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"MADE IN GERMANY."

PROGRESS OF THE WAR.

VOX BERNHARDFS STORY.

MISLEADING THE AMERICANS.

The London Times publishes a series of extraordinary articles which General von Bernhardt the famous German military write)-, has prepared for American consumption in tin; New York Sun. General von Jk'iihardi is host known as the author of "Germany and the Next War," which hist revealed to the public generally the character of German militarism, and glorified war not only as a good in itse'.f, but as a necessity for Germany in the pursuit of world-power. He recounts the history of the war from the German point of view, and represents the operations as an unbroken record of success for German and Austrian arms. His statement regarding the number of prisoners captured is very amusing. The following extract from the article deals ior the must part with the Eastern frontier.

The struggle or our Eastern frontier thus far has developed in a manner entirely different from that which the allies

have dreamt of, says General von liern-

I hardi. That our Eastern Army should : bo crushed by the rmses of the Russians ■ and that they should he able to undertake ! a triumphal march in Berlin has become a matter that never had to be considered ' seriously. Ou the contrary, they have been thrown back almost entirely into their own country ; only a very narrow ; strip of the border of East Prussia is in ; their possession. On the ether hand, they ] have been able to penetrate into Eastern i Galicia in Austria because the strategical , position made it necessary comparatively to wcake'i this wing of the army. At my rate, if one desires to bo able properly to judge the warlike conditions on the Eastern frontier one must realise from the beginning that Germany and Austria-Hungary were obliged to fight against an enormous numerical superiority, in view of the fact that Germany had her j chief forces on her Western frontier and that Austria-Hungary, the defensive forces of which in themselves were not developed in the same degree as those of Germany, l was obliged to utilise a great portion of j its power against Servia and Montenegro. The well-known slowness of Russian mobilisation and of the placing into position of Russian units enabled the Germans to permit exceedingly small forces I to hold the East, forces which, generally I speaking, were concentrated in East Prusj sia, where the first blow was expected. In j conformity with this expectation a strong j Russian Army entered into East Prussia I from the Nicmen, and in the neighbour- , hood of Gumbinnen met the inferior GerI man forces. According to their custom • ! the Russians dug themselves into the ! ground for a stubborn defence and the ', I Germans tried to turn them. During I these fights the German leader received l word that a second Russian army was " approaching from the Narew toward the ' southern border of East Prussia and was threatening the line of retreat of the 1 troops fighting in the neighbourhood of Gumbinnen. > Tanncnburg.

General von Hindenburg, who now assumed command on the German side, decided to permit very small forces to hold out against the Niemen Army and to attack with the main part, of his troops the Russian Army of the Narew. With the aid of the railroads he drew from the interior of the Empire some reinforcements of the second line and operated in sruch a manner that he succeeded in encircling from all sides the much superior Russian Army, while only one corps marched up to meet it in front. The German offensive was carried out with such quickness and daring that the Russians were never able to undertake suitable counter-measures. Some detachments of German troops marched up to 65 kilometres in a day and yet were able and flush to attack. Thi6 attack struck the Russians with annihilating force. Only separate parts of the army were enabled to withdraw. Not one part succeeded in breaking through. Thousands fell victims to the German projectiles. Thousands were forced into • the lakes and morasses in that neighbourhood, and whosoever did not perish there was captured, as were two commanding generals, while the commander-in-chief remained dead on the battlefield.

"A Ruthless Pursuit."

It was a defeat which in the history of warfare stands almost, isolated, an annihilation in the fullest sense of the word, for only weak remnants of the proud army were able to save themselves behind the sheltering Narew. The Germans, however, were spurred to new deeds by this victory Turning from the battlefield. Hindenbiirg, with all available means, now turned back against the Russian army of the Niemen, which, paralysed by a few German'cavalrymen and local troops, had not dared to undertake anything to help the other army, but had remained well within its entrenchments. It was now attacked in this position, which | was secured almost like a fortress. Again the battle, so far as the Germans were concerned, was intended to be an oncircling movement. The opponent, however, did not await the decision. The leader, General Renaenkampf, famous in Russia, evacuated the position as soon as he saw that his left flank had been turned, and started a precipitate retirement, which soon became a wild flight, when the German Commander-in-Chief began with ruthless energy to start the pursuit, which was carried out until man and horse were completely exhausted. Thousands and thousands fell victims to German gunshot wounds. Uncounted thousands were captured. Many guns and almost the entire army material of the Russians was lost. Eastern Prussia was liberated by one blow and the' victorious German fieldmarshal stood upon Russian soil.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19150511.2.113

Bibliographic details

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15914, 11 May 1915, Page 9

Word Count
937

"MADE IN GERMANY." New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15914, 11 May 1915, Page 9

"MADE IN GERMANY." New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15914, 11 May 1915, Page 9

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