The Battle of Breziny.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 158, 10 December 1914, Page 5

The Battle of Breziny.

TREMENDOUS GERMAN LOSSES. BOMBARDMENT OF LODZ. , DEAD LIE IN GREAT HEAPS. OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND KILLED. LODZ NOr EVACUATED. Received 9, 8 p.m. 'London, December fl. The Daily Chronicle's Petrogiil eor-■•<t-pondent. writiuj; nn i riday, forward* ed details of the il's-astir to two ol (.Uncial Mackensons airr/ When the •25th and 3rd Guards were cut off south of Lodz, General Jlaekensen's and other troopß were bombarding Lodz from the west The two army corps were unable to retire, and attempted to cut their way via Breziny. Their road lay in a hollow, wooded country. Hard pressed in the rear, the two army corps fought desperately for four days, though short of ammunition On the fifth day they made a final attempt at Breziny, where the troops which held Ivangorod in Octobed were stationed.

The Russian commander, after shelling Breziny for nine hours, until only half the town was standing, then ordered a general assault By nightfall only the scattered remnants of 80,000 men remained. Twenty thousand surrendered, and a large percentage of the remainder were killed or wounded. The rest are fugitives in the woods.

The horrors were accentuated by the confined area of the carnage. The dead lay in great heaps at Berziny, while occasional heaps of dead were dotted about the countryside for miles. The Ist, 2nd and 3rd December saw the climax of the German attempt to capture Lodz, where the Russian defenders were almost surrounded. The Germans had reached Rokier, within four miles of the south end of seven miles of streets which makes up to Lodz. Heavy guns meanwhile shelled the north of the city from Zgierz, and killed several hundreds of civilians.

The Russian artillery was unable to locate the German battery until an aeroplane, on 3rd December, reported the approximate position. The colonel of the artillery, with a few assistants, dragged a field telephone by night within half a mile. Despite the searchlights, the colonel lay on the ground and directed the Russian fire until the battery was silenced, and he returned uninjured. During the night of the 3rd there were seven hundred guns in action at Lodz. The sound was faintly heard at Warsaw, sixty miles distant. A German assault followed. Masses of men dashed on, in the glare of the searchlights. Regardless of the inferno of bullets, the Siberians allowed the .Germans to come within fifty feet before they fired with rifles and machine-guns. The assault was an utter failure. The Russians had relatively light casualties, but the Germans had over a hundred thousand killed. In the Lodz district it is impossible to estimate the wounded, of which scores of trains continue to pass Tralisch. There are many German spies in the district.

On Ist December the Council of War decided to evacuate Lodz, but cancelled the order on the following day. While the convoys commenced to move, the Germans, knowing of the order to evacuate, and being ignorant of its cancellation, thought that there-was only a rearguard protecting Lodz; and swooped down on the city. They were promptly driven back, losing four thousand.

ENTRAPPED GERMAN ARMY. 1 HEDGED IN BY RUSSIAN BAYONETS. EXTERMINATED AT BREZINY. Received 9, 9.4-0 p.m. Petrograd, December 9. The Novoe Vremya says that when the corps was surrounded, they marched in every direction, seeking an outlet, but they always came up against a wall of Russian bayonets. Then they buried their guns and ammunition, abandoned their transports, left the high roads, and marched through the fields to avoid the< Russian fire. Finally they took refuge in houses at Breziny, which proved a death-trap, where they were relentlessly exterminated by the bayonet

i SOME LYING SOMEWHERE. 1 ■~ai GERMANS CLAIM THE VICTORY. RUSSIANS SAID TO BE RETREATING. Received 9, 9.40 p.m. Amsterdam, December 9. An official Berlin message states that the Germans east and south-cast of Lodz are pursuing the rapidly retreating Russians. The latter have lost 5000 prisoners, 16 guns, and ammunition waggons.

AMMUNITION TRAINS EXPLODE. A GERMAN HOLOCAUST. Received !), 9.40 p.m. Pctrograd, December fl. A terrible collision occurred between two German trains, loaded with pyroxilin and shells, at Kielce. Both were utterly destroyed, and none survived. The explosion was heard thirty miles away.

REJOICINGS IN BERLIN.

OVER A DOUBTFUL VICTORY. "WE SHALL HOLD FAST." Received 10, 12.20 a.m. Rome, December 9. In Berlin the capture of Lodz was celebrated by a universal display of flags and demonstrations in the streets. Herr Basserman, addressing the National Liberals in the Reichstag, said: "We shall hold fast for all time the countries fertilised by German blood, and by a bloody war to splendid vier Tl f * is our ™T 11 tliiiilt

I POLISH PLOT DISCOVERED. i POLES EXPELLED FROM CRACOW. Received 10, 12.40 a.m. Rome, December 0. The Austrians have withdrawn all the Polish regiments from Cracow, and expelled the Polish inhabitants, owing to the discovery of a plot to surrender the city to the Russians.

* END OF FIRST STAGE,

GERMAN ATTACK SPENT.

LODZ THREATENED AGAIN.

Received 10, 2 a.m. Petrograd, December !). The first stage of the battle has ended in the Germans being thrown back from Lowicz and Lask.

They are now threatening Lodz and Parakow, hoping to save East Prussia, and hamper the Russian operations at Cracow by pouring reinforcements, which may oblige Grand Duke Nicholas to concentrate the greater part of his forces between the Vistula and Warta. The latest German attack from Kalish spent itself. Thus far Grand Duke Nicholas has not been obliged to relax his attack on Cracow, though a new Austroflerman counter-attack is developing southwards of Cracow. °

GERMAN BARBARITIES. THE STRUGGLE AT LODZ. SUCCESS OP ARMOURED OARS. London, December 8. It is stated that fifteen German corps are engaged at Lodz with the object of getting control of that region, as a central stronghold, from which to extend | the whole battle-line. A wounded German in hospital told a Russian that they were getting reinforcements at Lodz. A Russian in the next bed replied: "Let them come. We "have got plenty of room to bury them all." Petrograd states that the German attack on the lunatic asylum near Lodz was the outcome of an unsuccessful advance. In a fit of rage they opened fire with two batteries, the building being badly damaged. Many perished in the flames. Russian cavalry put the batteries to flight.

The Germans mistook the Angelus at an ancient monastery at Tugh for an agreed signal by the Russians. They thereupon proceeded to shell the monastery. In a quarter of an hour only the ruins remained. A mass of ancient relies perished. A Catholic priest protested, but an officer savagely struck him on the breast with the butt of a rifle. Petrograd, December 8. Official—During the latter half of N'o--vember Lodz was of great military importance, but its defence was not urgent after the failure of the German offensive. The, L'ldz-Loft-iez line Also gave .our front abnormal control for embarrassing communications. It is probable our line in the region of Lodz will be re-formed.

Some newspapers interpret the above as an evacuation. '

Several armoured motor-cars participated in the fight at Lask A largo Gorman force was advancing to occupy a wood. The machine guns created terrible havoc and the column was panicstricken and lied. The Germans attempted a motor-car surprise near Cracow, but the Russian fire overturned one car and the remainder fled.