THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LEMBERG
The Austrians had prepared Lemberg for a siege of at least a year. The
Russians captured it in a week. The fortresses, which were reckoned
as first-class examples of modern fortifications, were reduced to
ruins by the bombardment of the Russian heavy artillery. The victory,
therefore, proved to the Russians, just as Liège and Namur had proved
to the Germans in the west, that modern fortresses are helpless against
modern artillery. The Russians employed no remarkably heavy guns, but
merely their ordinary siege howitzers. There are no secrets about these
weapons. They are of about the same calibre and weight as those of the
Germans and of every other army. The question of transport limits the
size of these weapons, and no nation can employ a gun which exceeds
a certain well-defined standard. Just as, however, the fall of Namur
and Liège was responsible for rumours of secret monsters from Krupp’s
of infinite power, so the fall of Lemberg was responsible for similar
rumours about the Russian guns. In each case the rumours were absurd,
for the simple reason that guns of such immense power would be too
heavy to move.
In any case, the Russians had every reason to be satisfied with the
performance of their guns. They had proved themselves capable of
reducing the finest modern fortifications. What had been accomplished
at Lemberg could be done with equal facility at Przemysl, Cracow, Posen
and all the other fortresses guarding the road to Berlin. Germany and
Austria have spent millions on these fortresses, which have been proved
to be practically worthless as obstacles in the path of an invader.
The remarkable speed with which the position had been taken, coupled
with the enormous losses inflicted on the defending army, was certain
to have a most damaging effect on the _moral_ of the Austrians. Owing
to racial jealousies and hatreds the Austrians had already displayed
a lack of cohesion and fighting spirit, except perhaps in the German
and Magyar regiments operating with the chief army in Poland. Now the
last shreds of moral force would disappear. The troops had been sullen
and half-hearted; now they were dejected as well. To extricate herself
from a very critical position Austria demanded the utmost spirit and
determination from her troops. In her hour of need there was every
prospect of their failing her.
The magnitude of the defeat, coupled with the rout of the army in
Poland, made it impossible for Austria to make any further offensive
movement in Russia, or defensive movement in Galicia for some
considerable time. Her armies were scattered in confusion and fleeing
at random. To arrest the flight of a routed army, to disentangle the
units and to present a battle front again is the most difficult task
a commander can have. And in the present case the difficulties of the
Austrian generals were increased a hundredfold by the fact that their
men were not only defeated but broken in spirit. Further resistance
east of Przemysl was out of the question. The Russians were undisputed
masters of Eastern Galicia.
The Russians, therefore, gained an immense moral advantage over the
troops facing them. The material gains were on a similar gigantic scale.
Lemberg had been expected by the Austrians to hold out indefinitely.
It contained a year’s supply of provisions and munitions. These
vast quantities of stores fell into the hands of the Russians,
thus lightening very considerably the strain upon the transport
and commissariat departments. Lemberg, moreover, being the capital
of Galicia and the chief Austrian military centre north of the
Carpathians, contained an arsenal, railway works, and numerous other
works useful to the invaders. The huge capture of rolling stock was
perhaps the most valuable of all. When it was seen that it was doubtful
whether the town would be able to hold out long, the Austrians had
collected all the available rolling stock, in order to remove as much
as possible of the stores west to Przemysl and Cracow. The rapid
success of the Russians prevented the carrying out of this plan. The
Austrians made desperate efforts, but the lines became hopelessly
congested, and not a train escaped. Thirty locomotives and immense
numbers of carriages and trucks thus fell into the hands of the
Russians.
Most important of all were the strategic results. Lemberg, being the
chief town in Galicia, and the administrative centre, the town is
naturally the point on which all the means of communication converge.
Eight railways and as many high roads connect the town with every
point of civil and military importance north of the Carpathians. It
is, therefore, an ideal base for the Russian operation in Galicia.
It commands the approaches to Przemysl on the west and to the passes
over the Carpathians leading to Vienna and Buda-Pesth on the south. It
has railway connection with no less than four points on the Russian
frontier, allowing direct communication with the important military
centres of Kiev on the east and Warsaw on the north.
