New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-20
The New German Offensive If
Northwestern Poland.


from Berlin and from Petrograd agree that in
the area southeast of Thorn the Russians have
been forced TO retire up the valley of the Vistula
River. There is natural disagreement in the
two capitals as to the extent and military effects
Of this reverse.
The German line now seems to run from
Flock, on the Vistula, forty-fve miles above
Thorn, in a southwest direction through Kutno
and Leuczyca to Uniejow, on the Wartha River.
There it joins the line to which Won Hindenburg
retired a couple Of weeks ago. North Of Flock
the Germans hold Poland to the East Prussian
frontier but in that region there have been no
Russian forces since the beginning Of the war.
General Won Hindenburg collected an army at
Thorn after his retreat from Warsaw and Sc
lected that fortress as the base of counter
offensive against the oncoming Russians. The
German strategic railways gave him great
advantage in concentrating troops. and he proba-
bly, drew on the army in East Prussia as we'll
as on his normal reserves. The Russians were
handicapped in their forward movement by the
destruction Of all the railroads and bridges in
West Poland, and it was comparatively easy to
mass enough troops in the region southeast Of
Thorn to push back the extreme right wing Of
the Russian armies moving toward Western
Galica, Silesia and Posen.
General Won Hndenburg has had some sue
cesses in his new campaign, but Berlin dispatches
have not so far claimed decisive victory in
this part of Poland. The experts in Petrograd
threw out the suggestion that Won Hindenburg is
only making another demonstration, intended to
distract the atten TO-. or the Russians from their
main objective. objective at present is
Cracow, and if they ,au maintain the defensive
in Northwestern Poland while they are invest
ing Cracow and clearing the Austro-Hungarian
armies ont Of Western Galicia the principal
purpose Of their latest move westwardNyiH have
been accomplished i'm spite of Won Hndenburg's
delaying tactics
The strategy of the Russians requires a com
plete occupation Of Galicia as a preliminary to
au -dyauce into Prussia Russia must hold off
the armies of Franci, Joseph while her forces
push forward into Germany. The easiest way to
hold them off is 10 break the connection between
the German and the Austro-TIungarian armies
by throwing the latter across the Carpathian
Mountains and compelling them to defend Hun.
gary and cover Vienna. From Cracow the Rus
slams could operate southwestward toward
Brunn, on the road to Vienna, or northwestward
toward Breslau on the road TO Berlin. They
could work on inner lines while the Austro-Hun-
garian and German armies would completely
lose touch with each other. retreatng on bases
two TO three hundred miles apart
In so far as General Won Hindenburg's move
ment. by threatening Warsaw, relieves the
pressure ON Cracow and on the Austro-Hun-
garian armies defending it his strategy is to
the point. The German retreat from Warsaw
and Ivangorod did not materially prejudice the
defence Of the German frontier. But it was
exceedingly damaging 10 the tro-Hungarian
forces which had extended their front eastward
and southeastward beyond Przemysl to the Dor
der Of Bukowina. These latter were left in a
perilous position and have had to extricate them
selves from it by rapid retreat. If they retire
across the Carpathans and lose Cracow, the
primary object Of the first Russian campaign
will have been achieved.
In the largest strategic sense the Russian cam
paign has already produced results of enormous
value TO the Allies. 1t has been pushed with
such surprising vigor as TO commit Germany to
meeting it at an exhausting cost. The Kaiser
has had to employ on the eastern front an army
Of from 100000 TO 100000 men, counting re-
serves. and many army corps which could have
been used to greater advantage in the west have
been hurried east in order to check the Russians.
Russia has helped greatly to create the present
deadlock on the western front-which was what
was most needed by the Allies in order to develop
their plans for the second half year Of the war.
The deeper Germany gets involved in the east
the more uphill her fight becomes. That con-
trolling fact must always be kept IN mind IN