, had to cross the Johannisburg Forest and the
Pisseck River, which flows out of the southernmost of the chain of
lakes. The attacking columns made their way through the snow-clad
forests with all possible speed, forcing their way through barriers
of felled trees and driving the Russians from the river crossings.

Throughout the 8th of February, 1915, the marching columns moved
through whirling snow clouds, the Germans driving their men forward
relentlessly, so that, in spite of the drifted snow which filled
the roads, certain troops covered on this day a distance of forty
kilometers. The Germans under General von Falck took Snopken by
storm; those under General von Litzmann crossed the Pisseck near
Wrobeln. The immediate objectives of these columns were Johannisburg
and Biala, where strong Russian forces were posted.

On the 9th the southern column, under Von Litzmann, was attacked on
its right flank by Russians coming from Kolna, to the south of them.
The German troops repelled the attack, taking 2,500 prisoners, eight
cannon, and twelve machine guns. General Saleck took Johannisburg,
and Biala was cleared of the Russians. The advance of these southern
columns continued rapidly toward Lyck.

The German left wing at the same time fell overwhelmingly on the
northern end of the Russian line. On the 9th they took the fortified
Russian positions stretching from Spullen to the Schorell Forest
and nearly to the Russian border. They had here hard work to force
their way through wire entanglements of great strength. Having
noticed signs of a retreat on the part of their opponents, these
German forces had on the preceding day begun the attack without
waiting for the whole of their artillery to come up. The Russians
retreated toward the southeast.

Swinging forward toward the Russian border, the German left wing
now exerted itself to the utmost to execute the sweeping encircling
movement for which the strategy of Von Hindenburg had become famous.
The Russian right wing had been turned and was being pressed continually
toward the southeast. The German troops rushed forward in forced
marches, ignoring the difficulties which nature put in their way. By
the 10th of February these columns reached the Pillkallen-Wladislawow
line, and by the 11th the main highway from Gumbinnen to Wilkowyszki.
The right wing, up to the capture of Stallupohnen, had taken some
4,000 prisoners, four machine guns, and eleven ammunition wagons.
The cen