Eastern Campaign

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 180, 8 January 1915, Page 5

Eastern Campaign

AUSTRIAN HARDSHIPS. TROOPS SWALLOWED UP IN THE SNOW. GUNS DISAPPEAR IN THE VALLEYS. GERMAN STRATEGY FAILS. USE OF EXPLOSIVE BULLETS CONFIRMED. Budapest, January 6. Three Hungarian officers relate that they fought for a fortnight between the Uzok and Dukla mountain slopes. Hundreds were swallowed up in the soft snow, and the men, horror-stricken at their comrades' fate, flown and refused to move, though shelled from below. The mountain batteries'drawn by mules seldom reached their destination, as the mules slipped, rolled down, and disappeared. Many guides bolted during file night and left the columns to their fate. Most of the men were frostbitten, famished, anil unable to use their rifles. When the Russians arrived they surrendered without resisting. The officers fear that the Russians cannot be lield off any longer. London January 6. The Daily Mail's Petrograd correspondent says that the German General StalF has not found any fresh tactical methods of keeping the Russians out of Silesia. After a pause the Germans have resumed their old methods of frontal attacks in solid formation. This si'ggcsts that it is felt unsafe to cease hammering, despite the fact that every blow is terribly expensive. A correspondent with the Russians at Warsaw says it is beyoiid doubt that the Anstrians, as well as the Germans, use explosive bullets. It is rumoured that each soldier is given ten daily. They flash wlfcn bursting, indicating the range at night. During fierce attacks the se?diers probably uso explosives first, inflicting horrible wounds.

SUDDEN RUSSIAN ATTACK. ENEMY FORCE BAYONETTED. Received 7, 9.20 p.m. Petrograd, January 7. Official: We suddenly attacked the village of Rozrisa, in the Mlawa district, on the Gth, and annihilated the enemy at the bayonet-point. There were (unimportant changes elsewhere. The olfensive continues iu the Bukovina district.

"ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING." GERMAN POSITION SUMMED UP. DEMORALISATION OF THE AUSTRIANS. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received 7, 5.30 p.m. London, January 7. The Times' military correspondent calculates that the Austro-Germans in the cast lost a third of their effective strength, and accomplished nothing except the postponement of the Russian advance. Tliev have not broken any Russian array, and are not so far advanced as at the end of October. The correspondent emphasises the demoralisation of the Asutrians, ancTcontinues: "Italy lias now a substantial army ready fpr emergencies, and Austria is not in a position to hector Italy, or to prevent her realising her ambitions, which will be cordially supported by the Entente."

OUTNUMBERED BY TURKS. BUT STILL SUCCESSFUL. TURKS USE GERMAN TACTICS. OUT-GEXERALLED BY THE RUSSIANS. Received 7, 8.20 p.m. Petrograd, January 7. The Turks at Sary Kamish outnumbered the Russians by ten to one. The Turks adopted German tactics, and attacked front and flanks simultaneously. They swarmed down a gully which would liavc daunted Swiss mountaineers.

Waist-deep in snow, half-naked, ragged and frozen, they attacked the Russians, who reserved their fire until the enemy •was within 400 vardsj Then they opened a devastating machine-gun whirlwind.

The Russians then retired, drawing the. Turks after them into the zone of the Russian artillery, and reinforcements completed the enemy's destruction.