The midland journal., 1915-08-06

eIIoTt 10 get across their line OF re-
treat.
The Teutons are said to have met
with partial success in this attempt,
Berlin official report stating that
Field Marshal Won Mackensen, resum-
ing the offensive, had reached the
Lublin, Cholm railway, about midway
between those two cities, and that
southeast of this as far as the Bug
river the Russian front had been
shaken"
One Retreat Line Blocked
The success of General Won Macken-
sen in getting across this railway, aft
er being virtually stopped by the Rus
sian counter-attack, denies at least
one. line of retreat to the Russians
who might still be between him and
Warsaw, and also places the Germans
In a position to move against the Bug
river front. should this be decided
upon.
British military critics, however, re
fuse to believe that Grand Duke Nicho-
las commander-in-chief Of the Russian
forces, has not provided for all con-
tingencies or that he was not fairly
sure Of the safety of his troops before
indicating to the world that he had
decided to take up new line.
May Have Quit lvaneorod.
Indeed the news contained in the
Berlin official statement that the Ger
mans have crossed the Vistula river
southeast of Warsaw, between the Pi-
lica river and Kozienice, leads the
military writers to the belief that the
Russians already have fallen back in
this region, and that perhaps even
the fortress Of Iyangorod has been left
to its fate.
There is no news of the situation on
the Narew river or of General Won
Buelow's wider outflanking movement
in Kovno Province. However, the
opinion is expressed here that as the
German plaus contemplate series of
attacks rather than a simultaneous
one it is likely that they are waiting
for Field Marshal Won Mackensen to
reach some previously arranged posi-
tion before they resume their attacks.
Warsaw Denuded, Is Report.
According to dispatches received
here, the country around Warsaw
which the Russians are leaving to the
invaders has been put to the torch,
while the city itself has been denuded
of everything that might be of use to
the Germans if it falls into their
hands. 1t may even be some days be-
fore the Teutons occupy the Polish
capital, IL they finally do, for the Rus
SLAMS are fighting more than a rear
guard action.
In fact, they are still delivering very
heavy blows at their opponents and
are gaining some local successes, par
ticularly on the Narew and southeast
Of Cholrn, where they are opposing the
efforts of the Austrians to get across
the Bug river However, military
critics say that these local successes
will not affect the Russian plan of
falling back to shorter and stronger
front.
Move On West Expected.
AS soon as the present operations
against Russia are concluded, whether
or not they succeed in destroying any
large part Of the Russian Army, it is
expected that the Germans will turn to
the west, movement which, however,
will take couple Of months at least
1t will, therefore, be race between
the Teutonic forces and the British
and French as to which side will take
the offensive in France, where the
situation remains as it has been for
weeks past, except in Alsace, where
the French continue their attacks on
the positions protecting Muenster.
There has been sharp fighting here,
the French advance converging on
Muenster from the north and from
Metzeral to the southeast of Muenster
Valley, in which the town stands, on
the open road to Colmar
Most Brilliant Strategy OF War.
The military expert Of the London
Times says:
THE great operation against Russia
which was planned by Gen. Won Falk-
enhayn and has been in course of
execution for the past three months
IL the most aspiring and, in some
ways the most brilliant piece of
strategy this war has yet produced.
General Falkenhayn obviously pre-
pared his plan by the light of. the
signal failure Of the other German
plans Of the autumn and winter, but
his merit is not less because he, rec
ognized previous errors and sought to
avoid them.