5 DECEMBER 1914, Page 13

In the eastern theatre of the war it is unfortunately

impossible to record, as last week we hoped it would be, a successful termination of the Russian offensive. The battle still bangs in the balance. The Russian communique from Petrograd published in Friday's papers reports German attacks in dense columns on Tuesday at midnight against the Russian position north of Lodz. The attacks were, it is added, repulsed. Though it seems that the Russians have failed to do what it was hoped they would do—emmesh a large part of the German forces—it must not be supposed that their failure to carry out a great coup means in any sense success for the Germans. It merely means that the Germans broke through the mesh, but at a terrible cost to themselves.