Battles for the Russian fortifications on the Narew river in 1915.

Andrzej Małysz

   On July in Poznań, a decision was undertaken to prepare an assault in the direction of the lower Narew from the Przasnysz area. After the breaking through the Narew fortifications it was intended by the means of swift march to link up with the Austro-Hungarian troops marching from the south and encircling the Russian troops defending the middle Narew line.
   The main Russian defence line was extended by a system of centres of resistance, which constituted a self-reliant unit. Field fortification was the basis of the extension. The foreground was secured by a barbed wire entanglement several dozen metres wide, screened by machine-gun and artillery crossfire. The rear was extended by gun emplacements. Mobile artillery forces constituted an additional support. A significant defect of fortifications, which revealed itself in the course of battles, were not sufficiently secured connecting sections defended by the flanking fire of the neighbouring centres of resistance. The whole of the fortifications had lots of other weak points: dead spaces vulnerable to the enemy's attack occurred in several spaces, there was lack of heavy artillery fire proved shelters, the system of cross-cuts protecting from a flanking fire was not everywhere extended. The situation on the second line was even worse, still under construction, where in many a places there was a lack of shelters and barbed -wire entanglements.
   At 4.00, 13th of July the fire from over 800 artillery guns announced the beginning of the attack. Powerful artillery bombardment disorganised the defence in many places, the shelters in trenches were destroyed, breaches appeared in the entanglements and the Russian guns were neutralised. The XIth Corps which, was first to attack, directed itself in the direction of Grudusk - Pawłowo. Its divisions very quickly entered Grudusk, but fights for its possession lasted for a long time, as the Germans met a staunch resistance there.
   The assault of the XIth Corps was more successful thanks to a longer artillery preparation. By vehement attack its divisions seized the first line of trenches on the Zberoż - Węgra line, hills 149 and 154 and pushed further. The cutthrough of the first line of defence had an impact on the weakening of the Russian defence in the sector of the XIth Corps' attack. Soon, the XVIIth Corps reached the second line of trenches and forced the Russians to retreat and pressed to the south coming onto a contact with the second line of defence.
   In the final effect the Russians had to abandon the first line of trenches. By the end of the day several breaches in the second line of defence were made. Over 500 POWs were captured. The losses of the 2nd and 11th Russian Siberian Infantry Divisions, which were in the direction of the main thrust amassed up to nearly 70% in the manpower.
   On 17th July gained an opportunity to strike in the direction of the Lower Narew river. The Russians hastily withdrew to the north bank of the river keeping strong bridgeheads in Zegrze, Serock, Pułtusk and Różan. On 18th of July in the evening the German army received a task to force the Narew river in the Różan - Pułtusk sector.

    The tasks were defined as follows:

  1. the attack on Pułtusk is led by XIth Corps with the attached 50th reserve infantry division and 1st reserve guard division striking to the north sector of the bridgehead, while 86th and 38th infantry divisions were to carry out an auxiliary assault in the north-west sector.

  2. The attack on Różan was to be carried out by the XIIIth Corps with the main thrust line alongside the Pułtusk road.

  3. The XIIIth Corps was to force the Narew between Różan and Pułtusk near Gostkowo and Łachy.

   Thus, the first objective of the German attack was to liquidate the Russian bridgeheads. The Germans, taking into consideration a stubborn resistance decide to repel the Russians from their advanced positions before the main assault, to gather heavy artillery and with its support to neutralise the Russian defence.
   On 22nd July, preliminary fights for fortifications had begun, and on the following day the main thrust started. In the result of lasting till the dusk battles the Germans managed to cut through the outer ring of defence, to approach the main line of the Russian defence and start preparations for further fights the following day. The clash however did not happen as the Russians evacuated both bridgeheads at night. The next phase saw battles for seizure and maintaining the river crossings which lasted till the beginning of August.
   Although tactically the Germans derived a great success, on an operational scale they sustained a defeat. The Russians managed toto retreat to the east bank of the Vistula river before the encirclement was closed The resignation from the deep thrust through Kowno and Wilno for the sake of a shallow one in the direction of Siedlce instead of a final solution on the east front just repelled the Russian forces to new defensive positions.