Nelson's history of the war. Vol. XI., The struggle for the Dvina, and the great invasion of Serbia

94 HISTORY OF THE WAR.

the part of fortresses, and protected the flanks of the different sections. It was a series of thrusts, now at Ocz.3. OBE point, now at another, supported by "Ya great mass of heavy artillery. General von Morgen commanded the centre, which moved along the Novo Alexandrovsk road, and attempted to bring the city under howitzer fire at close range. For this purpose he had received ten of the largest sized howitzers. The operative German force amounted to six divisions of infantry and two cavalry brigades—not less than 80,000 men, which was increased by the arrival of a Landwehr and Landsturm corps from East Prussia. But the real menace was the artillery, including the great siege trains from the East Prussia fortresses which had already succeeded at Kovno and Grodno.

The fighting of the next week is hard to describe in detail. On the left wing there was a desperate thrust at Illukst, which took the ridge of Schlossberg and the ruins of Illukst, but failed to cross the little river of that name which flows to the Dvina. South of the Mitau line there was fierce fighting around Garbounovka, and the village of Chikovo, north of Lake Sventen. On the right, on the line of the Lakes Demmen, Drysviaty, and Obole, there was a heavy artillery battle. The real danger was on the flanks, for if the Germans had been able to push south from Illukst, or north from Drysviaty, the defence would have been at the mercy of a cross fire. These flank attacks failed, and von Hindenburg was confined to the movement along the Novo Alexandrovsk road, where von Morgen got no nearer the city than the hamlet of Medum, south of Lake Medumskoi, and to an attempt along the Mitau