GREAT BATTLE DEVELOPING AT BREST LITOVSK

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2549, 25 August 1915, Page 7

GREAT BATTLE DEVELOPING AT BREST LITOVSK

GERMANS STUBBORNLY OPPOSED RUSSIANS EVACUATE OSSOWIEC FORTRESS By Telegraph—Press Association—Oopyiijlit ' Copenhagen, 'August 23. Private advices from Berlin state that the struggle at Brest-Litovsk is developing into a big battle, extending along the whole line. The Russians are constantly sending great forces under fire to prevent, the encompassing of the forces. ' ' The Germans are encountering stubborn resistance, and the advance has been delayed, nevertheless they have not yet stopped. ' RUSSIAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. (Reo. 'August 24, 11,20 p.m.) ' , Petrograd, 'August 24, Official.-—"The situation at Riga, on land, is unchanged. ■ "We held up the enemy's offensive- on the Kovarsk-Wilkomir-Koelie'dary, front. Further south, some of our units crossed to the right bank of tho Niemen. , . "We are' defending the positions between iflie Bobr and Brest Litovsk step by step/ ' _ ."There have been stubborn enemy, attacks in the' Sielsk region, and also in the lake region, near. Pichticha." GERMAN OFFICIAL' COMMUNIQUE, ' ' " , • „ Amsterdam,' August 23. A German communique states: "General von Eidhbom's troops are advancing east and south of Kovno. ' ■ "We have occupied the fortress of Ossowiec, which the Russians evacuated.. . , "Successful fighting occurred north and south of Tykocin, which wo captured with 1200' prisoners. !■ "The Russians tenaciously resisted between the Razua and the Bug. Our attack across the Bug above the Pulwa sector is. progressing. "The enemy was defeated on Sunday on both sides of Lake Svitjaz and also eastward of Vlodava-, as well as being repulsed north-eastward. AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. (Rec. 'August 24, 9.20 p.m.) ■ Amsterdam, August 24. An Austrian offioial communique states that there was severe fighting east of the Lower Pulwa, the enemy stubbornly defending every inch of ground. KOVNO BOMBARDED BY 600 GUNS, London, August 23. ■ The Germans subjected tho first cap tured forfc at Kovno to a bombard- ■ ment from six hundred guns. A shell destroyed the facade of tho cathedral. Three Zeppelins and thirty aeroplances flow over the fortress dropnine bombs. ' . (Rco. August 24, 9.20 p.m.) A wireless message from Berlin states that the returns of tho booty captured at Kovno are incomplete. It includes'many modern heavy guns, enormous quantities of ammunition._ ma-oliine-guiis, motor-cars, and material worth' millions. Tho Russians did not expoct the fortress to fall. Fifteen thousand unarmed Russian roserves fled at the last moment. ANALYSIS OF THE MILITARY SITUATION GRAND DUKE MENACED ON THE RIGHT AND REAR. ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) •„ . , ■ „ m . , London, August 23. Colonel Repington (the Times' military correspondent) says that the complete subordination tho Austrian to tlio German, headquarters is a striking feature of tho position in tho oast. The forces immediately massed for a decisive campaign will probably be distributed in four groups, cacli of eight to twelve Army Corps, making with cavalry an aggregated strength of ono million and a half, not counting the forces remaining iii Galicla or held in rc. serr«. ,

The Russians appear to be oppos§:l on the Brest-Ossowiec front by something like a, million men, and threatened with attack on the right and rear by half a million. These estimates are necessarily approximate, because the recent losses were very heavy. Since May the Germans And Austrians lost 350,000 monthly. Tlio Russian situation can onlv be prevented from becoming critical if the Grand Duke can tackle Field-Marshal von Hindenburg when ho attempts to play his part in tho great game. If von Hindonburg has anything like the strength credited to liiin, 'ho will take a lot of holding. "TERRIFYING AND SYSTEMATIC DEVASTATION" NAPOLEON'S EXPERIENCE RECALLED. " Budapest, August 23. Au officer from iSie Polish, front, describing the Russian retreat in Southern -Poland,* says: "It was a piece of terrifying and systematic devastation, recalling Napoleon's experience in 1812. An immense sea of fire indicated the line of retreat; the roads were lit by burning houses for miles ahead. Two hundred blackened chimneys near Sokal showed where the barracks and hospital had stood. AVell-organised Cossaclc detachments followed General Mischenko's army, their duty being to burn everything. They did ,it thoroughly. 'When the Hungarians entered Kcylof the whole of the streets were burning, and it was too hot for tho troops to pass. They had to go round. "The same stata of affairs occurred at "V 1 adimir-Volynski and Verba. "Tho ( Hungarians then passed seven villages, all of which were burning. The soa of flames stretched to the deep plains of Volhymo, and all the villages in-the direction of-Kovel were blazing. No shelter was found to be anywhere. For days-the roads were in a terrible state," and our trains wero thirty-sis hours late. Our troops were almost driven to despair by hunger. Many thousands are rebuilding tho railway from Sokal to Volynski. If this ds not ready immediate disaster is ahead of us."