OVER 107,000 CAPTURES TO DATE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2795, 13 June 1916, Page 5

OVER 107,000 CAPTURES TO DATE

RUSSIANS' PHENOMENAL SUCCESS CAN GERMANY HELP THE AUSTRIANS ? The High Commissioner reports: London, Jnno 11, 8.55 i> m _ "The Russians yesterday captured thirty-five thousand prisoners. Of these eighteen thousand were taken in the one sector—Czernikoff (? Czernowitz.)" , ' , , London, June 11, 10.10 p.m. The total Russian captures to date are: One general, 1649 officors. over 106,000 men, 131 funs, and 180 machine-guns." '» • • ■■■.' COMPLETE DEBACLE ON CZEII'NOWITZ FRONT. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright). Petrograd, June 11 The Russians yesterday captured an additional 35,000 men, 400 officers 30 guns, and enormous booty. • General Lechusky's army, ia the direction of Czernowitz, alone tanhirprl .18,000,. effecting a complete debacle. upmreu

CIVILIANS ORDERED TO LEAVE CZERNOWITZ,

, , , . • „ ' Geneva, Juno 11. Civilians have been ordered to leave Czernowitz, which is now within ranee ,of the Russian artillery. The inhabitants of other localities in Bukowina decline to-leave, being convinced that the Russians Trill bring food with them

FIRST STORIES FROM THE BATTLE FRONT

AUSTRIANS REFUSE TO FACE THE BAYONET.

Petrograd, Juno 11. The first of the Russian wounded have reached Odessa. The men speak in glowing enthusiasm of the havoc caused- by the artillery on the Austrian defences, which was followed by onslaughts by masses of cavalry, which threw the retreating enemy into hopeless confusion. . The enemy abandoned the wounded, and whole regiments surrendered. The railways are blocked by trains conveying prisoners and trophies "of war, including big guns and aeroplanes. Captured baggage trains are being u6ed.to convey the Austrian wounded Several thousand prisoners have arrived at Kieff, and fifteen thousand at Khotin, including German Staff officers. . ■ An appalling Russian gunfire opened simultaneously on the entire battlefront. The orders for attack reached the trenches on June 3; and were hailed with unbounded joy. The artillery opened the attack on tho same' dav and continued until midnight on June 4. The infantry then attacked, and 'found the enemy s first, 6econd, and third lines in ruins and full' of dead. The succeeding lines were defended by machine-guns, fire squirts, and mines, many oE which exploded under the Russians, but the latter were irresistible. The Austrians mostly refused to face' the bayonet, and surrendered. AN ADVANCE OF FIFTEEN MILES PER DAY ("Times"' and Sydney "Sun". Services.) (Rec. Juno 12, 5.5 p.m.) * Mr. .Hamilton Fyfe (the British wii- correspondent on the Russian front) says: "The break in the Austrian front now covers one hundred miles It would be rash to prophesy how far the Russians will be able to develop their success.. They.have advanced on. an average of fifteen miles per dav for five days on nearly three hundred miles of front. At Lusk they are twenty-threo' miles from their old positions. "The enemy certainly did not expect such a terrific bombardment. The Austrians were instructed to retire successively, but when Lusk was endan eered they were ordered not to fall- back, at whatever cost. They obeyed anil hid in shell-proof shelters until tho guns ceased. The infantry then merged and surrendered All possible reserves are being rushed from Lemberg and Bi»st Litovsk. Much depends on whether the Germans will be able to help their ally either by reinforcements or fay a demonstration in the north but so tar there is no sign ot the latter. ENORMOUS HAUL OF BOOTY ON SATURDAY (Rec. June 12, 2.25 p.m.) ■ ' ' . . Petrograd, Juno 11. A Russian official communique states: "Our continued advance in Volhynia Galicia, and Bukowina resulted in fresh successes on Saturday, our furious blows throwing into our hands thousands and thousands of prisoners and masses of war material, to estimate which is impossible.. For example, we captured in one single section tivo 6upnly trains, forty-seven machine-gun trains twenty-nine field kitchens, 480,0001b. of barbed wire, 1000 concrete girders] 7,000.000 concrete cubes, stores of anns and ammunition. ' "Such enormous captures prove the opportuneness of our blow." AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE-AN ADMISSION. (Rec. June 12, 10.50 p.m.) Amstordam, Juno 12. The latest Vienna communique slates:—"Exceedingly violent fighting in north-east Bukowina, and the pressure of superior hostile forces, applied with, unequalled prodigality of men, have obliged us to withdraw." 'GERMAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. Amsterdam, Jun9 11. A German communique states: A German reconnaissance party penetrated and destroyed some Russian positions southward of Krevo (southeast of Vilna),

