s involved; especially
a large number of the latter in the immediate vicinity of Lodz suffered
terribly. In many of them not a single house or hut was left standing,
and thousands of Polish peasants, who even at the best had no
superfluity of riches, were deprived of everything they possessed. Fire
added to the terror; for most of the houses were covered with straw, and
the destruction of one was usually quickly followed by the burning of
all others within reach.

The losses of the Russians were not only very heavy in prisoners, but
also in wounded and killed, although in the latter respect the invading
armies suffered almost as severely. Generals Scheidemann and Welitschko,
both corps commanders, lost their lives, while it was reported that
General Rennenkampf, who failed to come to the rescue of Lodz in time,
was placed before a court-martial.

After Lodz had been occupied on December 6, 1914, Von Mackensen's army
followed the retreating Russians. The latter offered the most stubborn
resistance and a great deal of very close fighting took place. In many
instances the Russian rear guard dug itself in wherever the ground
offered possibilities to do so quickly and then frequently protected its
positions with barbed wire. The storming of these of course caused the
Germans heavy losses and delayed them sufficiently to allow the Russians
to withdraw in good order.

For the possession of Lowitz, one of the most important railroad
junctions west of Warsaw, the battle raged more than two weeks. It began
as early as November 25, 1914, but it was not until about December 15,
1914, that the Russians gave up this point. They had thrown up very
strong fortifications on all sides of the town and the Germans under
General von Morgen had to bring up a strong force of artillery before
they could reduce the place. The result was that this little town which
had been in the thick of the fighting so many times was finally almost
entirely destroyed and the outlying countryside became a scene of the
most complete and terrible devastation.

Some of the most violent fighting before Warsaw occurred at this time
along the upper Bzura and its southern tributary, the Rawka. The Russian
line ran now almost straight from the influx of the Bzura into the
Vistula, along the east bank of the former through Sochaczev, then along
the east bank of Rawka through Skierniewice and Rawa, from there along
some hills to the river Pilitza, crossing it at Ino