ARTILLERY DUELS
With the beginning of May, the weather became warmer and the rain and
watersoaked roads more accessible. In spite of this, however,
conditions along the eastern front throughout the entire month of May
were very much the same as during April. Continuously the guns on both
sides thundered against each other, with a fairly well-maintained
intensity which, however, would increase from time to time in some
places. Frequently, almost daily, infantry attacks, usually preceded
by artillery preparation, would be launched at various points. These,
however, were almost all of local character and executed by
comparatively small forces. Even smaller detachments, frequently
hardly more than scouting parties, often would reach the opponent's
lines, but only rarely succeed in capturing trenches, and then usually
were soon forced to retire to their own lines in the face of
successive counterattacks. Again in May the story of events on the
eastern front is lacking in sensational movements, accompanied by
equally unsensational success or failure. But, nevertheless, it is on
both sides a story of unceasing activity, of unending labor, of
unremitting toil, of endless suffering, of unlimited heroism, and of
unsurpassed courage, the more so, because much of all that was
accomplished was counted only as part of the regular daily routine,
and lacked both the incentive and the reward of widespread publicity,
which more frequently attaches to military operations of more
extensive character. Not for years to come will it be possible to
write a detailed history of this phase of the Great War as far as the
eastern front is concerned. Not until the regimental histories of the
various Russian, German and Austro-Hungarian military units will have
been completed will it become practicable to recount all the uncounted
deeds of valor accomplished by heroes whose names and deeds now must
remain unknown to the world at large, even though both perchance have
been for months and months on the lips of equally brave comrades in
arms.
The new month was opened by the Germans with another intensive
artillery bombardment of the Uxkull bridgehead. Farther to the south,
before Dvinsk, and also at many points in the Lake district to the
south of this fortress, the Russian positions likewise were raked by
violent gunfire. An attempted offensive movement on the extreme
northern end of the line before Raggazem, on the Gulf of Riga, broke
down before the Russian gunfire, even before it was fully developed.
German naval airships successfully bombarded Russian military depots
at Perman, while another squadron of sea planes inflicted considerable
damage to the Russian aerodrome at Papenholm. A Russian squadron was
less successful in an attack on the German naval establishment at
Vindau on the east shore of the Baltic Sea.
May 2, 1916, brought a continuation of artillery activity at many
points. It was especially intensive in the Jacobstadt and Dvinsk
sectors of the Dvina front, as well as in the Ziriu-Baranovitchy
sector in the south and along the Oginski Canal, still farther to the
south. At two other points the Germans, after extensive artillery
preparation, attempted to launch infantry attacks, but were promptly
driven back. This occurred near the village of Antony, ten miles
northwest of Postavy, where two successive attacks failed, and farther
north in the region east of Vidzy.
The following day again was devoted to artillery duels at many points.
Aeroplanes, also, became more active. German planes bombarded many
places south of Dvinsk, and attacked the railway establishments at
Molodetchna, on the Vilna-Minsk railway, at Minsk, and at Luniniets,
in the Pripet Marshes, east of Pinsk on the Pinsk-Gomel railway. May
4, 1916, brought especially intensive artillery fire along the entire
Dvina front, in the Krevo sector south of the Vilna-Minsk railway, and
along the Oginski Canal, particularly in the region of Valistchie.
The Dvina front along its entire length was once more the subject of a
violent artillery attack from German batteries on May 5, 1916. Uxkull,
so many times before the aim of the German fire, again received
special attention. The Friedrichstadt sector, too, came in for its
share. All along this front aeroplanes not only guided the gunfire,
but supported it extensively by dropping bombs. Between Jacobstadt and
Dvinsk a Russian battery succeeded in reaching a German munition depot
and with one well-placed hit caused havoc among men and munitions.
Southeast of Lake Med a surprise attack, carried out by comparatively
small Russian forces, resulted in the capture of some German trenches.
Northwest of Krochin strong German forces, after artillery preparation
lasting over three hours, attacked the village of Dubrovka. Some
ground was gained, only to be lost again shortly after as a result of
a ferocious counterattack made by Russian reenforcements which had
been brought up quickly.
