slippery with blood, through cruel barbed-wire entanglements and into
crowded trenches the human masses dash and scramble. Here, with heavy
toll, they advanced; there, and with costlier sacrifice, they were
driven back. Fiery Magyars, mechanical Teutons and stolid muzhiks
mixed together in an indescribable hellbroth of combative fury and
destructive passion. Screaming shells and spattered shrapnel rent
the rocks and tore men in pieces by the thousand. Round the Lupkow
Pass the Russians steadily carved their way forward, and at the close
of the day, March 29, 1915, they had taken 76 officers, 5,384 men, 1
trench mortar, and 21 machine guns. Along the Baligrod-Cisna road
the fighting proceeded, up to March 30, by day and night.

Gradually the Russians pushed toward Dvernik and Ustrzyki south
of Lutoviska, threatening the Austrian position in the Uzsok and
lines of communications to the south. German reserves were hurried
up from the base at Ungvar, but could not prevent the capture of 80
Austrian officers, over 5,000 men, 14 machine guns, and 4 pieces of
cannon. Ivanoff had been careful to hold his portion of Selivanoff's
army in reserve; their presence turned the scale.

On the day and night of March 31, 1915, the Russians stormed and
carried the Austrian positions 4,000 feet high up on the Poloniny
range during a heavy snowstorm. So deep was the snow in places that
movement was impossible; the trampling of the charging battalions
rushing down over the slopes dislodged avalanches of snow, overwhelming
both attackers and defenders. By April 1, 1915, the Russians approached
Volosate, only twelve miles from the rear of the Uzsok Pass, from
which they were now separated by a low ridge. Holding full possession
of the Poloniny range farther west, they commanded the road from
Dvernik to Vetlina. From the north other Russian columns captured
Michova on the Smolnik-Cisna railroad, crossed the Carpathians,
and penetrated into the Virava Valley. Occupying the entire loop of
the Sanok-Homona railway north and south of Lupkow, and Mezo-Laborcz
toward Dukla, the Russians now threatened the Austrian mountain
positions between Lupkow and the Vetlina-Zboj road from the western
flank as well. Violent winter storms raged across the Carpathians
on April 2 and 3, 1915; nature spread a great white pall over the
scenes of carnage. While the elements were battling, the weary
human fighting machine rested and bound its wounds. But not for
long