The official investigations conducted at Vienna with reference to
the claim that the Russians at Tomaszow placed civilians in front of
their troops during the engagement there disclose the following:
"A battalion of the reserves under the direction of a cavalry
regiment was engaged in a rearguard action while seeking to occupy
certain positions near Tomaszow. During the encounter the Russians
drove the inhabitants of Tomaszow along the highways in front of
them and directly in the path of the German fire. Among these were
women and children. Similar action was taken by the Russians at
Kipanen and Sendrowen, in East Prussia. Since strong masses of
Russian troops in this manner approached our positions as close as
400 or 500 yards, we had to open fire. It was unavoidable that many
of the innocent civilians thus had to be sacrificed."
"PILE DEAD YARD HIGH."
An official Russian statement describes as ridiculous the
German claims of having captured enormous numbers of prisoners,
cannons, and machine guns. It says the armies have been fighting
continuously, and it is impossible to estimate the losses.
"On the other hand, the German denial that they have lost a single
gun is disproved by the fact that in the Brzeziny district alone
(near Lodz) we took twenty-three guns and a large amount of spoils.
As to German prisoners, 10,000 have passed one point alone of our
front where prisoners are registered.
"Neither do the Germans mention the supply columns which they
burned, nor the cannon and ammunition which they abandoned and which
we are gradually finding.
"The Germans also conceal the losses which they sustained in the
November fighting, although witnesses state never has a field of
battle presented such a sight as on the roads of the German retreat
toward Strykow--at some points where we attacked the German flanks
the German dead were piled not less than a meter (over a yard) high."