October 10, 1914 
LAND AND WATER 
something toAvards achieving a decision at the moment 
of ■writing, are nearly four times as numerous in 
southern Pohmd as they are in that northern field 
■\\hich we have just been examining. We have, it is 
presumed in the official notices, fifteen or sixteen 
army corps, Austrian and German, drawn up to check, 
and if possible to throw back, the Eussian advance 
through south and central Poland. 
The general story of what has preceded the 
coming great action in the Galician field may be 
rapidly recalled. 
would take. They might elect to mass the whole 
Austro-German force (now presumably under one 
Prussian Commander-in-Chief) at a point where the 
three Empu'es meet, and there to await the Eussian 
shock, abandoning Cracow. At first, when it was 
discovered that entrenchments had been made just 
inside Eussian Poland, upon the line Kaliscz-Wielun- 
Czenstochowa, it was believed that some such plan was 
intended. A line of troops would stand upon the 
defensive to protect the river flank from being tiu'ned, 
and the big action would come behind, or to the west. 
• "«'^^ 
■6 
POSITION or TH» AUSTBIAN ABIinES IJT OAMCIA, AND THB LINB OF OIBMAN BEINTOBCSKE^TT FBOM TUB WEST. 
Eather more than a mouth ago, just as Yon 
Jvluck was approaching Paris, the Eussians broke up 
one of the t\\o great Austrian armies opposed to them 
in Southern Poland. They broke up the army round 
Lemberg, Ai-my 2, whereupon Army 1, immediately to 
the north of this, fell back. The Eussians advanced 
after securing Lemberg and its many munitions and 
their very numerous prisoners — some 60,000 — and 
their considerable captures in guns and material; 
they isolated Przemysl, occupied the Passes of the 
Carpathians behind that fortress, took Jaroslav, 
reached Debitza last week, and pro])Osed to advance 
the remaining week's march upon Cracow. Part of 
the defeated Austrian Ai-my No. 2 got itself shut 
np in Przemj'sl, but tlie remainder, together with 
Army No. 1, fell back before the Eussian advance, 
crossing the San river and the plains behind it, and 
making fur the Upper Vistula and for the neigh- 
bourhood of Cracow, perpetuaU}* retiring rapidly and 
avoiding a decision. Should the fortress of Cracow 
be liiasked and passed by the Eussians, Silesia would 
be open to Eussian attack aud a new phase of the 
campaign Avould begin with the invasion of the 
German Empire. 
^Meanwhile, large German bodies were being 
organised and sent eastward to help the Austrians in 
this .southern field, to check the Eussian advance and 
to save Silesia from the invasion that tln-eatencd it. 
For some time it was uncertain what form this 
German advance in reinforcement of the Austrians 
of Cracow. But what the Gennans have done in the 
last week shows that they and their Allies have no 
intention of fighting so far west, but rather propo.se 
to meet the enemy upon the line of the Upper Vistula 
below Cracow. Their troops have been located upon 
the line Pietrokow-Stopnitza, coming right down to 
the left bank of the Vistula at a point just north of 
Tamow, and the whole series of bodies along this line 
is moving southward. 
Such a disposition obviously calls a halt to the 
Eussian westerly advance along the main railway 
tlirough Galicia towards Cracow and Silesia. They 
had isolated Przemysl and taken the passes through 
the Carpathians, behind that fortress, nearly a fort- 
night ago. They had come up to a line ]mssing from 
Dukla through Krasuow to the main Lemberg-Cracow 
railway line ten days ago. Their vanguard had 
already reached and ptissed Debitza and was approach- 
ing Tamow when the nature of this German move was 
apparent. This move they must now face by looking 
no longer westward nor advancing further along the 
main railway towards Cracow and SUesia, but north- 
wards and westwards towards across the upper reflches 
of the river A^istula, in the neighbourhood of which 
the shock will come. They will have the advantage 
in this shock of a main railway, that from Lemberg to 
Cracow, immediately in the rear of their line, where 
the Austro-German forces will have one rather 
further back in the main line to Kielce, which is also 
the trunk line through Warsaw to 
Pctrograd 
