Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-02-24
The RUSSIAN forces. however, were

the Russian forces. however, were
begged
The delay. which enabled the reiu-
nant TO escape was due to nature. The
line of the advance OF the. southern
column lay through the belts OIL
swamps which form a natural defensel
Of the Russian frontier Il is almost
without roads and troops attempting
TO use cross country trails because al
most hopelessly begged.
The correspondent saw columns of
infantry many of whom had passed
through mires more than ankle deep,
The soldiers assisted In dragging the
guns forward through the mud but
the progress was extremely slow,
Nature Favored Russians.
Nature" said the commander Of
one of the German corps engaged, ac-
cording to the correspondent, always
helped the Russians. Two days OF
hard frost and we should have had
every man"
The correspondent accompanied the
right wing Of the German armies en-
gagged, and II was % these troops thar
the heaviest part of the fighting fell
The left wing. sweeping down from
the north, was called upon mostly Tor
leg work TO accomplish marches az
forty miles daily In pursuit OF the
| Russians who fled after the four
| days engagement on the Mazurlan
lakes,
The battle In the south was OF a
| unique character, Again nature aid.
ed tho Russians The battle was
| fought In a driving snowstorm. q
| fierce cutting wind driving the Takes
! into the faces and eyes of the advanc'
| ing Germans until they could scarcely
see.
Fight With Bayoncts
When the Germans came TO grip'
with the Russians they found thei'
rifles 40 covered with ice and th'
muzzles so choked with snow that th'
weapons could not be fired IN,
troops, and these were young troops
Of one of the newly formed corps
were left only with their bayoncts bu
they stuck 20 their work despite heav!
, losses.
Tho Russians were assuming th'
offensive when artillery. which hith
erto had been unable to get ~
through the forests to the south o
the Maxurian lakes, arrived Just Il
time and turned the scale. Tn
troops of this column pressed for
ward along the fairway only a dozo'
miles wide between the Mnzurill
lakes and the Russian frontier, drlvin
the Russians before them, but the
we're forced TO turn three times L
! beat Off the flank attacks from IN
south
The russian commander In chic
made desperate efforts To come q
the help of his army. whose plight h,
now was recognized. He sent in
column OF troops from the fortres
of LomZa and from kolno and frOn
I the fort at Oss0wetz. Each time tn
German commander faced a part O
the troops TO the south. defeated tn
Russian relief columns and then con
r tinued his march.
situation Il Desperate.
The retreat of the Russians on thi
part OF the field of operations coul,
, be made in only one direction, name
~ the northeast, as the swamp bel
q prevented their escape to the east o
south
The Russians apparently becam
q desperately iammed and on Februar
y l6. when the correspondent arrive
, at Graievo on the heels Of the enter
I ing German troops. the German com
o lmander was almost confident tha
the bag would be complete. The
came the delay in getting the flank
ing column across the swamps
close the hole In the ring and Gen
eral Sievers, with all his higher OF
ficers and the remnant Of his arm
got away.
That the Russian commander wa
able, under such road conditions, {
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