Gunnison news-champion., 1915-08-06
FIRST YEAR OF THE
War IN THE EAST

The hrst twelvemonth of fghtin
between the Russians ON one side a.
the AustriaRs and Germans on
the other is . story Of great changes
u fortune. both combatants being re
peatedly driven back only to show
the greatest resiliency in defeat ami
soon to resume the offensive in q mosi
surprising manner.
The end Of the year. however. finds
the pendulSn swinging tr,ngiy
against the csar. He may recover
and take again the roads to Cracow.
Vienna and Berlin. but just at pres
ent he 10 on the whole In worse plight
started
Russia's losses In the first year of
the wsr are not approached by those
of any nation IN any war of history
According TO reliable estimates, she
has he'd between $500. 900 and 1900.
900 mon killed. injured and captured.
Despite these horrible gaps made in
her ranks. she still has millions in
the field. and her great reservoir of
personnel does not show signs of ex-
haustion. II 10 not men she lacks. but
guns, shells and brains
oasw - epsbil,ss.
On August 1, 1914. Germany de-
clared war on Russia Almost imme-
diately the Germans crossed the from
OF Lublin. They were practically IN.
opposed because of the slowness %
mobilization in Russia. The Grand
Duke Nicholas Nicholaievitch was
forced to gather his main armies wei.
to the rear OF the line of great fort
resses running through Kovno. Grod-
no. Ossowetz, Novo Geor gievsk, War.
saw and Ivangorod
On account OF his desire to do all
he could to relieve the French who
were being driven from northern
France by the amazing German rush
through Belgium. Nicholas attacke ed
sooner than he otherwise would have
done. As a result, he met two disas-
ters.
He sent General Samsonor into
East Prussia from the south and
General Rennenkampf into East Prus-
sia from the east, the latter winning
the hrst large engagement of the war
in the East at Gumbinen.
At this moment the Germans, be-
lisvinG that the French were well in
hand and about to be surrounded on
their eastern frontier. quickly with
drew 250.000 men from France and
hurled them by rail into East Prus-
sia, where they fell upon Samsono6
with crushing force in the great Ger
man victory of Tannenberg aug. 2s). i.
Meanwhile. the Austrians, leaving
only q few troope In Galicia to hold
back the Russians advancing frqN
struck the Russians en- masse at Kras-
MIX and routed them TO Lublin.
Msst Bloody Drive ~ War.
With two armies in dificulty, the
grand duke decided to abandon one
to its fate and save the other He
threw re-enforcements into Lublin
and ordered the line of the Gnila-
Lipa river be forced at any cost. In
one OF the most bloody drives of the
war the Russians advanced into east
ern Galicia and occupied Lemberg
The Russians then advanced to
Rawa Ruska and took the Austrian
armies in Poland in the rear, cutting
them up frightfully.
Meanwhile Won Hindenburg had
completed his victory over Samsonor
by turning on Rennenkampf and clear
ing East Prussia of Muscovites But
though Rennenkampf had been de-
feated and SamsonoH almost ami
hilated. the Germans.
The Russians were now as far west
as Tarnow in Galicia, while their
Cossacks were able to make raids into
Hungary farther south Hindenbure
concentrated a great force suddenly
IN Silesia and began drive from the
west against Warsaw and Ivan
yorod. The Siberian corps arrived
the nick of time to save Warsaw
rom the enemy
High Tide Of Russian Invasion.
Hindenburg then drew OF the north
I'm section of his army In Poland TO