The Washington herald., 1916-07-03
AUSTRIAN ROUT
MAY DECIDE WAR
London Critics Do Not Believe
Armies Can Rally from
Blows of Russ.
BY JOHN l.. BALDEHsToN.

read n NAV be clear to the reader wha'
measure of success has attended Gen
BrussilotI's colossal offensive against the
Austrians, which. up to now has satn-
cred In nearly 200. 900 prisoners and IN ad'
dition probably killed and wounded go
600 enemies.
The break through the Austrian front
= the one topic of conversation In mill
tsry circles here. even to the exclusion
Of verdun- There are optimists who be-
ueve the present campaign IN Volhynia
and Galicia marks the turning point OF
the war, that the Russians will drive the
Austrians back across the Carpathians
and force them into a separate peace
Other critics think the Germans, after
an interval Of perhaps a few weeks, viii
BEGIN a great attack in the northern or
central sectors Of the eastern front with
the object Of saving their allies from
disaster.
Larger Than yerdun.
BrussiIof's attack, II Is pointed out
here, Is far larger than any operation
undertaken In the west since the trench
war began, larger even than the Ger
man attack on Verdun- The troops con-
cerned In the advance are believed to
number about 10000 under Brussilo on
against 10000 Austrians and about $1,000
Germans under Count Bothmer, the Arch
duke Joseph Ferdinand and Gen. Puhallo.
Something Ike 300 900 Austrian reserves
have reached Lemberg and the threat
ened railroad functions since the attack
began, but critics here are most skeptt-
cal about the ability Of Marshal Hinden-
burg to send help from the north.
The Austro-German forces in the
East are separated by the great Pripet
marshes. North Of this obstable, which
is one hundred miles of swamp where
lTnnnSSiblA.
Hindenburg is in command OF forty
eight infantry and ten cavalry divi-
sions, including the Twelfth Austrian
army corps, stationed near Slonim,
which presumably has rushed to the
rescue Of its compatriots. linden
burg's forces are holding front of
45O miles from Riga to the Pripet,
by the crown prince to fill the gaps
at verdun, SO the effective strength of
the Germans in Russia is rated in
London at not higher than a million
men. or about $4,000 rifles
where Opinion Varies.
Opinion varies as to whether the
Germans will try TO save Austria by
launching a counter-offensive with
these troops Of Hindenburg in the
north. or by bringing them south to
rally the retreating Austrtans. The
present campaign proves that the
Russians can beat the Austrians II no
German troops are present; 1t has
been so since the beginning Of the
war, and the fullest credit is given by
British military men to the Reserve
division of the Prussian Guard. and
other German formations, which as
usual held fast against all attacks on
the Styr and Strypa rivers, in the
center Of the Austrian lines, and pre-
vented an outer rout-
The main object OF the Russian at
tack Is to entrap all Of the Austians
armies below Lemberg by capturing
that great railroad center before the
Austrians can accomplish their retreat
At the worst, IL the advance Is tempo
rarily stopped by the arrival Of German
troops and by shortage of munitions. the
Russian will occupy vastly better posi-
tons than those to which they were driv
en- last autumn. and will have captured
many Of the railway lines between th'
Austro-Gerrnan army groups
Hold Austrians Crippled.
Many times during the war It has been
said that the Austrian armies were per-
manently crippled, and military men here
say so now with confidence despite their
previous mistakes. It will be quite I'M
possible, they say, to I'LL half a million
gaps in the ranks when there are no re-
serves, and as an offensive force the Aus
trian army need not be considered dur
ing the rest Of the war.
1t Is pointed out that each Of the great
powers in the war has now undertaken
at least one offensive on a grand scale
excepting England, which alone has been
forced to build up an army machine dur
ing the war. Germany. after the war Of
positions commenced. attacked at Verdun
and carried out with the Austrians the
great drive against Russia last summer;
austria has the Tretino offensive to her
credit; France attacked In the Artols
last spring and, simultaneously with the
Important but not great British attack
at Loos. IN Champagne last September.
These attacks reveal a fundamental diff
ference between the tactics Of the allies
and the central powers, and Russia by
her present offensive shows that she sides
with the French. The theory Of the
allies is that an attack should be made
along a wide front, to prevent the enemy
from guessing where the principal blow
is to fall and massing reserves to meet
It. The bloody check suffered by the
French north Of Arras last spring, when
they attacked on a narrow front, has led
them to abandon this form OF offensive
entirely. The Russian attack now in
progress commenced on a front Of 800
miles, and for several days the place
where the main blow would fall was left
in doubt.
Hold Surprise Impossible.
The Germans and their allies. on the
other hand, hold that surprise in modern
warfare is impossible, and prefer to at
tack on a narrow front with an over
whelming artillery fire. At Verdun, the
blow fell on a front OF only five miles,
while the Austrians when they attacked
the Italians in the mountains of the
Trentino launched their armies on a
seven-mile front, and the great break
through on the Dunajetz River in GaIicia
last June was accomplished on a front
of four miles
The usual rumors about a separate
peace with Austria are in circulation,
but are discounted IN informed circles.
1t Is pointed out that while no doubt
famine conditions prevail in parts of the
dual monarchy, Austria is bound up with
Berlin. and she cannot make peace II
she hopes to keep the Hapsburg dynasty
in power. Since IT Is the Hapsburg
dynasty which controls the empire 8
diplomacy. for peace to come about at
present an internal revolution must take
place The fact that Austria and Hungary
consider that Serbia Is extinct and the
country OF the Serbs belongs to them
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