Eastern News

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 45, 23 June 1915, Page 5

Eastern News

RUSSIA’S NATIONAL SPIRIT

ARMY WHOLE AND UNDEFEATED

SACRIFICES NOBLY MADE,

rUmno Pmm Association.] (Received 10.15 a.m. London, June 22

The Daily Chronicle’s Petrograd correspondent says the Germans in Galicia daily hurl tons of iron into the Russian trenches, forcing the Russians to abandon cover. The Russians nightly return with shot and bayonet for the German infantry and recover their trenches only to repeat the process on the succeeding days. The Russian Army is undefeated: it has suffered losses’, hut is whole and steadily successfully pursuing the task of swelling the German casualty lists. Whatever sacrifice of territory is involved the Germans are advancing only by a series of violent paroxysms, succeeded by brief periods of exhaustion. The latest paroxysm ha« brought tjie German columns to the defences of Lemberg. The sacrifice of the city will be extremely painful to the Russians, hut the nation’s spirit is aroused to a. pitch of fierce determination.

UNITS FROM BELGIUM.

GERMAN HORDES IN GALICIA. Dutttn Palis Ajbsoouhoh. (Received 8.10 a.m.) Petrograd, June ‘JS. Further units from Belgium have reached Galicia, thus supporting the theory that Germany is staking everything on the attempt to paralyse the Russians, so as to be free to deal with the general Anglo-French advance. The Gorman losses in Galicia have been colossal, but an inexhaustible stream of soldiers is being kept up. Some experts estimate that at least one-third" of the German forces in the West have been transferred to Galicia, and remind the public that the Austrians devoted many years in adopting the Lemberg region to serve the eastern advance against Russia, not for purposes of defence, afoul consequently the road leading to the city is w ithin the zone of the enemy s artillery. Lemberg has, therefore, forfeited its importance as a centre of military supplies.

THE EASTERN FRONT. ■ -i The High Commissioner report's : London, June 22 (5.50 a.m.) The Times says that Lemberg has not yet fallen and though the Grodek line has been evacuated, the*Russians are making another stand nearer the city, hut it is assumed in Petrograd it will not be held. The latest Petrograd communique reports that on the night of the 20th the Russians »e----treated to the Grodek Lakes towards The enemy’s offensive in the region of Rawarusska continues. The High Commissioner reports: — London, June 2 2 (2.55 p.m.) On the 19th and 20th there was most stubborn lighting at Hivernngova, where the Russians slightly progressed. On the Narew front the German forces, who were not of great strength, and were protected by violent artillery fire, attempted the offensive, but with barren results. Between the ( rivers Omulew and Or/.ec. to the left of the Vistula, at dawn on Sunday the enemy assumed the offensive, and isolated some eolnrnn ; on the trout to the south of the river Pilitza. 'lhere was a shu;! light, hut everywhere the enemy wgs>throw n hack, r lhey lost a

Inmdred prisoners. On the Dniester the enemy made barren attacks between the Mikolajow and the Zydaczowo, in the course of which they were driven back to the villages of Demenka and Lisna, and sustained heavy losses. i.

THE KEY OF GALICIA.

ENEMY FIGHTING FOfc LEMBERG

Petrograd, June 22

Official: The enemy offensive in the Rawa Russka. region continues. We retired on Saturday night from the Grodek Lakes on Lemberg.

LEMBERG. Lemberg is the key to almost the whole of the Russian hold on Galicia. If it fails, at least two-thirds of invaded area must he given up. The transfer of the whole of the communication and transport traffic to the smaller railway systems radiating from Tarnapol and Czortkof in the extreme cast of Galicia, already carrying a good share of the work, will not improve the Russians’ position on the Dneister. The enemy’s advance guards have attempted to pierce through the gaps betw-een the small lakes among which Grodek stands, these lakes \ form a short chain running north and south, about 15 miles west of Lemberg; and the barrier is continued north and south by the stream connecting them and running into the Dneister. Lemberg seems, to be fated to be ruled by a variety of masters. In the Polish campaign against the Turks in 1672 Koperile, the Turkish General, backed by a powerful army, captured Lemberg on September 9th, but in 1075 General Sobieski, who then led the Poles and Russians, gained one of the most brilliant victories of the age over the Turks at Lemberg. In the following year peace was concluded, by which Turkey -retained Lemberg. Subsequently IJtemherg cam© under Austrian dominion. Early in the present war the Russians directed an advance towards Lemberg, and on September 3 of last year the Russians entered the town, and now, after Russian occupation for some nine months, the AustroGerman forces are perilously near to Lemberg again. Lemberg is the capital of the crown land of Galicia, Austria, and lies 498 miles north-west of Vienna by rail. Tt lias a population of 206,000, which is very mixed in character, 11 per cent, being Jews, 70 per cent. Poles, 10 per cent. Germans, and most of the remainder Rutheniums. Lemberg is the fourth city of the Austrian Empire, comifig after Vienna, Prague, and Trieste. The fortifications of the town were transferred into pleasure grounds •in 1811.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. UNXTin Peih Amooiasioh. London, June 22. Petrograd reports that the recent anti-German riots resulted in £1,000.000 damage. Nearly five hundred stores and factories and two hundred private buildings were wrecked by rioters, who recklessly pillaged and destroyed them by fire. Times and Sydney Si n Sehviom. London, -Tune 21. The Times correspondent at Warsaw says General Alexieff. who commands a force twice the size ol the British and French armies, and who is credited with the keenest brain in the

Russian Hold armies, maintains the opinion that Russia can stand losses almost indefinitely, and is willing to accept the burden of breaking too Herman wave until the Germans have reached the limit of their strength. When that time arrives the Russian advance will begin. Amsterdam, June 22.

A Vienna official report saws a—Our seaplanes successfully bombarded the railway stations at Bari and Brindisi. The' Budapest twenty-eighth regiment of infantry refused to light in the recent Carpathians battles. Officers and men threw down their arms, saying they would not fight the Russian brothers. The Emperor ordered the regiment to he disbanded. and their flag to lie burned. An order was published to the Austro-Germa.u announcing the revolt, which was described as high treason. Nearly every man of the regiment was arrested, together with a number of Ezech hiad-