Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-02-25
ROUT TOO TERRIBLE
FOR WORD PICTURE
Associated Press Correspondent, Mo-
tOring Along Line of Retreat,
Declares Defeat Complete.
THIRTY THOUSAND HAVE FALLEN


SUwALKI, Poland, Feb. 20.-(via
Berlin and London, Feb. 24.-The
German forces under Marshal Won
Hindenburg, by hard fighting and
extraordinary marches, inflicted a
striking defeat on the Russians OPP
posed to them in the recent battle
of the Mazurian Lakes country. The
Russian remnants are negligible
quantity in the operations now in
progress. The Russians killed and
wounded in the four days fighting
are estimated at 10000 men. Over
$4,000 Russians out of a total Of
10000 engaged are prisoners in
German hands.
Second TannenberE.
This fighting has been described as he
February campaign in East Prussia and
northern Poland, and it is regarded lcre
as a second Tannenberg.
The Russians composing the Tenth
army were under command of General
Sievers. II is true that this commander,
disposal, and by the sacrifice at times Of
entire battslions in order TO bring off a
few guns, succeeded in saving a greater
part of his artillery. but no fewer than
$1,000 of his 10000 men are already
counted among the German prisoners,
while his killed and wounded IN the four
days battle with which these operations
were inaugurated and the subsequent
running fights are estimated at 10000 men.
On the streets Of Suwalki there could
be heard yesterday and today the sound
of guns from a swampy region to the
southeast. where an isolated Russian d.
vision, perhaps 10000 men strong. has
been completely surrounded. but is still
offering resistance.
Their Capture Expected.
Several thousand more Russians prob
aoly still remain in small scattered bands
or are wandering as stragglers within the
ring which the German troops have now
closed around the woods and swamps be-
tween Suwalki, Augustowo, and the Ger
man frontier, but the capture of these
wanderers is expected here and is re-
garded as merely an incident in a cam
paiGn to which this great success is
called only the prelude.
1t is not believed among German mill
tary men at Suwalki that General Showers
VIII be able to bring one-fifth of his troops
safely behind the fortress at Grodno-a
safety which may not be of long duration.
The foregoing statement may seem to
be exaggerated, nut correspondent of
the Associated Press, motoring along the
line of the Russian retreat, over roads
deep in snow and through a desolated
and swampy country, gained an impress
sion of complete Generalization which
scarcely can be conveyed in words.
Evidence of Defeat.
Abandoned guns and automobiles
wrecked and overturned wagons, sleds
and ammunition caissons encountered the
way Rifles, blankets, knapsacks and
other equipment has been thrown away
by the fleeing soldiers. Dead horses and
an occasional fallen soldier were every
where along the roadside. These thing:
showed the conditions under which the
nasty retreat had been accomplished
At street corners in Suwalki August.
owo, Lyck and other towns are great
heaps of abandoned rifles and bayonets
Large bands. of Russian prisoners, many
of whom surrendered without firing a
shot, were encountered along the way.
The Russians in retreat seem to have had
only time enough to burn the houses on
the German side of the frontier and de-
stToy the live stock which they were I'M
able to drive away. This they did Sc
thoroughly that in the seventeen-mlc
ride from Lyck to the frontier village oil
Prostken, for example. only one house
with roof on it was seen.
Russian villages Untouched.
The Russian part of Prostken and the
Russian villages beyond have not been
touched. For days past the correspondent
has seen no living animals except thost
in the German columns and dogs and cats
in villages. The bodies of sheep and cat
tie killed by the Russians have been left
TO decay by the roadside.
The first phase of the campaign-the
phase resulting in the destruction of thu
Russian northern army-may be compared
to a gigantic rabbit drive or surround, in
which men were the prey.
While the attention of the Russians wal
concentrated on the Warsaw line, Field
Marshal Won Hindenburg, quietly Assem-
bling an overwhelming force in East
Prussia behind the Mazurian lakes. sud.
denly launched 1t in two columns against
the unsuspecting General Sleeves.
One column drove In from the south
and threw back the Russians who fol
months had been besieging the lake gate
ways TO East Prussia, and the other col
umn swung around in wide circles to the
eastward and to the southwark, aiming
TO join hands with the southern German
columns and cut off the retreat Of thu
retiring Russians.
Most of Units Bagged.
The two wings of the drive closed L
the east of suwalki and Augustowo, onl!
a few hours too late TO catch the entir'
army. Most Of the units Of the Russian
forces, however, were bagged.
The delay which enabled the remnan
10 escape was due to nature. The line o
the advance of the southern column Ia!
through belts of swamps which form
natural defense Of the Russian front 1
is almost without roads. and troops at
tempting to use cross-coUntry trails be
came almost hopelessly begged. The cor
respondent saw columns Of mfantr!
many of whom had passed through miro
more than ankle deep. DetachmentS
soldiers assisted In dragging the gun
forward through the mud, but the prog
res was extremely slow.