New-York tribune., 1914-12-24
Retreat of Russians Seen
by London as Strategy Plan
lBy cable 20 The Tribune J

London, Dec. 23.-The Petrograd
correspondent Of "The Morning POST
sends the following dispatch:
"The official bulletin Of Tuesday
evening makes it sufficiently plain that
we are in for a repetition with differ
ences-of the first invasion Of Poland.
The Germans have brought up vast
forces against Russia, ncluding the
stiffened remnants of the Austrian
armies, and have reOrganized the whole
in manner highly credtable 70 their
recuperative powers. The Kaiser mas
promised his war-wOrn troops rest and
rewards AZ Warsaw which he has or
dered taken for Christmas. Grand
Duke Nicholas has been again com
pelled TO abandon temporarily the man
objective Of his strategic scheme ana
20 draw his armies together. so as TO
hold the inner line of the whole strate-
eic front. Cracow and everything
around Cracow are thus abandoned.
"The Germans have not yet succeeded
in forcing the passage Of the Bzura
River About five miles upstream from
Sochaczew one attempt nearly succeed
ed. In fact, number Of German troops
did get across. but were flung back INTO
the river. and lost enormously. Al
various other spots the Russians took
several thousands Of prisoners, and the
Germans left thousands Of dead on the
field after the Russians bayonet
charges.
"The Grand Dukes withdrawal is be-
slieved here not TO be retirement after
unsuccessful fighting, but "a deliberate
movement intended TO secure victory
under new circumstances. The elias
ticity of movement which the Germans
have shown by the aid Of railways
only the Russians are now exhibiting
for a second time without other means
of locomotion than those of nature
Many Civilians Killed.
The correspondent Of "The Daily
News" telegraphs from Petrograd the
following dispatch:
every great forces are now being
pressed into battles of mutual de-
struction on separate positions from
the left bank Of the Nistula near How
southwark along the Bzura and
Rawka TO the bend of the Pllltza
below Tomaszow. Sometimes the Rus
SLAMS. sometimes the Germans, take
the offensive. These pitched battles,
which cannot be described as gen
eral German offensive, are iiercest IN
the north.
"The most southerly Of the battles
i'm Poland is on the River Nida. which
flows from the north into the \istula,
thirty miles east of Cracow. Here
the russians gained a victory over
General Dankl, whose task apparently
was TO link up with the Austro-Ger-
man army on the Pilica, twenty miles
east of Noworadomsk and assist IN the
disposition for the German attempt 10
fcrce a wedge between the kuSslahs
northern and southern armies.
Immense slaughter rs taking place
in these battles. and they Will douot-
less be unabated until an ascendancy
i. definitely established I'm the region
Of Sochaczew. Here thousands OF
civilians have been killed The Ger
mans used eight-inch guns against the
town and smashed high tenement
houses. whose inhabitants were
crushed 10 death under the masonry.
When the population tried TO nee
along the broad road TO Warsaw the
German guns poured shells among the
dense masses Of men. women ana chll-
dren. Hundreds were uampled TO
death. AT Lowicz the same thing oc-
Cured. Hundreds were killed under
the wrecked buildings.
"a Russian officer who was decorated
for the capture Of six German guns
AZ Lowicz states that eighty German
prisoners we're women, VINO mad Deen
lighting in the trenches