The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-10-16

but an attack over the Pilica In
north-south direction was not to be
thought Of as the troops protecting
its rightlflank were giving way.
The nth A. C. was moved by forced
marches to the region northeast OF
Lodz to support the left wing of Mack
ensen's group.
The situation had entirely changed
owing to the Austrian army having
retired from Ivangorod to Radon. a
strong forward movement on the whoie
Of the vistula front was to be expected
from the enemy. We doubted whether
the Austrian troops would be able TO
resist them South OF the Vistuia, too,
the Austrian position had become In
creasingly critical.
PUTS BLAME ON AUSTRIANS
All hope of a favorable decision by
! force of arms had finally vanished.
| If the Ninth army stood where 1t was
il would ultimately be surrounded and
defeated The destruction of the Aus
trian army would then follow as mat
ter of course. The Ninth army had to
be withdrawn in order to be able to
operate again. 1t was clear that this
movement would affect the Austrian
troops, but the Russian attacks would
have compelled them to retire in any
case.
The subsequent Austro-Hungarian
claim that their army had retired be-
cause the Ninth army was Withdrawn
Is both true and untrue. 1t concenis
the fact That the retirement OF the
Ninth army was solely due to the
breakdown OF the Austrian army, which
had fought so calamity mt the begin
ming OF the war, hut had not yet re-
covered from the effects of the battle
of LemberG.
The order for the retreat, which had
entered the sphere of probability for
! some time, was issued on the eth. The
situation was highly critical. The OPP
erations in October had gained us time,
but had not been successful We had
now to expect that very crisis-the
probable invasion of Posen, Silesia and
Moravia by Russian armies in superior
force-which should have been pre-
vented by our concentration and ad-
vance in Upper Silesia at the end OF
September
FIRST STRATEGIC RETREAT
The general lines of the retirement
were already familiar to the German
troops They had been instructed over
and over again to send everything they
could do without to the rear. On the
whole this had been done. though mere
and there there was more in the front
lines than there should have been. The
problem of getting our heavy trans
port over the bad roads gave me the
acutest anxiety.
The retirement was to be carried out
in a direct westerly direction II pos
sible, thereby escaping the enemy's en-
veloping movement.
On the whole, our "strateEic retreat"
as 1t was christened by the soldiers.
was carried out according to plan and
In perfect order. The countrywide was
spared. This retreat will be for all
time an example Of safe and humane
warfare.
THO Guard Reserve corns had a hard
time of it on the right wing. for the
resistance of the Austrian First army
was crumbling steadily, and it kept
yielding to the enemys frontal at
lacks
The Austrian armies retired on both
sides of the Vistula till they were on
level with Cracow, and part of their
forces found themselves right in the
Carpathians southwest of Przemysl
RETIRE TO GERMAN FRONTIER
OF the Ninth army the following units
had to retreat:
The Guard r. c.. Goth A. C. and
Landwehr corps-past the Kielct-To-
massov line half way to the Cracow-
Czestochova line north OF Czestochova.
The 18th A. G. and General From
mers corps-past the Petrikov-Lodz
line, and joined hands with the Land
wehr corps at Wielun.
Positions had been prepared round
Czestochova and Wielun.
The 18th A. c., which withdrew
southwest of SieradZ
(These positions were all within 20
miles of the German frontier)
Between the rivers Prosna and Warta
the Fifth cavalry division, which had
come from the western front the Eighth
cavalry division and the Seventh Aus
trian cavalry division were concentrat-
ing under General Won Fommel. who
gave up his commasd of the 35th Re
serve division, and Count Won Bredow's
Iandwehr division.
The I.andsturm formations went back
70 the Kalisz- Wreschen-Thorn line.
(Wreschen was across the German
frontier)
The Russians followed at full
strength. They also attacked us very
heavily in East Prussia and near
Mlawa. The position became very Sc
rious. We longed for an opportunity
Of resumine the offensive. but with
the Austrian army so near such an OPP
Grafton would have been hazardous.
and in any case. the offensive could
only have ben a frontal attack We
should only have failed.
PLANS ATTACK TO THE NORTH
a great decision had now TO be taken.