On the left flank of Auffenberg’s Fourth Army, the Austrian II Corps faced the Russian XXV Corps. The Austrians had inflicted a serious defeat on the Russians several days before, but to their surprise the Russians recovered quickly and now threatened to interfere with the Austrian attempt to encircle the center of the Russian Fifth Army. To fend off the Russians while the rest of II Corps turned eastwards, 4th Infantry Division marched north.

The Austrians advanced only tentatively, with the swamps around Lubanka Brook slowing them and Russian resistance stiffening on the high ground on the opposite side. The Austrians had little idea of XXV Corps’ location, and Fourth Army counted on X Corps of First Army to engage and fix the Russians in place. That army’s command had problems of its own and little interest in overextending itself outside its area of responsibility, which left a Russian corps little engaged and able to march against the open flank and rear areas of the Austrians turning eastward.