Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-02-06
lalnnlen Mnshlnrn NJ

The fight was not over a front oi
perhaps twenty kiloneters, there Was
no strategy N was all very simple
In this belt there were Germans and
Austrians. They were 10 be driven
ON IT. II took month. Then began
The carfmEe. Day after day the Rus
Sims fed Troops on their side Of the
weed. These entered, were seen Tor
a Few minutes then disappeared in
the labyrinth Of trees and were lost,
/ Companies. battalions, regiments. and
| even briyades. were absolutely cot OFF
/ from all communication None knew
what was going on anywhere hut q
few teet In front All knew that the
only thing required Of them was to
keep advancing. And they did Foot
by foot, day after day. fighting hand
60 hand, taking and rethklng position
! after position. For all Of this ten kill
| omotcrs OF forest I venture to say
| there Nv hardly an acre without its
trenches. rifle pits aud new gfayes
Here one secs where IA dozen men had
a little fort an their own and fought
ftrionxly with the enemy few feet
away IN q similar position. Day after
day II went on and day after day
troops were fed into the llussian side
OF the wood and day after day the In
termlttent crack Of rifle fire and the
roar Of artillery hurting shells into
the wood could be heard for miles
Bnt the artillery played no very great
part. for the density OF the forest
made II impossible to set an effective
range. Yet the fire WIKI kept up aud
tho forest for miles looks as though
a hurricane had swept through. Trees
staggering from their shattered
trunks and limbs hanging everywhere
show where the shrapnel have been
bursting
Yard by yard the ranks and lines of
the Austfians were driven back, but
the ncarcr their retreat brought them
to the 0pen country west Of the wood. |
the hotter was the contest waged: for
each man In his own mind must have |
known how matters would fare with |
the retreat once the open country
without shelter should be reached |
The last two kilometers Of the woody |
belt are something incredible to be- !
hold, there seems hardly an acre that !
Is not sown like the scene of paper
chase-only here with bloody ban. I
daEes ana bits OF uniform. still there |
was neager use for the artillery but
the rifle and the bayonet played the |
leading role Men fighting hand to
hand with dubbed mlIskets and bay
onets contested each tree and ditch,
But ever did the Russians systemati-
cally patiently, steadily feed in the
troops at their side Of the wood
The end was, of course. inevitable.
The troops OF the dual alliance could
not suppose, fill their losses and the
Russians could. Their army was UNI
der way. and as one sees them these
days one feels that they would have
taken that belt of wood II the entire
population Of the car had been neces-
sary to feed 10 the NAV Of that ghast-
~ monster of carnage In the forest,
Hut ut last came tho day when the
dirty grimy, bloody soldiers Of the
ear pushed their antagonists out of
HE far side of the belt of w0odind--
and whnt Il scene there must have
been In this lovely bit OF open coun-
ny with the quaint little village OF
August0w ut the crossroadsl Once
nut In the open the hungry guns of
he Russians. so long yapping inef-
without knowing what their
shells were doing, had their chance.
Down every road through the forest
anne the six-horse teams with the
guns jumping and iingling behind,
with their accompanying caissons
heavy with death-charged shrapnel,
md the moment the enemy were In
he clear these batteries, eight guns tn
unit, were unlimhered ON the fringe
If the wod and pouring out their
leath ana destruction ON the wretch
ID enemy now retreating hastily
Icross the open. And the place where
he Russians first turned loose on the I
etreat IN 4 place 20 remember. Dead I
lorses, bits OF men, blue uniforms,
battered transport, overturned gun
arfiages bones. broken Skulls and
irisly bits OF humanity strew every
Gre of the ground.
Efficiency of Russian Transport.
For weeks there have been sugges-