s to resist, Turkey late in October joined hands
with the Teutons and declared war on the Allies. The Japanese, who had
at the outset joined hands with England, had, after a wonderful
defense by the Germans, taken the German Chinese city of Kiao-Chau.
But of more importance still was the activity of the opposing armies
in Russia and in Galicia.

After the battle of Fannenburg, in which Russia was defeated and
driven back to her own borders, the Germans invaded Suwalki Province
in Northern Poland. The Russians again took the offensive, defeated
the Germans in the battle of Augustovo, and, pressing westward, again
entered East Prussia in the region of the Mazurian Lakes. In this
territory a deadlock followed, both Russians and Germans remaining
with horns locked and unable to move until early Spring.

In Galicia, however, events moved with greater rapidity, and the
results were vastly more important. After the fall of Lemberg and
Jaroslau the Russians pressed forward across the San to Tarnow,
masking Przemysl on the way, and took up a line along the Dunajec to
the Carpathians and east through Galicia along the Dniester and the
Pruth to the Rumanian frontier, thus threatening not only the plains
of Hungary, which lay just across the Carpathian summits, but also
Bukowina, the Crownland of Austria.

Austria's plight was desperate, and German assistance was necessary.
Von Hindenburg's first attack on Warsaw, the battle being called the
battle of the Vistula, was the answer. The Germans advanced against
the Russian centre, the Austrians against the left in Galicia. At
first both were successful, but heavy Russian reinforcements succeeded
in turning the German left, almost at the very gates of Warsaw. The
Germans were forced to retreat, and fell back to their own borders.
The Austrians were at the same time compelled to retreat, due to the
uncovering of their flank, and again Russia was in supreme control of
Galicia as far west as Cracow. As the Germans retreated the Russians
followed, and another invasion of Germany was threatened, and it was
von Hindenburg again who was to throw it back.

This he did, driving forward in three columns, two of which were
intended to move against the Russian flanks. The Russian centre fell
back to Lodz, but the right was still threatened. Again Russia
assembled her reserves, and before von Hindenburg realized the
situation a Russian army was not only on his flank but in his rear. A
retreat