At dawn, the German offensive intensified dramatically.
These were no longer advance skirmishes.
This was now a full-scale attempt to break the Russian front before Russian concentration was completed.
Inside German headquarters, Hoffmann delivered the latest report.
New markers appeared across the map of Poland.
—"The main forces of Ninth Army are continuing their advance along three directions."
He pointed to the northern sector.
—"The first group is pushing through Tomaszów Mazowiecki toward Rawa Mazowiecka. Their objective is to approach Warsaw from the southwest."
His finger moved farther south.
—"The second group is advancing through Radom. Their objective is to move closer to the Vistula line and threaten Russian crossings."
Farther south again.
—"The Austrians are holding the Kielce–Opatów line and tying down Russian armies."
Ludendorff studied the map carefully.
—"Strength?"
A staff officer answered immediately.
—"Approximately three hundred thousand German soldiers on the primary axis."
—"And the Austrians?"
—"Approximately two hundred seventy thousand. Their combat effectiveness remains lower than ours."
Hindenburg spoke calmly.
—"Only one question matters."
He pointed toward Warsaw.
—"Can the Russians concentrate faster than we can break them?"
Inside Stavka, the situation worsened by the hour.
Russian armies were still arriving.
Not every formation had reached its assigned position.
An officer delivered the latest report.
—"Approximately two hundred twenty thousand men are currently concentrated near Warsaw."
Another marker.
—"One hundred eighty thousand near Ivangorod."
Another.
—"One hundred fifty thousand farther south against Austria."
One general asked sharply:
—"How many are still moving?"
—"Approximately fifty thousand."
The general exhaled heavily.
—"We need two more days."
Another officer answered immediately.
—"The Germans won't give us two days."
The next report was even worse.
German forces between Tomaszów and Radom were creating dangerous pressure between two Russian corps.
If that sector collapsed, the Germans could either turn toward Warsaw or strike south toward the Vistula crossings.
Both outcomes would be disastrous.
One general pointed to the map.
—"The gap is forming here."
He indicated the sector between Białobrzegi and Grójec.
—"If the Germans break into this corridor, our entire front could begin collapsing."
Another general responded immediately.
—"Infantry won't reach it in time."
The room fell silent.
Everyone understood what that meant.
One general studied the map in silence.
—"Infantry cannot redeploy into that corridor fast enough."
He looked toward the cavalry reserve markers.
—"Then mobile forces stabilize it until infantry arrives."
The order reached Skoropadskyi shortly before noon.
He immediately moved toward the map.
The gap between two Russian corps was widening between Białobrzegi and Grójec.
German advance units were already bypassing major positions through villages, forests, and secondary roads.
If they reached Grójec, the defensive space before Warsaw would shrink dramatically.
If they turned south, the roads to Ivangorod would be threatened.
—"How long until infantry arrives?"
Bezruchko quickly checked the latest reports.
—"At least twenty-four hours."
—"The Germans?"
—"They could enter the gap by evening."
Skoropadskyi made his decision immediately.
—"Then we make sure they never understand how weak this line really is."
The main body of the division moved toward the Białobrzegi–Grójec line at once.
The roads were overwhelmed.
Retreating supply wagons.
Wounded soldiers.
Infantry formations.
Artillery columns.
At times, movement stopped completely because of destroyed bridges or abandoned wagons blocking the roads.
One officer looked at the blocked roads.
—"At this pace we'll arrive after the Germans."
Skoropadskyi looked at the traffic collapse.
—"Then stop describing the problem and start removing it."
He turned toward the Cossacks.
—"Clear the road."
The Cossacks immediately began forcing supply wagons aside.
Several abandoned carts were pushed into ditches.
Engineers desperately repaired sections of road damaged by artillery fire.
The division was forcing its way toward the front.
By evening, German reconnaissance units appeared near the first villages.
Behind them came infantry.
Behind the infantry came artillery.
The Germans sensed weakness in the sector.
And they were trying to strike before Russian reserves arrived.
The real battle was beginning.
Omelianovych-Pavlenko received a separate mission.
Several villages west of Grójec had to be turned into temporary defensive strongpoints.
His regiment arrived first.
The cavalrymen immediately began preparing positions.
Horses were moved into nearby forests.
Machine guns were placed inside houses.
Horse artillery deployed behind the village.
Scouts moved through surrounding forests and roads.
One young officer asked nervously:
—"Are we fighting as infantry again?"
Omelianovych-Pavlenko calmly loaded his revolver.
—"No. Infantry simply wouldn't have reached this position fast enough."
The first German reconnaissance patrols appeared only a few hours later.
They expected weak screening forces.
Instead, they were met by organized rifle fire.
Several German cavalrymen fell.
The rest quickly pulled back.
An hour later, German artillery began preparing the battlefield.
Shells started tearing through the village.
Houses caught fire.
Roofs collapsed.
One Russian machine-gun crew was wiped out by a direct hit.
An officer shouted beside Omelianovych-Pavlenko.
—"They're moving!"
German infantry began advancing through open fields.
Russian troops opened heavy fire.
The first assault collapsed.
Then Omelianovych-Pavlenko noticed the real danger.
The main German attack was not frontal.
Part of their infantry was moving through a forest north of the village.
If they broke through there, the entire front could begin collapsing.
—"Second squadron with me!"
His cavalrymen rushed toward the forest.
They arrived only minutes before the Germans.
Then immediately dismounted.
The fighting became brutal.
Gunfire exploded between the trees.
Men fired through smoke at shapes they could barely see.
A Russian officer beside Omelianovych-Pavlenko was shot through the neck and collapsed instantly.
The colonel never stopped moving.
