Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-03-24
RUSSIA WINS ALLIES
GREATEST VICTORY
The Taking of Przemysl May
Prove One of the Really Decisive
Events of the War-Collapse of
Austro-German Winter Campaign.
BY FRANK H. SIMONDS
Author Of "The Great war"

| TN TAKING PrzemysI the Russians have
achieved by far the greatest allied triumph
| on the offensive side since the war began. 1t
may easily turn out one of the really decisive
| victories OF the whole conflict, coming as II
does at a moment when Austrian fortunes
are fast waning and Austrian neishbors are
partitioning Hapsburg provinces as pre-
lminary to Joining the fray.
Like the fall of Antwerp, which It naturally
recalls, the surrender of Przemysl solidlfes
| the position Of an invader In a conquered
! province. Against 10000 square miles of con-
| quered Belgium is now to be set more than
! twice largo an area in Galcia. But the
| German achievement. thanks to the intrepid
| ity of the Belgian army was devoid of con-
siderable military consequences, while the
Russian conquest seems bound to have far
reaching effects.
Antwerp Comparatively Unimportant
To the armies of the Car Przemysl was
far more serious menace than Antwerp was
to the Kaiser's armies. The Belgian fortress
was on the flank of the German communca-
tions and could be contained by small
force But Przomysl is squarey on the main
trunk railroad, between Lcmberg and Cra-
COW and the centre of several branch lines
and of various highways.
Thus, while the city held out. Russian
armies in Galicia were compelled to detach
corps to deal with the unconquered fortress
in their rear. and their lines of communica-
tion were broken by the Austrian garrison's
command of highways and railroads vital to
the invaders and commanded by the heavy
artillery of the Przemysl forts
Looking back over the progress of the siege,
it will be seen how great was the value each
side attached to Przemysl. In September,
when the Russians swept west along the
7 mi ,nir rpat
victories. Przemysl was first invested.
Today all Gacia east Of the Dunajec and |
north of the Pruth is in Russian hands and
the Slav frontier has touched the Carpa- |
thans, perhaps permanently.
Weather Intervenes
This represents a complete failure not
merely of the Austrian. but of the German
winter campaign in the east. From the at
tack on Lege to the defeat on the User and
about Ypres the main German effort was d-
rected at France, the chief purpose of Ger
man strategy being to crush France, dispose
of her and turn to the Russian frontier with
free hand
After the defea Is In Flanders Germany was
compelled to deal with Russia Weather con-
ditions. which now made grand operations
impossible in the west, might be expected to
favor such effort in the east. Frozen marshes,
solid roads. ice-Covered rivers, all would fa-
vor an attempt to obtain a decision in Po-
land, now n similar undertaking had failed
in France and Belgium.
Unfortunately for the Germans the weather
failed them Napoleon was ruined by an early
Russian winter; William III suffered by an
open winter which turned the whole country
about Warsaw into n bog and thwarted the
most gigantic combination of military his
tory. At Lodz the Russian army was within
two steps of annihilation The defeat of the
Masurian Lakes laid the whole northern
frontier of Poland open. But mud and marsh
spoiled the best laid plans of German COM
manders.