Military Operations, France and Belgium 1915, vol. 1

11 November – 6 December 1914

Battle of Łódź (1914)

GERMAN PLANS 25

Falkenhayn, though he turned the German Armies towards Russia, remained of the opinion not only that a victory there would not win the war, but that it was impossible to obtain a decisive victory. He trusted, however, that the success would be big enough “to check the enemy for a long time”. Such success was not obtained, and although the Germans conquered Poland and recovered Galicia in 1915, this could not prevent the Russian offensives of 1916. Just as the two corps sent from France in August 1914 failed to be in time for Tannenberg, the reinforcements for the East despatched from Ypres arrived too late to take part in the Lodz campaign, 14th-24th November. In these operations, under the direction of Hindenburg who had been appointed “ Commander-in- Chief, East ” on 1st November, Mackensen with the German Ninth Army attacked the northern flank of the Russian armies which had pursued after the abortive German-Austrian attack on Warsaw. The Germans gained a little ground, but the Russians suffered no disaster, and a large body of Germans only narrowly escaped capture east of Lodz by “ the break-through of Brzeziny ” on the 23rd-24th November.

PLANS FOB OPEBATIONS IN 1915

Towabds the end of the year 1914 the British Government Dec. had become alarmed at the reports of large transfers of German troops from the Western to the Eastern theatre of war ; at the rumours of a shortage of ammunition in Russia ; and at the possibility of a decisive German success in the East enabling the Supreme Command to resume the offensive in Flanders with large numerical superiority. Sir John French was directed to put these views before General Joffre, and to enquire what he was prepared to do should this possibility develop into serious fact. Accordingly, the British commander-in-chief sought an interview with him at Chantilly on 27th December. At this time the Russians were holding their own well, although they had been forced, by Mackensen's attack from Thorn on 11th November against the exposed right flank of their advance from Warsaw, to retire ; to give up a belt of terri- tory on their Polish front averaging fifteen miles in width ; and to evacuate Lodz (6th December) and Lowicz (16th December). Established now on a good line, they still re- tained the greater part of Poland, and occupied nearly all Galicia. General Joffre professed himself not in the least nervous about the situation, and firmly refused to con- sider the consequences of a Russian defeat. According to the notes of the interview made by the staff officer who accompanied Sir John French, the French commander-in- chief thought the British Cabinet affole He admitted