The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 1926.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 April 1926, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 1926.

A NOTvm.K PERSoS'AGk. Sbi-wtiox liy a camarilla of 1! ussian exiles of till? (Iralid Dtlkl? $, T icholak for f flic Czurship of their country, when | they can manage to turn out the Soviets and Republicans, draws attention, says an exchange, to a very striking figure of the Great War. At one moment, soon after the commencement, lie was the most striking, and hud his plans keen more lucky, or I icon soeonded hy ablet subordinates he would have huell the must striking of iill the figures engaged in the conflict. Tt was he who planned the Russinn campaign to meet- the German advance at the outset- of the war. He began by mobilising the Russian armies with unprecedented ra|)iditV. thus utterly upsetting the plans of the enemy; Rapid as liis mobilisation was, be -struck even ■ “more rapidly. Four armies on the left crushed the Austrians in a series of brilliant battles, got possession of Galicia. and one of them reached the passes of the Carpathians ready to descend on the Austrian capital- At the same time tilt l armies oil tiie right penetrated filr into Rust Prussia. overcame all the resistance there was of the German forces, and found themselves within a few days’ march of Berlin with very little to oppose them ; the main forces of (lei many being engaged in their swift rush for Paris. These successes gave rise to the legend of the Russian ‘•steam-roller,” which many believed would grind its way to Berlin! and Vienna, ending the war before the thick of the winter of 1914. But the enemy, having obtained time, assembled a mighty host for attack on the Russian lino, placing Austrian forces under German control; and at that moment the Russian munitions gave out hopelessly. Afaekensen leading this great host, provided with the greatest artillery equipment the world had up to that date ever seen in held war. broke the Russian line at Gorlice on the Donajec. and forced it- to general retreat. The Grand Duke’s conduct of that operation is one of the most remarkable in military history. It saved the Russian armies, half unarmed as they were, and sheltering them behind the great marshes of the Pripet, enabled Brusiloff to intake his brilliant advance, which looked so like a turning point of the war. But the Grand Duke was rewarded hy being deprived of the command and sent to the obscure command of the Caucasus. But now the exiles have called upon him to lead them whenever the right time comes, the world will lie reviewing his exploits of the war .and indulging hopefully some feeling of the gratitude which they ought to have manifested in and about the days of the “Russian Steam Roller.” In all probability the Grand Duke never will get a place on the throne of the Czars. But his place in history ought to he recognised nnd kept conspicuous, ' for he certainly diverted the strength >

of the enemy to the East at the most critical time in our affairs, and thereby very nearly won the war before 1915.