THE RUSSIAN WINTER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 7, 8 January 1916, Page 8

THE RUSSIAN WINTER.

TERRIBLE. PROSPECTS FOR GERMAN TROOPS. MASSHES AS nEATH TRAPS. Lord Kitchener said recently that the Germans had "nearly shot their bolt" in the Eaet, and Tecent events along the Russian, front suggest that Britain's greatest eoldier knew what' he was talking about when he made this statement, although, some of hie English critics insinuated that he did not. There are many signs that indicate that the German offensive in the East is nearly spent and that the Germans -will soon be in the position of desperately hanging on to the positions they have won instead of contemplating fresh offensives. This week, for the first time since the beginning of the!great .German offensive,-the Russians have been enabled to report succeseea on every sector of the long front, and in two instances the enemy's front line was pierced and important trenches taken. East week one of the Czar's most trusted commanders, General Brusilo'ff, announced that the Russian army is once more a splendidly equipped fighting' force, well fed and clothed, with ample. . munitions, and splendid .in morale, eager to advance'and crush the hated foe. And the general added that when that moment came the ultimate victory of the Czar'e troops i was certain.

.The Germans seem to have relinquished, for the time being, at all events, their attempts to force a definite conclusion in the East. The force of their terrific offensive against the Russians has expended itself fruitlessly without definite results. The Russian ; armies have managed to elude the persistent • attempts to. break,' shatter, or encircle them. X6w.it looks.as though the Germans are preparing to obtain a definite result • in'the West or the Bal-. kans, confining themselves to holding their positions in Russia, and particularly on the Dvina, for a new offensive there in the spring.. Of the 170 divisions of infantry comprising the German amiies in the field, something like 110 are facing the Allies in the West, 10 are engaged in the invasion of Servia, and 50 remain on the Russian-front, m addition- to 40 Austro-Hungarian infantry divisions and the Austro-German cavalry, or another 23 divisions. Furthermore, another 10 Austro-Hunganan infantry divisions are probably south oi the Danube. The Germane continue to eend troops from this front to the V est, and what, perhaps. V more important, they are transferring thither some of their heavy guns; in other words depriving themselves, temporarily at least, of the ver'v arm which enabled them to march from the Donajee to the Dvma.

Dvina. . . \ winters trench warfare in Kussia is a -loomy outlook for the German beadquarters staff, and a horrible prospect for the German troops, who will have to endure the terrible discomforts of a Kuesian winter in the trenches. The greatest enemy of the Germans on the eastern, frwit-the frost-is already setting in in Russia. According to news from that front the German army is again unprepared -for the winter. It » proba'WS tl&'t they didi-hot-expectlast sum- r mcr that the war would last so long, just as they did not expect at the, beginning of the war that they would be impelled to fight laet winter. The winter conditions of the year will be still worse, as winter in, Lithuania and Ruthania i» much more severe than it is hi Poland. There is also further B ood news from the-front. The Germane in their most important section around Dvinsk and Kiga, are beinff compelled to suspend their fierce attacks on account of the lack of ammunition. The shortness of ammunition is due to the splendid work of the British submarines ;in the Baltic, which prevents supplies cowing by eea, while the railways are not sufficient, and the roads are very bad. ; A well-known military authority, M. Waclaw' Czenuewski, points out ;in the "Pall Mall Gazette," that the Russian front in Eastern Galicia plays an important part, as here the Russians link up with -.Rumania. Russia is, such a vast Empire that she can afford to offer them Bessarabia, while Austro-Hungafy will n'ev.'er agree to: give up' Transylyaiua and Bukowina, which sacrifice,'in-the" opinion of the Austrian people, .would mean a lost war.for them, taking into consideration the size of these :two-provinces" ass compared with, the entire area of their empire. The.-Rumanians realise that if their natural enemy,-Austria, who'has in view the possession of the . Black' Sea coast; will-make such an, offer, for Rumanian help, it would mean:that, in a

case".of '■ successful ■ war,"/ Austria would turn. aj»inst Kumahia under any.pretext to-recover more than she gave up before. The most important question for Ru-mania,-as-for Greece,- is what forces the Entente Powers will dispatch., to the Balkans. Russia "will probably take a more: active part than ; the" others Allies. She. is nearer, she is , more vitally, interested in the-Balkans than any other Fntente Power efeept Italy, perhaps, and she can spare more men. than the others. In. the opinion; of .the same 'writer the Russians are justly enraged against the Bulgarians. The. general opinion in Kussia is that, as they: actually created {.lie Bulgarian State, they are entitled to destroy it, and nothing would now. .save the: Bulgarians except a. revolution' of the people against King;Ferdniriand and his "Government; "otherwise Russia .will make severy 'effort in ""her.; power "to dismember the :Bulgar.ian kingdom and to divide their - land between -the other States. " ;■...• According to the " Voseische Zcitung , ; Russ?a has-been-collecting large masses of trooDs betweenOdessa.,nad Sebas'topol,.and,' according to'the later n«wsjof the "Berliner Tageblatt' and nen-3 from the Eumanian ; coast, a; Russiin evpediiion .of•: 100;000. men,is beingllantled.' 5 n Bulgaria. As soon as the Russians tstaj»-lishtheir-footinfr on Bulfraria's Black Sea cpsstiitwillbepoisible for them. £o provide further drafts of ' still forces. ' Russia's energetic sten3 hare made; a., deep, impression on Rumaniawho will be able to attack the AushUns' wrthont fear of a Bulgaro-Xurkish army in her rear ■ • ■ -; i