small. The bombardment apparently
had done its work thoroughly. The German infantry rushes were started
in successive intervals of a quarter of an hour, line following
line. Swarms of unarmed Russians could be seen coming out of the
trenches seeking to save themselves from the terrible effect of
the shell fire by surrendering. During the course of the forenoon
the sun came out and illuminated a scene of terrific destruction.
The Russian positions on the heights northwest of Przasnysz had
been completely leveled. In their impetuous forward rush the German
troops did not give the enemy time to make a stand in his second
line of trenches and overrunning this, by night began to enter
the third Russian defensive line. Przasnysz was flanked in the
course of twenty-four hours and could no longer be held. A fine
rain was falling as the German columns marched through the deserted,
smoke-blackened city, a melancholy setting for a victory.

On July 14, 1915, the German troops had broken through on both sides
of the city, met to the south of it and forming a mighty battering
ram, on the next day, forced the next Russian line, the last, to the
north of the Narew. This ran through Wysogrod-Ciechanow-Zielona
to Kranosiele. The Russians here made a desperate defense and the
German advance pushed forward but slowly. The effect of the German
artillery fire seems not to have been as striking as on the first
day of battle. The German report of the attack on this line points
out that the regiment of the Guard holding the right wing of a
division which was to attack the heights to the south and southeast
of Zielona was impatient to go forward, and was allowed to advance
before the reserves which were to be held in readiness to support
the move had come up.

However, confident of the accuracy with which the "black brothers"
(shells from the big guns) struck the enemy's trenches, the riflemen
leapt forward through fields of grain as soon as they saw that a
gust of their shells had struck in front of them. By means of signs
which been agreed upon they then signaled their new positions and
the guns laid their fire another hundred meters farther forward. The
infantrymen then stormed ahead into the newly made shell craters.
Thus they went forward again and again. Neither Russian fire nor the
double barbed wire entanglements were able to check their assaults.

As the German shouts rolled forth the Russians ran. A neighboring
division consistin