My War Memories, 1914-1918
report in good time their view of the situation and what they wished to do. The junction of two armies is always a point where friction is inevitable. On the Eastern Front, especially in trench warfare, this was not so obvious as it was subsequently on the Western Front. The boundary lines there sometimes developed into high walls, which one could only look along, but not over. One of the most important duties of the Higher Command was to level this wall and ensure that the points of junction did not become weak points tactically.
The centre and right wing of the loth Army advanced, but with heavy fighting. Under pressure of events at Kovno, the Russians had completely destroyed the railways and bridges over the Niemen, abandoned the left bank, and withdrawn in the direction of Orany. By August s6th the 2ist A.C. had taken Olita. By the end of August the loth Army had crossed the Niemen and was slowly advancing towards the Grodno-Wilna railway. Before they reached the railway they met with very strong resistance, which was. too much for them at first. The Russians began to bring up reinforcements from East to Northern Poland.
The tactical results of the advance of the loth Army across the Niemen in the direction of Grodno were small, owing to the vast region of forest to the north-east of that fortress. But the Russians had become nervous. They abandoned Grodno with amazing speed when the right wing of the loth Army, and more particularly the 8th Army, began their attack. On September ist General von Scholtz, with the 75th R.D., took the south-west forts of the town and the town itself was occupied on the 2nd,
after violent street fighting. But on the Kotra and its northern tributary from Lake Osjery, not far east of Grodno, he came up
against strong enemy resistance. The siege artillery was no longer needed, and was placed at the
disposal of G.H.Q. General von Gallwitz reached the Svislosz, fighting all the way.
Prince Leopold of Bavaria's army group had traversed the
Bialoviesa Forest, which, by the way, was not an impassable
swamp, but well provided with roads, Further south the troops still advancing on Pinsk.
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