Middletown transcript., 1915-02-06
SIX MONTHS OF WAR
Gigantic Struggle Apparently No
Nearer Decision Than When
Begun.

London.-The end Of the sixth
month Of Europe's great war finds the
armies of the belligerent nations com,
pleting preparations for new series
Of operations or actually engaged in
campaigns the extent of which hardly
was anticipated when the declarations
of hostilities were made.
In Flanders, France and Central Po.
land deadlock still exists, but largely
because of Russia's tremendous re-
sources and the action of Turkey the
sphere of operations has been widely
extended.
Russia alone is engaged in fighting
hostile armies from Tilsit, far in the
north of East Prussia, to Tabriz, in
Persia, distance of more than 1900
miles. Only that portion of her terri
tory bordering on Roumania is free
from menace, but, according to her re-
ports, all is going well with her i'm
mense armies. The Russian outfank-
ing movement in Northern East Prus-
sia is said to be gaining momentum.
The armies on either side of Tilsit
have cut the German railway between
that city and Memel, on the Baltic.
On the southern front in East Prus-
sia another army is advancing toward
80 Ia l..
still another is holding line of en-
trenchments which protect Warsaw
and which General Won Hindenburg
has been trying to batter through for
three months. Other armies are again
preparing to meet a big Austro-Ger-
man force which is attempting to re-
gain Galicia and Bukowina, thereby
turning Grand Duke Nicholas left
wing.
To the eastward the Muscovite
troops are battling against the turks
in the Caucasus and Persia. They ap-
parently have inflicted another defeat
on the Turkish forces, for the Russian
official report says their opponents
are retreating to Tabriz, while unoffi-
cial dispatches state that the Russians
have reoccupied that city.
What is regarded as the most i'm
portant campaign, however, is that
which is developing in the Car
pathians, brought about by the Austro-
German offensive designed to drive
the Russians from Galicia and Buko-
wilma, thereby removing the menace of
an invasion of Hungary. The Austro-
Germans are said to have concentrated
not less than % army corps for this
venture. So far as can be gathered
from contradictory official reports, the
Russians have won preliminary sl1ir-
mishes in the western passes from
Dukla to Wyszkow, while to the east
they have been forced to retire before
superior forces. The battles which are
being fought in the snow are just COM
mencing, however, and many days
must pass before definite decision is
reached.
Battles in the west still consist of
local engagements, although the Ger
mans, who apparently are preparing
for an extensive offensive before the
Allies get their full strength into the
field, occasionally deliver rather more
serious attacks. These are scattered
all along the front from the sea to the
Swiss frontier, but always come back
to that portion Of the line which lies
between them and the French coast
towns.
Guinchy, for example, which the
British now hold after driving back
the Germans, who captured it on Mon
day, was attacked again Friday and,
according to British report, the Ger.
mans were repulsed. leaving 200 dead
in front of the trenches they sought to
capture.