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Show mmm HEAVY BLOWS I Germans Making Desperate Efforts to Divert Russians From East Prussia. CRACOW A WAR PUZZLE London Shipping Circles Worried Wor-ried Demand for American Ameri-can Metals to Increase. London, Nov. 17. 10:25 a m. Contrary Con-trary to expectations, the coming of winter seems to have had more effect ef-fect on the operations on the western west-ern battle front than In the east. Here the Germans are making desperate des-perate efforts to divert the Russians from East Prussia by resuming a vigorous vig-orous offensive ;tt two points near the center of this long frontier line. Berlin experts, judging from the rc-j rc-j ports reaching London, have been dis-l dis-l cussing the German retreat from Warsaw War-saw with great candor They declare de-clare they are as proud of the skill with which this movement was ac complished na arc the English of their retirement after the battle of Mons. They admit also that the efforts oT I the Germans to emulate General I Stonewall Jackson's flanking movement move-ment failed of success b a narrow margin and only because the Russians were not caught napping. People Kept in Dark. The German people were promptly informed of the withdrawal of their troops from the Warsaw front, but they got only meagre news of the progress of this retreat until the re-j re-j tiring armies having covered some-' some-' thing like a hundred miles, were in sight Of their own borders. The Germans seem confident of a favorable outcome to their renewed offensive along the river Warthe, and their ability to resume the aggressive shows strikingly the advantage which the possession of strategic railways gives a warnnc power Germans Striking Two Blows. It is the opinion of British observers observ-ers that the Germans are determined to force the invaders from East Prussia Prus-sia and that they are striking two blows, one from the north and the other from the northwest, In the general direction of Plock and Kutno with the object of paralysing the Ru3 slan advance along the southern frontier fron-tier of East Prussia Dispatches from Petrograd conveying convey-ing official reports say that the "brilliant "bril-liant nnd unexpected' sei7uro of Jo-hannlshurg Jo-hannlshurg ho disconcerted the Germans Ger-mans that their offensive movement along the river Warthe was started prematurely. Russia is reticent regarding re-garding the success of these movements move-ments while Berlin report? them as progressing favorably. Cracow Situation Puzzling. The actual situation in Cracow is becoming one of the many enigmas of the war One report has the Russians actually investing the town w hich is declared to bo in flanu B while several reports have reached London that the Germans. hae left the defense of Cracow to the Atistri-ans, Atistri-ans, who in their turn are expected to surrender rather than have the city bombarded. The latest reports from Petrograd. however, declared that the German forces have joined the Austrian Aus-trian garrison in the defence of the Cracow fortresses which some experts ex-perts pronounce to be the key ro the easiest road into the province of Silesia London Shipping Circles Worried. London shipping circles are somewhat some-what worried by a report that the G. --man --man converted cruiser Berlin is attempting at-tempting to escape from the North sea and to take up the career of a commerce destroyer in the Atlantic, but as the Berlin is onh an IS knot boat it is believed more likely that she is acting as a guard ship to a submarine flotilla. Russia has forbidden the export of metals with certain exceptions. in favor of the allies. This step Is , expected to increase the demand for American metals. The agitation in the new spapers of Holland for joint intervention by the queen of The Netherlands and the president of the United States is increasing, in-creasing, but it has not as jet evoked any comment here. Italy is the latest recruit to the campaign of the American relief commission and will now actively co-operate with the commission com-mission in its work of relieving the distress in Belgium. , r. r. |
