om a military
point of view was even more serious. Once driven across the broad
waters of the Danube mouth, the Russians and the Rumanians could not
recross in the future except in very strong force and with great
losses. At the same time it was now possible for Mackensen to reduce
his forces in Dobrudja to a minimum and reenforce the troops operating
over in Rumania proper.

During the rest of the month the fighting continued up and down the
line with unabated vigor, though without any sensational results. The
Germans were now hammering at the main line of the Russian defense and
could not expect any large gains. The defeat of the Rumanians had
been, after all, only the driving back of a salient. But in general
the fighting during the latter half of January, 1917, seemed to favor
the Teutons.

On the 15th Berlin reported that the Bulgarian artillery was
bombarding Galatz from across the Danube. On this date too the
Russians lost Vadeni, ten miles southwest of Galatz, their last
position south of the Sereth. On the other hand, Petrograd announced
on this same day that on the northern Rumanian front, in a violent
engagement on the Kasino River, the Rumanian troops forced the Germans
back, while the German attacks northeast of Fokshani were repulsed by
the Russians. By the following day these local attacks developed into
a general engagement, such as had not been fought since before
Bucharest had fallen. At Fundani, Berlin reported, the Russians hurled
one mass attack after another--waves of humanity as they were
termed--against the German lines and gained some temporary advantages.
On the 17th Petrograd announced the recapture of Vadeni. After a
prolonged artillery preparation the Russians rushed their infantry
against the position in the town and drove the Germans out. The
latter, after receiving reenforcements and assisted by an artillery
drumfire, made a powerful counterattack, but did not succeed in
driving the Russians back. Berlin admitted this defeat, incidentally
mentioning that Turkish troops were here engaged. Berlin also admitted
that "between the Kasino and Suchitza Valleys the Russians and
Rumanians made another mass attack and succeeded in regaining a height
recently taken from them." On the 20th, Mackensen's forces, as was
stated by Berlin and admitted by Petrograd, succeeded in taking
Nanesti and driving the Russians back to the Sereth.

On January 22, 1917, an Overseas News Agency dispatch stated tha