The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-05
NEXT BATTLE MAY DECIDE
COURSE OF WAR IN THE EAST
If Austria Can Check Russia Yet in Galicia France
Will Have to Fight Own Battles for
Some Time to. Come

From THE EVENiSG SuS OF yesterday.
To understand the campaign which the
Russians have undertaken IL is necessary
/ 10 grasp first certain elementary facts,
geographical. military and political, about
the vast region in which struggles wagcd
by several millions OF men. Russians. Ger
mans and Austrians. are now taking
place. These once grasped the complex
| ity of the dispatches disappears
To take the geographical first II
| line be drawn from CZernowltz, where
| the Russian, Rumanian and Austrian
| frontiers meet, 10 Berlin 1t will mark
pretty accurately the point where the
great Russian plain meets the first con-
siderable mountain barrier west of the
/ Ural. From Czernowitz almost to Berlin
on this line the Carpathian and Bohemian
ranges form "A solid wall. Again, draw
I line from Memel. the Prusisan town fur-
thest north and east, to Berlin and, again
! roughly speaking, all TO the north of II
will be the Baltic. to the south the main
land. Between Memel and Czernowitz IL
perhaps 500 miles, between the Baltic ana
the Saxon Mountains less than 20O.
II is plain, then, that Russian in
vasion which had its right on the Baltic.
its left on the Carpathians and It's centre
MALT way between the TWO would move on
Berlin. It's TANKS protected by natural
obstacles, the sea and the mountains, us
front slowly shortening and thus causing
its battle line to contract.
Now as TO the political. II letter ~"
Is drawn with it's Two upper points on
Mcmel and C2ernowitz II Will approx
mately mark the political frontiers, the
sem-circlc will be Russian Poland, while
4 north aud east German Prussia and. south
and east Austrian Galca will half sur
round the Russian Polish territory. At
the nearest point to Berlin. hat is at
( the westernmost point in the semicircle
just east of Posen, the Russian frontier
Is not more than 200 miles from the Ger
| man capital.
The natural expectation. then, might
have been. in fact was. that Russia would
at once send a huge army to Posen and
on to Berlin. But for military reasons
this was wholly impracticahlc. AS long
as the Germans held East Prussia, the
Austrians Galcla. their armies advancing
south and north respectively would cut
such Russian advance off from Russian
territory and envelop and surround IT,
! Because of this fact Russian mobili-
cation began not In Russian territory
nearest Posen. that is nearest to Berlin.
but far back. almost exactly on the line
between Mcmel and Czcrnowitz, while 1t
was left to Warsaw and number OF
/ other fortr,sses west OF this mobilization
limo to hold back any Austro-Grrman at
|
was defended only by covering troops,
| Now consider what has happened.
| FIRST OF all we had a Russian advance
toward Koenigsberg. which Is Just south
! of Mem.l the investment OF the city
and the rapid flowing west OF Russian
troons moving on. with the Baltic on their
! flank to clear East Prussia OF German
troops. Despite reverses about Alenstein
II appears that the movement is stu
going on As compared with the southern
movement 1t is a smaller operation Tor
Germany has relatively few soldiers to
spare on the east
\ Turning to the south now, II viii be
noted chat a great Russian army COM
ing west on "A line between Czernowltz
and Iembcrg has met and defeated the
main Austrian army, driving II west ana
! north back OF It's tinal line of intrcnch-
mcnts along the san and Nistula rivers
Thus II will be seen that one army II
moving toward Berlin from the north
east with the Baltic on It's right iiank,
| through East Prussia, the other toward
Berlin with the Carpathians on its left
There remains the centre. But TINS
must conform to the wings, consequently
the Russian centre is not yet west or war
saw. and the Russian territory between
Warsaw and the German frontier IL pra''
tically empty OF troops Taking advhn'
tage OF this, German and Austrian forces
have pushed into Poland and penetratei
10 LODI and toward Lublin IL they con
tlnue east they must presently meet the
Russian centre, but " Russian success o.
their tanks continue they must fall back
TO avoid disaster.
In "A large way. then, it Is possible 10