Nikolai Epanchin's III Corps, which had already lost most of its equipment, withdrew to Kovno and Olita, where they no longer became a factor in the battle. Pavel Bulgakov's XX Corps now faced the German XXI Corps and XXXIX Reserve Corps on its northern flank. According to Buttar, "Whilst the German advance might have been aided by the snow trampled by the retreating Russians, it was only possible at all because of the food abandoned by the retreating Tenth Army; the movements of German supply columns were as restricted by the weather as everyone else." Heavy snow fell on 11 February as temperatures dropped to -15 °C. On 12 February, Otto von Lauenstein's XXXIX Reserve Corps captured Eydtkuhnen and Wirballen. On 14 February, the German Tenth Army's XXI Corps, under the command of Fritz von Below, cut the road connecting Augustowo to Sejny. Lyck was also captured by the Germans on 14 February. The Russian XXVI, XX, and III Siberian Corps were now in danger of being encircled. However, on 15 February, the weather changed to rain, and a thaw, turning the roads into knee-deep mud. On 16 February, the Germans reached Augustowo, and Georg von der Marwitz's XXXVIII Corps captured Suwałki. Eichhorn's Tenth Army was now to the north of Augustowo, while Below's Eighth Army was to the west. Karl Litzmann's XL Reserve Corps were ordered over the Augustów Canal on 17 February, the III Siberian Corps abandoned their defensive positions, while Bulgakov's XX Corps, isolated, attempted to retreat to the east. Destruction of the XXth Army Corps For the commander of the huge XX Army Corps, which had 5 infantry divisions instead of 2 like other Russian corps, P. Bulgakov, there was only one way out - to break through from the "encirclement" to the east, towards Grodno. At the forefront of the huge corps column stretching out from Suwalki was the 27th Infantry Division. It was she who began the battle at Macharce on February 16. The ram attack of 16 Russian battalions hit three battalions of the German 65th brigade (97th infantry regiment) and two batteries of the 15th field artillery regiment and a pioneer company that had taken up positions. In a stubborn battle, the German batteries fired all the shells, the Russian infantry advanced their machine guns and fired at the covering soldiers. Before the retreat to Frącki (no more than 250 men remained),