Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-27
POLAND EVACUATION
WAS PLANNED IN 1910
Russian Journal Tells of Strategy
That Is Drawing Germans
From Supply Base.
CORRESPONDENCE of the Associated Press.

PETROGRAD. August 4.-The evacu-
alton of Poland was decided upon by
Russia in 1910, declares the Russky
Invalid. the Russian military organ. in
a discussion of the general Stairs be-
fore-the-war plans for the defense of
the western frontier.
Before the war; says the journal.
Russia anticipated that In the event
of war Austria and Germany, because
of their rapid means of mobilization
and immense technical resources. would
turn their attention first of all against
Russia. To Illustrate this plan it was
decided in 1910 that the Russian ter
ritory jutting into Germany and the
fortified places west of Brest Litovsk
should not be organized for a state of
war. The region further east was
chosen for the concentration of the
Russian forces.
1T would have been dangerous to
attribute too great Importance to
and to have held on to the Narew and
Fistula, with their fortified towns 1t
is better to take advantage of the
depth of our theater of war to draw
the German armies far from their base
and to force them to exhaust them
selves. To this end it was necessary
to sacrifice the Polish salient. Three
rDCHlnS nave elapsed since tne
army started to put this plan into
execution. Constant marching, fight
ing and privations weaken the enemy.
There are already evidences that the
moral force of the German army is
weakening in its attack. and prisoners
confirm that this weakening is not only
moral, but physical
Retreat Assures Victory.
This war will be decided by the
armies in battle, and it is of no i'm
portance where this battle will take
place. Thus our retreat assures US
victory. for our armies are only now
beginning to develop. while an album
dance of munitions of war awaits us
in the near future, thanks to the
mobilization of the national industry
and to the orders placed abroad. where
as for the moment the enemy is in
favorable position in this regard
"A glance backward shows that at
the beginning of the war the Germans
threw the mass of their army against
France. This leap forward on their
part had happy results for us. for we
advanced into enemy territory, nota bly,
in Gslicia: now the bles are turned
However. it is impossible to hamper
the liberty of movement of the Rus
sian army in any particular region or
on any particular frontier. and il would
he impra cticsble to waste garrisons in
defending fortified towns which are
none TOO safe. the Austrians did in
Przemysl. That is why, examining
after a year of war. the map of the
Russian front. we see the necessity for
the living Russian armies to vancouver
and deploy on their base line. This
would be the most useful object to
aim at. especially in view of the situa-
tion which has prevailed since the
month of April.
Facing Russians.
AT the present time we have against
us nearly all the German cavalry
nearly all the Austrian army, and more
than half of the total German forces
about seventy divisions-and the en-
envy artillery has numerous guns of
all calibers. The Russian army is Of
fering heroic resistance: it is not only
standing up under the most hellish fire,
but il is inflicting countless losses upon
the enemy. and wearing him out not
withsta ndine his technical perfection.
We are getting nearer to our supplies
Of ammunition, by means of which we
will correct our line and throw back
the enemy