The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-05-06

Germany had made her desperate cam
paign through LODI. But Russian
pressure had not been lessened. The
Gar had evacuated Western Poland
TO hold Galicia. His armies were still
about Przemysl and again on the
crests of the Carpathians. Only be-
fore Cracow had they recoiied to take
up the strong position behind the Dun
aiee and the Nida.
German high command therefore
turned from Poland to Galicia and
once more fell back upon the familiar
German strategy OF development,
East from Cracow an Austro-German
army was pushed. North over the
Carpathians toward Przemysl came
second. Finally, from Bukovina, now
largely in Russian hands, third force
was pushed toward Stanislau and
Lemberg. The Cracow and Bukovina
forces threatened the rear OF the
whole Russian military establishment
in Galicia The Carpathian expedition
beat against the front, behind which
the garrison Of Przemysl was sallying
forth.
Again a grandiose conception fail
ed. The Cracow army was stopped at
the Dunajec, the Carpathian army was
unable to clear the lower slopes on
the Galician side Of the mountains,
the Bukovina army swept the crown
land clear of Russians, penetrated
Russian territory and occupied much
of Eastern Galicia, but in March
Przemysl fell and the release of the
besieging army transformed the whole
situation in Galicia and put the Aus
tro- German forces on the defensive.
AS the Polish army had escaped en-
velopment by retreat, the Galician
army of the Car had avoided it by
victory. The hope of decision in
Galicia had gone glimmering, as had
that in Poland.
Meantime a new Russian offensive
claimed attention. While the German
waves were beating upon the Bzura-
Rawa lines the Russians had sent an
army forward into East Prussia, had
resumed the attack upon the German
line of defence along the Mazurlan
Lakes, were carrying the torch far IN
to the province nearest the heart oil
Prussian aristocracy. To check TINS
became now imperative, and late IN
January Hindenburg made the one
thoroughly successful campaign OF the
whole winter in the east, the campaign
that eliminated at the Battle OF Ma
zurian Lakes, in lie rout of the Rus
sian army and its fight from East
prussian to the Niemen and the
Narew. Brilliant in itself, however
the success was without decisive con-
sequences. Pursuit was stopped in the
marshes and morasses of the Suwalkl
Province, the fortress of Ossowetz
checked one force, Russion reinforce
ments defeated another at Przasnysz.
Already the growing pressure IN the
west, the ever mounting peril to Aus
tria in the Carpathians, made demands
on German high command.
The close of the winter campaign
in the east shows Germany the gamer
in a number of great battles, holding
many square miles Of Russian terri
tory. SO far inexpugnable, on her new
front from the Baltic to the Nlda.
Measured by local advantage the prize
is fairly hers, but the greater reward
has slipped through her hands. Russia
has not been crushed, decisively beat
en- back to the Vistula; Warsaw holds
out. But above ALL Russian attack is
now at the summit Of the Carpathians,
German effort concentrated in meet
ing Russian offensive.
In December German official state
ments, the officious utterances OF Ger
man war critics, forecast the speedy
fall of Warsaw. Go back to these
statements and full measure OF
German expectation in the eastern
campaign is at hand. After the Ma
zurian Lakes the same commentators
announced that the collapse of Russia
was at hand. The terrible defeats of
LODI and the Mazurian Lakes were
hailed as the proof of the coming OF
the time when sheen exhaustion would
terminate the Russian peril. But
March brought the fall of Przemysl
April the battle of the Carpathians.
Read the same commentators in April
and there is disclosed no longer the
conviction of German conquest, only
the mistaken conviction that German
defence cannot be broken, Joined with
a more or less frank recognition Of the
stakes that are being played for In the
Carpathians.
In December Germany turned east
to dispose of Russia having failed to
deal with France decisively. In April