The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-09-29

mental reason-a reason that has in
famed popular feeling to its presen
high pitch of indignation.
A short time before the fall O.
| Warsaw, it seemed that the situation
| had been greatly improved by ths
arrival of 100000 shells. 1t Wa:
not until some of these were taken t
the actual firing line that it was dis
covered, according to reports, tha
| they were a fraction Of an inch tot
large to fit any Russian gun. BY al
| odd coincidence, however, they were
| of the exact calibre to fit some of thu
German artillery.
Stories of this sort which are wide
ly circulated in Russia have done
! nothing to soothe the agitated stat,
of mind of the public. 1t is also wei
known that large amount Of shrap
mel was offered Russia by American
| manufacturers, six months ago, bu
for some reason or other was not &C
cepted. Since that time Russia ha:
! been forced to buy the same shrapne
at almost double the first price quot
ed.
1t is the opinion of most militar!
observers that with full supply o.
ammunition the Lublin-Chelm line
and the Russian positions along the
Vistula could have been effectiyel!
defended. Russian staff officers ever
go SO far as to say that if the Ger
man advance could have been delayed
a week longer sufficient ammunition
could have arrived to turn the tide
and save the Vistula line the fall ot
the Polish fortresses, and Berlin
says the battle now raging probably
will decide the fate of Riga.
Officers who helped to conduct the
retreat of the Russians from position
to position-from one line of trenches
literally swept away by German fire
to another awaiting the same fate
describe vividly the tragedy of fight.
ing with insufficient ammunition.
German and Austrian trench build
ers, the descriptions run, appeared
and began work not far from the
Russian positions. Russian officers
gauging the distances through their
instruments signaled to their battery
commanders, but received the reply
in almost every case that there was
no ammunition to waste. According
Iy the Teutons built their trenches in
plain sight of the Russian positions,
and in such easy range Of the Rus
sian batteries that few rounds of
ammunition could have wiped out
every sign of the invaders.
Thus, the Russian officers recount,
while they watched from their obser-
vation trenches the cool, assured pro-
gress of the enemy, they could dc
nothing. An enforced ijleness and
utter helplessness lay on riflemen
and gunners, for in most of the bat
teries the larger guns, which alone
could have been instrumental in hold
ing the Germans, were provided with
only ten rounds of ammunition.
Whenever there was a chance to
fight, the Russian soldiers fought
with great obstinacy, but in the ma
jority of cases the tempest of the Ger
man artillery attack so far accom-
plished it's aim that charge was
superfluous. Sometimes as many as
sixteen German guns concentrated
upon one Russian position tore UP
every sign of the Russian intrench-
ments. When the Germans advanced
upon the trenches there was no oppo-
sition. In many cases not single
Russian soldier was alive. The Ger
mans then prepared to take the next
position and the performance was re-
peated.
Meanwhile the Russians were ex-
pending before retreat actually the
last shell. Caissons laden with
ammunition were rushed up at full
speed to the battery positions, un-
loaded and vainly spent Continual
rumors were heard that fresh ammu-
milton was arriving. 1t was, but it
was coming too slowly. Two days
before Warsaw was abandoned am
munition began to arrive in larger
quantities, but the Russian forces.
threatened with being completely cut
off by the encircling movement which
the Germans were attempting, could
nc. longer gamble on the chance of an
eleventh-hour arrival of ammunition.
Realizing that the present war is
war of ammunition and that, improp-
erly equipped in this respect, Rus
sia's large army is reduced in power
to an army of one-half its potentia!
size, Russia is at present exerting
every effort to remove the obstacles
to the quicker delivery of ammuni-
ton. The Grand Duke Sergius, who
has general supervision over the de-
partment of artillery and ammuni-
ton, is beginning a campaign agains'
the evil which has been Russia's
chief internal enemy in this war.