THE GREAT STRUGGLE FOR WARSAW

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2532, 5 August 1915, Page 5

THE GREAT STRUGGLE FOR WARSAW

SANGUINARY BATTLES ATTEMPT TO CUT A BRANCH RAILWAY 1 V ' a By .Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright m , petrograd, August 3. Civil life in Warsaw continues. The people still frequent' the cafes and parks. The hotels are empty, visitors having departed for their homes. The narrowing process on the Russian-Polish front continues according to plan with the utmost success. Von Hindenburg's new troops from' the West front are straining every nerve in the effort to bridge the obstacles on the Orz River and make a thrust against the branch line connecting the Warsaw-Petrograd railway with Ostrolenka. The bloodiest battles were on Friday and Saturday, twenty miles distant from Ivangorod. . i Cossacks annihilated a company of Germans who were building a footbridge across tho Vioprz. They were disguised in dead Russians' uniforms, but the Cossacks overheard them talking.

RUSSIAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE (Rec. August 4, 11.50 p.m.) Pstrograd, August 4. Official.—"Our seaplanes drove a German gunboat ashore at Windau, and flow around a Zeppelin and two seaplanes, one of which was brought down. . "There was desperate fighting on Sunday and Monday east of PonicvcßZ, and hand-to-hand fighting at the Narew mouth, at Aclikva. Trci'.ches frequently changed hands.' c ' i v "Desperate battles still rage on the left or thp Narew and north-east o£ Rozan, wliero the enemy makes every step at the cost of enormous losses. "By prodigious efforts and after an extremely sanguinary action 011 Sunday the Germans who crossed the Vistula and captured a part of tho Mutzeovitz'e Forest, made further considerable progross. "We repulsed the enemy near Kurow and north of Lublin, and also on both' sides of the Trauniki-Vloodva road, inflicting great losses." GERMAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. Amsterdam, August 3. A German official communique states:— "We mado prisoner 500 men round Mitau. The enemy east of Ponevash retreated easterly. Our troops crossed the Wobolniki-Subocz road, taking prisoner 1250. "Wo gained ground at Lomza and captured 3000 Russians. "Minor fighting beforo Warsaw is favourable to us. "In the Sou ?h-Western theatre, General von Woyrsch extended his bridgehead position on tho east, bank of the Vistula, taking 750 prisoners. "The Austrians gained a decisive success before tho west front of Ivangorod, capturing 2300 men and 32 cannon, including 21' heavy guns. . "General von Mackeusen, after resistance, broke the enemy's line east of Leczna. (east of Dublin) and north of Cholm, where tho Russians began to evacuate' the greater part of the front.. Tho enemy is still resisting at other, points. Two thousand were taken prisoner." v ' AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. (Rec. August 4, 9.40 p.m.) Amsterdam, August 4. An Austrian communique states:—"Fighting is unabated in violence between the Vistula and the Bug. We captured Legona. The Russians west, of Ivangorod withdrew the greater part of their lino towards fortresswards.." AVAR CORRESPONDENT'S VIEW OF THE SITUATION. ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) (Rec. August 4, S.lO p.m.) London, August 3. Mr. Stanley Washburn (tho American war correspondent), after covering tha Vistula and Narcw. fronts, is rathor "optimistic. His moral iuiorossion

