The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-09-21
GERMANS LAND
ON ENEMY like
WILD WOLVES
American Writer Says Won Hind
ernberg Pounds Foe to Pieces

Under a Berlin date line. Joseph
Mcdill Patterson, noted American war
correspondent. writes graphically Of
Germany's operations i'm the east. His
against the invasion OF Russian forces
follows:
Now they are calling the battle with
the Russians in east Prussia the Sc
dan of the East" The German general
STAFF announces officially 10000 Russian
prisoners and the capture and destruc-
tion of all the Russian artillery engag-
ed, a total of Sic.
They have already, too. begun to
give a name to il, the battle of Tan
nenberg. Whether this name will
stick" is yet uncertain. Tannenberg
is small place not easily found on the
maps So look for the line between
Allenstein and Ortelsburg in the south
of the province of East Prussia, and
you have the battlefield.
Railways Play Significant Part.
1t is significant the part the railways
played in this fight. Allenstein and
| Ortclsburg are both functions on the
strategic points on the railway of East
Prussia. These railways We're not
built for commercial purposes. Note
how they skirt the Russo German
frontier about fifteen miles back but
how seldom they cross il or come To
| the boundary. When the war was de-
clared, Germany sent only about $780,
| 600 men to the east to hold the Rus
| slams, while the main army went west
to crush France.
The grand strategy OF the German
campaign was to crash through Bel
GUM, turn the French fortresses on
the Franco German frontier and
thrust the sword OF Germany. no mat
ter how bloody, into Paris, the heart
France: then If necessary, entrain the
victorious army for the Russian front
and stem the expected invasion.
The 10000 men sent to the east in
the beginning We're partly to bluff the
Russians into slow and cautious ad-
vance and partly, of course, To delay
them by fighting as much as possible.
Retired General in Command.
The 10000 men-the three army
corps of the east-were under COM
mand of General Won Hindenburg. Now
General Won Hindenburg is not of a
dashing appearance. He was put on
the retired list three years ago for age.
He was called out in the crisis and
given this important command. He
was supposed to be a cautious, con-
sentative technician. Read little fur
sentative he was
At the outbreak of the war the Rus
slams invaded East Prussia in force
by Tilsit and Gumbinnen. They pushed
the Germans west of Insterburg by
force of numbers. The inhabitants
of the regions fled for their lives,
many of them, rich nobemen, reached
behind them.
Fights Slow Delaying Action.
Cautious Won Hindenburg fought his
slow, methodical, delaying action as
instructed. Finally he stopped and en-
trcnched at Insterburg, refusing to
move further without bloodier expense
to both sides than they had so far
paid. The Russians, becoming like
wise conservative, instead of trying
to drive Won Hindenburg out of his
lines, cntrenched themselves and
there they sat facing each other for
several days.
Then the fatal news reached Won
iIindenburg that another Russian ar
my had entered East Prussia from
the south and threatened Won Henden-
burgs communications and his right
flank. This second Russian army had
entered East Prussia i'm the vicinity
of Ortelsburg.
Russians Pounded to Pieces.
Then old Won Hindenburg threw
away caution. He left mere shell, "A
fragment, a demonstration in the
trenches at Insterburg. BY night he
entrained all his remnants for Allen
stein. Arriving there suddenly he fell
like wolf on the second Russian
army, Unfolding 1t on three sides,
pounding IL to pieces with eniilading
Gre, and drove it toward this little blue
dot on the map of East Prussia, where
there are lakes deep enough to drown
men.
The Germans report many thou
sands were drowned. The fight lasted
three days. The kaiser. in awarding
the Iron Cross OF the first class to Won
Hindenburg. speaks of his defeating
much larger forces than his own.
First Russian Army Flees.
So far old Won Hindenburg had
done pretty well, but he hasn't finish
ed He set a guard over his 10000
prisoners and SIC guns and re-en-
trained his victorious army for the
north and Intersburg, where his skele-
ton lines by their appearance of con-
hdence had bluffed the Russian first |