Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-01-05
EYE WITNESS VIVID NARRATIVE
Of RUSS0-cERMAN CAMPAIGN
and Won HINDENBURC'S STRATEGY

"aN1OHt 5OoI iodAS- A1> d StAdkSSaN
poor railroad system, and but few nat
ural resources.
These are the main features of the
recent campagn in the Eastern thea
tre OF war. But a survey Of them would.
not be complete without sketch OF
some Of TIE principal operations ard
their results
An important factor in the develop
ments was the arrival of large numbers
OF fresh troops in the Russian camps.
which took place during the first week
OF November. Their great weight was
FIRST felt by the German troops west OF
the Nowo-Georgiewsk Warsaw line who
were forced back against the Warthe
banks on November 10. What the exact
strength Of this Russian force was is
not known. The Russian Second army
formed the right wing of the forces in
Poland occupying the line Kolo-Sierads-
Szczerzowo and joining on the left the
Fifth army whose center was Nowo
Radomsk. 1t is thought that these two
forces had a combined strength Of about
sO0N0
The Second and Fifth armies became
the Russian center in the operations
which followed. On the extreme right
the First army occupied the region be-
tween the Fistula and Kovno. This
force was commanded by General Rem
nenkampf, whose efforts to crush the
herman left wing resulted in a number
o. smaller engagements near Stallu-
poenen. Eydtkuhnen and Soldau. dating
IRON November u 10 II. Rennenkampf's
own forces numbered at least $1,000
men, II IS asserted. But he failed to de-
Feiop the tremendous potentialties Of
TINS mass. and 10 his own great surprise
the Germans engaged in a counte--of-
iensiVe, which on November - resulted
IN the oe-eat Of O. Russian division near
"loziaWek. The Germans followed w
their success. reengaged the division on
the following day at Eowi-DunjnoU.
Killed and wounded many and took !. coo
prisoners. driving the remainder off in
the direction of Plosk.
meanwhile German force advanced on
.4e iisht 0ahh OF the Eistula, and on
November Is defeated a strong Puss;ar
io'ee near Lipno. About 500 Russians
were taken prisoners. The remainder of
the 1orce retreated also towards PIosk.
joined the defeated division from W-loz-
la"ek, and together with some fresh
units attempted to stem the German adj
vance The fighting which resulted was
severe, out in the end the Russian forces
were driven III the direction OF Plonsk.
"here they affected a much needed re-
organization. Most OF the artillery and
terrain mad been lost to the Germans .
Rennenkampf's plan to force an inva
sion of East Prussia seems to have hear,
abandoned after the experience Two o@
his best units had with the Germans of
a sudden the First army ceased its Of
forts to break across the border en- route
for Berlin, and for Several days all was
quiet.
Meanwhile General Won Mackensen had
established contact with the Russian
Second army near Kutno, then so posi
toned that a movement against its right
flank promised success. With the Rus
sian offensive against East Prussia
wrecked, and with an ADVANCE threaten
ing the Russian center, the Russian
flfth army was obliged to check its al
vance upon the Si!esian border and the
Cracow district. Many of its units were
rushed to support the threatened center.
or Second army This measure pernoi,-
ted a further development OF the flank
Vi the second army. But the re-arrange-
ment of the Russian forces came a u,,,a
100 late, 1t appears. General Won Mack
ensen lost no time in pushing his adj
vance, engaged the Russians on Noyem.
Der ID near Kutno, caused them heavy
losses in killed and wounded and ,aos
5000 prisoners, as we'll as much ma.
terial.
Inc Russian Second army continued its
advance, however, General Won Hinden-
ourg was in the act OF completing his
and the Russian Second army
had double task to perform. Not afona
was 1t necessary to envelop the German
northern wedge, but the advance of Con.
eral Won Mackersen had made vigorous
counter-offensive necessary. Offensive and
Commemorative on the part of the op-
ponents gave the second army a south
west-northeast line during the next two
days. another tooth being thus added to
the great battle-saw in Poland
The line Of the Second army was, then
from Observation-Disclosures to kazim,-
err. This was pierced by the Germans
under Won Mackensen in the evening of
November II along the Kutno road. and
on the following morning the right wing
OF the Second army was folded back up
on Brzeziny on the Lodz road On the
18th the desperate struggle continued.
During the day heavy reinforcements
from the Fifth army arrived, and on the
Goth the Russians succeeded in develop
ing their full force. General Won Mack
ersen. however, continued his offensive,
succeeding two days later, in forcing the
Russians into LODI and holding the ter
rftory west, north and east OF that city.
Meanwhile the German forces had been
thoroughly exhausted. Not alone did
they fight an enemy numerically far su-
perior but the incessant marches and
bad weather had weakened them consid-
erably. Fresh troops had to be brought
to the scene. These came from the ar
mics which Won Hindenburg was en-
pAoying on his cul-se-sac maneuvre. the
site OF which was Immediately southeast
OF Lodz. 1t would have been easy to
take these troops through Silesia, but
that meant travelling over the two long
sides of an acute angle, while a march
in northwesterly direction was no
greater than the distance the troops
would have to march after they had
been detrained But to take that route