South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-30
WORKOUT GERMANS
FACING FRESH TROOPS
Terrific Artillery Duei Along
RaWka River for Two Days
CompeIS TeutOnS to Retire
With Several Batteries Quiet

PETROGRAD, Dec 80. - Field
Marshal Won Hindenburg's latest
drive against Warsaw is on the point
OF collapse and the Russians are
fighting desperately TO carry out a
Ranking movement against his Ger
man army. Official military dis
patches from Warsaw state that the
German armies lying west Of War
saw have been compelled to evacuate
some OF their first line positions un-
der the battering assaults of Grand
Duke Nicholas forces.
The fighting in Poland and Galicia
is being marked by the most terrible
slaughter in the history of warfare. II
is impossible to estimate the casual
ties now, but the figures, when they
are announced, will be staggering.
In western GaliCia stormy weather
and the muddy condition of the
roads are interfering with operations;
in the Carpathians the Austrians are
falling back leaving many stragglers
and many guns behind.
Along the Bzura and Rawka rivers
the Germans are lighting desperately
superior numbers and Field Marshal
Won Hindenburg's wOrn-out troops
are facing fresh masses of Russian
soldiers.
Terrific Artillery Duel.
There was a terrific artillery duel
along the Rawka which lasted all day
Monday and all Of Tuesday, but the
Germans were finally compelled TO re-
tire after several of their batteries
had been silenced. The German lines
along the upper reaches of the Raw
ka and north of the Bzura are farther
from Warsaw than they were this
time last week. The German lines are
now extended in the form of a semi
circle with the Russian army in the
Pilica valley struggling forward in a
mighty effort to envelop the south
ern wing of the invading army.
The weather is very cold and the
fields are covered with deep snow
The snow upon the roadways has
been tranpled by the marching
armies until it has turned the high
ways into bOgs.
The Russian forces south of the
Pilica river are driving hard toward
Tomaszow and have captured a line
of rcdoubts south OF InOwlOdz, which
is only few miles east of Tomaszow.
The Russians operating near the
function Of the Nida and Nistula riv-
ers have taken several thousand
more prisoners together with a num-
ber of machine guns. Austrian can
non were found imbedded in the mud,
Gen Dankel's men being unable to
move them when the army retired.
Austrians on the Gorlice-Jaslo line
are trying 10 reform their forces as
they fan hack. but i'm this they are
douhly hindered by the impossible
condition Of the country and the con-
slant harrassins of the Siberian
troops.
Take $4,000 Prisoners.
OF the 1880 men i'm the Aus
trian army falling hack through the
Carpathians fully 50. GEO have been
taken prisoners by the Russians.
As 20 operations against the Turks
the following official report is issued:
ION Sunday the Russian cruiser
Askoid bombarded the Turkish port
of Fl Arisab, easS of Port Said. The
cruiser sent a launch To reconnoiter
i.ear Beirut. bat it was 6red upon hy
the Turks and driven of
Other dispatches bring the follow
ing information. The Turks have
Withdrawn a large portion OF their
troops from the Thracian frontier in
order 90 send them into Asia Minor
for service against the Russians
Since the sinking OF the Turkish bat
tleship Messuieh by "a British sub
marine in the Dardanelles. the Turks
have Withdrawn nearly all their
heavy artillery forts around Adrian
opie and the Chatalja forts to
strengthen the defenseS along the
Dardanelles
The defenses at GalipoH and the
works protecting the Gulf of Saros
are al being strengthened. DO doubt
Turkey will continue 90 maintain
strong force upon the peninsula of
GallipoH because there is always
danger OF a land attack against the
Dardanelles forts. The Turkish army
in Thrace tlncmding those on the
peninsula OF GalhpolD is estimated
now az 300 000 men, Some OF these
troops comprise the flower of the Ot-
t0man army