Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-12-10
MOVE MENACES
GERMAN ARMY
Russian Occupation of Plotsk
May Have Serious Military
Significance.
GERMANS CLAIM GAINS
Reported to Have Turned on the
Cars Forces and Made Material
Advances-Armies of the Al
lies in France Receive
Heavy Re-enforcements.

London, Dec. 4.-Interest in the
war is now conferred almost entirely
IN the struggle between the Russian
and German hosts.
At last the Russians have ap-
preached within three miles of the
outer Notifications of Cracow, their
steady advance from PrzemysI having
proceeded without any real check.
They were reported today to be mount
ing heavy batteries around the town
OF Wieliczka, which they occupied yes
terday and from which the outer forts
Of Cracow can be reached
Important as this is-for the fall of
CracoW would lay open the roads to
Vienna, Breslau and Berlin-the main
interest in the East continues to rest
with the operations on the irregular
front from Czenstochowa through
LODI and Lowicz to the East Prussian
border.
Germans Take Offensive.
The following official statement was
issued in Petrograd:
Fighting continues in certain dis
tricts along the front in the region of
LOWicz. Important forces Of the en-
envy, chiefly the troops transported in
November from the German west
'front.' opened an offensive on Decem-
Der 2 in the region of Lioutomersk and
Sezerzow.
"On the rest of the front on the left
bank Of the Vistula there is no par
ticular modification In the situation.
Beyond the Carpathians our troops
have taken Bartfeld. capturing eight
officers, 1900 men and six machine
guns"
London, Dec. 3.-The Russians have
occupied Plotsk, which is so miles
northwest Of Warsaw and is ten miles
north Of Gombin. The significance of
the news is that the Russians are now
squarely on the north flank Of Gen
eral Won Mackensen's army.
London, Dec. 3.-The German army
in North Poland has formed a new
front and at some points has resumed
the offensive, according to the best in
formation obtainable from the eastern
scene of war.
The kaiser's forces, with the aid of
re-enforcements, have succeeded in
escaping from the ring the Russians
had forced around it, and from Berlin
comes the message that in these ma
neuvers, by which the Russians were
checked, $4,000 of the latter have been
taken prisoner.
The Russians in a statement issued
through Rome say the number of pris-
oners they have taken greatly exceeds
those taken by the Germans. Both
sides agree that the losses have been
very heavy, and that the battle is still
inde6isiVe, as it probably will be for
several days.
The Russian official report tonight
says that the fighting has lost some
OF its violence. but indicates some
progress for the Russian troops north
of LODI It is unoff1cially reported
that the Russians are nearly in Cra-
cow"
Admit Germans Hold Lines.
The Army Messenger, the semioff-
cial authority of Petrograd, In a re-
view of the fighting from November
Is to 80, says:
ON the Russo-Prussian frontier the
Germans have maintained their forti-
fed positions and have been making
attacks of little importance. These
operations were without success and
our army corps have kept their dis.
positions
The German offensive in the region
of LowiCz was repuIsed by the advance
guards and cavalry, who inflicted
heavy losses on the enemy. The same
fate befell the German offensive at
Dombrovo and Schutsoff
Russ Gain Near Cracow.
"On the Thorn-Cracow front the
German guard which attempted the
offensive suffered a serious defeat In
the Trzbitz-Rogomilof district. Our
troops took a large number of prison
ers, assumed the offensive, and cap
tured several important points. Coun-
ter-attacks by the enemy were re-
pulsed.
The Austrian troops defending the
approaches to Cracow have been de
feated and are falling back in disorder
in the region Of the fortress"
It was announced at Kiev that 120
German and Austrian officers had been