Слике страница
PDF
ePub

CHAPTER X

THE CAMPAIGN OF 1915

WEST FRONT

In the beginning of January, 1915, the six hundred-mile battle line in Belgium and France extended from the coast of the English Channel to the border of Switzerland. It was so formidably entrenched and fortified that it could not be broken except at a terrific cost of life and shells. Still the Allies confidently planned to undertake a general offensive movement in the spring months of 1915. The Belgians then held about 18 miles, the British 31 miles and the French army, about two and a half million strong, defended the remaining 543 miles.

BATTLE OF

During the winter months there was considerable nibbling at the German lines, but very little was accomplished. On March 10, 1915, NEUVE CHAPELLE the British with 500,000 men began their first offensive. In the early morning they poured a terrific bombardment into the German trenches west of Neuve Chapelle to prepare the way for an infantry attack. Before noon the village was a smoldering heap of ruins and was completely in the hands of the English. North of the village the artillery fire had not been so effective in demolishing the German defenses and the British were caught in barbed wire entanglements and cruelly shot down by the German machine guns.

In spite of the severe losses the first attack of the Allies succeeded. But on the two following days

the English failed to push their advantage with energy and the Germans were allowed time to recover from the surprise. Moreover, on the second and third days of the fighting the British artillery was poorly aimed on account of cloudy weather. Because of the lack of a telephonic communication the orders were poorly obeyed. So the British failed to gain the commanding ridge east of Neuve Chapelle. Their commander, Sir John French, had advanced his line a mile or so on a three-mile front, but he had lost 13,000 men. Thus after three days of British offensive things were brought to a standstill.

Lord Kitchener told the House of Lords that the supply of munitions was causing him serious anxiety. Sir John French's dispatches describing the Battle of Neuve Chapelle also referred to the pressing need of an unlimited supply of ammunition. Thus the first great move of the British was rewarded with poor success because of the lack of artillery support after the initial bombardment. The Allies were just then beginning to realize what piles of shells would be needed in a modern trench battle.

The Battle of Champagne in September, 1915, was the second attempt on the part of the Allies to break A FRENCH through the German line in France. The DRIVE battle was fought by the French. They showed that it was possible to drive the enemy from a fortified trench position. They took 23,000 prisoners and over 100 guns in five days' fighting. But the victory was too costly to continue. Thousands of brave Frenchmen laid down their lives for each small gain. Thus the attempt to break the line was halted. The year 1915 saw almost no change on the west front in France and Belgium. England and

France were not yet as well equipped nor such skillful trench fighters as their enemy. Still Germany could not advance toward Paris or Calais.

EASTERN FRONT (1915)

Early in the year 1915, the Russians again invaded Prussia and were met by Von Hindenberg. The Russian army had gradually advanced until it faced a region of lake and bog known as the Mazurian Lakes. At one point it had gone upon the ice among frozen swamps into very dangerous ground. There were only small forces of the Kaiser's men facing the Czar's army, and the Germans kept falling back slowly. Behind them as a screen Von Hindenburg quickly gathered a large force from the front in Poland with his splendid strategic railways.

Suddenly he struck the Russians on both flanks and caught them in this intricate lake district. The Russians did not yet know how strong their enemy was, so they fought to free themselves while they should have been retreating. The result was a great disaster. They lost 100,000 prisoners and 50,000 more in killed and wounded. They were driven out of east Prussia and fled in disorder toward Grodno. It is said that Von Hindenberg had made a special study of the Mazurian lake region years before this, so that he would be prepared to win just such a battle as he had now won.

While the Russians lost a great army it was their sacrifice that saved Paris a second time. The GerGERMAN mans had to hurry troops from the west PLANS FAIL front and thus they put off a second attempt on Paris. All this while France and England were busy collecting and drilling armies and piling up munitions so that when Germany again struck the west front it was too late to break through.

Germany's first plan to dispose of France and then turn against Russia had failed at the Marne and at the Yser and the western line had become a deadlock. Meantime the Kaiser had left Austria to protect her eastern frontier. The Austrian army was to hold back the hosts of the Czar, but in four weeks the troops of Austria had been routed and were fleeing from Lemberg. Germany had not disposed of France in the first six weeks while Russia was well along in the work of disposing of Austria.

RUSSIANS

The Russian soldiers proved to be valiant fighters and they were commanded by brilliant generals. Grand Duke Nicholas was directing TAKE GALICIA the Russian armies. By September, 1914, Lemberg was reached and occupied and thousands of Austrians were taken prisoners. The Russians did not stop at Lemberg but moved on westward seventy miles farther to the River San, where they again routed the Austrians and surrounded the fortress of Przemysl. This fortress was at last taken with 20,000 prisoners and 1,000 guns. By the end of September the Russian advance troops were within range of Cracow. Here they held their position for several weeks while they spread out along the Carpathian Mountains and penetrated through the passes into Hungary, where they raided the plains of that country. The Russians had now conquered the entire province of Galicia in Austria. It began to look as if the Czar's heroes would capture Cracow and enter Germany from the south.

The Germans were alarmed and sent troops from the west front to aid the Austrians. The Austrians and Germans then drove the Russians back to the River San. Here a great battle was fought, lasting four days, in which the Russians were finally victor

ious. By November, 1914, the Russians had again reached the outskirts of Cracow. Germany saw she must do something now to save Austria before she herself conquered France. Austria had become too weak to hold her territory. Her troops had to have their courage stiffened by the aid of German soldiers. The Germans now reversed their plan and decided to hold the west front, but not to undertake to break THE GERMANS it, while they sent most of their men CHANGE PLANS to the east front to save Austria and crush Russia. All the soldiers that could be spared from the west front were sent against the Czar's troops.

Thus the Austrians and Germans together with an army of two million men and 1,500 heavy guns attacked the Russians. General von Mackensen came from Germany to lead them. The Russians had fought a magnificent campaign and had been at every point victorious over Austria, but now their ammunition failed them when it was most needed. It has been found in this war that no army can win a battle without its artillery, for rifles will not hold their own against cannon.

In May, 1915, Von Mackensen struck the Russian front in West Galicia with such a massing of artillery as had not been seen before. He shattered the Russian line and took 30,000 prisoners. The Russians resisted stubbornly in battle after battle, but they were outnumbered and, being without shells, they gradually had to give ground. They yielded Przemysl and retired to Lemberg. Presently they lost Lemberg and a week later Von Mackensen began his drive into Russian territory.

The German armies under Von Hindenberg on the

« ПретходнаНастави »