The Sentinel=record., 1915-02-14
IMMENSE BOOTY IS SECURED
German Authorities Declare crushinu Defeat Administered is Already Shattering the Russian General Plan of Campaign.

Berlin. Feb. 13, via London. II D.
 m. The success of the Germans in
 East Prussia emphasizes, according
 to the view held here, the quiet strategy of Field Marshal Von Hin.
 denbmg. which is designed to strike
 an enemy when and where the blow is
 least expected
 Alter the Russian strength on the
 Warsaw front proved too great and a I lanking movement became neces- sary Field Marsha Von Hindenburg decided to choose the left wing. owing to the better equipment of East PruS- sia with railways and because the l colder weather offered better pros-
 poets for successful operations. the
 snow being no hindrance. Von Hin. denburg yelled his plans by rein l forcing the Austrans in the Carra- | thians in order to make a strong d-
 vision and msled the Russians iato
 thinking that the real flanking move 1 meHt was to be carried out there 1 Meanwhile he assembled d strong army above the Mazurian lakes. com posed for the most part of fresh re- cruiJs
 Major Moraht the military critic of l the Taaeblatt, cal g attention to the 1 fact that the Russians had strongly fortified their position, which, he | points out, only enhances Von Hin denburR's tactical achievement.
 In the opinion of this critic, Grand Duke Nicholas evidently intended to
 carry out an offensive movement after breaking the German lines and hence the defeat must have very unfavora5le effect upon the general
 Russian plans for this, he adds. was
 "a defeat in the fullest sense of the word. as evidenced by the immense
 booty and hasty evacuation of the
 position mentioned in the official
 communication.
 Major Moraht thinks that one of
 the first effects of this success will he found in the region north of the Wis tula eastwardr of Thorn, where tho Rud fans some time ago advanced
 westward across the RawlUa river.
 "This movement" continues the writer evidently was designed by Grand Duke Nicholas to relieve the
 pressure on the Warsaw front. He miscalculated, however. the strengtA
 of the possible German advance from Wdst Prussia, which here. too. is al- | ready shattering the Russian general
 plan of campaign as shown in the op- | erations to the north and west of yf.1 hundreds of prisoners in two days | fighting. ending with the occupation
 Of Sierpec.
 These successds in the eastern l area prove the superiority of the Ger | man talent for organization, which | causes painful astonishment for the | Russians.
 Whoever had imagined few | month s ago that German armies
 would be operating on the Roumaniap
 frontier and in the Carpathians woul9 | have been regarded as a fantastic l dreamer Whoever had tried to dem l onstrate in figures the number of | German troops now actually rolling
 toward the frontiers by railway would
 have been disbelieved even by a large l part of the active army officers The
 dangers of the situation, with enc
 mics on all sides, have given the Ger
 man people the power of a giant, who
 advances from one victory to an other
 The military expert of the Mittag Zeitung, Major Von Schreibershoher writes:
 "The victory must have decisive | effect upon the general operations The Germans seized the initiative and have achieved results which will
 have lasting effects and bring Ger
 many and Austria long step towards | a final decision Their operations | have developed in an extraordinarily ! favorable manner and the foundations have been laid for further succeshes.
 The latest victories in East Prussia l the Carpathians and Bukowina are
 the first steps towards further blows for crushing the enemy"
 The municipalities composing
 Great Berlin have virtually decided
 owing to the vast expenditures caused by the war to raise the municipal ia- come tax 30 per cent