Evening star., 1914-12-30
AUSTRIANS FLUNG BACK,
ADMIT GALICIA DEFEAT
Army of 175,ooo Fleeing Through
Carpathian Passes After Los.
ing $4,000 Men.
KAISER'S EASTERN PLANS HALT
Main Armies Reported Held in Check
by Cars Forces While Thev
Press Advantages Elsewhere
Along Battle Line.

LONDON, December 80, 12:45
p.m.-The Bzura river, to the
west of Warsaw, has now become
the User of the east; on its banks
the Germans have been sacrificing
thousands of men as they did in
Belgium on the User. The cross
ing which they forced at great
cost has now been nullifed, ac-
cording to dispatches from Petro-
grad, the Russians having driven
the invaders back to the west
bank of the river.
The car S soldiers still hold the
main German armies in check and
continue to press their advan-
tage. AT the same time they are
harassing the Austrians, who
have been flung back over the
Carpatl,ian mountains.
The Austrian official state
mont today admits the defeat of
its armies i'll. eastern Galicia, but
says that the defeat does not af-
feet the conditions in-northern
| Gallcla i'll the vicinity of Cracow
fortress.
Appalling Slaughter of Germans.
The main feature of the mast two
weeks lighting in Poland. according to
Petrograd dispatch to the Post has
been the appalling losses sustained by
Germany.
FOR a fortnight" says the dispatch
there mas been no rest, no intermis-
sion, but one bideouS nightmare Of
wholesale slaughter. which has terri
bly, strained the nerves of the most
hardened troops. The German u-,va
poured upon the rock of Russian de-
fense in ceaseless sequence of at
tacks The rock still stands. although
an eighth of the total German force
has perished.
The condition of the Austri.ur +.
still more hopeless and their retire
ment from the passes is acquiring
more and more the character of a
nasty and djSordered rout
Attack on Warsaw Checked.
There has been a slackeuins of the
fighting in northern Poland between
the lower Eistula and Pilica rivers.
where the Russians have captured
some German trenches, prisoners and
guns-an indication. it is believed here.
that the German frontal attack on the
army guarding Warsaw has been
definitely checked.
In southern Poland the Russians also
record some successes, while in Galicia
they have apparently inflicted a defeat
on the Austrians almost as serious as
that which Emperor Francis troops
suffered in Servia
SINCE their latest offensive COM
menced the Russians have taken So. 600
Austrian prisoners and captured many
guns, according to the Russian official
Ieport. ana AZ. as was estimated, Aus
tria has between three and four army
corps on its re-entry into Galicia, it
must have lost more than a third of
the number in killed. wounded and
prisoners.
The state of the roads. which ara
feet deep in mud, has prevented the
Russians from making the pursuit as
effective as it might have done could
the Cossacks have found firm footin.-
for their horses
Meant to Save Cracow.
The Times Petrograd correspondent.
analyzing the present strategic sttua-
tion. insists that the German move
ment toward Warsaw never has been .
the real center of operations. He saws
that though this movement at one time
threatened to come right up to War
saw. it was really only a diversion in
tended to relieve the pressure of the
Russians toward Cracow.
1t temporarily attained this object.
but the Russian defensive lines, now
drawn in front of Warsaw. have stop
ped the German advance in this direc-
tion, and the crucial issue of the cam
paign now reasserts itself.
175,000 Austrians in Retreat.
PETRoGRAD. December 80. via Lon
don.-The retreat of the Austrian
army in Galicia, along the Liske-Sa-
bok.Dukla-Zmigrod front is described
officially here as more and more precip-
itate and disorderly. The retreating
forces are estimated unoficially as
about 175.O00 men.
The nature of the country favors the
Austrians in their retreat The corri-
dor-like valleys and passes prevent the
Russians from pursuing them over
parallel roads or harassing their
hanks, Only six roads cross the Car
ma thians two Of which are little mora
than mountain trails. Owing to the
broken character of this region the
Russian cavalry is able to do little
scouting. while the extreme cold rem
ders aeroplanes useless.
The large number of prisoners taken
in the last nine days to
about 200 officers and $1,000 soldiers,
together. with 40 machine guns. is be-
lieved here to indicate that the Aus
trians are not offering a stubborn rear
guard resistance.
German Attack Unsuccessful.
Isolated attacks by Germans in the
region south of Skierniewice are re-
ported officially to be continuing un-
Russian military critics