RUSSIA'S YEAR OF WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 August 1915, Page 10

RUSSIA'S YEAR OF WAR.

THE CRITICAL FINISH. TERRITORIAL SACRIFICES. (Wellington Post). The anniversary of Germany's declaration of Wiir against Russia lias found the armies of llic Tsar faced with the most critical position they have encountered during the war. It is almost exactly three months since the Russian successes in the Carpathians, and especially their imminent mastery of the Uszok Pass, threatened to undermine the Austrian resistance and very likely to cause Hungary to secede from what seemed to be a most dangerous alliance. Germany supplied the (laliciau armies with a fresh store of energy which turn cd the tide. Except for checks which beyond iMsplayiug the skill and valor of'the Russian armies are now historically of minor importance, the AuslrnGeiman campaign lias flourished to a degree which, as recently as May, would have been thought impossible. Stage by stage the Russians, hopelessly outclassed by the enemy's enormous equipment of artillery and unaccountably lavish supplies of ammunition, have been compelled to fall hack from one defensive

line to another with monotonous larity. The inherent strength of the rivers, the Visloka river, the Vislok ami Leg rivers, the San river, and the Grodek line, nil collapsed in Galicia under the threat or the blow of the enemy's battering-ram attacks. And finally the. Vistula, which with its northern wing, (he Nnrow river, and its southern winy of great armies resting on the Ivangorod Cholin railway, "Has collapsed, and the defenders are leaving it.

DODGING A DECISION. The most important feature of this great retirement is that while the Russians have been unable to offer a decisive battle to the enemy, they have avoided having, with its probably serious results, one forced upon them. While offering the maximum of resistance with the means at their disposal, and inflicting the maximum of loss upon iiie enemy's forces, they have fallen hack skilfully and so far without great di'liculty. The Russians have saved their armies, at the cost of losing territory. A nation fj'hts. not with cities and fields, but with men and guns; and the enemy's tenure of vast areas will not avail him if, after occupying them a while, his armies are finally hurled out, Generals in retreat are always faced with the dillicnlty, in abandoning ground and cities, that the enemy is laying hands upon the wealth of the country. But a good general will always turn a deaf ear to pleas for saving such ami such a place if to save it he must face probable disaster. The soldier has carte blanche to light with his army: and his only fear is of what the nation may decide to do before his sacrifices have reaped their reward.

ONE SACRIFICE i'O SAVE ANOTHER. The Russians have had to throw sentiment to the winds. They are abandoning Poland and all its 'wealth of harvest and mines to (lie Germans, because if (hey died to hold it they would probably lose (heir main armies; and then Poland ami much more would be 10.-,t as well. Let no one imagine thai the Russian strategy is one of choice. Circumstances'beyond Russia's control left iinlv one course open to the Grand Duke if he is to continue the ?1 iiigulo. Nut a yard would he have ret.ir.-d if he con 1 ! have held hi-".■o.iinl. lie has 1 n beaten back from position after pnsiiion by the enemy's immense superiority in manufacturing organisation. The campaign has proved an object lesson which is worthy of all lUe'ulinn bv the British people'.

Till-; SMAU.XKNS OF I'iiLAXI). I'uisMa's ]-(irfitit>ii i< iiiiii[ue. As a liussian .olliocv bus said ill n message published last Saturday. lier_annios can retire indefinitely, whereas Clio western Allies cannot. ' XolwilhsUmlinjr tint Poland is tin- most densely populate.! large area in Russia, and is also economically very'valuable, its complete occupation by the enemy is territorially a trifle. Compared with the bull; of thf Russian Empire it is small indeed. Its

irea is about 40,000 square miles; hot hat is only one-fortieth of the area of Russia-in-Eiirope; and the Russian Km. pire is about 17.1 times as large. Its population, of about thirteen millions, of which the militarily useful element lias probably now been in full use, is about one-tenth of that .of Russia-in-Europe.

,HOW THE DEFENCE BROKE. Apparently we may never know in which direction the Russian defence of (he Vistula would have collapsed had it been persisted in. A few days ago the crossing of the Nnrow River was effected, threatening the main line of communications; but the attackers have not proceeded very far. The decision of the Russians to withdraw may have arisen from this event; but it may equally have have been caused by von Mackensen's attacks against the LublinCliolm railway in the south, or the more direct assaults against the Vistula from the west. Quite suddenly the defence, as a unit, has been allowed to collapse without being really tested, though no doubt there will be several local adaptations of parts of it for the protection of the retiring forces. The Russians in the neighborhood of Lublin have retired without fighting, enabling the enemy to occupy that town, with its railway junction and the line some distance on-.h way. The Russians have taken up new positions some miles in the rear, probably in the marshlands lying east and north of Lublin and along the Vieprz. On the Vistula front, the enemy lias crossed the points north-east of Radom. West of Warsaw and along the Narew, the Russians are holding on in the meantime, in order to cover the abandonment of the city, which must be completed before there is a chance for the enemy to reach the vital north-east of it. ELKMEXTK OK DANCER.

The Russians have thus far, in this long series of retreats, covered their retirements with remarkable success; mid there need be little doubt that they can reach their new line along the Bug and the l!rost-l.itovsk-(!rodo-Kouo railway without disaster, provided that no outside clement steps in. Unfortunately, there is an outside clement of great ii.iporianee. in the shape of Von Billow's army in the Halt'.- Province*. Siion'd it succeed in reaching Vilua or its neighborhood, the Russian armies northward of Brest l.itovsk would be in a most dangerous predicament. This is the point which, during the re I irement, and later, needs careful watching.