Russia

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 84, 12 July 1916, Page 5

Russia

REPORTS OF OFFENSIVE.

NEARLY THREE MILLION RUSSIANS.

ENORMOUS CAPTURES MADE

Press Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. London, July 11. The latest news as to the Russian offensive proved that it continues in accordance with carefully matured plans. Even the Germans are not attempting to hide its importance. The Berlin Tageblatt admits that the Russians number 137 divisions of infantry and thirty-six of cavalry, totalling 2,740,000 infantry and 162,000 cavalry. The troops are far superior in morale and equipment to those who were defeated in 1915.

It is now plain that General Brusiloff has entirely outmanoeuvred Generals Bothmer and Linsingen. While apparently concentrating for a southern attack they suddenly extended their operations and developed a flanking movement covering fifty miles from the north of Kolki to the Pripet River. General Brusiloff steadily pushed the Germans from their line on the Styr to a line on the Stokhod. They then crossed to the western bank at a spot where the river takes a sudden turn, and the Germans here fought with energy and desperation, but the battle ended in a general flight in order to cross the Stokhod and escape annihiliatioh. The tally of the prisoners and captured material is as yet incomplete, but in the Stokhod region alone 640 officers and over twenty, thousand unwounded men, with fifty-five guns and ninety-three Maxims were captured as the result of the new offensive. The Austro-German casualties amount to at least 50,000.

General Brusiloff has now gained positions ensuring further progress, and the Germans have lost the opportunity for a successful opposition to the east of Stokhocj,,, add, all cliances of tactical manoeuvring. :

General Brusiloff has Pinsk : ftl ? d Boglanu covering the right Hanks, and after crossing the Stokhod will be in a position to threaten the newly constructed defences at Kovel. The situation in the south is equally satisfactory. Since the capture of Buczacz, the lower Strypa and Dneister, the. fronts have been very quiet, while' General Lechitsky is overthrowing General PflanzeFs army and advancing to Delatyn railway. * General Brusiloff has now ordered General Tcherhatcheff to advance. ' Successful combined moves resulted in surmounting the most' difficult section on the Dneister. ■ The Morning Post’s Petrograd correspondent states that General Brusiloff is steadily pushing forward a Hanking movement within four 1 miles of .S,tokhod. The Germans, ; bqihg caught in a right angle by the ffapiciug operations, were completely defeated, and are hurriedly retreating Across the river. A regiment of Hungarian cavalry was sacrificed in an effort to protect the retreat.

fighting on the dneister. IMPORTANT HEIGHTS CAP* . ' TURED. Press Association— Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. Petrograd, July 10. A communique states: \Ve are closely pressing the enemy south of Polessi, and continue to cross the Stokhod at various points. A great part of the crossings were destroyed by the retreating enemy. Lively fights are in progress near the villages of Skiduikl, Starnike, Stariymossor and Novymossor. We put the enemy to flight between Kisseline and Loublimo. There is intense artillery action on both banks of the Dneister and on the Galician front. We repulsed an enemy offensive southeast of Lake Svcnten, and broke an enemy counter-attack on the village of Odokhovtchina, east of Baranovitclii.

A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST. SUPERIOR TO LAST SEASON. Press Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received 10.. >0 a.m.i' Rome, duly 2. The harvest in Russia ,is ten per cent superior to that of 1913.