Evening star., 1915-02-03
ALLIES ASSERT LOSSES
OUTWEIGH GAINS MADE
Won Hindenburg's Savage Drive To-
ward Warsaw May Be Designed
to Aid Austrians.
RUSSIANS CROSS MOUNTAINS
Claim to Have Won Successes ovey
the Austrians in Both Dukla
and Uzsok Passes Of the
Carpathians.

| LONDON, February 3. 1880
p.m.-British military experts are
unable to explain the sudden and
violent offensive movements be
gun by the Germans to the west
of Warsaw, in Russian Poland,
and in the vicinity at La Bassee.
on the northeastern end of the
battle line in France.
Return to Mass Attacks.
In both these regions there has been
a return to the old style of German
battering. the men being hurled for
ward in close formation at great sac
rifices. with. British reports say, little
permanent gains.
In Russian Poland the Germans are
holding some ground in front of War
saw, which these attacks netted, but
the recent German onslaughts on the
| western battle front. military officials
| assert. almost invariably have resulted
in failure to consolidate the positions
gained.
To Hold Russian Troops.
1t is suggested that Field Marshal
Won Hindenberg, the German com
mander. Is again hammering toward
the Polish capital. with the idea OF
| holding there Emperor Nicholas crack
troops, which otherwise might be
transferred to the Carpathians. where
| the Russian and Austro German forces
still are fighting in the mountain
passes. -.---,--
Neither side has been able to force
| the other on to the plains, though the
| Russians claim to be more than hold
| ing their own.
British Suffer Heavily.
La Bassee. twelve miles south OF the
Belgian border. long has been crucial
point the western front. and the
British troops congregated in the neigh
borhood have suffered heavily. The Ger
mans have declared time and again
| that, other things being equal. they would
prefer to infiict losses upon the British.
and this. together with the better .prepara-
ton of the ground by the artillery. may
account for the renewed slaughter.
That terrible loss of life was suffered
by the German army in attempting 10
take British intrenchments is reported in
the account Of the British official eye
witness of two German attacks between
the La Bassee canal and the Bethune
road January 20
Given Warm Reception.
'1n the center" says the report of
the eyewitness, 'our men, firmly estab-
lished in the brick fields, gave the
Germans a very warm reception and
the latter fell back. leaving fifty dead
in front of this point alone
ITO the south of it they temporarily
gained possession of a small portion
OF one of our trenches. but were i'm
mediately counter-attacked with the
bayonet and every man in the trench
was killed. The same thing happened
close to the Bethune road. where the
Germans gained another of our
trenches only to be bayoneted to a
man
After the fighting was over the
Der of 200. lay thick all along our
line. Our casualties were slight.
This attack, like those delivered at
Givenchy and at Zonnebeke on the
25th. was a costly failure. resulting
only in a great waste of life. 1t was
made by some 800 men in the first line
and 800 more in support occupying the
trench vacated by the first line when
it moved forward.
prisoners say that there were 100
dead lying in this trench before the
Germans advanced and that none OF
the troops making the assault had at
tackled before"
Fighting Grows Harder Daily.
Field Marshal Won Hindenburgs new
drive at Warsaw apparently has ac-
complished little more thus far than
the winning of a comparatively few
Russian advanced positions Neither
the Berlin nor the "etrograd Official
reports indicate that marked changes
have resulted from the fighting. which
daily becomes more intense. The Ger
MN commander has chosen to make
his principal assault along the front
between SochacZow. thirty miles due
west of Warsaw. and Skierniewice
few miles to the south, which is in the
same section in which the Germans
vainly attempted to break through on
their previous attempt to reach War
saw. Both sides occupy strongly en-
trenched positions in this region, where
the warfare closely resembles that in
France.
An official Russian report OF today
states that German attacks in this
were repulsed in the course of
violent battles. during which the Rus
slams recaptured trenches previously
ken by the Germans.
Russian successes are claimed also in
the fighting in the Carpathians. which
has developed into one of the most i'm
portant phases Of the campaign in the
east Russian troops are said to have
made marked progress in Dukla pass,
advancing over the crest of the noun
tain and to have repulsed an Austrian
assault south of Uzsek pass.
Schooner Defender Total Loss.