New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-03
Warsaw.

While there remains lne RIeaC PiVDiSHi
as TO whether the Russians will success
fully escape from the German net and re-
establish their lines behind the Niemen
and the Bug, as the French did behind the
Marine, it is a good time to review in some
detail the history and the strategy Of the
Warsaw campaigns, which cover the whole
period Of the war on the eastern front
What the Germans are accomplishing now
is what they expected to do in the third
month of the conflict. Their present sue
cess represents the fourth effort.
Going back to the beginning of the war,
it is essential to recognize that there was
no settled Russian expectation of holding
any line west of the one to which they are
now retiring. Students of military affairs
viii recall the protest made in Paris few
wears ago when the Russians changed
their plans for mobilization and decided to
make their concentration back of the Me
men and the Bug instead of along the Wis
tula. that is, with Brest-Litowski instead
of Warsaw as the centre.
This means the probable evacuation OF
practically all Of Poland. The French pro-
test was due to the fear that this change
might leave the Germans free to crush the
French armies before the Russians could
make any effective demonstration in East
Prussia. Some notifications Of the Rus
sian plan were imposed by the circum-
stances of the opening weeks of the war,
but it is well to remember that Russian
plans made years before the present con-
fict did contemplate abandoning what has
now been abandoned, and that what the
Grand Duke has been compelled to do now
Russian high command considered a pos
sible incident of the first weeks of war.
Russian Poland, as the map discloses
is practically indefensibe if attacked from
both the Gahcian and East Prussian prov
inces at the same time. The reason lies
in the fact that it constitutes a salient
A successful attack from both sides vii
not merely break in the side of the salient
but it will also endanger the safety Of al
the troops west of the break, that is ir
and about Warsaw, because the enemy
having penetrated the salient, will be in
their rear on the line Of their retreat
But an attack from one side is not dan
gerous unless the other side Of the salient
is attacked at the same time, because as
long as one side of the salient holds firmly
there is a reasonable hope of escape for
the Warsaw troops along the northern
lines, if the southern are broken.
In the opening days of the war the
Austrians attempted to break in the Polish
salient by sending their masses north from
Galicia upon Lublin with Brest-Litowsk
as the ultimate objective. AS all the Ger
man corps but few covering formations
had gone west, it was impossible to exer
pressure on the East Prussian side of The
salient at the same time. Accordingly thu
Russians practically ignored the Lublir
thrust and countered by sending thei
masses into Galicia south of the Lubir
army, and, having compelled the Austrian.
TO flee Lemberg, actually threatened the
rear of the Lublin army, which narrowly
escaped destruction.
At the same moment two armies were
sent by the Russians into East Prussia
and one of them pushed west almost to the
Vistula south of Dantzig. Had this ad
vance been maintained, it will be clear
from a glance at the map, the Polish sa
hent would have been abolished and the
Russian front would have run straight
from the Baltic to the Carpathians. But
the defeat of Tannenberg ended the at.
tempt to break down the East Prussian
salient for some months. On the other
hand, Russian successes in Galicia
Strengthened out one side of the salient
One flank now rested on the Carpathians.
In this situation German high command
made two separate attempts TO drive Rus
STA out of her Polish kingdom. The first
was comprehended in attempts to take
Warsaw by a frontal attack advancing
straight against the Russian position,
which was the blunted apex of the
old triangle. This failed; at the line Of
the Bzura-Rawka the Russians repulsed
frontal attack with terrific losses.
The Germans tried again in East Prus-
STA. Early in the year the Russians had
made one more effort TO clear East Prus-
STA of the German corps which defended
it, had pushed west TO the lake district
and there suffered the severe defeat of
Mazurian Lakes. Hard on this victory
the Germans undertook to strike south
from East Prussia at the northern side of