New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-09
GERMAN LOSSES AT
LODI APPALLING
Correspondent at Warsaw
Describes Fighting Be-
fore Capture of City.
IBy Cable to The Tribune J


London, Dec. 9.-"The Daily Chron-
icle" publishes an account OF the fight
ing around LODI previous to its re-
ported capture by the Germans. The
dispatch, written in Warsaw on Satur-
day and sent by courier to Petrograd,
where il was telegrsphed, follows;
81 have wired you previously Of the
German force which advanced around
LODI and as cut off south and east Of
the ton. This consisted of two army
corps of the Twenty-fth corps and the
Third Guards corps. The isolated force
turned north and endeavored to cut its
way out through the small town OF
BrZeziny. II was at BrZeeiny that final
disaster overlook them. They had
been fighting during their slow retire
ment for FIVE days and were showing
signs OF being short of ammunition.
"On the fifth day they made their
final attempt to pass through Brzezlny.
That was where the fine strategist and
fighting man who held Ivangorod, on
the Vistula. brought off the great
dramatic coup for which he had been
maneuvring. The Germans were hold
ing the town and pouring through when
he loosened his general attack. Brze-
ziny underwent nine hours of furious
Smelling. Only half the town now re-
mains standing. The russian infantry,
supported by a tremendous fire of its
own guns, drove home charge after
charge, smashing the German resist
ance completely.
10000 Prisoners Taken.
by nightfall, out of two army corps
numbering $4,000 men, there remained
only a remnant. The number of pris
oners reaches a total Of about 10000,
and Of the remainder fully so per cent
were killed or wounded. This is the
estimate supplied to me. Owing to the
small area on which the fighting con-
centrated. the dead are lying in great
mounds and walls at points where the
charges were pushed home. For miles
the countryside is dotted with dead.
Numbers of fugitives, most of whom
are injured, are lurking in the woods.
From Rewa, south of Skierniwice,
midway between Lodz and Warsaw, to
LODI, on the line of the former German
retreat and the present advance, not a
single village remains. All have been
burned and the district is utterly desc
late
"On December l, 2 and came the
climax to the German attempt to carry
LODI, where the force conducting the
defences of the town at that time was
surrounded. The German positions
were on the southern road, within four
miles of LODI, while at Zgerz, seven
miles to the north, they had a battery
of heavy guns with which they shelled
the town itself, killing several hundred
civilians. The fire was chiefly directed !
on the railway station and the Russian
guns were unable for some time TO To-
cate the battery. Finally it was dis |
covered by aeroplane. Then followed /.
an act of heroism and hare-brained en-
terprise which is now the talk of the |
whole army.
Colonel Goes on Adventure.
"On last Thursday night a colonel
of artillery, with a little group of as
sistants, contrived to drag field wire
within half a mile of the German bat
terry. While a searchlight was playing
over the face of the country, he lay on
the ground, and from there directed
the Russian guns, which, with his help,
actually succeeded in silencing the bat
terry.
"The Russian guns were at this time
placed in the streets of LODI On
Thursday night, when the attack cul-
minated, there were 700 guns in action
at one time on both sides. The thun-
der of the guns was family audible on
the outskirts of Warsaw, seventy-fve
miles away.
"Then there followed a general as
sault of the Germans in the glare of
searchlights and under an inferno Of
gunfre Here again the Russians
demonstrated the qualities which have
made them famous throughout the
war. They met Germans with rife
fire from the trenches which not only
stopped them, but shattered them.
They again played the trick Of allow
ing the enemy to approach to within
fifty feet, meanwhile holding their fire
and then blowing them off their feet.
The attack failed utterly, and from
the very manner of it the Russian
losses could not have been otherwise
than light. The German losses in the
whole of the operations against LODI
and its neighboring positions exceed
100000 killed No guess at the num-
Der of their wounded can be attempt