New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-27
Conflict Violent Along River
Pilica. Petrograd Reports

Petrograd, Dec 26.-The following
official communication was issued from
Genera Headquarters to-night:
"On the left bank of the Vistula the
general position is without essential
change.
Between the lower courses of the
Vistula and the Pilica the fighting on
December % was of less desperate
character, with the exception of that
region bordering on the Pilica, where
throughout the night and day violent
combate continued.
Likewise fighting of a desperate
nature with the Austrians has been
going on along the lower courses of
the Nida River. On December "a in
that region we took prisoners 68 Off
GERS and about 1000 soldiers.
ain Galicia the fighting along the
whole front is favorable to the Rus
sian arms"
Austrian Campaign Collapsed"
The war expert of the "Novoe
Vremya," in a summary Of the war
published to-day, refers to what he
calls the Collapse of the Austrian
campaign in Galicia, the lack of CO.
hesion on the part of the German
armies to the north of Cracow, and
spirit of the Germans at Sochaczew,"
which he says describes the situation
in Poland. Going into detail, this OBJ
server says:
"The lack of success of the Austrian
army on the Sanok-Lisko front devital-
lied all the Austrian operations in
Galicia The fate of Przemysl has been
a weighty factor with the Austrian
General Staff, which placed great i'm
portance on the cooperation of the
garrison in this fortress with the army
advancing through the Pezlaboretz
Pass. The unsuccessful sorties of the
garrison of tie fortress and its failure
to effect junction with the field army
caused the collapse of the entire Aus
trian plan. The Przemysl sorties were
the last feverish efforts of the garri-
sons expiriting energy.
Following the failure of the Aus
trian army on the Sanok-Lisko line
their entire campaign weakened so that
our counter attacks became more and
more effective. Finally the Russian
armies took the offensive along the en-
I tire front. The Austrians lost all in
/ terest in their third Galician campaign
when they failed to relieve Przemsyl
Relied on Germans.
/ "They began with high spirits and
/ large hopes, based on the cooperation
i of fresh Germai troops which had not
as yet fought in Russia. Reliance was
placed also on a simultaneous attack
on a large scale by the German army
before Warsaw.
"At the present time there is fight
ing going on on the Bzura, near Boil
NOW; in the valley of tho Pilica, on the
banks of the Nida, along the River
/ Dunajec, in Galicia, and in the foot
hills of the Carpathians. There is no
cohesion other than that resulting
from isolated episodes.
"Althoug large forces are engaged
on both sides, there is no fundamental
unity in the strategy of the enemy.
Even the daily struggles about Socha-
c-ew show that the German persever-
ance is merely the hope Of breaking
through the Russian right, but these
attacks are less fierce than they were
when the Austrians were in full swing.
l.. this fighting the Germans used the
/ bayonet to much greater extent than
/ in their previous operations.
Russians Show Endurance.
"The fighting on the Bzura shows
almost unbelievable endurance on the
part of the Russian troops. This leads
10 the belief that, having held these
positions so long on the swampy banks
e the Bzura, the Russian forces can
now spring at the enemy and over
whelm him.
"On the Galician flank everything
favored the Austrians. They Rad taken
positions on the banks of rivers and