of tlio situation south of Warsaw is that it seems good. "Ou the Blonie line tlio position is not serious. The Germans seem to- be lacking in supplies for tlio first time, and tlio result is that their drives are not continuous. "Ten German divisions are dug in south-east of the Narew. The immediate fato of Warsaw probably depends on tlio strength of the defending armies liore." An authority told him: "As conditions are, we can stick, ami probably savo Warsaw." , Mr. Washburn thinks that ten days will decided the fate of tho city. Later reports indicate that the Germans have retired in the direction of Grojcc. The optimistic feeling is slightly growing. LESSONS OF THE ARTILLERY DRIVE.(Rec. August 4, 11.20 p.m J Petrograd, 'August 4. tho Russians are strongly opposing any attempt to advance on Riga. Tho Russians state that thero aro thirty-five German army corps between tho Baltic and Bukovina, of which ten camo from the West since May 1 and three since July 1, which wero required to make good General von Mackensen's and General yon Hindcnburg's serious losses. Tlio Germans under General von Wyhzkoiv include 131 active battalions, who are considered the best of Germany's remaining array.. . Russian officers.who faced tho German artillery drive are of opinion that the best method of dealing with a drive is to attack without giving the enemy the chance of selecting a spot to mass his artillery. Experience shows that an unsuccessful attack is less costly than an attompt to hold positions. Russia, has already armed and equipped between six and seven million men, and has tlio samo number available. WHERE THE REAL BLOW WAS LAUNCHED. (Rec. August 4, 11.20 p.m.) _ . . Potrograd, 'August 4. Ilie war critics are coming to the conclusion that the centro of gravity oil the Russian front has been shifted definitely from the south to the north, and -it now seems that the German attack on the Niemen-Dwina front was the real thing. The Germans reached Ponieviesz over a week ago, but only advanced one march, showing that the Russians wero quite prepared to meet the movement. One hundred and fifty guns were recently concentrated at a single point in the advance against the Petrograd railway. The Russians were obliged to retire, but counter-attacked before the big guns were able to follow up the advance, forcing the Germans to fall back ten versts. COMPLETE CHANGE IN GERMAN PLAN. (Rec. August 4, 10.40 p.m.) ■n ■ i . , „ . Zurloh, August i. Private information indicates that the Russian defensive will necessitate a complete change in tlio German plan of campaign. A stream of troops from West to East began three weeks ago, and continues undiminished. Their places are taken by men with only five weeks' training;, consisting of previously untrained Landsturmers between tho ages of thirty-five and forty-five, and recruits from eighteen to nineteen. The German General Staff originally intended that these should be trained until September. The German reserves appear to be nearly exhausted, and the trained Laudsturmers up to 48 years of age havo already been called up, also untrained country Landsturmers. Only three classes of untrained town Landsturmors, aged from forty-three to forty-five, still remain. AN AWKWARD PAUSE IN THE GREAT ONSET EXPLAINED BY THE "COLOGNE GAZETTE."(Rec. August 4, 11.20 p.m.) London, August 4. The 'Cologne Gazette" explains that the pause in tho Warsaw operations is duo to the length of the communications. • "Thero must be no lack of reserves and supplies of ammunition," says the "Gazette," "and the enemy's counter-strokes also create situations which must be cleared up before the general advance continues." ■ v . THE TORPEDOED GERMAN TRANSPORT ' CARRIED REINFORCEMENTS FOR VON BULOW. (Rec. August 4, 11.20 p.m.) ~ Petrograd, August 4. The German transport which was torpedoed by a British submarine carried reinforcements to Libau, destined for General Von Billow's hard-pressed army. The importance of the feat lies loss in the fact that a German regiment was sent to the bottom than that the German maritime reinforcement must cease, or he carried out with extreme caution in the future.

•. "A MASTER-STROKE OF GENERALSHIP." (Rec. August 4, 9 p.m.) , London, August 4. The "Daily Telegraph's;' Petrograd correspondent states that the recent operations show that tho withdrawal from the Vistula- was dccided upon weeks ago, and this will probably be revealed later as a master-stroke ot generalship. The only reason for the Anstro-German advance northward of the Lublin-Cholm railway on Sunday was that the ground was suitable for entangling the Russians in a general engagement. Hence the Russians preferred to fall back. < RESOLUTE FEELING IN THE RUSSIAN DUMA. ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) (Rec. 'August o, 8.10 p.m.) \ London, August 4. ■ "The Times" Petrograd correspondent writes: "The Duma, proceedings indicate that despite the trials of the Russians they face the future without wavering. There is much animation in the lobbies. Numerous members who have visited the front speak confidently of the future. The question repeatedly hoard is: 'How soon will our Allies resume the general offensive?' All are. confident that that will not be delayed a moment longer than is necessary." ITALIAN COMPLIMENT TO THE RUSSIANS. Milan, August 3. Tho "Corriere della Sera," in comments on the Russian retreat,- says: "If appears that thoir indomitable heroic retreat is as honourable as a victory. They are now wearing out the enemy, and could retake the territory tomorrow." ■ ■ '