The Entente Offensive, Autumn, 1916
they could very easily have sent forces to Wallachia. It was only because the Russians were not there that we were successful From this time onwards the Russians brought up reinforcements. They now seemed to fear for their own flank. They reduced their forces in the Dobrudja in order to be stronger in Wallachia. For the rest of the campaign the object in view was to strike an even more crushing blow at the Rumanians, defeat the Russians, whose arrival was now a certainty, while they were assembling, and bring the operations to a conclusion by reaching the Mouth of the Danube-Sereth-Trotus line. This was the shortest line we could take up. Our military-economic situation made it imperative that we should secure it.
Mackensen's Army Group was to exert its main pressure in the direction of Buzau-Focsani, break any attempts at resistance in the plain by an enveloping movement from the mountains, and for the rest, push forward down both banks of the Danube.
General von Conrad had agreed that the right wing of Archduke Charles' Army Group should later join in the attack on the Trotus.
The battles east of the Bucharest-Ploesti line now assumed a different character from their predecessors. Our troops were tired and could only attack the enemy frontally. The possibility of outflanking the enemy was only slight as he was increasing his forces, especially in the mountains. The Russians were soon in great strength; they fought better than the Rumanians. The supply of ammunition, which was now needed in larger quantities, was a slow business as communications had become much worse. Heavy rain set in, and was followed towards the new year by an unusually severe frost.
On December loth the Danube Army and the gth Army, on the Jalomnitsa and at Misil, south-east of Buzau, were facing the Rumanian and Russian troops in prepared positions. Yet they succeeded in quickly breaking down their resistance, crossing the Jalomnitsa on the I2th, and taking Buzau, after hard fighting, on the I5th.
On the I7th this Army Group was already in the plain before
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