Evening star., 1915-02-24

opposed to them in the recent battle
OF the Mazeurian lakes country that
the Russian remnants are a negligible
quantity in the operations now in
progress
rms fighting has been described as
the February campaign in East Prus-
sia and North Poland, and it is re-
sarded here as a second Tannenberg-
me Russians composing the 10Th
army we're under the command of Gen
SIeVerS. 1t is true that this commander,
by ID skillful use of the railroads at his
disposal and by the sacrifice at times
OF entire battaiions in order to bring
OF few guns, succeeded in saving a
greater part of his artillery. but no
fewer than $4,000 of his 100000 men
are already counted among the German
prisoners. while his killed and wound
these operations were inaugurated, and
the subsequent running fights, are
estimated at 10000 men.
several thousand more Russians
tered bands or are wandering as strag-
glers within the ring which the Ger
man troops have now closed around the
woods and swamps between Suwalki,
Augustowo and the German frontier.
correspondent of the Associated
Press. motoring along the line of the
Russian retreat over roads deep in
snow and through a desolate and
of complete defeat and decentralization
Whlch scarcely can be conveyed in
words. Abandoned guns and automo-
piles, wrecked and overturned wagons.
sledges and ammunition caissonS in
cumbered the way. Rifles, blankets.
knapsacks and other equipment had
been thrown away by the fleeing SOL
diers. Dead horses and an occasional
the roadside. These things showed the
conditions under which the hasty re-
treat had been accomplished.
Houses Burned; Live Stock Killed.
At street corners in Suwalki, Angus
towo, Lyck and other towns are great
heaps of abandoned rifles and bayonets
Large bands of Russian prisoners,
many Of whom surrendered without fir
ing shot, were encountered along the
way. The Russians in retreat seem
to have had only time enough to burn
the houses on the German side of the
which they were unable to drive away.
This they did SO thoroughly that in
the seventeenm ride from Lyck to
the frontier village of Prostken, for
example, only one house with a roof
on it was seen. The Russian part of
Prostken and the Russian villages be-
yond have not been touched. For days
past the correspondent has seen no liv-
lHS dHl1fldfS except lnOSe IN the Ter
man columns. and dogs and cats in
villages. The bodies of sheep and cattle
killed by the Russians have been left
to decay by the roadside.
Russians Taken by Surprise.
While the attention of the Russians
was concentrated on the Warsaw line
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg, quietly
assembling an overwhelming force in
East Prussia behind the Mazurian
lakes, suddenly launched it in two COL
umns against the unsuspecting Gen.
Sievers.
One column drove in from the south
and threw back the Russians, who for
months had been besieging the lake
gateways to East Prussia, and the
other column from the north swung
round in wide circles to the eastward
and to the southwark. aiming to join
hands with the southern German COL
| umn and cut off the retreat of the re-
firing Russians.
to the east of Suwalki and Augustowo
only 4 few hours too late to catch the
entire army. Most of the units of the
Russian force, however, were bagged.
| Nature Aids Remnant to Escape.
The delay which enabled the rem
rant to escape was due to nature. The
line of advance of the southern column
lay through the belt of swamps which
forms a natural defense of the Russian
frontier. 1t is almost without roads,
and troops attempting to use the cross
country trails became almost hopeless
| ly begged. The correspondent saw
columns of infantry, many of whom
| had passed through mire more than
ankle deep. Detachnents of soldiers
assisted in dragging the guns forward
through the mud, but their progress
was extremely slow.
Mature" said the commander of one
| of the German corps engaged, to the
correspondent. always helped the Rus
slams Two days of hard frost and We
should have had every man. The corre-
spondent accompanied the right wing Of
| the German armies engaged and it was
| to these troops that the heaviest part OF
/ the fighting fell. The left wing sweeping
down from the north was called upon
| mostly for leg work to accomplish
marches of forty miles daily in pursuit
of the Russians. VINO fled after the four
days engagement on the MaZurian lakes
and thereafter the soldiers of the Ger
| man left army were chiefly interested in
getting away.
The battle in the south was of a unique
| character. Again nature aided the Rus
slams. 1t was fought in a driving snow
| storm. a fierce cutting wind driving the
| fakes into the faces and eyes of the ad-
vancing Germans until they could scarce
ly see.
When the Germans came to grips with
| the Russians they found their rifles so
covered with ice and the muzzles so
choked with snow that the weapons could
not be fired. The troops. and these were
young troops of one of the newly formed
corps. were left only with their bayonets,
but they stuck to their work despite
heavy losses.
| Artillery Saves the Day.
! The Russians were assuming the
offensive when artillery which hither-
to had been unable to get up through
| the forests to the south of MaZurian
| lakes arrived just in time and turned
| the scales. The troops of this column
pressed forward along the fairway,
| only a dozen miles wide, between the
| Mazurian lakes and the Russian from
| tier, driving the Russians before them
but they were forced to turn three
times to beat off the flank attacks
| from the south.
TIL Russian chief