nd possibly have even more important results. At the last
moment the Russians brought up reenforcements from the south, and with
them almost surrounded one of the German army corps which had advanced
about ten miles to the southeast of Brzeziny to Karpin. For three days
it looked as if this corps would either be annihilated or captured, but
at last it succeeded in breaking through by way of Galkow to Brzeziny
not only with comparatively small losses of its own, but with a few
thousand of captured Russians.

For eighteen days the fighting lasted before Lodz. The Russians resisted
this time most stubbornly. They had thrown up strong fortifications
around the entire town, which they used as a base for continuous
counterattacks.

As late as December 5, 1914, fighting was still going on, but finally
that night the Russians made good their withdrawal, and on the 6th the
Germans were once more in Lodz. This was partly the result of an
unsuccessful attempt on the part of the Russians to relieve Lodz from
the south. Between the battle ground around Lodz and that on which the
most southern Austro-German group under the Austrian General,
Boehm-Ermolli, was fighting there was a slight gap. Through this--just
west of Piotrkow--an attack could be made against the right wing of Von
Mackensen's army. To meet this stroke a small separate army was formed
under the command of the Austrian cavalry general, Von Tersztyansky,
consisting of one German brigade, one Austro-Hungarian brigade, and a
cavalry division. This shows the close cooperation which existed at that
time between the forces of the Central Powers. This new army group took
in the first days of December 19, 1914, some of the smaller places west
and south of Piotrkow.

From then on until December 15, 1914, fighting went on day and night.
One small village--Augustijnow--changed hands three times within one
day--December 8, 1914--remaining finally in the possession of the
Austro-Germans. In the evening of the 15th Piotrkow was finally taken by
storm. This not only prevented any further attack against Von
Mackensen's right, but also gave the Austro-Germans possession of the
railroad from Cracow to Warsaw as far as Piotrkow, and secured to them
the most important crossings over the Pilitza.

This long-continued fighting, lasting almost the entire twenty-four
hours of every day and being accompanied by very severe artillery duels,
spelled ruin to very many of the towns and village