s now drawn. The German plan was an advance in
force from the Sieniava-Jaroslav front against the Przemysl-Lemberg
railway, the most vulnerable point of the Russian line of retreat
from the fortress. Fifteen bridges were accordingly erected over the
San in that sector between May 20-24, 1915, across which the German
battering ram was to advance on Przemysl. South of the town mounted
patrols came into touch with Russian cavalry; four Austro-Hungarian
and one German army corps were standing prepared between Dobromil
and Sambor; Sambor was occupied by them. The Russians held the left
bank close to the river from Sieniava to Jaroslav, and northward of
the former and to the west as far as Tarnobrzeg. From Jaroslav their
front ran in almost a straight line for thirty miles southeastward
to the outer and northern forts around Przemysl, described nearly a
complete circle around the western and southern forts to Mosciska
on the east, thence south to Sambor, and from Sambor to Stryj. From
Stryj eastward to the Bukowina the line remained unaltered. In
that region Lechitsky and Von Pflanzer-Baltin had been conducting a
campaign all by themselves; they were now resting, waiting, watching.

While great Germanic preparations for the capture of Przemysl were
proceeding north of the town, the battle opened on Saturday, May 15,
1915, in the south, against the Russian front between Novemiasto and
Sambor. Here the Austro-German troops were thrown against Hussakow
and Krukenice to hack their way through trenches and barbed-wire
entanglements in order to reach the Przemysl-Lemberg railway and
thereby complete the circle. "At the cost of enormous sacrifices the
enemy succeeded in capturing the trenches of our two battalions."

But on May 17, 1915, these trenches near Hussakow were recaptured
by the Russians. The Austrians returned to the charge, however,
and by May 19 were within six miles of Mosciska. By May 21 they
had overcome the main Russian defenses to the east of Przemysl and
were threatening the garrison's line--their only line--of retreat
to Grodek, for other Germanic forces were advancing upon Mosciska
from the north.

On May 21, 1915, the Russians opened a sudden counteroffensive along
the whole line in a desperate effort to save, not the fortress,
but the garrison. The Austrians had destroyed most of the forts
before they surrendered the town on March 22; and forts cannot
be built or reconstructed in a few weeks. Besides, the A