May 6, 1916, brought a slightly new variation in fighting. Russian
torpedo boats appeared in the Gulf of Riga, off the west coast, and
bombarded, without success, the two towns of Rojen and Margrafen.
Artillery fire of considerable violence marked the next day, May 7,
1916. Russian batteries before Dvinsk caused a fire at Ill, the little
town just northwest of Dvinsk on the Dvinsk-Ponevesh railway, and so
well was this bombardment maintained that the Germans were unable to
extinguish the conflagration before it had reached some of their
munition depots. In the early morning hours very violent gunfire was
directed south of Illuxt. But an infantry attack, for which this
bombardment was to act as preparation, failed. Other bombardments were
directed against Lake Ilsen and the sector north of it, and against
the region south of the village of Vishnieff on the Beresina River.
Mining operations of considerable extent were carried out that night
near the village of Novo Selki, south of the town of Krevo. On May 8,
1916, artillery fire again roared along the Dvina front, especially
against the Uxkull bridgehead. An attack in force was made by German
troops against the village of Peraplianka north of Smorgon on the
Viliya May 9, 1916. After considerable artillery preparation the
Germans rushed up against the Russian barbed-wire obstacles. There,
however, they were stopped by concentrated artillery and rifle fire
and, after heavy losses, had to withdraw. A Russian attack of a
similar nature south of Garbunovka was not any more successful. In the
Pripet Marshes, too, artillery operations had by now become possible
again and the Russian positions west of the village of Pleshichitsa,
southeast of Pinsk, were subjected to a violent bombardment.
Throughout the balance of May not a day passed during which guns of
all calibers did not maintain a violent bombardment at many points
along the entire front. Especially frequent and severe was the gunfire
which the Germans directed against the Dvina sector of the Russian
positions. But, just as in the past weeks, the result, though not at
all negligible as far as the damage inflicted on men, material, and
fortifications was concerned, was practically nil in regard to any
change in the location of the front.
Infantry attacks during this period were not lacking, though they were
less frequent than artillery bombardments, and were at all times only
of local character, and in most cases executed with limited forces. A
great deal of this kind of fighting occurred in the region of Olyka
where engagements took place almost every day. One of the few more
important events was a German attack against the Jacobstadt sector of
the Dvina front. For two days, May 10 and 11, 1916, the fighting
continued, becoming especially violent to the north of the railway
station of Selburg on the Mitau-Kreutzburg railway. There very heavy
artillery fire succeeding the infantry attacks had destroyed some
small villages for the possession of which the most furious kind of
hand-to-hand fighting ensued. Finally the Germans captured by storm
about 500 yards of the Russian positions as well as some 300 unwounded
soldiers and a few machine guns and mine throwers.
Engagements of a similar character, though not always yielding such
definite results to either side, occurred on May 11, 1916, southwest
of Lake Medum, on May 12, 1916, at many points along the Oginski Canal
and also in the Pripet Marshes, where fighting now had again become a
physical possibility. On the latter day a Russian attempt to recapture
the positions lost previously near Selburg failed.
Thus the fortunes of war swayed from side to side. One day would bring
to the Germans the gain of a trench, the capture of a few hundred men
or guns, or the destruction of an enemy battery, to be followed the
next day by a proportionate loss. So closely was the entire line
guarded, so strongly and elaborately had the trenches and other
fortifications been built up, that the fighting developed into a
multitude of very short but closely contested engagements. In each one
of these the numbers engaged were very small, though the grand total
of men fighting on a given day at so many separate points on a front
of some 500 miles was, of course, still immense.
Amongst the places which saw the most fighting during this period were
many which had been mentioned a great many times before. Again and
again there appeared in the official records such names as: Lake
Sventen, Krevno, Lake Miadziol, Ostroff, Lake Narotch, Smorgon, Dahlen
Island, and many others.
The net result of all the fighting during May, 1916, was that both
sides lost considerable in men and material. Both Russians and
Germans, however, had succeeded in maintaining their respective lines
in practically the same position in which they had been at the
beginning of May.