48,000 Brave Turks Fell At Lule-Burgas.

New York Times 100 years ago today, November 4, 1912:
Greatest Military Disaster Since Sedan, Declares a London Correspondent.
AMMUNITION FAILED THEM
Three-fourths of the Artillerymen Were Captured and Abdullah Pasha Narrowly Escaped.
By M. H. DONOHOE.
Special Cable to The New York Times. Dispatch to The London Chronicle.
    TURKISH ARMY HEADQUARTERS, via Constanza, Nov. 3.— The battle of Lule-Burgas was the most complete military disaster since Mukden, the greatest debacle since Sedan.
    Forty thousand of the flower of Turkish troops fell, and Abdullah Pasha narrowly escaped the fate of 75 per cent. of his artillery, who were made captives.
    The chief conflict took place at the railway station, four miles from Lule-Burgas, after the Bulgarians had shelled the Turks out of that town.
    As the Bulgars approached the railway station they were subjected to a severe raking fire from batteries posted behind the neighboring hills. Then the Turkish cavalry, shouting the war cry "Allah! Allah!" swept like a tornado on the exposed infantry.
    The Bulgars, unable to stand such an onslaught, turned, and the Turkish cavalry simply rode them down, causing an extraordinary panic in their ranks.
    The Turks, however, suddenly found themselves exposed to the Bulgarian machine guns, bringing the Turks and horses tumbling to the ground. Few of them got back, but found a heroic death, racing down the hard, stony velt toward the enemy.
    The Bulgarians displayed superb marksmanship during the artillery duel in the evening. The Commander in Chief watched the fight from the heights near the village of Satikeui, due east of Lule-Burgas. As he observed the Turkish artillery and infantry being mowed down his face, for the first time in the engagement, grew anxious. The Turkish artillery had from the beginning been poorly supplied with ammunition, and what they had was practically all exhausted in the fight in the morning. Now many gunners stood around empty limbers with folded arms, unable to reply to the Bulgarian fire. They awaited death, which came swiftly in most cases, with true Ottoman courage.
    Wednesday settled the fate of Abdullah Pasha's army. Its pitiable plight brought to light every moment the hideous defects of its army organization.
    Abdullah's army, like that of Napoleon III., was declared ready down to the last button of the last gaiter, whereas in reality it was hopelessly deficient in everything requisite for the equipment of a modem army going into battle.
    Mukhtah Pasha once said to me that the German training of the Turkish Army would result in its death. It is, however, unfair to throw the blame of the present appalling disaster on the German methods.
    There was an insufficiency of trained officers. I saw some companies of the Turkish regiments going into action with only two officers.
    On the last day's fighting I came across instances of reserves ignorant of the manipulation of the mechanism of the Mauser rifle.
    Anatolians mostly use muzzle loaders, and had never seen a magazine rifle. Their weapons had to be loaded by their officers or better instructed comrades.
    Even while their ammunition lasted their fire was utterly valueless. They aimed too high or too low, and when the bullet did not go in the direction of the sky it found a billet in the body of some unfortunate comrade.