what one side gained on
a given day was often lost again the next day, and the net result left
both Germans and Russians at the end of May practically where they had
been at the beginning. Most of these minor engagements occurred in
regions that had seen a great deal of fighting before. Again and again
there appear in the official reports such well-known names as
Tzartorysk, Kolki, Olyka, Kremenets, Novo Alecinez, Styr River, Ikva
River, Strypa River. Inch by inch almost this ground, long ago
drenched with the blood of brave men, was fought over and over
again--and a gain of a few hundred feet was considered, indeed, a
gain.

CHAPTER XVIII

THAW AND SPRING FLOODS

With the coming of thaw and the resulting spring floods roads along
the eastern front, not any too good under the most favorable climatic
conditions, had become little else than rivers of mud. Many of them,
it is true, had been considerably improved during the long winter
months, especially on the German-Austrian side of the line. But in
many instances this improvement consisted simply of covering them with
planks in order to make it possible to move transports without having
wheels sink into the mud up to the axles. When the creeks and rivers
along the line were now suddenly transformed by the melting snows into
streams and torrents, much of this improvement was carried away and
many roads not only sank back into their former impossible state, but,
becoming thoroughly soaked and saturated with water in many places
became impassable even for infantry. Movements of large masses soon
were out of the question. To shift artillery, especially of the
heavier kind, as quickly as an offensive movement required, and to
keep both guns and men sufficiently supplied with munitions, were out
of the question. The natural result, therefore, of these conditions
was the prompt cessation of the Russian offensive which had been
started in March, 1916, just before the breaking up of a severe
winter.

However, this did not mean everywhere a return to the trench warfare,
such as had been carried on all winter, although in many parts of the
front activities on both sides amounted to little more. At other
points, however, offensive movements were kept up, even if they were
restricted in extent and force. Throughout the months of April and
May, 1916, no important changes took place anywhere on the eastern
front. A great deal of the fighting, almost all, indeed, was the