ds
were drowned. Russian columns were continually pushed back from the
Pruth beyond Sudagora."

Serious, though, this loss was to the Central Powers, they had one
consolation left. Before the fall of Czernowitz the Austro-Hungarian
forces were able to withdraw and only about 1,000 men fell into
Russian captivity. In one respect then the Russians had not gained
their point. The Austrian army in the Bukowina was still in the field.

Slowly but steadily the force of Von Hindenburg's offensive in the
north increased. On the day on which Czernowitz fell attacks were
delivered at many points along the 150-mile line between Dvinsk in the
north and Krevo in the south. Some local successes were gained by the
Germans, but generally speaking this offensive movement failed in its
chief purpose, namely, to lessen the strength of the Russian attack
against the Austrian lines.

A more substantial gain was made by the combined German and
Austro-Hungarian forces, opposing the Russians west of Lutsk, in order
to stop their advance against Kovel. There the Germans drove back the
center of General Brussilov's front and captured 3,500 men, 11
officers, some cannon, and 10 machine guns.

On the day of Czernowitz's fall the official English newspaper
representative with the Russian armies of General Brussilov secured a
highly interesting statement from this Russian general who, by his
remarkable success, had so suddenly become one of the most famous
figures of the great war.

"The sweeping successes attained by my armies are not the product of
chance, or of Austrian weakness, but represent the application of all
the lessons which we have learned in two years of bitter warfare
against the Germans. In every movement, great or small, that we have
made this winter, we have been studying the best methods of handling
the new problems which modern warfare presents.

"At the beginning of the war, and especially last summer, we lacked
the preparations which the Germans have been making for the past fifty
years. Personally I was not discouraged, for my faith in Russian
troops and Russian character is an enduring one. I was convinced that,
given the munitions, we should do exactly as we have done in the past
two weeks.

"The main element of our success was due to the absolute coordination
of all the armies involved and the carefully planned harmony with
which the various branches of the service supported each other.

"On our entire front the