Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-06-25
RUSSIAN TACTICS.
Muscovites Manifesting Excellent
Strategy in Their Movements.


Strategy in Their Movements.
American military experts look
upon, the German occupation of Lem
berg not as German victory but as
an;exeellent sample Of Russian STRAIT
egys 80
e One of the best known officers in
the United States army yesterday
discussed the Lemberg evacuation al
length with special reference to thu
parrtss it will play in the allies cam
paign.
"When Lemberg fell, Berlin herald
ed it as a great victory and the Ger
man people celebrated" he said.
son its face it looks like victory:
and if Lemberg were the German OBJ
iectiye it would be, great victory,
but Lemberg is not the German OBJ
iective and the Russian evacuation Of
the city is in reality very good
piece of strategy from the Russian
standpoint.
'In considering the war on the RUS
sian frontier there are several vital
facts which must be kept constantly
before the mind, or else the layman Is
likely to lose his perspective COM
pletely. The fighting at Lemberg Is
merely Incidental to the general pro
gram.
Germany today is confronted by
two enemy lines. One of these, the
French line, is approximately Soc
miles in length. The second, the
Russian line, is approximately 1t
900 miles in length.
Eventually, it will be a war OF iron
and of men-these are the two great
elements that must be conserved.
ENGLAND is short of guns, ammu-
milton, and men. Within a few
months this shortage will be wiped
out. Russia is dreadfully short Of
guns and ammunition and of trained
men. Within a few months these
weaknesses will be wiped out. In the
case Of, Russia it may be the
spring of 1916 before she is in a
position to put real army, with
modern guns and ammunition, in the
field.
"Now, the single service that Rus.
STA can be expected to render her
allies at this time is to harass Ger
many by maintaining long lines and
therefore compelling her to keep Il
great number of men on the Russian
frontier, thereby weakening the lin
es against. the French and rendering
them incapable of great offensive
movement.
When the Russians made their first
drives into Austria and Germany they
could have had little hope of contlnu-
ing the movement indefinitely, because
of the shortage of arms and ammuni-
ton. Their only purpose was to en-
barrass the Kaiser by compelling
him. to withdraw hundreds of thous-
of troops from the other front. -,
This he did without delay The
German offensive movement was halt
ed and the German armies began to
drive at the Russian lines. Just as
soon as the Germans began their
drives the. Russian started on slow
retiring movement.
LET us assume that the Germans
have driven the Russians back APP
proXimately $50 miles. What does
that mean? If Russia were the size
of Germany it might mean much, but
as matter of fact Germany might
continue at this rate all summer and
yet she would be the loser in the long
run. The reason is simple. The
Car can: afford, to lose millions OF
men. The Kaiser cannot do so. If
in the retiring movement the Rus
slams kill one German for every Rus
sian the Germans kill, the advantag-
es will be with Russia.
AS long as the Russian+line holds
the Kaiser's efforts will be wasted,
because every movement he makes
costs him a~life that is worth to him
five tines as much as the life that
went with it is. worth to the Gar