HOW THE GREAT BLOW WAS LAUNCHED

BRUSILOFF'S STUPENDOUS OFFENSIVE,

(Rcc, Juno 12, 8.10 p.m.)

mi , , ~ , , London, June 12. • lliero is no longer any doubt about the fact that Goneral Brusiloff, hitherto known as a brilliant cavalry leader, has Btruck one of tho biggest blows of the war. Though a Vienna estimate places his command at 1,500,000 men, this is doubtless an exaggeration. General Brusiloff selected a front of 310 miles, oxtending from Rusk, through tho Pripet marshes, and tho Volhynian swamp's, to Rumania.

Tho result of his offensive are throe great yawning breaches in the Austrian line, ono thirty miles deep, in tho Lufik region, threatening the important mnction at Kovel; the second, twenty miles deep, from Bucifacz to tho junction of tho Strypa and tho Dniester, a distance of thirteen miles, threatening the town of Stamslau—tho Russians at tho end of 1915 failed to cross tho Strypa; now they have not only taken tho old fortifications, but 'those which were constructed in the roar, and havo drivon a wedge between tho armies of General von Bothmer and Goneral Piianzer, which will make it difficult for Pflanzer to hold tho Bukowma. Tho third breach is before Czeniowitz, enabling General Lechitsky to occupy an important strategic railway and mako huge captures.

.The Preliminary Bombardment

Telegrams from Potrograd describe tho Russian bombardment us reaching its most intense point on June 3. Somo stretches of trench were transformed into a mush or crumbled concrete, burst sand-bags, and splintered beams, mingled with mutilated corpses. Many of tho Russian regiments had never before been in action, yet thoy charged like tigers after the Russian artillery hid destroved the barbed wire, which was often as thick as the index linger, and woven'together to a depth of three hundred yards. Hidden pits, with spiked bottoms, had been prepared before tue Austrian lines, similar to those used at tho Battle of Baimocliburn (Scotland in 1314), and hampered the advance. The Russians traversed the pits, using planks and ladders.

Mad Rush of Infantry—-'and then the Cavalry.

Thirty-two lines of Russian infantry followed each other in rapid succession m open formation, and suffering the heaviest losses, but there was no faltering. They took the second and third lines of the Austrian defences in their first mad rush. Then came divisions of Cossacks and Lancers on their hardy ponies. These swept through the breaches, and the fleeing enemy was utterly disorganised. Whole companies, even regiments, surrendered. The cavalry swept on, disorganising the transport and ammunition stores ten miles behind tho front trenches, and tho retreat developed into a panic-stricken flight, with enormous losses, the Russians covering twenty-two miles in two days in the direction of ICovel.

The advance of the Russians was so rapid that one Austrian division was summoned and compelled to surrender before the staff was aware of th© fact. Ihe Russians had broken through Loth flanks while the Austriaus were building elaborate earth-works. °

Organising the Whirlwind Advance.

General Brusiloff had constructed miles of corduroy roads across the swamps behind the Russian lines to enable tho calvalry to quickly assemble wherever the artillery was able to send them on the Austrian front. After the cavalry came the transport wagons and artillery horses, to enable tho whirlwind advance to continue. •

Brusiloff's strategy has been a magnificent success. IJ one hundred thousand Austrians have been captured, at least 200,000 others has been either killed or. wounded.

When Dubno fell, a triangle of fortresses, including Lust and Rovno, passed to the Russians. There were tweniy hours of fierce fighting before Lusk. Then came the. flight of tho Austrians, so precipitate that even the railway stations and bridges were not destroyed. The Archduke Friedrich lunched at Lusk on the very day of its capture. The inhabitants of Lusk are principally Jews and Poles, lliey enthusiastically greeted the Russians, who entered the city with bands playing and colours flying. Men, women, and children embraced the soldiers, kissing their bauds' and rifles. ■ The Germans on tho Styr, below Lusk, attempted to assist the \ustrians The Russian infaQtry, however, drovo them back, taking two. thousand prisoners . _ General Bohm Ermolli continues to spiritedly dispute the possession of the heignfs north-west of Tarnopol, which havo several times exchanged hands.