r, and was made up chiefly of Austro-Hungarian forces with a
comparatively slight mingling of German troops. North of the Vistula,
between Thorn and Soldau, a third and weaker army had been collected for
the protection of West Prussia. In Galicia, of course, stood the main
body of the Austro-Hungarian forces, and in East Prussia defenses had
been prepared which made it possible to leave there weaker formations
for defensive purposes only.

The Germans fully appreciated the danger of the Russian numerical
superiority. If these mighty forces were once allowed to get fully under
way and develop a general offensive along the entire front, the German
cause would be as good as lost. The main object of Von Hindenburg,
therefore, was to break this vast offensive power, and he decided to do
so by an offensive of his own which, if possible, was to set in ahead of
that of the Russians. Though the latter most likely had at least
one-third more men at their disposal than he, he had one advantage over
them, a wonderfully developed network of railroads, running practically
parallel to this entire line. The Russians, on the other hand, had
nothing but roads running from east to west or from north to south,
which could be used as feeders only from a central point to a number of
points along their semicircular line. Troops having once been
concentrated could be thrown to another point if it was at any distance
at all only by sending them back to the central point and then sending
them out again on another feeder, or else by long and difficult marches
which practically almost took too much time to be of any value. Von
Hindenburg could, if need be, concentrate any number of his forces at a
given point, deliver there an attack in force and then concentrate again
at another point for a similar purpose, almost before his adversary
could suspect his purpose. His plan was to attack with his strongest
forces under Von Mackensen the weakest point of the Russian line between
the Vistula and the Warta, beat them there and then march from the north
against the right wing of the main forces of the Russians, which latter
was to be kept from advancing too far by the mixed Austrian and German
army. On his two outmost flanks, in East Prussia and East Galicia,
nothing but defensive actions were contemplated.

The Russian plan was somewhat similar, except that their main attack
apparently was to be directed in the south against Cracow, and from
there agai