The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-01

without its host MobiIizing with sur prising promptness, Russia succeeded in throwing into East Prussia two large armies, one under General Rennen- kampff, the other under General Sam sonoff They broke through all oppo- sition on the frontier and advanced un- checked straight toward the heart Of Prussia. The German general In charge of the eastern frontier shut himself up in Konigsberg. badly scared, leay- ing the province at the mercy of the invaders. Over the roads leading west ward thousands of frightened peasants streamed
 7 Then those in the seats of the mighty at Berlin bethought themselves of an old. grouchy, retired general living at Hanover, named Hindenburg, who had been boring people for years by inces sant talk about the lake region of East Prussia. which he considered splen- did ,bulwark of defense against Rus sian onslaught.
 They sent for him and asked him to take charge of the defense against Samsonoff and Rennenkampff One Ludendorff. who, had. entered Belgium with the invading German army, was assigned to Hindenburg at his request, as chief of staff.
 Within a few days after he had been snatched from his grumbling life at Hanover Hindenburg lured Samsonoff into a trap at Tannenberg and cut his army to pieces, Thousands drowned in the lakes of the region. Rhe total of prisoners, it Is said, ran almost to 100, 900.
 With Samsonoff done for. Hinden- burg turned on Rennenkampff, but that Russian chieftan saw light just in time and raced for the frontier as fast as he could move. Hindenburg caught him at Lyck,, routed him. and cap tured so.000 of his men. but Rennen- kampff escaped with good part Of his forces Tannenberg and Lyck close the tale of the second grand reversal of the world war.
 A MIGHTY, SWAYING DRAMA
 The third and fourth also were staged on the eastern front. Beginning well for the Russians, they. too, ended in s smashing defeat for them.
 We must go back again to the first month of the war. Sweeping out of Rus sia. the armies of Brusiloff and Russky, under the supreme leadership of the Grand Duke Nicholas, scattered the Aus trians like chaff before them. and, hav- ing won brilliant victories at Rawa Rus ka and Lemberg. poured into Galicia and met no obstacle worthy of the name diilll lAoy IcaCnCQ tic olIOIlS loTlTtbs of Przemysl, where an Austrian garrison of more than 10000 men under General Von Kusmanek barred their way.
 Led by Raoko Dimitrieff, a Bulgarian hero of the Balkan wars, who had of- fered his sword to Russia, and the aged Russian Selivanov. the Czar's men pressed the siege with vigor, until, ip March. 1915, Kusmanek and the entire garrison capitulated.
 From Przemysl the victorious Russians surged forward to the very crests of the Carpathians. whence they looked down upon the< or-stricken plains of Hun gary: and, further north, they moved toward Cracow, the holy city of Poland. whose fall seemed certainty.
 But while they were marching tri- umphly forward another transformation so dramatic in it's suddenness as to vie with the Marne itself, had been quietly prepared. Germans and Austrians con centrated with swiftness and secrecy upon the Dunajec river, short distance east of Cracow.
 Won Mackensen. their leader, placed Along his lines mass of artillery such as had never been seen up to then in any military operation. On May l, 1915, he struck Radko Dimitrieff with cyclonic force Most of the Russians in his front were simply obliterated. Those who were left could only fall back. fighting des- perately, in search of another line of defense in the rear.
 In the meantime Brusloff. on the crests of the Carpathians. to the south of where Mackensen had broken through, was in serious danger of being cut off and captured with all his men. But the Russian, who already had won distinc- ton and year later was to earn a place among the most remarkable lead CTS of the war, extricated himself from his predicament with extraordinary skill, marching his men day and night. fight ing at every step, until at last he got his sorely pressed troops back to the main body.
 well in this operation was Korniloff also destined for leadership of later events. who cut his way out of trap laid for him by Mackensen with in- domitable courage and resourcefulness.
 But Mackensen had dealt Russia a terrible blow on the Dunajec. Despite desperate bravery, the Russians could not head him off Przemysl was recap 'tured by the enemy; Lemberg soon shared It's fate. Then Mackensen wheeled northward. and Hindenburg. the great girdle of fortresses which pro- tec.sd the Polish frontier of Russia, suddenly bestirred himself
 Fortress after fortress fell to him soon Warsaw. Poland's capital. was in German hands
 Still fighting 1magnificently, the Grand Duke Nicholas soldiers were forced eastward. Brest- -Litoysk fell. Wilma opened it's gates to the invaders, who claimed 1.1OO.00O prisoners. thousands of guns and fabulous quantities of stores. when, at last. the freezing Russian vim ter closed down upon them and put It's veto. on further fighting.
 GERMANY'S REyERSES
 Whereupen5 fortune made anothlr rightslyout face The Germans. who had begun to think that nothing bu. victory lay in store for them on the