The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1915. THE CAPTURE OF PRZEMYSL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 70, 23 March 1915, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 1915. THE CAPTURE OF PRZEMYSL.

For the oavse that lack* assistance, for the wrong that needs resistance, ■For the future in the distance, And the good that toe can da.

The announcement of the capture of Przemysl by the Russians is in many ways a very important piece of news. This strong fortress was constructed in the first place to cover four or five of the mountain passes which lead from Galieia across the Carpathians southward, and'thus give direct access to the great Hungarian plain. But Przemysl had another duty to perform in this war. It lies between Lemberg and Cracow, close to the main railway which runs due westward toward the German frontier; and while it. was held by an Austro-Germaji force, the Russians could not without eerious risk make good their advance upon Cracow, or threaten to invade Germany by way of Silesia.

To secure a practicallr uninterrupted advance upon Silesia, it was necessary for the Russians to capture Lemberg. Przemysl, and Cracow, or to "mask" them in succession. Leniber" fell into the hands of tho Russians early in the war; in fact, its capture was the climax of the openinjr campaign, marked by three crushing defeats inflicted on the Austrians by Rueeia. But till Przemysl was also taken, no definite progres3 could be made toward the invasion of Germany; and for that reason great military interest has been concentrated on the siege of this city, both by the Russians and their opponents, during the past three months.

It must be remembered ttiat the ftn3t siege iol Przemyts] ended, comparatively speaking, in_ a reverse for the Russians. During tilie frnst fortnight in September the Riuiasun ■southern armies wliklh had 'mobilieed with entirely unexpected rapidity, wor? strong enough to make vigorous counter-attacks upon the Aub-tri-ans, and to seize Jarct?lav, a strong fortress commanding tr.e roatl to Przemysl. General Dimitrjeff, the Bulgarian soldier, who had won a worldwide reputation in fhe Balkan waro, was now in the Rui-sian eeryice, and to lα'm was entrusted the task of reducing Przemysl and opening the road to Craoow. He pressed jhie advance w'.th grext vig>cmr, and remembeTing that L?mb Tg had held out only a week and Jarosliv only thiree diaya, the Russians beiieved that they would soon beat down the defence hare. But at this opportune moment came "the of the German invasion of Poland, and the Russians, driven back upon Warsaw and the line of the Vistula, wer c forced to withdraw their troops for the time from this part of Galicia. Before this happened the fall of Przemysl was said to be imminent. "" It was on the eve of capture, it was on fire, most of the forts were taken, the garrison was driven to the inner defences "—^and

so on. As a matter of fact, considering I its size, the stronghold was inadequately garrisoned. Ite defenders numbered only 30,000 men during the first siege. When 1 Jaroslav, a fortress - reputed to "be stronger than Liege, was taken, the garrison of Przemysl was put on reduced rations, and most of the civil population were expelled, to save .provisions. There was an enormous quantity of ammunition in the place; thousands of workers were compelled to assist in strengthening the fortifications, and while the siege lasted.' the Russians made little impression upon the defence. But during the thirS week in October the pressure of the German advance toward Warsaw compelled the Russians to raise the siege. They abandoned Jaroslav, and retired from before Przenjysl to Sandomir, at the junction of the San and the Vistula, deferring further operations in Galicia till Poland should he cleared of the enemy. • There were scenes of great Tejoieing in Przemyel wfhen General! yon Kusmanek .marcSh-ed in with the rplrpving army, and .proceeded to reviotual the city. Within a. weele Przemyel was Teady to face a diege again oindcr greatly improved conditions, and the necessity soon airose. F-ot ■with the collapse of yon Hindenburg's bold invasion of Poland and the retreat ■of ilite Germans to their own border, tte Russians once more •overran Galicia. and Plzemyel again found itself "ringed about with sword and flame." The A-ueWam fOTces were compelled to retire as the Germans retreated, and in their anxiety .to keep in touch ivith their allies, they ihield 'on to their Galician firont 4qo kmg, the result being that--they suffered eevere lossee before thy finally withdrew into the CaTpa-thiajjs, leaving the Ruemans once nrore to invest Przemyel at tiheir leisure. Once more Dimitrieff and his colleagues drew .their toils round the doomed city j but "this time it was better prepared for fehe ordeal. Indeed so resolute was its resistance that military experts in the West began, to conjecture that the defenders must have profited by the -experience o# Verdun —that is, by* prolonging their erat/renctaients and using mobile batteries tiiey were keeping their assailants at a distance from the fixed fortifications and rendering the i heavy siege artillery of little use- But though Przemysl did not succumb easily, it has yielded at last, and its capture .marks a further definite step in the' progress of the war in the eastern theatre.- For the Russians can now utilise for other purposes the large army that-has been investing Przemysl; they can press their advance into Hungary

through the Carpathian passes which Pzremysl covers, without needing to consider this menace to their communications in their rear; and they can use the main Galician railway line without further let or hindrance for a direct advance upon Cracow, the last barrier that holds them off from the valley of the Oder and the Silesian frontier. From every point of view, strategically considered, the capture of Przemysl is a great achievement, and it is likely to exercise far-reaching influence on the future course of the war.