Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-01


The Petrograd correspondent of the
Daily Mail in a dispatch to his paper
testified to the extreme skill and cour-
age with which the Germans are con-
Quoting their retreat He says:
Refusing to consider surrender as
a possibility and closing their eyes to
inevitable enormous losses. the German
officers ordered their forces to break
their way out.
The Russians were not in sufficient
strength to close up Immediately any
breach in the surrounding forces, and
at the point where the Germans con-
centrated their attacks in order to join
up with the other forces in the neigh
borhood of Strykow- the Russians were
unable to pile up sufficient troops to
hurl back the desperate onset which
the Germans made with the equally
desperate knowledge that their food
and ammunition could not last long
A news dispatch received here from
Danzig, in West Prussia, says that EN-
peror william, in a telegram to Gen.
Mackenzen. expressed his great satis-
faction with the successes achieved BY
the generals armies in Poland. HIS
majesty conferred on Gen. Mackenzen
the order of merit.
East Comes Into Its Own.
BERLIN, via The Hague to London.
December 1.-The east is gradually
coming into its own. Those familiar
with conditions have recognized for the
past three weeks that the center Of i'm
portance has been transferred from
France to the eastern war theater.
The departure of Emperor William to
the eastern front, the appointment OF
Gen Won HindenDurg as a field marshal
and the publication Of appreciative teie-
nj n a
directed the attention. even of the un-
informed public. to the fact that events
in Poland are Of far greater Importance
than those in Flanders and along the
.Aisne.
The presence of Emperor William at
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg's head
quarters is interpreted here as indicating
that everything is thought to be going
well. The emperor has. conferred the
Order of Merit on Gen. Mackenzen for
his victory at Lowicz in the following
telegram:
The 9Th Army Corps under your
safe and tested leadership has again
fought with unrivafed brilliancy In a
hard but successful battle. Your
achievements in the past days will
stand in history as shining examples
of fortitude. endurance and valor.
Communicate this to our splendid
troops with my imperial thanks. to
which 1 wish 10 give tangible form
Merit. God be with you and our
standards in the future
Gives Credit to His Army.
Cen. Mackenzie, in an order of the
day issued when he lad received the
emperor's telegram, said:
Il am rejoiced to announce to my
heroic troops this sign of apprecia-
ton. which belongs to the whole 9th
Army"
Gen. Mackenzen long has been regarded
as one of the most brilliant of the Ger
man generals. He was the trusted adju-
tant of Field Marshal Count Won Schleif-
fen when he was chief of the general
staff. and instructed Emperor William in
military history The emperor later Sc
lected him as the immediate superior Of
the crown prince in the Danzig garrison
The situation at the end of the past
week shows, in the opinion of military
critics, that the time is ripe for the re-
sumption Of active operations against the
Russians. which temporarily were niHa- ni.
cred by the advance of Russian rein
forcements in northern Poland. The
German successes, the critics contend.
definitely have removed the danger Of any
invasion of the German provinces.
Farther south the Austrians are CO.
operating to good effect and the Aus
trian advance into Servia affords a
reasonable ground for believing that
the campaign there soon will be
brought to a successful conclusion and
thus release troops for action else
where. An observer who has just re-
turned from Servia expresses the opin-
ion that the Servians are "at the end
of their tether."
Describes Germans Situation.
PARIS, December 1.-The present
situation in Poland. according to Ludo-
vic Naudeau. the special representative
of the Journal de Paris. who is at the
Russian headquarters in the field. is
as follows:
"Gen. Mackenzen's sth German
Army is separated into three groups.
The first. between Gembin. to the
north. and Brezeziny. to the south. Is
being attacked on three sides. There
remains an opening on the western
road toward Kutno. which. however.
will be threatened by Russians ad-
yancing from Lodz Part of this first
group, at Clowno and Strykow, Is almost
entirely surrounded.
1.-The second group. to the south, at
Rzgow and Tusxyn. is, trying to force
its way through to the north. but 10
opposed BY the Russtaus ax LodS ana