November 14, 1914 
LAND AND WATEB 
taken by the Eussians at the beginning of last week, 
that point, still in Russian soil, marked but a slight 
advance. But since then the frontier has been crossed 
in front of the frontier station of Wirballen, and the 
Russian advance guards have reached Stalluponen. It 
is quite a short distance — less than a day's march — 
and we have yet to see how far it can be followed up. 
But it is significant for two reasons. First, because the 
German communiques have for some weeks past insisted 
upon the Russian attempt to take Wirballen -with its en- 
trenched positions, and upon the Russian failure in this 
attempt on the Gennan left flank. Secondly, because the 
advance is along that main line of railway which also 
marked the first abortive Russian invasion at the 
beginning of the war. Another two days' march on 
is Gumbiunen on the same line, about 25 miles 
from the frontier. Yet another two days' march 
forward is Insterburg — and all that country is not 
Polish, but distinctively German. We have yet to 
see how far the advance along this main fine of 
railway can continue, but every mile of it turns the 
general German line on this frontier, and goes thi-ough 
the more open country north of the lakes, avoiding 
that danger of marsh and fortified defiles in which 
the Russians suffered their great defeat of the end 
of August and early September. All along the rest 
of this frontier there appear to be but little changes. 
There is the usual pressure and counter-pressure in 
front of Lyck, but no indication of any permanent 
foothold here upon German soil. The same is true 
of the neighbom-hood of Bialla, and of the cavalry 
movement to the north of Mlawa along the second 
of the two railway lines which cut the south frontier 
of East Prussia. 
As to the short phrase about the forest of 
Eominten contained in the Russian communique of 
last Monday, it does indicate cavalry raids, perhaps, 
into the hunting grounds of the German Emperor, 
but as yet no occupation. In general, one may say 
that all along the horseshoe of this frontier there is 
now such pressure on the Germans that they ai-e 
slowly receding — but very slowly. 
B 
THE OPERATIONS AGAINST THE 
MAIN AUSTRO . GERMAN FORGES 
IN THE BASIN OF THE VISTULA 
AND THE SAN. 
WARSAW 
SAUcUmur 
N. 
PRX£Mr5t 
Miles 
XV 
Upon the main operations on a much larger 
Bcalc in South Poland we have equally detailed infor- 
mation. Tlie Russian advance lias throughout the 
week been consistent and rapid ; the cavalry following 
up the German retirement closely, and the prolonged 
Austrian resistance upon the San having now definitely 
broken down. There seems even a probability that a 
wedge may have been di-iven not, indeed, into the two 
halves of the main Austro-German force A — A (as at 
D), retiring upon the Vistula westward through 
Russian Poland — a breach which was thought possible 
last week (I said at the time we had no real evidence of 
it), but at C between these forces, as a whole, and the 
pm'ely Austrian group in Galicia. For while the mass 
of the retreating invaders is pressed along the lines 
marked A — A on the above map, the Austrian bodies, 
which have hung on rather too long to the line of the 
San, are evidently beliind or Eastward of the line of 
that retreat, in a position more like B — B, and 
advance bodies of the Russian pursuit have already 
reached C. Whether the Austrian bodies at B — B, 
which are falling back from the San, wiU be cut off — 
or any part of them — we cannot yet tell. They have 
the Carpathians behind them with roads and railways for 
crossing those mountains ; but they have only a few 
such opportunities for crossing through what will be, for 
such considerable forces, naiTow and congested defiles. 
If they attempt to pursue the course which plain 
strategy demands, to retire upon Cracow, and try to 
keep in line with the main Austro-German body A — A 
north of the Vistula, then their extreme Eastern 
contingents will have a very hard task set them to fall 
back with sufficient rapidity. The main Galiciau 
railway from Lemberg to Cracow is not available for 
this Eastern part of the Austrian host, and it is 
difficult to see how it can escape being cut off if it 
now, so late, attempts a Westward retu-ement upon 
Cracow. It looks as though the chances were for the 
following situation to develop : — 
For one extreme of the line B — ^B (the Western 
and Northern extreme) to fall back Westward, in 
touch with A — A, stand at Cracow and take part in 
the coming general battle which the Germans must 
deliver if they are to save Silesia ; while the other 
extreme, the Eastern and Southern one, will get back 
as best it can Southward across the Carpathians. In 
war never prophesy ; but that seems the more likely 
of the various developments open to the situation ; the 
division (at last !) of one of the enemy's lines and a 
full breach therein driven through Western Galicia. 
Having said so much let us consider in rather 
more detail the operations against, and the retirement 
of, the main Austro-German body through Russian 
Poland towards the German frontier. 
B (1) 
THE OPERATIONS TOWARDS THE 
FRONTIER BETWEEN RUSSIAN- 
POLAND AND SILESIA. 
When the German invaders were defeated in front 
of Warsaw three weeks ago, their line, which wag 
attempting to cross the middle Vistula at the points 
marked A A A A on the foUo-.ving map, was obviously 
turned, and they had to begin to fall back. The Austro- 
German forces thus falling back pivoted at first upon 
Sandomir. Their colleagues, indeed, beyond the Vistula 
and along the River San, hung on to that line of offence, 
but tlicy retreated (to the number of at least 800,000 
and perhapsa milHon) in a great sweeptowardsthe West. 
The marching wing of this swinging line successively 
abandoned Skieniewice and Lodz, and the country to 
the North of Lodz. A week ago the middle of that 
wing was still falling back from and evacuatmg 
Sdunskowola, relying everywhere for its retreat upon 
the main railway which passes through Kalisz and 
8* 
