The Detroit times., 1915-02-24
KAISER, ON FIRING, LINE SEES HIS
TROOPS SWEEP STA VS. FROM PRUSSIA
Addresses Victorious Soldiers
In Lyck Market Place While
Enemy's Forces Are
Retiring
Eye Witness Tells How Cars
Forces Reiterated Through
Snow Drifts
BIZ kARL n. Won WIFGAND. A.

~ :.
ByKARL II. vow WIEGAND.
(Sfor sCovespoadsnt United PrsssD
WITH THE GERMAN ARMY AT
|sUwAI1KI. RUSSIA. Feb. Icy
Automobile Courier to Insterburg.
East Prussia. Thence Via Berlin and
London. Feb. 24.)--Kaiser Wilhelm
was on the actual firing line when
Won Hindsnburg swept the Russians
out OF Prussia. He sped into Lyck
80 minutes after the Germans. at
heavy loss. had stormed the city.
While his troops were rounding MP
Russians still hiding In houses tnsres
| the kaiser addressed his soldiers N
the market square. giving vent %
bitter words over what he termed
Nhe senseless- destruction Of property
BY the csar's troops.
The kaiser was with his men when
| they took woszcxellen, near Lyck. BY
bayonet. His star ofhcers could
hardly restrain him from taking part
In the lighting. II was impossible for
them 70 keep him out Of immediate
danger.
The kaissr's entrance into Lyck
was dramatic. Il was ~ II his AZ
rival had been perfectly timed 90 the
climax to the third scene OF triumph
+ for German arms In the eastern the
ater OF war. His big automobile
rushed into the East Prussian city
iust as the czar,s armies, after four
DAYS desperate, bloody resistance,
began fleeing the town
Before the emperors eyes. Won Hin
denburg and Won Ludendorf delivered
one Of the mightiest smashes OF the
war, once more clearing German soil
OF Russians. The Tenth Russian
army, under Gen. Sievers. comprising
IL divisions Of 10000 men, was two
thirds captured or annihilated.
Won Hindenburg's mighty machine
swept through East Prussia with
startling velocity, sending the 6lAvs
scurryfng IN retreat The Russian
Tenth army that since last October
had occupied the narrow strip In
East Prussia, extending from north
or Gumbinnsr southwark 20 Darkeh-
men, and below JOHANNESBURG, was
rolled out OF Germany. crushed and
disastrously beaten as the result Of
desperate battling east and south OF
the Maxurian lakes.
Beginning at Darkehmen, ! have
been with the German army Tor the
last sir days. following the rctreating
Russians From 0Oldap south 20
Lyck, their retreat became panicky.
This was evident By the abandoned
equipment. the stranded automobiles
and the countless bodies Of Russiani
dead. The character OF the battle
ground and the roadways over which
this great conflict was winged u II
lustrated by the fAct that We made
lAss than 80 miles day. Our auto-
mobiles frequently stuck IN hsss
For four days there was desperate
flghting 1t Lyck. Is miles inside the
Prusstan frontier. There the Rus
SLAMS made final stand. The city
was defended by the Third Siberian
corps, reputed to be the best fighters
IN the Russian army. The stand they
made ct Lyck did honor 70 their fame
a. soldiers. The city was taken by
storm only sfter the Germans had
suffered heavy losses. But the bril-
liant defense OF the Siberians enabled
part Of the cars beaten armies TO
escape over two roads leading out
Of Prussia through the swamps 20 Au-
gustof and Suwa1ki.
While this onslaught was IN prog.
ress the kaiser's northern army.
forming the German left wing. was
advancing by forced marches 20 81!
feet . junction with the central army.
The third. German army on the right
wing was swinging IN from the south
over Crajemo. squeezing in the Rus
sian left.
Despite the determined efforts and
unprecedented endurance OF the Ger.
man troops IN making forcd marches
through snowstor1ns and vast
stretches Of marshes and swamps, che
attempt completely % surround ne
Russian army, a. evidently planned,
did not wholly succeed. F-1ily . third
Of the Russians got past AusuStof
before the Germans could cloes up the
gap. ~ So 80.
But yesterday when 1 LEFT the army
&C XuknStof the Germans wore hAng-
Ing on the nanks and the rear o. the
fleeing Russians. Eight miles east Of
the town the Russian rear guard was
making desperate stand TO c0ver
tina Retreat while Russian reinf0rce-
msntss- coming from Grodno were
thundering u csnnonade.
I When I left, the Germans hoped TO
surround an entire Russian division
In The swa1npy forests. Large bodies
of Russians were still surrounded In
the swamps. while the balance Of the
army was fleeing In the direction of
the fortress of Grodno. Il was known
at that time that the Russian prison
err numbered $4,000; that II guns,