A Popular History of The Great War/Volume 1/Page 200

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RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE IN GALICIA


All this Austro-German left wing could have been completely routed, and even annihilated, by the attacking army and its powerfulsupportsontheoppositebankoftheVistula. Butthe Bussian commander was aiming at larger results tlian the immediate destruction of General Dankl's forces. In pursuit of these results he detached only sufficient troops to keep the beaten wing on the move along the shore of tlie Vistula, and thrust it back if it tried to turn eastward and grope for a connection with its centre. Every other Russian soldier was then marched, weary but nerved by victory to more labour and fighting, against the westernflankandrearofthecentralAustrianarmies. Forthe flight of the Germaiis from the heights of Turobin had naturally exposed their neighbours on their left to a turning movement similar to that which had made them retire. But the grand duke Nicholas did not intend the Austrian centre to escape by a retreat. AllthrouglitheeveningandnightofSeptember9the Russian troops marched, some corps covering a remarkable distancebyasplendiddisplayofendurance. Theresultwasthat Auffenberg’s army on September 10 was completely Encircled at thebattleofRavaRusska. GeneralRusskyhelditonthesouth- west near Tomashov. Round Zamosc and along the noilhern front it was retained by its old opponents; on the east and south, part of the Russian left wing baned all the roads. North and east and west the Russians drove in upon the Austrians, and though the southernmost attacking force drew off, leaving an apparent path of retreat, this movement was as deadly in effect as an attack would have been. For the only line of retirement thus allowed to the broken Austrians led to the wide, disastrous swamp lands of the River San. Into this terrible trap the Austrian centre army was forced by blow after blow on flanks and rear. At the same time DankTs army, now separated by a two days’ march from its broken centre, was more vigorou.sly handled by the Russian commander. As soon as the Austrian centre forces were scattered and bogged in the southern river swamps some of the Russian troops were again moved towards the Vistula to co- operate in drawing Dankl’s army in disorder into another stretch of marshland between the Vi.stula and its tributary the San. The water draining from the Carpathian Mountains into Galicia turns both rivers into streams that ooze and trickle for mfles into the

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