The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-06-23

effort in another quarter.
The results OF the weeks opera
tiOnS along the san and Dniester
fronts all favor the Austro-GernianS.
Ever since the Russian salient at
Przemysl was drawn in, the Germans
have been hammering the Russian
line alone the PrZemysl-Lemberg
railroad, w..ich was astride the Vus-
MIA river at or just west of Mosciska.
Bupt Although losses involved were
entirely diSre@arded the line held
fast. while Just to the north from
Jaroslau to the confluence of the San
with the Iistula, the Russians threw
the Germans back and threatened to
break through and destroy the COM
munic&tionS in their rear. MosciSka
has finally fallen, however, and about
ten miles of the railroad toward Lem
berg has already been taken posses
sion of.
The bending back of the Russian
line at this points endangered their
line to the north along the San. and,
as protective measure to prevent
the piercing of this line. the Russians
were forced to straighten themselves
out and withdraw from Sienawa, piv-
oting as near as can be determined at
the present writing on Nisko or Tar
nobrzeg.
This section of the Russian line is
in no respects in as satisfactory posi-
tion as it was last week, especially
as it has been turned out of a posi-
ton before which the San stretched
out as an excellent defensive screen
to line where no predominant de-
fensiye element exists.
The position of the Russians fur
ther east from Stanislau to BeSSara-
bia has also changed. Their lines
have been driven back from the San
islau-CZernovitz railroad and conse-
guently from the Pruth river to the
Dniester so that now from Bessara-
bia westward the line is altogether
back of the Dniester defending its
crossings.
This line is one OF great defensive
strength and has successfully resist
ed every effort the Austro-Germans
have made to cross it. Were this the
only line the Russians had to fend,
the fall of Lemberg would appear to
be long way off. The Dniester is
wide stream, the banks of which
spread out into wide marshes. Only
in comparatively few places can
troops be thrown. across il force
against any material defense.
But the DnieSter line is seriously
jeopardized by the giving way Of the
line east of the San, particularly that
part of it which straddied the
Przemysl-Lemberb railroad at Mos
ciska. 1t is impossible for the Rus
sian left to maintain its position
while the right is being bent back.
To do so would be to give the Teu-
tonic allies a change to pierce the
Russian line and to defeat first one
wing and then the other in detail.
as was pointed out last week. do
decisive success can be gained on the
front unless the Russian line is pierre
ed. for it is onlyI by such a ma
noeuvre that the southern Russian
army may be disposed Of as an often
sive force
The coming week will in all proba-
biIity see the retirement of the Rus
sian line to its own borders. The
Germans are only a few miles from
Iemberg, and further German ad-
vance will threaten all the life lines
of the Russian DnieSter front, as
Lemberg is the base from which this
front drawnS its supplies.
With the fail Of Lemberg, the re-
lease of many of the German troops
,,cnI ~ Go1jcio will
soon produce greater offensive ac-
tivity in other theatres.
Roumania May Enter.
One element that may. however.
completely change the whole Eastern
Galician situation is ROumanIa. Re-
ports state that this country has come
to an agreement with the Triple En-
teute and that it has agreed to enter
the war on their side. If this step is
taken before the Russian DnieSter
line is compelled to withdraw the
Teuton grip on Lemberg will have to
be relaxed.
A half to three-quarterS of a mil
lion fresh men thrown against the
right and rear of the Austrian line
north of Bukowina will more than
neutralize all that has been accom-
plished by the great German drive
front the Dunajec.
The Western Front.
The week on the western front was
signaIized principally by the battle at
Souchez. Although this battle seems.
and is, so far as it has any direct ef-
1,o cifnotinn hnt nf
minor importance, it has nevertheless
been one of the most hotly contested
of the war.
We have become accustomed since
last September to thing of battles in
huge numbers. An army of million
men must be engaged in order to stir
our imagination of excite our inter-
est. And yet in but few of the great
battles of the civil war were more
than a quarter of million men en-
gagged on both sides. In the fighting
north of Arras, which crystalized
around the old sugar mill at Souchez,
at least half a million men have been
engaged on a front not twenty miles
in length.
Two questions may naturally be
asked as to the fighting on this sec
ton of the front The first is, why
should there be such intense fighting
along this section? and the second,
why should so much pressure be ex-
erted at Souchez?
In answering the first, the general
German tactics must be considered
together with the effect on such tao
tics OF the terrain and the lines of
communication. The Germans have
always favored the close formation on
the battle line as opposed to the open
or extended order of the Allies.
The German tactics necessltate,
therefore, much greater number OF
men to the miles Of actual fighting
line than those of the Allies. but on
the other hand demand comparatively
inconsequential reserves. Therefore,
when any point or the battle line is
attacked and it becomes necessary to
reinforce the line at such point,
-.