes prevented the 7ist Inf. Div. from reaching its goal.
The 3rd Cav. Div. assembled first in the basin of Kezdivasar- hely, where the ist Cav. Div., which had pursued the Rumanian 7th Inf. Div. up to the Uz Pass, had also been brought up. As the employment of cavalry on the route by way of Ocna into Moldavia had become impossible, the ist Cav. Div. established communication in the forest-clad mountains, with their lack of roads, between the Spth and the 7 ist Inf. Divs. The three regts.
