Russian Campaign

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 259, 12 April 1915, Page 5

Russian Campaign

IN THE CARPATHIANS. RUSSIA'S GENERAL ADVANCE™ THE PRINCIPAL POINTS GAINED. Received April 11, 5.5 p.m. Petrograd, April s). We took 1200 prisoners in the Carpathians on the 7th, and now hold the whole of the principal chain from Rechetovn to Holossata, a distance of 110 , versts, with the exception of one hill. IRRESISTIBLE RUSSIANS. ' HUNGARIAN OFFICER'S STORY. OF A DESPERATE ASSAULT. Received April 11, 5.5 p.m. Budapest, April 10. A Hungarian officer relates that his r'giment in the Carpathians was ordered to hold a position. They dragged the guns up the mountainside for a' thcisand metres, and placed big tree-t) nnks and wire in front of the trenches until ,he thought no earthly power could penetrate the defence. T.'u: Russians ■«>. ],e opposite slope, half a mile distant, commenced a deadly bombardment on March 25th and destroyed the entanglements. \t nightfall they attacked in large numbers, and fought all r pht- When <ne Russian line was 'l-rnwn back another appeared.

The fifth line appeared in the morning, hitving crept forward in the mud and snow. We mowed them down, but they continued the attack on the 2tit,h in greater masses. Towards evening we were tired and foodless, and could not withstand the final onslaught at midnight. Five hundred of my regiment miraculously escaped, but the' remainder were killed or taken prisoners.

AUSTRIAN ARMORED TRAINS. AN INEFFECTUAL ASSAULT. Received April 11, 5. 5 p.m. Bucharest, April 10. Two armored Austrian trains attacked a Russian position at Boian, two kilometres from the Roumanian frontier. Russian artillery destroyed one train and drove off the second.

* A TALE OF TORTURES. A YOUNG RUSSIAN HERO. MUTILATED BUT STEADFAST. Received April 11, 5. 5 p.m. Petrograd, April 10. When the Russians re-took Andrejevo, near Memcl, they found thirty-four wounded. Russians. It is believed that they tortured four others, who were bayonotled to death. They also found a Cossack, who had been savagely hacked from head to heel. Two German officers examined Panasuk, a young scout, at Ragosa, and suggested that he become a German spy. He indignantly refused, and an officer cut oil' the lobe of an ear with wire-cutting shears, saying: "Will that make yon speak?" Panasuk did not reply, and the officer continued to pare the ear at intervals until scarcely any remained. Another officer tore away the cartilage of the nose, and varied the operation by blows in the mouth. Despite the fearful agony, the victim refused to give information, and after an hour's torture, was ordered to a place of confinement. He escaped in the dark. THE ENEMY REINFORCED. BUT RUSSIANS STILL ADVANCING. Received April 12, 12.15 a.m. Petrograd, April 11. Official: West of the Niemen at day: break on the !)th we attacked German positions, and captured two lines of trenches at Culwuria and Lubwinow, taking six hundred prisoners am! capturing eight machine-guns. The seizure Of height 009, near Voliamicsowa. resulted in repulsing the enemy along our entire offensive in the principal chain of the Carpathians. The enemy, considerably reinforced, made obstinate counter-attacks on Thursday, but we successfully repelled them, taking 1000 prisoners. The offensive continues, despite the necessity for cutting our way in snow sometimes six feet deep. We are within five versts of Uszor Valley at several points. (■A verst is O.fifi of an English mile, or about 1200 yards.) HEAVY AUSTRIAN LOSSES. ALLEGED SHORTAGE OF AMMUNITION. Rome, April 0. The Mcssagero says that the Austrians lost 300,000 in the Carpathians, of whom one-third were taken prisoner. Whole divisions were armed with o"id pattern German rifles, and some weie using black powder, as apparently Uie. factories were unable to turn out smokeless powder.