Lemberg may therefore be described as the key to Austria. Its
possession opened the way for the Russian armies westwards to Silesia
and Berlin, southwards to Buda-Pesth and Vienna. It was the most
important town in the whole eastern theatre of war, and its capture was
far more than a stage in an advance, it was an event which must have
the most far-reaching effects on the whole course of the war.
In addition to these direct advantages gained by Russia, the victory
had other results affecting the course of the war. It roused the
entire Slav race, giving increased enthusiasm and determination to
those engaged in the war and strengthening the sympathies of those who
had remained neutral. Bulgaria and Roumania, neither of whom were on
friendly terms with the Serbs as a result of the recent wars in the
Balkans, now veered round at the prospect of the power of the Austrians
being broken. More important was the effect produced on Turkey.
Bound to Germany in many ways, Turkey had been seriously considering
whether she should not throw in her lot with the Kaiser in the hope of
regaining some of the territory of which she had been despoiled after
the Balkan war. German diplomacy had been making strenuous efforts to
induce the Turkish Government to tempt fate once more. And relations
between Russia and Turkey had been rather strained over the _Goeben_
incident. The purchase of Germany’s finest Dreadnought, by Turkey, was
of vital interest to Russia, who could not afford to allow Turkey to
become the chief naval power in the south-east of Europe. In answer to
her representations, Turkey had protested her determination to remain
neutral, but there was considerable cause for doubting the sincerity of
these protestations. The fact that there were numerous German officers
with the Turkish army and superintending the placing of the heavy Krupp
guns in position along the fortification of the Dardanelles did not
tend to allay the suspicions. After Lemberg, however, Turkey realised
that Austria was a broken power, that Germany was in a position of some
jeopardy and that neither was a suitable ally for a nation whose chief
object was to rob its neighbours.
Although, however, the capture of Lemberg was a triumph of the first
magnitude which rendered the downfall of Austria inevitable, it must
not be assumed that Russia’s task was to all intents and purposes
accomplished. It was rashly predicted at the time, as in the case of
every Russian victory, that the end of the war was in sight, that
there was nothing to prevent the steam roller going full speed ahead
to Berlin. Subsequent events have proved how ill-founded were these
prophecies, most of which were based more on hope than on fact. Lemberg
fell during the first week of September, and Russia is still a very
long way from Berlin.
One triumph does not smash a nation, not even a ramshackle one such
as Austria. After Lemberg she was in a desperate position, faced with
almost certain defeat, but she still had considerable fighting power.
France struggled for over a year after Sedan. And Lemberg was not such
an overwhelmingly decisive event as Sedan. The latter resulted in the
surrender in an Emperor, his finest generals, and his chief army.
Lemberg, after all, only routed the chief Austrian army. In spite of
terrific losses, and in spite of the demoralisation of her troops,
Austria still had over two million men in the field and a large number
of reserves, as yet untouched. Obviously she was still a power that
could not be neglected.
Large numbers of Austrians were still in south-west Poland. The
fortresses of Cracow and Przemysl were untaken, and were defended
by practically the whole remaining military force of the country.
And reinforcements were being hurried up to help stay the Russian
advance. The operations against Serbia and Montenegro had been finally
abandoned, further reserves were being called to the colours, and the
armies thus raised were being hurried northward. German aid was also
forthcoming. The success of the operations in Prussia had set free
some of the army corps for the purpose for which they were originally
intended.
Germany was also forced to realise that the Russian advance was a
serious menace, and it was now that she transferred troops from the
west to the east. This eased the task of the Allies, but, of course,
made that of the Russians all the more difficult. The German advance
into Western Poland, which has now continued for nearly two months,
is as determined as that into France. Unless, therefore, the Russians
can win a stupendous victory, this second phase of the war will be
prolonged. There can, however, be no doubt as to the final result.
Russia is inexhaustible.
To sum up, then, the capture of Lemberg was one of the most significant
events of the whole war. The tide of victory had now definitely
turned in favour of Russia, nothing short of a miracle could stem it.
But Russia was still faced with a task of considerable magnitude, and
much time and patient work was necessary before it could be finally
accomplished.