The Year 1914

On 13 November, in Poland, the German 9th Army was engaged in heavy fighting near Lysno and Plotsk.

On the Southwest Front, the Russian 9th Army, HQ at Busk, led by General Lechitskiy, with the Guard, XXV, XIV, and XVIII Corps, was facing southwest toward Krakau until they were relieved by the 3rd Army. Then it turned facing west, covering the left flank at Krakau.

Russian aerial reconnaissance was almost impossible due to intense cold. Their airmen could only cover about 26 km at a time, severely limiting the ability to determine enemy movements.

On 14 November, in East Prussia, the German 8th Army, HQ at Insterburg, checked the Russian 10th Army advance in heavy fighting near Lotzen and Angerburg. The Russian 10th Army held the line Stalluponen - Goldap - Lyck.

In northern Poland, the German 9th Army advanced on Kutno. Russian losses mounted.

On the Southwest Front, General Bohm-Ermolli's Austro-Hungarian 2nd Army was now reassembling in the region of Kaschau, behind the Carpathian Mountains, preparing for a move north alongside von Woyrsch's Germans in southwest Poland.

Tsar Nicholas II traveled from Stavka to Grodno, where he was joined by the Empress, who had just arrived from Tsarskoe Selo.

On 15 November, in Poland, the Russian 1st and 2nd Armies retreated under heavy pressure by the German 9th Army, falling back to a line from Gombin to Lodz.

The Russian 4th Army, HQ at Kielce, led by General A.E. Evert, was engaged in heavy fighting with von Woyrsch's Germans near Chenstokhov.

In Constantinople, there were large demonstrations in support of Sultan's call for Holy War against the enemies of Islam.

On 16 November, von Mackensen's 9th Army smashed through the Russian 1st Army, nearly encircling the Russian 2nd Army. The Germans captured Wroclawek and Kutno. The Russians were forced to halt their Galician offensive to move their 5th Army to support the 2nd Army. Beginning of heavy fighting in the Battles of Lodz and Lovich (Lowicz).

The Year 1914

The Russian 5th Army, commanded by General P.A. Pleve, with I Siberian, XIX, and V Corps, was moving west along the Varta River, occupying Velyun.

The Russian government began enforcement of the prohibition of the sale of alcohol, which was largely ignored by the people.

On 17 November, in the Baltic Sea, on her way to bombard Libau, German armored cruiser Friedrich Carl was mined and sunk 52 km west of Memel. It carried one seaplane which was lost. The German cruiser Luebeck bombarded the port at Libau, causing little or no damage.

In Poland, there was heavy fighting around Plotsk, as the German 9th Army continued its advance along the Vistula River toward Warsaw.

On the Southwest Front, the Austro-Hungarian 4th Army, HQ at Krakau, composed of the VI, XIV, and XVII Corps, advanced from Krakau, achieving some local successes, but with very little overall result. In Galicia, the Russian 3rd and 8th Armies began the recovery of some of the Carpathian Passes.

In the Black Sea, German battle cruisers Goeben and Breslau engaged Russian warships 32 km off the Crimean coast. In a brief action, there was light damage to the Goeben and the Russian cruiser Evstafiy. Russian warships heavily bombarded the key Turkish port at Trabizond on the Anatolian coast.

Police arrested five Bolsheviks (deputies in the Duma) who were attending a conference near Petrograd. They were finally tried between 23-26 February 1915, found guilty of attempts to overthrow the government and sentenced to life at hard labor in Siberia.

From 18-27 November, in the Baltic Sea, the Russians carried out extensive mine laying operations at entrances to Danzig, Pillau and Memel, which eventually resulted in the loss of fourteen small German vessels.

On 18 November, on the Northwest Front, the Russian 10th Army was defeated by the Germans at Soldau in East Prussia.

In Poland, Russian forces were in retreat towards Lovich. The Germans rushed four army corps by train from the Allied Western Front. They were placed under the command of Hindenburg, who would use them in pressing the Russians back to the Bzura - Ravka River in front of Warsaw by December 15th.