New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-06
WARSAWS FALL MARKS
TRIUMPH OF "KULTUR'
Victory an Empty One, However, as Russian Grand
Duke Has So Far Saved His Army IN Most
Gigantic Strategic Retreat in History.

tent with simply holding the foe, Ger
many had massed behind her fighting
lines an army, perfect in its efficiency,
deliberately equipped, and diligently
hammered into fighting shape by Won
Mackensen and Won Hindenburg. Welded
into the formers forces were the hith-
erto ineffective Austrians. When May
had dried the roads and made 1t pos
sible to begin a campaign, Germany
struck.
New Plan Followed.
The previous drives against War
saw had been direct. In each of them
the forces employed had not been SUI
fciently numerous TO prevent outfiank-
ing by the Russians. The number Of
Germans who flung themselves against
the Grand Dukes troops this time,
however, was too great to permit OF
repetition of this outfanking ma
neuvre. The number of field guns
and siege artillery which backed up the
TeutOnic assault was able to smother
the weak fire of the Russian cannon,
many of them old and none of them
adequately supplied with ammunition.
The German advance was planned upon
new lines.
w
through Galcia, rolling back the Cars
troops and recapturing first Przemysl
and then Lemberg, Won Hindenburg in
the north attempted to shatter the Rus
sian flank, lying in the Baltic provinces.
No direct attempt was made on War
saw. 1t was the intention OF the leu
tons to push their armies through the
country to the north and south of the
city, until the men of Won Mackensen
and Won Hindenburg clasped hands at
the rear of the city, holding the Rus
sian army in ring of steel from which
there would be no escape. The success
of this plan, however, was only par
tial.
With the Germans delivering merci
less blows on either flank, with his
men short of ammunition, with his ar
tillery hopelessly outclassed, the Grand
Duke Nicholas withdrew his unwieldy
army with consummate skill. Won
Mackensen captured PrZemysl after it
had been rendered absolutely useless,
from military viewpoint, by Russian
sappers, who destroyed all of the forti-
fications behind the retreating army
and robbed the city of everything of
value to the victorious troops before
they entered.
Russia's New Line.
Lemberg was merely a repetition of
Przemysl. Step by step both German
armies bent back the Russian TANKS
until the battle line formed two sides
Of an equilateral triangle, with War
saw inside its apex. On the third side
Of the triangle lies the Kovno-B rest
Litovsk line, on which the grand duke
has planned TO make his next stand
after the evacuation of the Polish CAPT
tai. To this new line he has withdrawn
most of his army. The details of his
strategy are not yet known. 1t is cer-
tain, however, that never once has the
morale of the Russians been shaken.
Few bodies of troops can retreat stead
lily for two months without losing
heart.
The Russian soldier has proved him
self before now the most dependable of
fighting men in rear guard actions. He
can lay even stronger claim 10 the title
to-day. Not once has he broken. While
falling back under the sledge hammer
blows Of the twin German attacks he
has never failed to show that he was
far from a beaten man. Time and
again he has turned and, striking over
his shoulder, inflicted great losses on
his pursuers. To-day the Russian
battle line is intact. and German troops
will march into city from which the
Russians fed on a schedule as orderly
and smooth running as a railroad time
table.
From a strategic point of view, the
Russian army is in a better position
than il has been since the outbreak of
hostiities. The irregularity of the
empires eastern frontier has made 1t
most difficult TO defend. Between Ger
many and Austria. Russian Poland
thrusts in a salient. Hostile territory
is in front Of it. Hostile territory
borders it for $50 miles on either side.
An army holding the Polish bastion,
in the centre of which is Warsaw,
must be bent forward at an angle,
which leaves it open on both sides to