Great Battle Between Germans and Russians.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 10 March 1915, Page 2

Great Battle Between Germans and Russians.

VON HINDENBERG DESCRIBES HOW HE WON. (Xew York Sun.) German Army Headquarters, Poseu, December 19. "Even tho occupation of Warsaw and of the Vistula lino would be no means signify tho end of tho campaign. The Russians, with their immense territories, can fall back indefinitely. Defeated, at Warsaw, they can fall back on Kiev, from Kiev on Moscow, and eventually even on Vladivostock. Of course, we cannot follow that far." Thus spoke Germany's popular hero, Field-Marshal von Hinden'bnrg, to this Associated .Press in the courM} of a four-hour conversation to-day. Hβ oxn'ained how the mid-winter Poland campaign in which the Russian advancsF , * was chocked and rolled back had tnvol\od frightful blood-letting. Never in the days of the battle -it TniiMcnbeig and the retreat of Goneral liennonkampf's army from the Maaurian lakes, did the Russians lose .»o heavily as in the sanguinary fighting around Wloclawek, Kutno, Lodz and L-owiez, said the field-marshal. Ho added that at least 140,000 Russians had been killed or wounded since November 18. and that 110,000 other Russians had been made prisoners. The contest, according to von Hindenburg, ha 1 been proceeding everywhere favorably to the Germans and Auetrians .since the. fall of Lodz and the commencement'of the Russian retreat. Yet Field-Marshal von Hindenburg declared that all the fight Had not been taken out of the Russians.

So large of frame is the field-marshal that he seemed under, instead of over, the average height. He has a large liead and rugged shoulders and wears a heavy sweeping moustache, less -aggressive in curve than the emperor's, be equally characteristic. The Associated Press correspondent Jined with von Hindenburg, and during the meal the conversation was informal i.'ii- care of the army leader seemingly having iteen forgotten. In the workroom of von Hindeni)iirg was a staff map of Poland, overflowing from the table on all sides Lo the floor. The interviewer, with effort, howover, turned the conversation from the United States to the war. Von Hindenburg said that while the situation was very favourable there was not much. to justify the extravagant hopes based on the announcement of the collapse of the Russian offensive. "The Russians are tough opponets and are not easily brought into motion," ho said. "They Have prepared a long series of positions. All the wa-y Iroin Lodz to the Vistula they are falling back slowly, with all the advantage of position on their side. Yet I think they are hardly able to oring on many more troops of quality to oppose us.

"To raise Army Corps on this front the Far East and the Caucasus have )een stripped of regular troops, and iindrilled militia, good only for guarding communications and other services ire in t'le rear. Asked as to the fighting qualities ot ihc Siberians, von Himlenburg eaid it was hard to inaJke a general statement in this respect, as tlie quality of the .noil varied with the different races and nationalities. Some of these, lie said .urnished inferior lighting men, but the .eat ltussians were of excellent material. Answering another question, VOtt iiinderburg said. '•The fall of Lodz was the turning t oint in the present campaign. The itussians fought desperately for possession of the city, on which the centreu'i their line rested. The Russian liue was bent not broken in this battle. The Russian killed and wounded far exceeded the figures at Tennenberg. The dead lay in heaps on the battlefield. There were 878 bodies on one small hill." The mention of Tennenberg evoked die comment that little was known of this, great battle. Von Hindenburg i hen took a pencil and. paper and drew a rough sketch map of the battle. "Our army." he said, "was drawn up to the north of the Alazurian lakes region here." Then he sketched the iia.st Prussian frontier and the position of the troops to the north and south of the line: "When 1 took command," the fieldmarshal continued, "the order already had been given to retire. The Russian army under Samsonoff had moved in here (indicating a. line at right angie to the German line). 1 withdrew our troops before Rennenkampt's army and swung them around to the right and rear in this fashion. The corps from the extreme left 1 sent round by the railroad, the other had come by forced marches. "Had Rennonkainpf followed, we should have had to turn and face him l?ut he did not move from his entrenchments, and so we inarched in hero (drawing a series of arrows in a circle which pointed towards the doomed Samson ;! i until we had them voitt:.pletely :ii rounded. Without Renrienkaiiipf'* Inaction there would have been no Tentii'iiborg. ■■Is it line that so many thousands ot Kus.iaiis perished in the Maaunan lake swamps?" von Hindenberg tbs asked. 'Wot at all," came the .reply, that destroy, d another cherished legend of llio war. "There are no swamps ill Teniien!).'!'--; into which we might have driven tin- Russians, whose losses were chiefly in prisoners taken."

The cniiversatiott ran a wide rangi <>f topics. The field-marshal talked o the changed tactic of the cavalry, t< whom he said he would give bayonets of the bravery of his Austrian ally; o the clothes-basket full of letter he re ceived daily, some of them from tin United States, and, with special amuse mont, of the uuntity of gifts that wer< being forwarded to him.

To-day ho ivceived 5000 pints of beer tor his personal use, 1000 cigars (lie does not smoke) an immense cake, wliicli was brought in during the dinner, and which bore in icing an advertisement of a ladies' blouse which had been named in his honour.

At 10 o'clock the field-marshal excused himself and went into his office with his chief of staff tor the nightly consultation.