ng
movement, and since the German right, protected by the forest and
marshes, seemed too strong, he adopted the daring strategy of sending
the flanking force to the lake region to the south, the same character
of movement by which the Russian Narew army had been defeated on August
28, in the vicinity of Ortelsburg, and which in case of failure might
have been equally as disastrous for the Germans.

STRATEGY IS SUCCESSFUL

The strategy, however, succeeded, although General Rennenkampf offered a
desperate resistance to the frontal attacks. After three days' fighting
the Russians were forced back slightly in the center. When the flank
movement of the Germans was discovered already threatening the flank,
a counter-movement was launched with a new army collected at Lyck,
including the Twenty-second corps and parts of the Third Siberian corps,
just arriving from Irkutsk, and the balance of the defeated army. The
counter-attacks failed and on September 10 the Russians began to fall
back on their main position, retreating in good order and well covered.

The Russian artillery on the right wing appears to have made a good
retreat owing to a timely start, while the left wing was hard pressed by
the enveloping German infantry. From this wing the Russians retreated
across the border in two columns, while the main body went northward
and the others in an easterly direction, pursued by the Germans, who
advanced far from the border.

The German government appointed Count von Merveldt as governor of the
Russian province of Suwalki and other points occupied by them.

The University of Koenigsberg on September 18 conferred upon General von
Hindenburg honorary doctors' degrees from all four of the departments of
philosophy, theology, law and medicine, in recognition of his success
against the Russian invader.

AUSTRIA STRUGGLING FOR EXISTENCE

In Galicia, however, Russian successes continued. The important fortress
of Mikolajoff, 25 miles south of Lemberg, was captured and this cleared
away every Austrian stronghold east of Przemysl, which was then invested
by the Russians.

Austria was now struggling for her very existence as a monarchy.
Following the crushing defeats administered to the Austrian troops and
with the Czar's forces sweeping Galicia, Vienna was hurriedly fortified.
All reports indicated that the large Austrian force, nearly 1,000,
men in all, opposing the main Russian invasion had proved ineffective.
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