Evening star., 1915-12-31

tinctive from history -Hhdh
ing viewpoint that in all the
ages to come it will stand
apart from those that have
preceded it and from those whleh d
to follow. During its entire length
the greater nations of the European
continent have abandoned themselves
to a policy of bloodshed which mas
fallen little short of delirium 10 'ne
neutral onlooker it has been reViVai
on huge scale Of the Irrational aho
murderous activity which character
lied the earlier ages of MANKIND. l.
has been the complete overthrow OF an
the pacific theories which had appar-
emily gained so strong a foothoid al
the time of the firing Of the first gun
in the present conflict.
At the beginning of the year IL was
evident that it was to be a struggle 10
the death 1t was plain that the Teu-
tonic plan to force a speedy settlement
ny dint of superior armed preparedness
,Nad failed. Six months had elapsed
End the Teutonic allies were still faceo
tN three great nations, their strength
thbroken and their determination IN
ikxibIe Austria had been driven re-
,eatedly by her Russian invaders ana
twice the Serbs had routed Austrian
armies sent against them. On other
fields. also. Teutonic enorts nad peen peer,
futile Thus far Turkey had been
ol little assistance and the Loudly :
vtunted holy war had failed to come
tito being. German Southwest AFRICA
had been lost and German influence IN
A Via had been smothered by the Jap
iese.
1eutons Held Conquered Territory.
As an offset, the Germans still held
practically all the conquered territory
which had fallen into their hands.
Their lines still held firmly in Poland,
in Flanders and in France. 1t was ap-
parent that as yet the Teutonic COM
bination showed no sign Of weaken
ing, and a war of attrition seemed IN
evitable. Both in the east and in the
west the military operations OF the
early part of the year were practically
without decisive result. The fighting
in Poland had resolved Itself into a
complete deadlock. In January, tne
French-E English combine made three at
tennis TO break the Teutonic hold on
French territory. but accompiIshed nt-
tie. The German unsuccessful drlVe
at Warsaw and the rout OF the aus
trians in Galicia left slight balance
in the January fghting in favor of the
allies.
From a strictly military viewpoint,
February was promising montn TOT
the Teutonic allies. BY the mloaie OF
the month German troops were adH2nc-
ing all along the front from the Eis-
tula to the Niemen, and thus, seven
months after the breaking out or the
war. German soil was practically clear
ed of its Russian invaders. The dead
lock on the western front was still un-
broken.
With the advent of March there came
a sudden and dramatic change In the
n
activity was shifted to the Dardanelles.
BY the third week OF the month. Rome,
Athens. Sofa and Bucharest were CEN
ters of great political activity. The
surrender of Przemysl. March %, was
the most stirring victory for the allies
since the battle of the Marne. The
German assertion that the military
power of Russia had dWindled into in
Significance was disproved at once and
the allied cause gained instant strength
IN all the neutral capitals. One of the
greatest strongholds in Europe had been
taken by the Russians.
Task in the Dardanelles.
The disaster to the allied feet at the
Dardanelles. which occurred during the
third week of March, put an end to the
! expectation of forcing the straits by
naval means alone. German prestige
advanced perceptibly and the dificulty
of the task undertaken by the allied
feet was now understood. In this
month. also. the British won the battle
OF Neuye Chapelle after bloody fight.
In April the French made bold Of
fensive stroke against the German po-
sition between the Meuse and the Mo-
selle-the famous St. Mihiel wedge
which resulted in a treH ehdous loss OF
men on both sides, with small advan-
tage for either Nowhere had the al
lies made appreciable gain IN territory.
The invader held his own stubbornly
and with success About the middle Of
the month Zeppelins made their ap-
pearance in English towns. inspiring
great interest and not a little appre-
hension, but doing comparatively small
damage. About this time. also. the at
tempted submarine blockade of the
British coast proved to be ineffective.
In the closing days of the month an
other great Teutonic offensive swept
against the allied lines in Belgium,
th-usting the enemy back upon Ypres
with great loss OF life on both sides
In May the Germans sent their best
troops to the aid of the hard pressed
Austrians. BY the middle of the month
they had worked a startling change In
the situation. Przemysl was retaken,
the Russian campaign in Galicia was
shattered and the cars armies were
soon back where they started out in
the previous September. Russia had
suffered the greatest disaster in the
war. new German military hero had
heen revealed in the person of Macken-
sen. who was now held with Hinden-
berg in popular esteem.
Italy Joins the Allies.
In the last days OF the month Ital,
Joined forces with the allies agains,
Austria Hungary. This move added
greatly TO the interest Of the Balkar
situation. Greece hesitated to take z
decisive step. The Hellenic queen, sis
ter of the German kaiser. was domi
nant at court and was opposed TO unior
with the allies. The other Balkar
states were waiting for some decisiv,
result to help them make choice
The campaign in the west wa
strangely quiescent The allies kep
to their trenches and the outside worl,
wondered. Up to June is, there was m
claim of progress by the allies Tn
Teutonic claim that it's side was still
engaged in successful warfare on al
fronts was not disputed. The splendi
resistance interposed by the discredite
Turks came as surprise to the worl,
Russia was unable to rally her badl
demoralfzed forces TO make winnin
defense of Lemberg. Once that poin
had fallen, Warsaw became the mai
objective 1t was not until August
that German troops made their tri
umphal entry into Warsaw, capital @
Russian Poland.