The Winter Battle in Masuria
Johannisburg, the 40th Reserve Corps south of it, as far as the frontier, and following it, the 4th Cavalry Division. Landsturm formations lined the frontier. The 2oth A,C. was completing its detraining behind the right wing of the Sth Army, near Ortelsburg. This corps had come from the gth Army, and was to move forward behind General Litzmann's attacking wing, to Lomza, and then feel its way past Myschinj etz towards the river Narew. The withdrawal of the other troops and their transfer to the Mlawa direction was in full swing. General von Gallwitz was to take over the command between the Vistula and the Orshitz, and push south as soon as he had concentrated his forces. It remained to be seen how far the German troops who were advancing into north Poland would be able to get. An offensive here would be the best way of helping the operation by the loth and Sth Armies and forestalling any counter-attacks by the enemy.
The " Winter Battle" was inaugurated on the 7th of February, on which day General von Litzmann initiated operations. The rest of the Sth Army and the loth Army were not to advance and open their attack before the Sth of February. Only the barest outlines of the operations could be given by orders ; the rest had to be left to the judgment of the Army Commands. But the same tactical views were shared by all, so success was assured everywhere. Even during the battle itself the Commander-in-Chief in the East had but few dispositions to make. I had to be thinking of the next move and the covering of the flanks.
I did not find it easy to start the Army off on its task. The winter was cold. An exceptionally fierce snowstorm had been raging since the 4th or 5th of February ; roads and railways were buried, and it was difficult to get ahead off the beaten track. Snow-drifts, as high as a man, were succeeded by bare places covered with thin ice. However, no alteration was made in the original scheme. The Russians had even greater difficulties to contend with, because their supply trains had been sent on ahead.
t Our troops were equipped for a winter campaign, and the
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