Russia

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 68, 24 June 1916, Page 5

Russia

ADVANCE (MAINTAINED. NO QUARTER GIVEN. [United Peesi Association.! Petrograd, June 23. A communique states: After artillery preparation, the enemy took the offensive last night on the Dvinsk nout, along the Pouevesh-Warsaw railways but they were everywhere repulsed. The Germans occupied part of our trenches at Dubatovka, southward of Lake Yishrevskotc, but our reinforcements drove the enemy out and they crossed the Ivrevlianiun, south of lirevo, our fire compelling them to withdraw to the west bank. We repulsed a German offensive west of Sokal, on t the, Styr, captuiing six ; hundred violent fighting west of Svidniti, on the Stokhod, and 214 prisoners wore .taken. The smallness of this number was duo to our men not giving any quarter, owing to the enemy’s use of explosive bullets. We carried further enemy trenches in the Strypa region, and occupied the town of Radaslz. Hundreds of Austrians were drowned in the Strypa. After the Russian success north of Buczacz, the Russians enveloped the Austrian trenches on three sides. The Austrians became panic-stricken, and rushed into the river, but few reached the west bank.

IN THE PRIPET MARSHES.

THE CAPTURE OF SVIDNIKI. :■. > MioT -A 1 . i • CLEVER RUSSIAN RUSE. UNWARY SWALLOWED UP IN THE BOG. STERN FIGHTING FOR VILLAGE. GERMANS USE “ORPHANS.” (Received 9.55 a.m.) London, June 23. The Daily Telegraph’s Petrograd correspondent sends details of the capture of Svidniki.

The Russians opened their bombardment on the Stokhod lino early on the morning of the 16th. The Germans anticipated the Russian infantry attack by assaulting in dense columns. The Russians fell back for two miles, bringing the enemy under a flanking fire from machine guns, and the ground was soon strewn with dead, but the survivors pressed forward. Ton minutes’ bayonet work was sufficient to rout the German remnant.

The Russians followed up on their hods, and crossed the Stokhod before the Germans had time to destroy the bridges. Armoured motors completed the route, and the Russians then prepared to advance on Svidniki. They were faced with extreme difficulties owing to the marshy ground, having to wade chest-deep in mud, under heavy artillery and machineguns fire, and carrying their own ma-chine-guns, rifles, and ammunition on their heads and shoulders. Jtvory wounded or unwary Russian was swallowed up in the pitiless bog. Tho Russians reached firm ground after floundering in the mire, and charged the village with the bayonet. Two Gorman Landwohr regiments who were holding the village fought bravely, barricading the cottages and mounting machine-guns on the roofs and at windows, and every building had to bo stormed. Tho garrison was practically wiped out.

The Germans recaptured the village temporarily, but the Russians restormed it, and made prisoners of several hundred,

The Germans used a new shell, with a double explosion. They wore nicknamed ' “Orphans” by the Russians, owing to the wailing sound which they made in the air.

The Russians counted five hundred German dead at one bridge on the Stokhod. All the woods near Svidniki were thickly strewn with dead, and greijt numbers wore swallowed up in the swamps.

AUSTRIAN ARMY SURROUNDED.

Romo, June 23,

Portion of General Pllanzor’s army is completely surrounded, near the Sereth.

RUSSIANS DRIVE AUSTRIANS TO ROUMANIAN FRONTIER.

Romo, June 22. 11 Corriere Della Sera’s correspon-

dent at Bucharest says that the Russians have driven fifty thousand Austrians to the Roumanian frontier, and Roumania is preparing to disarm them 'if the,V drosls tl|e binder. • t ' |; ‘ k, .J'jf $ j f

GENERAL. ITEMS,

London, Juno 22

At Czernowitz 40,000 of tho population have returned and the, Russians are distributing plenty of provisions. The town is little damaged. The Daily Mail correspondent at Petrograd says that prisoners state that the Austrian colonels lived far in the rear, instructing thejrymen }>y telephone. The Russians found the officers’ dug-outs, near Dubno, with baths, rugs, pictures, miryors, ...and flower and vegetable gardens. j The DiuTy N'etvs 1 ' ■Petrograd correspondent reports that General Letchitsky is brilliantly pursuing the enemy, and that a part of the Austrian forces has ; retried south along the Roumanian frontier, while the others went towards the Carpathians, hoping to hold a fortified line on tho Mikrohda arid Sereth rivers.

Despite their delay at Czornowitz, the Russians reached the line simultaneously, bisecting General Pflanzer’s forces between the Kotty and Sereth. About three thousand of the others, partly composed of foreigners, are not, apparently, immediately endangered.

SUCCESSFUL RUSSIAN THRUST. GERMAN LINES AT KOVEL WEAKENED. (Received 12.15 p.m.) Petrograd, June 23. The Russian thrust towards Kovel lengthened the German line by fifty miles, and for the moment the latter are trying to hold the lines with a minimum of forces.