, 1915-02-27
Ms
81. CROIX $
(Censored n JNmalcn

DS'O tx NVNC4OIluS. n strong HDSAiI6
force was repulsed yesterday after a long
fight aud 1000 prisoners, four gun, and Il
lot of war material were captured. Since
the end OF January We have taken in the
CaI pathian BATTLES 81 officers, 40,8OO men.
8 guns, and "a machine guns"
Desp Itches from Berlin state that thanks
giving services for the liberation Of East
Prussia from the Russian invaders hive
been held in all the Berlin churches. The
Emperor and Empress md The Duke and
Duchess Of Brunswick attended the services
in the Cathedral On their way to the Gu
thedral the Emperor and Empress we're en-
Enthusiastically choered.
The British newspapers are inclined TO az
cept he Russian version that they fell b tck in
goo order, fighting an effective rearguard nc
ton. Some call atteni ionlo the sentence in the
Berlin report The pursuit. has come to
an end, with the comment by military ex-
perts that this mems that another costly
German rush hus fuIien short.
The "Dally Tel%egraph's' correspondent ut
PetrograJ states that by raising The curtain
that hid the retirement of he Tenth Army
from East Prussia, the Russian Commander
in-Chief has reassnred public opinion, which
had been unduly a|gitnted by exaggerated
rumours, and it is nov rtnIized that the cpl
sode WIS deplorable, but by no means dis
astrouS, and that its dark features are
relieved by the almost superhuman heroisn
and endul auce displayed bv the Russians
and by the heavy losses inflicted hp0n the
enemy, and that it has LETT very little essen
tial change in the general situation. White
the Germans succeeded in cutting up a corps
whose fnnks were lett exposed by the hnr-
ried retirement on Koyno of the Russfan
extreme right wing, they have gained this
lAA,l 49, AnJy - Xl
enormous sacrifices which left them so ex-
lausted that they were unable 10 follow up
their advantage. The Russians hive now
effected the regroupn4 OF their forces zen
dered necessary by the sudden attack, md
BATTLES are now proceeding along u broad
front under conditions which, us far as can
be ascertained, are favourable to them. 1t
is believed that the Germans staked their
last available gun and man ut this sudden
Eruption md are not ut present in u position
to further reinforce the Corp, fighting on the
Enst Frussiau front.
The Petro9rnd 'Bourse Gazette" saws:
according to the opinion of the military
authorities, the loss of an army Corps, as
reported by the Grand Duke Nicholas,
should not be considered us n catas-
trophe. This Corps, with its flank exposed,
had to take on itself all the blows of an over
Wl9llnln5 enemy, ana on account OF the 0X-
treme rnpidity of the enemy's advance it was
unable to effect counter manoeuvres, such rs
would have enabled it TO take up u new and
better position, and with the regular forma-
ton OF its front destroyed, the COZ tiicts took
on the character Of separate blows. The
occupation by the Germans of the RUSSIAN
positions in Northern Poland is not consi-
dered by the nuo horities as important from u
strategic point Of view"
Yhe "Re,cl' says: .rbe Grand Duke
Nicholas lifts the curtain frankly, as he has
done on previous occasions when success has
not been won. The enemy'4 forces were SO
grent that our Tenth Army could not with
stand them, and the position of our forces
became difficult on account Of the luck OF
railroads and the presence Of deep snow
which prevented the arrival of reinforcements
We either had to accept battle winch would
have entailed great losses in men without
any croft to ourselves, or retreat to q po-
sit,on in which we could hope to meet the
enemy successfully. Common sense die
tated the latter course, nnd when the Ger
mans observed our determinations, they threw
themselves on our right flank hoping to
destroy the entire army. Our rapid retreat
towards kovno laid open one Of our Corps
uL:ot, vv,o F,rtboSf IN tha 1aft Int viii, oo.a-