—"Hold the flank!"
The Germans attacked for two more hours.
By evening, they were forced to withdraw.
The village remained in Russian hands.
But casualties kept rising.
Farther north, Bolbochan received an even more dangerous mission.
Strike German supply lines.
The route of German supply columns was clear:
Piotrków → Tomaszów → Rawa Mazowiecka
If that route was disrupted, the pace of the German offensive would begin slowing.
Bolbochan led his detachment forward at night.
They moved through forests.
Avoided major roads.
Several times they had to let German patrols pass within only a few dozen meters.
Before dawn, they reached a railway supply station.
An officer reported quickly.
—"Approximately two companies guarding it."
—"Supplies?"
—"Ammunition, food, horses."
Bolbochan studied the station layout.
—"Destroy the telegraph lines first."
He looked at the ammunition depot.
—"Then we create enough chaos that their morning reports become very unpleasant."
The attack began before sunrise.
Russian cavalry struck without warning.
The guards failed to organize proper resistance.
Chaos erupted.
An ammunition depot exploded.
Telegraph lines were destroyed.
Railway tracks were damaged.
German supply trains stopped moving.
Several German officers were killed while trying to organize resistance.
But the real battle began during the retreat.
German reconnaissance quickly identified their direction of movement.
Then German cavalry appeared.
Later, infantry arrived on wagons.
Bolbochan immediately understood the problem.
The wounded were slowing them down.
One officer asked quietly:
—"Do we leave the wounded behind?"
Bolbochan stared at him.
—"No."
After studying the map for only a few seconds, he found a solution.
A small bridge near Mszczonów.
If they destroyed it, the Germans would lose valuable time.
Part of the detachment moved the wounded forward.
Bolbochan personally stayed behind with a covering force.
They planted explosives on the bridge.
German scouts appeared earlier than expected.
A fierce firefight erupted.
One Cossack was killed.
Another was badly wounded.
Bolbochan personally covered the withdrawal.
When German soldiers began crossing the bridge, a massive explosion tore through the area.
The bridge collapsed into the river.
German pursuit slowed immediately.
Bolbochan finally managed to bring the remains of his detachment back to Russian lines.
By that point, all of central Poland was turning into a massive slaughterhouse.
By evening, the entire front was descending into chaos.
Russian formations were arriving faster than before.
But the situation remained dangerously unstable.
New regiments unloaded at railway stations near Warsaw.
Others were sent directly toward Ivangorod.
Some formations deployed while still marching.
Headquarters kept rewriting orders.
Dispatch riders barely left their horses.
Railway stations operated without pause.
The entire system was running on hours.
Sometimes minutes.
Bezruchko barely stepped away from the maps.
New reports arrived every few minutes.
One officer rushed into headquarters.
—"The Germans have stopped on the approaches to Grójec."
A minute later another entered.
—"Bolbochan destroyed the railway supply hub between Tomaszów and Rawa Mazowiecka."
Another followed.
—"Omelianovych-Pavlenko is still holding the villages west of Grójec."
For the first time that day, Bezruchko looked at the map and saw something less catastrophic.
Skoropadskyi approached the table.
—"Report."
Bezruchko responded quickly.
—"The Germans have lost momentum on the Tomaszów–Rawa Mazowiecka axis."
He pointed farther south.
—"Their reconnaissance units near Grójec believe they're facing a much larger Russian force."
Another movement of his finger.
—"The crossings at Kozienice are still operational."
Skoropadskyi remained silent for several seconds.
—"So we bought time."
—"Yes."
—"How much?"
Bezruchko answered honestly.
—"Possibly one day."
Skoropadskyi stared at the map.
—"Then today was not wasted."
On the front line, an ordinary Russian cavalryman sat in a muddy trench beside his horse.
The animal trembled from the constant artillery fire.
The soldier looked no better.
Shells fell without pause.
Mud exploded into their faces.
German artillery systematically pounded their positions.
The soldier looked at his friend.
—"Do you remember when they trained us for glorious cavalry charges?"
The second man laughed nervously.
—"They trained us for many things."
The first soldier tried to smile.
A heavy shell exploded nearby.
When the smoke cleared, the second soldier was gone.
The first simply kept staring forward.
He no longer had the strength to scream.
On the German side, the situation was also worsening.
A German major stared at his map with growing frustration.
The Russians were supposed to retreat.
Instead:
new units kept appearing
cavalry kept striking rear supply lines
logistics kept slowing down
roads remained overcrowded
An officer finished his report.
—"The Russians are moving additional forces through Warsaw and Ivangorod faster than projected."
The major asked sharply:
—"How many Russian formations are now operating in this sector?"
The officer hesitated.
—"We no longer have a reliable estimate."
The German major slowly looked back at the map.
That answer was even worse.
That night, Bolbochan finally returned to Russian lines.
His detachment was badly reduced.
Many men were wounded.
Some were still missing.
But the mission had succeeded.
One young officer collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.
One exhausted officer looked at their casualties.
—"We lost a lot of men for a railway station."
Bolbochan stared at the burning horizon.
—"That railway station was feeding an army."
He looked toward the front.
—"Tomorrow we'll learn whether that mattered."
The officer silently nodded.
At dawn the next day, Russian infantry finally began arriving in full force.
New corps moved into position.
Artillery deployed.
Reserves poured toward Warsaw.
The Ivangorod sector was reinforced by fresh formations.
Skoropadskyi watched the endless columns.
For the first time in several days, he understood something important.
The Germans were no longer attacking an unprepared front.
Now both sides had assembled enormous forces.
And that meant only one thing.
The next phase of the battle would be even bloodier.