HEROIC RUSSIAN ARMY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15886, 6 April 1915, Page 9

HEROIC RUSSIAN ARMY.

RETREAT FROM PRUSSIA.

MAGNIFICENT FEAT OF ARMS. [from orn own cork km 1 indent ] l.ox.ios, .March 2. liming the la*t few days the Russians !.i\.- !vn haul pressed in East Prussia, i.'iii there is no gainsaying that the (lor m.'M.v scored ,i distinct success. General Jlnulei'bnrg's ..(Tensive move has, howr<..T. once more (time to a stop. 'Hie « .ii m.i i hum a Ihil,''' viitorv. They put lit. number of their prisoners at 100.000. ii. • -aid they had annihilated the 10th Russian Army, and the Kaiser himself v ..;. 'it-) his troops reoecupy l.yik Now we get the official Russian aci- Mints, and it is apparent that the Gerins. making use of their railways, suddenly launched an overwhelming force against the Russians in the Mazuiian Lakes, ihe Russians, decided to retire to the c. ,er of their own fortresses, and for line days they kept the Germans, who were in greatly superior force, at bay. I lie I'etrograd ofluial narrative says:— " In this movement the right wing of the Ttntli Army, pressed by great enemy forces and threatened with the envelopment of its right flank, was forced into a very lapid turning movement in the direction of Tovna. This rapid movement exiK>sed the flank of the following corps, which consequently found itself in an extremely difficult position and only isolated elements succeeded in escaping. "The other corps of the Tenth Army fell back slowly in the directions assigned to them, lighting stubbornly and incessantly, valiantly repulsing the enemy's attacks and inflicting upon, him heavy lo«ses. while all the time having to overcome the incredible difficulties caused by the deep snow winch blotted out all the leads. As the i ads were quite impassable, the motor transport vans could not move and the supply trains were delayed, often not reaching their destinations at all. lading bin slowly step bystep the ciups forming the left wing of the Tenth Army held off the enemy for nine days in a country which in ordinary circumstances can be traversed in four days.' Prisoners Brought In. The Petrograd correspondent of the London Morning Post declares that it is a!r?ady established that the corps which got left when the remainder of the army had retired has performed a heroic feat of arms which would almost reconcile the nation to the news even of its total loss. "In the first place," he writes, "this corps was not at full strength. It was the 20th Corps, consisting of one division, the 29th, and three regiments belonging to newer formations created since the wai began, the whole being tinder Corps Commander Lieutenant-General Bulgakov. "On the evening of Friday, the 12th, the pressure of German forces broke the connection of the 20th Corps with the remainder of the 10th Army at some point of the 28 miles lying between Goldap and Suwalki. The corps was surrounded by the German Army, which was continually increasing in numbers. Nevertheless, this luroic corps continued fighting in retreat, for nine days, till Sunday, the 2bt, during which time they covered 35 miles over a bad marching country and under wry trying climatic conditions, for snow fell" heavily for a couple of days during this retreat. In spite of the overwhelming numbers of Germans, the 20th Corps contrived to reach the shelter of the forests about Augustowo. The Germans never succeeded actually in cutting them off. though the country favoured a bold initiative of this kind. For example, the retreating corps had to pass a narrow lit. k of land between two lakes. Though fighting continuously on four front* the corps managed to bring away » number of German prisoners. The Germans pursued closely, and appear to hive readied within a 'few miles of the Niemen, near Grodno, in their attempts finally to rut off the retreat. Prisoners t-iken hv the oilier corps have admitted that the Twentieth Oops raiised very heavy losses to the overwhelming forces of the Germans. The first sui vivors who have reached their own lines report that the corps fought til! its ammunit ; on was exhausted. The artilierv has all come h->ck, which is proof enough of an orderly re treat, seeing that the traditions of the Russian Army are tint the aitillerv with a retreating force must -a. rili•.- itself utterly to save the infantry. Voting short of the exhaustion of ammunUimi can justify the safety under sic !i 'in timstanees of an entiie hiiuadi- ..f artillery. ' One Against Five. Tn further explanation of these military operations, the London Times lornspondoit .it I'etro.-rad tables :-- "The enemy's extreme left apparently h -an operations bv succinic fa-' of 'lil-«t vithin the rune here described l.v the <~urse ~f the V" men. and threaten!'! ' to turn the whole of the Russian position. Meanwhile the whole of the German force s.Hx.-in. im» '<"'"-.' the front from Til-it to l.i k hurled itself a-.-ainst the Russians. The (iu'litiiu assumed the sanguinary , l,ai,„ter already noted oil the Nzura and I in- Rawka, the enemy coming on in 'lose I'm Illations and being'mown down wholesale. The Russian wing ««rps holding the .-■lion between Oumininen and Tilsit under the threat of a Hanking movement from tin- north .-.mid evade it only by antici|i.iting tin- em my. Hei ce ensued the ' veiv hull i.. I ieti-Ht ' in the <liie< tioll ..I Kom'.o Thereupon the eueinv coll \erged .oross the railway, and attacked in nvri-rthellii a- number*' the flank of the iGikelnni ii coil'-, «lii' Ii «'as already hard pre,«.d li, in the vest, line division of 111-, .-ii., hid to liihl airaoi-t five times it- uiiiniKi. and 't.- -in c-sful withdrawal I . the |H-itio>is :l ind been ordered to ii.. iinv is ~._-,, i •!•• i .-■ one of the most <i. !,table exploit- of tie Hn.-s an Army. ■ Hut it «as a.'a ; the remain;!'-.' two corps that the ei.eiiiv- '.-realest efforts were exerted. Fnm t!ie officiil report it is evident that laiv'e columns of the enemy appeared <ni their flanks, theateniilg to surround them from the direction of Suwalki and Graieuo. Roth corps succeeded in retreating throuuh Aui'iistown. Her- in the forest fastnesses, amid deep snow, thev fought for nine days, and. as the official account says, inflicted severe losses on the < nemy. Trulv a wonderful record of staunchness and fortitude."