With the Russian army, 1914-1917

11 November – 6 December 1914

Battle of Łódź (1914)

PREFACE

These twenty-five chapters give the writer’s experiences during three and a half years of war and revolution. Passing through Ger- many on the eve of the declaration of war, he spent a few days at the Headquarters of the Grand Duke Nikolas. He then visited the 3rd Army just before its invasion of Galicia (Chapter I.), and the 2nd Army during the battle of Tannenberg (Chapter II.). In September he accompanied a cavalry division in a raid in South-West Poland, and retired with it before Hindenburg’s first offensive against Warsaw (Chapter III.). In the following months he was with the Guard Corps at the battle of Ivangorod, and in the subsequent Russian counter-offensive towards Krakau (Chapter IV.). Some account derived from eye-witnesses is given of the operation of Lodz (Chapter V.), of the disaster to the Russian loth Army in February, 1915, and of the operations on the Narev in the winter of thal year (Chapter VI.) . In the great Russian retreat from Poland in igi5, due to lack of

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rapid advance — Defeat of the ist and 2nd Armies in detail — Arrange- ments for the rescue of the 2nd Army — Generals Rennenkampf and Plehve — Plehve and the orderly officer — Move north of the 5th Army — Enterprise of the German penetrating force — Launch of the relieving forces from the ist Army — The advance of the Lovich Force — Change of commander — Lack of information and of proper equipment — Second change of commander — Modification of orders — The German penetrating force receives orders to retire, 7 p.m. on the 22nd — Further change of orders in the Lovich Force— The 6th Siberian Division asks for help — Indecision — Russians in the dark — Stafi of Lovich Force loses touch with all its columns — Destruction of the 6th Siberian Division — Escape of the German penetrating force — Its remarkable work — Disappointment of the Russians — Russian forces much intermingled — Arrival of German reinforcements — Loss of Lodz and Lovich — Retirement of the Russian armies to the “ river line”

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— The operation of Lodz probably the most interesting of the war from a military psychological standpoint — The fog of war — Value of co-operation — Wonderful German organisation — Mackenzen’s initial success — His failure owing to the delay and weakness of the German offensive further south — Question whether the German Supreme Command might not with advantage have delayed its offensive till the arrival of reinforcements from France and have then launched it from Mlava instead of from Thorn — The Russian Intelligence on this occasion at fault — Brilliant work of the Russian 5th Army — Rennen- kampf’s failure — Question whether the Russian Supreme Command should not have detached troops to the north . . . . . . 202

AFTERNOTE

General Postovski remained Chief of Staff under General Scheidemann, who succeeded to command of the 2nd Army, till after the battle of Lodz. He then commanded a division on the South-West Front. Eventually he returned to Petrograd suffering