Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-06-05
RUSSIANS SAY
PRZEMYSL NOW
IS |NDEFENS|BLE
AuStrianS Had Destroyed All
Notifications and II Would
Have Shut Up $4,000
to Garrison It.
10y aoanlHo iooaaAe SPECIAL lrAaso wlaal


Petrograd, June 4, noon, (via Lon
don, $40 .. m.)--News of the fan of
Przomysl apparently has awakened
no apprehension here. II is conceded
that the Germans have won a moral
victory" but the strategic importance
Of the fortress. according to the opin-
lon expressed here, had been nullified
before the Russians relinquished It.
leading Russian military expert.
analyzing the situation, says
Having crossed the river San with
two armies which were TO begin OPP
crations against the fortress, the Ger
mans found themselves in an extreme
ly dangerous and unstable position;
being attacked ON their left flank they
were compelled to shorten the strip
OF ground they occupied On the right
OF the San. Any reverses of these
armies would have turned the Ger
man movement into catastrophe
since retreat to the rear would have
been cut off by the river San and the
pressure Of the Russian forces at
Sienawa en- the German left. Ac-
cordingly the Germans We're forced
to hurl their attack against the for
tress, throwing forward enormous
forces.
Fortress IndefensibIc.
The indefensibility Of the fortress
was due to the fact that the Austrians
had blown up the most important
forts upon their evacuation of Pre-
mysl, coupled with the configuration
OF the land. This was unsuitable to
q stubborn defense for the reason that
its fluctuations made ii possible for
the enemy TO hide his approaches.
The primary idea in the construe-
ton of the Przemysl fortresshad been
TO meet attack from the eastward
There had not been sufficient time TO
reconstruct the damaged fortress on
the west and on the north and to
adapt the position to defense against
attacks from these directions.
Russian long range guns, the ex-
pert says, shooting to the last shell
into the thick masses Of advancing
Austro-Germans caused them severe
losses. Eventually, however, the Rus
sian military authorities reached the
decision to remove the army from the
Notifications.
Cut Into German Lines.
Strategic conditions" the expert
concludes, lied to this same deci- !
sion, since the Russian Pre- mysl army |
a sharp wedge cutting into |
the German lines and subject to be- |
ing attacked from every side. To de- |
fend this crescent shaped front we re- |
CURED forces, and it was clearly the /
desire Of the Germans that numerous /
forces be diverted to this front for !
defensive purposes. \
1T is estimated that the proper de-
Tense of the PrZemysl fortress would
have required the concentrating there
lf forces equal to those of the former
Austrian garrison, namely, 145,0 900 |
men. 1t would have been necessary
also to develop to their fullest capaci-
" no less than 1900 guns and to re-
all the destroyed forts,
which in the short time available was
THE abandonment of the blood
fortress recently is q sad
llow but It is necessary to remember
hat Przemysl twice annihilated, once
~ the Austrians and once by us, has
oday no more importance than any
lther large city i'm Galicia. If in Feb
uary the German occupation had lit
lie Influence on our maneuvering, in
he future il will play no role at all
ike Jaroslau and Tarnov, Przemysl
Will pass time and again from hand
o hand and IT win soon again be in
'ur possession"
Just as the Austrians destroyed the
'rzemysl forts before they fell into
russian hands so the Russians
blew up everything pos
ible before the occupation of the
Iustro Germans.
IL is being explained that the aban-
onment of the position had been re-
arded here for some time past as .
imperative, and that
reparati) ns to leave ii had been GO
ng on for a month. The released
arrison will now be available for !
feld operations, whereas II an at
empt to hold out had been made, be-
ween 10000 and 100000 men would
ave been locked up at the mercy of
he Austrian heavy guns.