The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-24
Thirty Thousand Men Killed or Wounded by Germans and 60,0O0 Were Taken Prisoners
REMNANTS OF BIG ARMY HELPLESS TO
 OPERATE FURTHER
Most Decisive Victory of Whole War Scored by
 Germans in East Prussia. Russian Route Complete

Suwalki, Poland, February 20.
 (via Berlin and London, February 23, 4:50 D. m.)-The German forces under
 Field Marshal von Hindenburg, by hard fighting and extraordinary
 marches, inflicted such striking de- feat on the Russians opposed to them
 in the recent battle of the Mazlrian lakes country that the Russian rem
 nants are a negligible quantity in the operations now in progress. The Rus sian killed and wounded in the four days fighting are estimated at 30,O0O
 men.
 Over 6O,0OO Russians out of total of 150,000 engaged are prisoners in German hands.
 The fighting has been described as the February campaign in East Prussia
 and north Poland, and it is regarded
 here as second Tannenberg
 The Russians, composing the Tenth
 army, were commanded by General
 Sievers. By a skillful use of the railroads
 at his disposal and by the sacrifice
 at times of entire battalions In order to
 bring off few guns, he succeeded in
 saving a greater part of his artillery,
 but no fewer than 6O0Oo of his 15o, ,OO0 men are already counted among the Ger
 man prisoners, while the Russian killed and wounded in the four days battle and the subsequent fights are estimated
 at 5000 men.
 K Artillery Heard
 ton the streets of Suwalld there could olh heard yesterday and today the sound pf artillery from a swampy region to the southeast, where an isolated Russian division, perhaps 10000 men strong, has
 been completely surrounded, but is still offering resistance. Several thousand more Russians probably still remain in small scattered bands or are wandering as stragglers within the ring which the German troops have now closed around the woods and swamps between Suwalli Augustowo and the German frontier, but ,the capture of these wanderers is ex- pected here and is regarded as merely an incident in a campaign to which the great success Is called only the prelude. It is not believed among German mill itary men at Suwalki that General Siev- CTS will be able to bring one-ffth of his troops safely behind the fortress at Grodno-a safety which may not be of long duration.
 The above statement may seem to be exaggerated, but a correspondent of the Associated Press, motoring along the line of Ina RIfa auia in snow and through desolate and swampy country, gained an impression of complete defeat and demoralzation, which scarcely can be conveyed in words Abandoned guns and automobiles; wrecked and overturned wagons sledges and ammunition caissons encumbered the way. Rifles. blankets, knapsacks and other equipment had been thrown away by the fleeing soldiers Dead horses and an occasional fallen soldier were everywhere along the roadside. Numbers Surrender At street corners in Suwall1i, Angus towo, Lyck and other towns are great heaps of abandoned rifles and bayonets. Large bands of Russian prisoners, many of whom surrendered without firing a shot, were encountered along the way. The Russians in retreat seem to have | had only time enough to burn the houses on the German side of the frontier and destroy the live stock where they were unable to drive away. This they did so Thoroughly that in the 17-mile ride from l Lyck to the frontier village of Prostken, for example. only one house with a roof on it was seen. The Russian part of Prostken and the Russian villages be- yond had not been touched.
 : The first phase of the campaign-the phase resulting in the destruction of the Russian northern army-may be compared to g gigantic rabbit drive, or surround, in which men were the prey While the attention of the Russians Twas concentrated on the Warsaw line kField Marshal von Hindenburg quietly {assembled an overwhelming force in East Prussia behind the Mazurian
 (Continued on Page TeA.s