The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-06
FIERCEST FIGHT OF ALL.
PetroRrad Says Flower of German
Infantry Fell ut Goumine.
Special cdb'e Despatch 10 THE srv

Special Gable Despdtch 10 TIE suS
PETRoGRAD, Feb. 5.--Great forward
movements in East Prussia and Hun
gary and Victories west OF Warsaw are
specifically announced by the Russian
General stan The bulletins trans
mitted to-day by Generals commanding
In the regions Of most violent fighting
contain news more pleasing to the Rus
sian people than has been received since
OF their strength to the battle fronts OF
eastern France.
Subordlnating for the moment the i'm
portant announcements that the Rus
slams have seized both banks OF the
headwaters OF the River Inster in East
Prussia, a success which enables them
to deliver a fank attack on Insterburg
from the north, while the forces that
have passed the Angerapp TO the south
advance straight west. and the an
nouncement that the army which drove
the Austrians from the Dukla Pass in
tho Carpethians has reached the River
Laborcza in northern Hungary. the de-
/ feae OF tho Germans west OF Warsaw
/ after tho most savage nghting OF the
/ Polish campaign holds public interest
Upon front OF seven miles, with
BorJimow and Goumine as centres OF
attack, the Germans concentrated seven
| divisions on February 2 and February
and hurled more than 100, 900 OF their
| finest infantry against the Russian line.
! They delivered attack after attack, re-
vertlng to methods which characterized
their earlier operations in Belgium and
France, and deployed great masses OF
men over open ground, careless APP
parently OF the terrible cost in killed
and wounded II the way 70 Warsaw
could be opened. A detail which illus
trates the violence of the effort is the
official statement that some OF the Ger
man divisions charged the Russian line
on a front only a verst (two-thirds of "A
mle) wide, In these sections the Ger
man infantry advanced In close pressed
masses, attacking AT the double quick
shoulder % shoulder.
The attacks were preceded by terrific
artillery Are in which tho Germans en-
ployed 100 batteries OF mortars and
field guns. probably 500 cannon in all.
There seems 10 be no doubt that Marshal
Won Hindenburg had ordered Gen. Won
Mackensen 10 hew through the Russian
line at any cost Such lighting had
never before been witnessed on the east
ern front.
Complete preparedness and the stead.
mess of the Russian infantry ruined
the German plPns. Warned Of the i'm.
mlnenco OF general onslaught, the
Russians reinforced their short front
following their usual method OF keep,
ing fresh corps in reserve and ready
20 seize the opportunity for counter at
tack. From carly morning until lat,
at night on February the German
divisions threw themselves against tn,
Russian corps, the attacks rolling VI
and breaking like waves against a rocky
coast The field of battle between Gou
mine and Borjimow was very largely
Nat and treeless ground marked by 90
casional farm houses, As the Germans
swept forward whole fles were de
stroyed by Russian machine guns anC
rifle fire. But gaps were rapidly closed
and the Germans struggled onward
with bulldog determination Every at
tack ended at the Russian trenches
where the Germans. unable by shee
courage and determination TO breal
through solid hedges of bayonets, brok,
and fled back TO their lines.
Their most desperate effort was mad,
at Goumine' A correspondent of tn,
Novoe VTemya describes the fghting II
this area OF the battlefield as the mos
terrible since the struggle for the mas
terry OF Poland began. The division o
infantry selected by Gen. Won Macken
sen for the attack at Goumine was .,
have to be paid that the soldiers in grin
Jest named the force the Division o
Death" II was accepted as a matte