Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-01-05
ASSOCIATED Press csrrespondence.)


The Hague, Dec. "a military OBJ
server who has just returned from the
eastern theatre of war gives an interest
ing resume OF the operations there up to
the capture Of Lodz by the Germans on
December s.
He points out that in the beginning it
was the plan of General. now Fieldmar-
shall, Won Hindenburg to cut the Rus
sian lines OF communication by an ad-
vance from Suwaiki in the direction of
Bialystok, and. possibly Baranowitshi.
With this in view the reduction of the
fortress Ossewitz was attempted by the
Germans early in October. But the
terrain proved ve-y difficult, and. realiz-
ing what the plan Of General Won Hind
enburg was. the Russians concentrated
large force against the German left
wing.
For a while Won Hindenburg persist
ed This led to the fighting about Au-
gustowo and the vicinity OF Lyk. Fin
ally the planned reduction Of Ossewitz
had to be abandoned. and the Germans
instead Of continuing their vigorous Of.
fensiye along the East Prussian borders
~
in those parts.
AS In other parts Of the European
theatre of war. the men began to bury
themselves in tren hes, Won linden
burg leaving his forces on the East
Prussian border in circumstances re-
sembling strongly those in Flanders.
Both Russians and Germans began a
field siege in which now one, then the
other. would for time keep up an ag-
gressive, the sole purpose OF which was
to let the opponent know that it was
considered proper not to move about
too much.
Towards the end Of October Won
Hindenburg appeared suddenly at the
head of a large German force ADVANCING
in the direction of Ivangorod. At the
same time the Austro- Hungarians, hay
ing recuperated from the debacle Of the
operations against
Lublin and Krasnik. managed to re-
iieve Przemysl and drive the Russians
across the river San and out of Galicia.
The Russian general staff had been
obliged to rush reinforcements to the
suwalki theatre Of war. This had eased
the situation in Galicia, and the Austro-
Hungarians had taken advantage of it.
In his advance upon the Ivangorod-
Warsaw line. Won Hindenburg finally
reached the banks of the Vistula. to
discover, however. that the Russians
had fortified all bridge heads and
elevations along the river. Several
attempts were made by Won linden
burg to force a crossing, but he soon
discovered that this could not be done.
He was able. however, TO stand his
ground.
Meanwhile the Austro- Hungarians had
again lost ground to the Russians,
Jaroslaw had been taken, and while the
Russians had been driven out of East
ern Hungary, they were now threaten
ing the Austro-Hungarian right wing
with a massing Of troops In the Bukov-
ina. Recrossing the San river en- masse,
the Russians for a time even threatened
ern Gallicia- This was averted, however
by prompt manoeuvres on the part OF
the German and Austro- Hungarian for
ces, who offered a strong defensive on
the Cracow-Przemysl line.
During the first week of November
progress was made by neither of the
opposing armies. The Austro-Hungar-
ians held the Russians in check from
Cracow to Przemysl, while the Germans
held the line CrocowPetrikow-M iava
But the forces of the two empires were
too small to carry on a renewed Often
sive against the Russian masses which
ha
Vistula like an avalanche. 1t was then
that Won Hindenburg decided upon
plan which may be said typical of him.
BY means Of strategical retreat he
intended to break the Russian front:
He ordered his center to fall back and
kept his own wings more or less in the
positions they had occupied. forming in
this manner a rough cul-de-sac into
which he hoped to trap the Russian
force. which he felt would be sent to
follow up the retreating Germans.
1t is generally admitted. the observer
says, that Won Hindenburg's plan would
have succeeded had the Austro-Hungar-
ian forces needed by him proven more
mobile and effective. AS it was the
Austro- Hungarians, hampered by bad
roads failed to appear in time, and
when finally the effort was made to
bite off, the Russian forces which had
taken up the pursuit Of Won Hindenburg,
IT was found that the hardness Of the
Hungarians had permitted too
many Russians to push after the Ger
mans.
For several days a situation said to
have no parallel in modern warfare ex-
listed. In the center of the theatre Of
operations was a large Russian force,
on three sides by Germans.
BeyoU1 the German lines Russian lines
were forming-the German position hav-
ing thus two faces-and beyond the
Russians another line of Germans was
forming in the North, and line Of
Hungarians in the South and
West.
Desperate efforts were made by the
Germans and their allies to bring to-
gether the points Of the wings they had
laid about the Russian pursuing force.
Instead the Russians forced them fur
Their apart, until both lines were again
out Won Hindenburg
two things In these operations.
The first Of these was that his swamp
tactics" of East Prussia had taught the
Russians a lesson; the second was that
he had credited the Austro-Hungarian
officers with degree Of efficiency they
did not possess.
Had it not been for the gallant con-