Russia

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 308, 29 December 1914, Page 5

Russia

1 THE PROMISE OF PEACE. WHAT THE CAPTURE OF WARSAW WOULD MEAN! TllaSH AND HYDNJRV Sl'N SbKVIOM. (Received 8.0 a.in.) London, December 28. A Russian correspondent at the front says: The Germans have sent the best of their fighting men and material in France to the Vistula, promising them peace would follow the capture of Warsaw. The Germans believed the taking of Warsaw would compel Russia to conclude separate peace. The Kaiser hypnotised the soldiers with the idea to enter Warsaw by Christmas, and every possible means were utilised to force an entrance. In the fruitless attempts to reach the city, aviators even dropped proclamations promising the Poles freedom if they abstained from hostilities.

RUSSIAN REPORTS RELIABLE.

United Press Association. (Received 8.30 a.m.) London, December 28. The Morning Post’s Petrograd cev respondent says: The disposition prevalent in England to believe that Russia is concealing reports of serious reverses is groundless. ! The Grand Duke Nicholas’s builo. tins arc as reliable as ever.

GENERAL.

Petrograd, December 28

r The Russians hold the northern bank of the Vistula northward of Flock, and are established in considerable force at Dobrmzyn. They have mounted heavy guns opposite Wloclawek, and are bombarding the Tborn-Lowicz railway, imperilling the supply trains. The Novoe Vremya says that when the Germans left the trenches near Bolimow for their night attack the fire of the Russian batteries ignited the forest. The German lines were sharply silhouetted, and became an easy mark, being mown down. The Russian riflemen, emerging from the trenches and'counter-attacking, inflicted terrible losses, A thousand German corpses were collected, and the remainder were taken prisoners. The Russians captured two battalions and eight machine-guns. The Germans seemed to have staked everything on crossing the Bzura. Division after division was sacrificed. They built pontoon bridges every night, but the troops who crossed were swept away by the Russian guns.

The Russians south of Sechaczen allowed 15,000 to cross by night. A Russian army corps then closed in on three sides. The?'Germans fought desperately, but the river bank became a shambles. Eight thousand were made prisoners-, 11 AWd' only ! a- 'remnant re-crossed the river.

The Germans brought 11-inch guns in action at Skieruewice and Rawa.

When the Germans occupied Lodz, first and second class Russian militiamen w ho were not serving were ordered to report themselves, on penalty of death. A hundred and fifty appeared, and were sent as prisoners to Germany. Sixteen were shot for not reporting themselves, despite the production of certificaes showing they were exempt from military service.