l now decided to clear this territory of his enemies,
as it had given them a constant opportunity for the preparation of
moves which could not be readily observed, because of the protection
of the thick woods. Again he executed the favorite maneuver of Von
Hindenburg's armies. He gathered as heavy a weight of troops as
possible on his left wing and pushed them forward in an extended
encircling movement. From the south a strong column from Mariampol
and the line of the Szsczupa moved upon the fortified position of
the Russians and the southern corner of the great forest, meeting
with strong resistance at Dumbowa Ruda. The troops moving down
from the northern part of the woods swung to their right to cut
off the Russians from their retreat toward Kovno. By the time the
operations had reached this stage it was the second week in June,
1915, and in the great pine forests extending for miles there was
an oppressive heat with perfect absence of breeze. Three Russian
positions lying in the river valleys in the forest were encircled
one after another from the north and had to be given up.

The Russians recognized the danger of the concentric attack directed
at them and fought with great bravery. They strove to keep open the
road of their retreat toward Kovno as long as possible. However,
the ring of the German troops closed swiftly. At Koslowa Ruda, in
the southern part of the forest, they found at night a sleeping
army; something like 3,000 Russians had lain down exhausted in
order on the next day to find the last opening through which to
make their escape. They were now saved the trouble and were led
away prisoners. The great forest was cleared of Russians. The German
move had served to insure the safety of the lines connecting the
troops in Courland with their bases to the south of the Niemen.

In an official announcement of the 18th of March, 1915, the German
Government sketched the line held in the east by the German troops
northward of the front covered by joint German and Austrian forces.
It read: "The line occupied by us in the east runs from the Pilica,
along the Rawka and Bzura to the Vistula. North of the Vistula
the line of our troops is continued from the region to the east
of Plozkz by way of Zurominek-Stupsk (both south of Mlawa). From
there it runs in an easterly direction through the region to the
north of Przasnysz--south of Mystinez, south of Kolno--to the north
of Lomza, and strikes the Bobr at Mocarce. Fr