The Year 1915 Illustrated/Autumn Campaign in the East

HE great German advance in the East in October of last year culminated in failure. Von Hindenburg's plan to capture Warsaw, so that he might use that great city for his winter quarters, was frustrated by the strategy of the Grand Duke Nicholas, who, retiring behind the Vistula and the San, drew the enemy on to within a few miles of the city and then delivered a crushing blow. Von Hindenburg was forced to retreat, but in doing so he devastated the country to such an extent that it was rendered almost impassable for the Russians in their pursuit.

The Grand Duke followed up his success against von Hindenburg by making another attempt to reach Cracow, the great objective of the autumn campaign in Galicia. Throughout November Dmitrieff pushed steadily on, supported by Ivanov, whilst Brussilov sought to hold the Carpathian passes. Wielitza, a suburb of Cracow, was occupied, and there was every prospect of the investment succeeding. Then came news on December 12th that an Austrian army had won the crest at Dukla Pass, the key to the Western Carpathians, and Dmitrieff was compelled to fall back to protect his flank. Later, the Austrians gained the Lupkow Pass, but their victory was short-lived, for reinforcements reached the Russians and by Christmas Day they were once more in possession of all the approaches to the Carpathian passes.

The second advance on Warsaw
We must now turn to von Hindenburg, who we last saw in retreat through Poland to the German frontier. Arrived once more to the line of his strategic railways, von Hindenburg shifted his forces northwards to the neighbourhood of Thorn, where he was able to link up with considerable reinforcements from East Prussia. It was from Thorn that he made his second advance on Warsaw. On 15th November he attacked with irresistible force the inferior army of Ruzsky, which he drove back steadily day by day until he succeeded in driving a wedge in its front between Lodz and Strykov. This put the Russians in a serious predicament and it looked as though Ruzsky's army was bound to be cut in twain. Had this happened, his left would have been doomed, as it was also being threatened from the south. At the critical moment reinforcements arrived, and on 24th and 25th November a great struggle ensued, the Russians endeavouring to squeeze the German wedge, which would have meant the capture of 60,000 men. Although the Germans escaped it was only after suffering very heavy losses. Even then von Hindenburg was not to be denied. He re-formed his army, after receiving new levies, occupied Lodz on 5th December, and for the next three weeks kept up his pressure on the Warsaw front with unceasing vigour. Desperate attempts were made to capture the city by Christmas Day, but the Russian army along the Bzura, with indomitable courage, flung back or annihilated the enemy as soon as he had crossed the river, and von Hindenburg at last realised that he was once again to fail.