The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1915-08-12
THE WAR LAST WEEK
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~ |Il
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would almost certainly result In the
Isolation and consequent capture of
the Russian forces, occupying at least
one and probably more of these for
titled places.
What has been stated repeatedly
In these reviews must be remembered
tho objective of the German army
must be not territory, but men, the
Russian army itself. Grants victories
In the Wilderness. at Spottsylvania,
Cold Harbor, and Petersburg, gave
him only territory and otherwise left
him empty-handed. 1t was only when
Lee surrendered at Appomattox and
the army of Northern Virginia ceased
to exist as a fighting entity that
Grants "hammering campaign"
could be put down as a success 1t
Is with an understanding and realiza-
tion OF this fact that we must view
the German operations against War
saw.
Germans Were Driven Back.
During the week beginning July
| 4, the Germans threw an overwhelm-
ing force against the Russian line on
the east bank of the Narew near
Rozan and succeeded in forcing q
crossing with considerable force in
the neighborhood of Rozan. But the
| Russians, reinforced at this point,
put b sudden stop to the German ad-
| vance by a severe counter attack,
| drove back some Of the troops that
had crossed the river, and held the
| others in the heavy forest Just east
of the Rozan bridgehead Official
reports from Berlin have daily men,
| toned this sector, and every report
emphasizes the severity Of the fight
ing, but no report was made of sue
cessful crossing other than that not
ed.
The fall of Warsaw will, however,
force the Russians to retire from the
Narew to their new line. The situa-
| ton is somewhat confused at present,
but the probabilities are that a strong
Russian rear guard is holding the
bridgeheads at the various fortified
points while the main Russian army
| occupying the front is retiring. The
fighting will be desperate, naturally,
| as troops engaged in such a rear
guard action will be entirely sacri-
| feed. IL necessary, in order. to retard
the advance for sufficient length of
| time for the main army to make good
its retreat.
Even when the advancing Germans
force the bridgeheads their work is
not done, and the Russian rear guard
can still make effective resistance by
reason OF the marshes and deep for
| ests with which the eastern bank of
the Narew is fringod. The only ques-
ton Is, and this applies to all the
forces I'm the sharper part of the
Warsaw salient: Knowing that ulti-
mate retirement was inevitable, have
the Russians commenced the retro
grade movement in time?
Where Won Hindenberg Attacked.
In the next sector, that Immediate
ly west of and encircling Warsaw,
Won Hindenberg drove forward by
frontal attacks against fortified posi-
tions along the outer line of defen-
| sive works of the city. To the north,
| in the region Of Novo Georgievsk, al
though continuous fighting of the
| most severe character did not shake
the Russian resistance. But the fall
| OF Lublin and Chaten and the conse-
| quent abandonment of a considerab BILE
| section of the railroad decided the
| operations in the Warsaw sector
proper, and on Wednesday Petrograd
announced a retirement from the
Blonie-Nadarzyn position to the de-
fenses of Warsaw itself. This move
| brought the end into plain view. 1t
was but question here, as on the
Narew, of the Russians delaying by
| rear-guard fighting, while the main
army retreated behind the Vistula.
Warsaw Situation Confused.
On Thursday Berlin announced
| that the Russians had retired across
| the Vistula bridges at iPraga and
warsaw was occupied by German
troops. Here, as along the Narew
front, the situation is for the time
being somewhat confused. Reports
referring to the Russian evacuation
| speak of the Russians still holding
the front along the Narew and the
Bug and pivoting on Novo Geor-
| gievsk. The situation that would be
created by such a manoeuvre would
seem too fraught with danger to be
| possible.
Another salient would thus be Gre
ated with Novo Georgievsk as its
| apex and only a few miles wide at
the base. II this fortress is still held,
| the force garrisoning it must be a
| small one, intended only for tenn
| porary occupancy in order to cause
delay.
Heavy Fighting to Continue.
Although Warsaw has fallen it
can not be expected that the fighting
| will suddenly cease. On the con-
| trary, for some days, until the Rus
| sian retreat in safety is assured and
| until 1t can adjust itself to a new
position, the fighting may be Just as
intense as during the last three
| weeks. Russia has taken q terrible
| toll from the Germans in return for
the city she has lost, and will doubt
less supplement her pound of flesh
before her retirement is complete.
Running southeast from the sector
| around Warsaw Is the sector of the
Vistula extending along the railroad
from Ivangorod to Cholm 1t was
the successes along a section OF this
line that, more than Won Hinden-
berg's activity near Warsaw itself,
caused the evacuation.
Railroads Capture Spelled Success.
On Sunday the Austrian troops,
who are sandwiched I'm Detw cen Gems.
WOyrsch on the west and Won Mack