New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-24
RUSSIAN ARMY IS TRAPPED
"LIKE RABBITS" IN BIG DRIVE
North of Mazuian Lakes Off
Men of Grand Dukes Army Surrounded in SwampWher
Capturing Entire Force of Invaders

turn three times 10 beat of the flank
attacks from the south.
The Russian commander In chief
made desperate efforts to come TO the
help of this army, whose plight by now
was recognized. He sent in a column
OF troops from the fortress OF Lomza
and from Kolno and from the fort at
Ossowetz. Each time the German COM
mander faced a part of the troops TO
inc south, defeated the Russian relief
columns and Their continued his march.
The retreat of the Russians on this
part of the field of operations could be
made in only one direction, the north
east. as the swamp belt prevented their
escape to the east or south.
The troops from the centre and the
northern flank Of the Russian position
were by this time in full retreat east
ward and southeastward under pressure
from the pursuing German forces con-
Verglng on the Russian column, all
aiming for the only remaining egress
from the circle to the eastward Of
Suwalki.
The Russians apparently became
desperately damned, and on February
10, when the correspondent arrived at
Grajevo on the heels of the entering
German troops the German commander
was almost confident that the bag
would be complete. Then came the de-
lay in getting the fanking column
across the swamps to close the hole in
the ring, and General Sievers, with all
his higher officers and the remnant of
his army, got away.
That the Russian commander was
able, under such road conditions, to
bring off as much artillery and trans
port as he did is, in the opinion of Ger
man experts, a most laudable achieve
ment. The roads are very narrow and
INSTRUCTED with deep drifts of snow.
Each drift usually is indicated by a
cannon standing on its end or by a
freight automobile which has been
overturned in a ditch, showing that the
Russians had suffered from the same
obstacles. Several of the main roads
were tried, but they were utterly i'm
passable on account of the snow.
Army Fifty Miles Long.
A picturesque scene, reminding one
of a canvas by the Russian painter
Nerestchagin, was witnessed on the
trip between Augustowo and Suwalki.
The road is cut like canyon for twenty
miles through n dense Russian pine
forest, and 1t formed the only available
avenue for the advance of the German
troops, which by this time had left the
escaping Russian army to other hands
and were pressing forward TO particl-
pate in a further operation.
Along this twenty miles of road was
a solid stream of infantry, artillery and
wagon trains, usually in three columns,
moving irresistibly southwark. The
roadway was high pitched and slippery
with ice. Smooth shod horses were con-
tinually going down. The infantrymen
picked their way along the sides of the
road. Almost every man was equipped
with a staff which seemed to have been
copied from Verestchagin's soldiers.
There was no stop or pause. The SOL
diers ate as they marched. The horses
were kept moving until they were
through the woods, as there was no
place to turn out and halt. For many
miles before Augustowo was reached
the same ceaselessly moving column of
men, horses and guns had been en-
countered--an army fifty miles long
was on the march.
The German general army headquar-
tiers announced on February IS, two
days before the foregoing dispatch was
written, that $4,000 Russians had been
captured in the battle of the Mazurian
Lakes, in East Prussia. On February
% the capture of 10000 more prisoners
was announced. bringing up the total to
more than 100000 men and including
seven generals. Tuesdays Berlin Off
cIal com unication said that more than
300 Russian cannon had been taken by
the Germans