WAR OF THE NATIONS 



6158 



WAR OF THE NATIONS 



In April, 1915, the Germans began a 

 offensive movement to capture Calais, on the 

 English Channel. Had they succeeded they 

 might have controlled that important 

 way. By the use of asphyxiating gas, then 

 used for the first time, they gained nearly three 

 miles. Two attacks on Ypres 



by the heroism of Canadian ivnimrnts. 

 was not threatened again until 1918. All 

 through the summer bitter trench fighting con- 

 tinued. All Western Belgium and Northeast- 

 ern France was a maze of trenches; at one 

 point on a line of twelve miles there were 200 

 miles of trenches. The French gradually crept 

 towards Lens, the most important coal mining 

 town in France, which was held by the Ger- 

 mans and was daily contributing to their needs. 

 The most important allied gain was the capture 

 of a vast underground fortress of steel and con- 

 crete, known as the Labyrinth, which the foe 

 had believed impregnable. It covered an area 

 of over two square miles. 



In September a tremendous drive was begun 

 by the British and French in Champagne, Ar- 

 tois and Belgium. The Germans were driven 

 back three miles, but the allies could not break 

 through. At the end of the year, however, it 

 was seen that the titanic effort of the preceding 

 months had wrested fifty square miles of terri- 

 tory from the invaders. 



On the Eastern Front. The Germans hoped 

 Russia would first attempt operations through 



REGION OF THE MAZURIAN LAKES 



Poland in the direction of Berlin. They could 

 easily strike from the north and south and 

 isolate Russia's finest army. However, Grand 

 Duke Nicholas himself attacked farther north, 

 in East Prussia, and far to the south, in Ga- 



licia. Von Hindenburg defeated the effort in 

 the north, gaining successes in the Mazurian 

 lakes region, but in the south the Slavs were 

 more fortunate. They advanced against the 

 Austrians, took the important city of Lemberg 

 on August 31, 1914, and began a siege of Prze- 

 mysl, which they captured, March 22, 1915, 

 after an investment of the town for seven 

 months. 



Von Hindenburg attacked in Poland and 

 reached within seven miles of Warsaw in Oc- 

 tober, 1914, when Nicholas turned him back 

 in a reverse so serious that he was unable at 

 once to go to the help of the Austrians in op- 

 posing a second invasion of Galicia. The Aus- 

 trians were slaughtered in the Carpathian 

 snows, and Cracow was threatened. Russia's 

 victorious army followed too far, and Von 

 Mackensen's Germans, by a marvelous feat at 

 arms, nearly annihilated the enemy. Again 

 Von Hindenburg struck in the direction of 

 Warsaw, but was checked by Nicholas, and a 

 deadlock ensued until the middle of 1915. 



The Austrians, with fresh troops in vast 

 numbers, tried conclusions again with the Rus- 

 sians in Galicia, and were badly defeated. The 

 latter were able to occupy all the important 

 Carpathian passes, and these they held until 

 June, 1915. At the end of 1914 Germany and 

 Austria-Hungary were on the defensive along 

 most of the eastern front. 



In 1915 disaster befell the Russians, largely 

 because of lack of munitions. It was later 

 known that high officials in the Empire were 

 criminally responsible for this condition. The 

 central powers massed powerful forces all along 

 the line, and gained much territory. Russia 

 was driven out of Galicia; it lost Lemberg; 

 Przemysl was again in Austro-Hungarian 

 hands; Warsaw capitulated to the invaders 

 early in August. In September Vilna was cap- 

 tured and Riga was threatened. Grand Duke 

 Nicholas was relieved of the Russian command 

 and transferred to the Caucasus, where he gave 

 a good account of himself. The czar assumed 

 nominal command on the east front, with Gen- 

 eral Russky as chief of staff. 



Russia's forces fought the Turks successfully 

 during the period covered by the above record, 

 clearing them out of the Caucasus and Opening 

 the way for further successes in 1916. 



The Dardanelles Campaign. Turkey could 

 not spare troops to assist Austria againat Rus- 

 sia, for the allies inaugurated a vigorous offen- 

 sive at the Dardanelles which required all its 

 power to resist. In December, 1914, a great 



