cquired considerable
military reputation as a commander in Turkestan and as a member of the
general staff. He had approximately as many men at his disposal as his
colleague--about 250,000. His task, however, was more difficult. For his
entire front would face, almost immediately after crossing the border,
the treacherous lake district in the south of East Prussia. For his
advance he used the two railroads from Warsaw into East Prussia, on the
west through Mlawa and Soldau, and on the east through Osowiec and Lyck.
From the latter town he pushed his right wing forward in a northwesterly
direction, and sent his center toward the southwest to Johannisburg.

On August 23 and 24, 1914, to meet this advance, the Germans had
available only one active army corps, centered in Allenstein, the
Twentieth. Local Landwehr formations found the task of delaying the
Russians far beyond their power. In quick succession Samsonoff took
Soldau, Neidenburg, Ortelsburg, and finally Allenstein. At Frankenau,
just west of the Mazurian Lakes, his right wing connected with the
Twentieth German Corps, which, supported by strongly prepared
intrenchments, managed to hold up the Russian advance, but finally had
to give way and fall back on Allenstein and Osterode. This gave to the
Russians command of one more railroad to Koenigsberg, that from
Allenstein. Though the two Russian armies had not yet formed a solid
connection, they were in touch with each other through their cavalry,
and the Russian front was in the form of a doubly broken line running
from Friedland through Gerdauen to Angerburg (Niemen Army) and from
there through Frankenau and Allenstein to Soldau (Narew Army). The
former, facing southwest, in connection with the latter, now threatened
not only Koenigsberg, but the defensive line of the Vistula from Thorn to
Danzig. The greater part of East Prussia seemed securely in the
possession of more than 500,000 Russian soldiers, chiefly of the first
line, and under apparently very able leadership.

The occupied territory suffered severely. Bombardment and fire had laid
waste, at least partially, some of the towns and a great many of the
villages. Requisitions for the support of the invading army necessarily
brought great hardships and losses to the unfortunate inhabitants. The
avalanche-like success of the Russian arms, the clearly displayed
weakness of German numbers and the rapid retreat of their forces
naturally added to the terror of the