New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-17
GERMANS PUSH
RUSSIANS BACK
ABOVE VISTULA
Capture Bielsk and Plock,
20 Miles Below Mouth
of BZura River.
OPPOSING FORCE
100000 STRONG
Grand Dukes Forces Successful
in Carpathians East Prussia
Almost Evacuated.

London. Feb. 1G-While the Rus
SLAMS have been completing their evacu-
alton Of East Prussia, except Tor
small area around Lyck, near the Dor
der, the Germans apparently have been
pushing forward their lines in Russian
Poland north Of the Vistuls, where.
Berlin to-day announces, they nave
captured the towns Of Plock and EielsH,
which they evacuated only short time
ago.
Plock is only little more than
twenty miles down the river from the
mouth Of the Bzura, where about two
weeks ago Russian columns fought
their way across to the west bank OF
tho tributary and threatened the rear
OF Field Marshal Won Hinderburg
troops. which were trying TO cut pain
through 70 Warsaw.
The army Of Grand Duke Nichola
north Of the Vistula, which began its
westward march toward Mlswa and
Thorn more than a month ago, was SAID
in Petrograd dispatches TO be composed
of a million troops. It is evident, II
this estimate was accurate, that the
Germans have thrown many OF their
endorsements to strengthen their col
umus south OF the Mazurian lakes.
While the Germans claim TO have IN
nicted heavy losses on the retiring
Russian armies, military men here and
the newspaper correspondents IN retro
grad continue 70 refer to the Auscovlte
movement as a strategicsl retirement
to the fortified line which lies along
the Niemen River. through Kovno and
Lumza, and thence southwest TO the
fortress of Novo Georgiewsk.
Heavy fighting also continues in the
- 1. 1 R,,L-
wilma the Russians also are falling back,
but they continue to hold the Car
pathian passes further west. and are
putting up a stubborn resistance to the
Austro-German offensive i'm that region.
Here the fighting is taking place IN
deep snow, and both sides are suffering
severely.
Reports from the Carpathisn Noun
tains TO the "Pester Lloyd" of Buds-
pest, Hungary. say that the Austro-
Hungarian armies were everywhere
successful in their offensive movement
in DuGla Pass. The total losses Of the
Russians in the Dukla Pass battles in
the last few days. these reports say,
we're at least 10000 men killed or in
jured. In a single attack the retreat
ing Russians left | 200 dead on the
field.
The completion of several lines Of
,ailroad radating from Warsaw to
points or the Austrian frontier Of
Eastern and Western Galicia, expected
within few weeks, is designed TO give
the Russian forces that mobility which
apparently is necessary TO cope with
the kaleidoscope changes that the
German and the Austrian armies make
so successfully.
Berlin, Feb. Is (by wireless to Say
Vile, \. VA special dispatch to
the Lokalanzeigcr." referring to the
offensive movement Of the Germans
which began February 7 in Prussia
and along the frontier. describes the
manner in which the Germans sur
prised the Russians. For the purpose
of an outfanking operation, the Ger
man infantry made forced marches
through snow knee deep. Later thaw
set in and they were compelled TO
make their way through slush. But,
owing to the immense energy of the
. infantry and the successful blowing
I'd of railway bridges, the enveloping
movement succeeded. Several Russian
divisions were virtually annihilated,
those who were not killed being taken
prisoners. A sortie by the garrison of
the Russian fortress at kovno was
rcpulsed.