GERMANS' RETREAT FROM POLAND

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2298, 4 November 1914, Page 5

GERMANS' RETREAT FROM POLAND

• / —— FIFTEEN MILES PER DAY GREAT RUSSIAN DRIVING MOVEMENT The Prime Minister of New Zealand has received the following cablegram, dated London, November 2:—''The Russians are continuing to drive the enemy in Poland, occupying two important towns." Petrograd, November 2. Reports from the Vistuh. front show that the Germans -were thrown back to the vicinity of'the Warta River, marching fifteen miles daily for a week over execrable clay sloughs. Near Warsaw some peasants found huge mounds surmounted by crosses, and German helmets. They dug and discovered piles of ammunition', besides t German field guns. '

/ The Warta.River rises on the Prussian Silesian-Polish frontier, about 40 miles from the Galician boundary, and takes an irregular northerly course through Poland, following a rough parallel with the German frontier, at an average distance of about 35 miles, finally entering German territory on a westerly course and deflecting north again through Posen.

SEVERE BATTLE ON EAST PRUSSIAN BORDER. (R«c. November i, 0.40 a.m.) ■/■-.._ Petrograd, November 2'. Details of the. Bakalafjevo ..fighting show that the Russians entrenched themselves on high ground on the western side of a narrow lake. The Germans concentrated their reserves and siege guns, were brought up from Konigsberg, believing that the Russians, had been weakened owing to reinforcing the Warsaw line. Artillery fire was continued for five days, but the German aeroplanes were unable to locate the Russians, owing to mist. The final assault was made on Saturday, after a snowstorm. , The Germans sacrificed line after line under the murderous lire of machine guns. At one spot the barricade of dead impeded the Russian fire. At one corner on the west of Bukalarjevo four thousand German dead were counted.' 1 Despite the Bhell-fire the Germanß entrenched themselves on the west side of the lake; thb Siberians on Saturday afternoon were ordered to dislodge them, and succeeded after three bayonet charges. j..: Many of tho Germans wero paralysed with the cold. Many of the prisoners taken were elderly men of the Landstrum and hoys of sixteen, with no winter clothing. The Russians are wearing sheepskins. It is estimated that there are 20,000 Germans dead &t Rayou and Bakalarjevo since October 25. The total casualties are unknown.