New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-25
Fail in Second Attempt to
Pierce the Russian
Centre.
TURN IN RETREAT
TOWARD FRONTIER
Suffer Heavy Losses in
Hurting Best Troops
Against Enemy.
tBy Cable 70 The Tribunal

lb7 Cable % Tie Tribune
Petrograd, Nov. 24.-Grand Duke
Nicholas has scored against Germany's
finest troops another success which
none but military man would hesitate
to call a signal victory, as modestly it
is put in the official report.
The Germans have begun a retire
ment from line indicated by the fol-
lowing points, which lie between the
upper reaches of the Bzura River and
the Wsrths, q couple of miles east OF
Sieradz: Strykoff, Zzierz, Sczadek, Ge-
dunska, VOLTA and Vozniki. The ex-
treme points of this line are over forty
miles apart, and on the line the most
stubborn battle yet fought in this war
has been in progress for the last ten
days. This forty miles, however, is
only small section of the great front
on which the grand strategic scheme OF
the Russian commander-in-chief is nov
rapidly developing.
Victory or defeat in modern titanic
stlubSltS VI al udhiOho NdAl Oity w
properly appreciated with knowledge
, Of the entire strategic scheme. TIL,
Grand Duke applies the word victory
solely to this final realization of his
complete strategic scheme, and there
fore abstsins from calling the present
retirement of the Germans even local
success.
Critics Worried
Certain critics here found fault with
the original plan of operations for
meeting the Germans west of the Wis
tula River instead of allowing them to
cross over 20 certain determination
The Germans got away by sacrificing
their allies and reserves. and soon came
back again with a Characteristic rush.
The Russians again admitted them into
Poland until they reached the point
where the strategic scheme required
that they should be stopped. The crit
les, once more dissatisfied, are afraid
the Germans have not been admitted
far enough and may again escape utter
destruction, but Russa's friends abroad
will rightly rejoice at the result of the
ten days magnificent fighting by the
Russian troops against Germany's best.
in overwhelming numbers, especially
commissioned TO wipe out the disgrace
of the previous fight and fighting like
.;,ere % tho. ord IN vain
After the triple defeats-the first
near Warsaw, the second south Of the
Pelitiza River, and the third on the San
River of the Austro German armies OF
a couple of million men, the Russian
cavalry followed their flight across half
OF Poland and entered Prussia at their
heels. When the Germans, hurrying UP
troops from the western front ard
home garrisons on the East Prussian
front and everywhere whence il was
possible to assemble first class troops,
turned back 10 avenge their disgrace in
Poland the Russian cavalry led them
back, harrying their advance as they
had harried their fight, while the main
forces were busy repairing the havoc
wrought or Polish railways and roads
and were taking up their positions on
the line where it had been decided to
bring the Germans 20 battle.
The strategic scheme required that
the Germans should be held and kept
occupied for a certain length OF time
on a certain line. The Russian right
rested on the Nistula about half way
between Warsaw and the frontier, near
Gombin. The country here provides
for an admirable flank defence West
of Gombin a cluster OF high hills COM
mands a wide area and the opposite
bank OF the Nistula, near Plock, while
between Gombin and the hills a lake
several miles long further strengthens
the position. Thence the line passed
southwark i'm the neighborhood of 70
yich 20 Rava, where the railway ends,
and on TO Opochne. in the neighbor-
hood of which was the Russian left.
In Diversified Country.
This front rested on a vast area Of
lmpracticabe marsh land, extending
between Vlosczoyt and Konak. Its
total length was about 100 miles. The
northern end for score of miles wac
IN a more or less high and broken coun-
try. Then for fifty miles was a pretty
level open country. with occasional ex-
tensive areas Of forest, becoming
patchy toward the south, where the
line ended in irregular wooded and
marshy land
The German scheme was 10 break
through the centre of the whole Rus-
sian strategic position from the Baltic
20 the Carpathians with ten or twelve
army corps say, half a million men.
as a minimum, when relnforcements
which continually arrived wefe added
to the original corns Siuila ,lv a.,