The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-01-09
FALL Of WARSAW
WOULD NOT MEAN
END OF CAMPAIGN
Won Hindenburg Talks of
War Situation in the East.
Russians Are Tough
Opponents, He Says

German Army Headquarters. 2osen
December 19.-(Delayed. Via London
January s, IL p. m.)--"Even occupa-
ton of Warsaw and of the vistula line
would by no means signify the END
OF the campaign. The Russians, with
their immense territory, can fail back
Indefinitely. Defeated at Warsaw. they
Can fall back on Kiev Moscow and
eventually v1adivostok. or course. We
cannot follow that far
Thus spoke Germany's popular hero,
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg, 10 the
Associated Press correspondent today.
He explained how the Poland cam
paign had involved frightful blood let
ting. Not even in the battle of Tan
nenberg or the retreat from the Ma
zurian lakes did the Russians lose SO
heavily as at Wloclawek, Kutno and
Lodz and Lowicz, said the field mar
shall. At least 100000 Russians have
been killed or wounded since Novem-
Der 10. he declared, and 10000 made
prisoners.
The correspondent dined with Won
Hindenburg and during the meal the
conversation was informal, cares of
war seemingly having been forgotten.
The general was inclined to switch the
conversation to the United States,
which, he said, he had long been anx-
ious to visit He had read much, he
said of the country west of the Mis-
sissippi-California, the Yosemite Val
ley and the Grand Canon. 1t was with
effort that the interviewer turned the
conversation back to the war. Won
Hindenburg said that while the stu
alton was very favorable there was
not much to Justify hopes of complete
collapse of the Russian offensive.
Are Tough Opponents
The Russians are tough opponents"
he said. yet 1 think they are hardly
BILE to bring on many more troops to
qualify to oppose us. To raise army
corps on this front, the far east and
Caucasus have been stripped of regular
troops. Undrilled militia only are in
the rear.
'The fall of LODI was the turning
point The Russians fought desperately
Tor possession of this city, on which
the center of their line rested. The Rus
sian line was bent, not broken, in this
battle. The Russian leader, like a
wise man, did not wait for that, but
withdrew.
1.-THE battle was the most bitter and
sanguinary of this war. The Russian
killed far exceeded the Tannenberg fig
ures. The dead lay in heaps. There
were S7S bodies on one small hill
Mention of Tannenberg evoked the
comment that little was known of that
great battle. Won Hindenburg took
pencil and paper and drew a rorgh
map of the battle.
our army" he said. was drawn up
north of the Mazuran lakes. When /
took command the order already had
been given to retire. The Russian
army under Samsonoff had moved in
az right angles to the German line.f j
withdrew our troops before Rennep-
kampfs army and swung them around
to the right and rear.
Did Not Move
Had Rennenkampf followed we
should have had to turn and face him.
But he did not move from his en-
trenchments and so we marched until
we had them completely surrounded.
Without Rennenkampf inaction there
would have been no Tannenberg."
rs it true that thousands of Russians
persisted in the Mazurian lake
swamps?" Won Hindenburg was asked.
Not at ALL" came the reply that
destroyed another cherished legend OF
the war. There are no swamps in Tan
Jenberg into which we might have
driven the Russians. Their losses were
chiefly in prisoners taken.
The field marshal talked OF the
changed tactics of the cavalry, to
whom he said he would give bayonets;
Of the bravery of the Austrians, Of the
clothes basket fun of letters he re-
ceived daily, some Of them from the
United States, and with special amuse-
rent of the gifts sent him. Today he
received 5000 pints of beer for his per-
eoDal use, 1000 cigars Che does not
.,moke), and an immense cake which
bore in icing an advertisement of
ladies' blouse named in his honor.