Russia's Task.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 July 1915, Page 5

Russia's Task.

THE FIGHT FOR WARSAW. GERMANS CLOSE TO NAKEAV. ltci-civi.il July 25, 3.2;} p.m. Amsterdam, July 23. A (ionium communicjpine say's: We continued tlic pursuit ot tlie Russians in L'ourland. Our troops have advanced closer to Xarcw bridgehead, the. position to Warsaw, before Rosban. We stormed the village of -Milany and tlie fortifications of Izyg at the bayonet point, and took 2!W prisoners. '(Uvg is in the south-east, on the west 'bank of the Vistula.) We cleared the enemy from Janowiec to firanica, and we have broken the enemy's obstinate resistance at several points. Between the Vistula .and the ling we forced the Russians to retreat. FIRST-RATE DEFENCES. GERMANS TO PAY DEARLY. deceived July 24, 5.5 p.m. Petrograd, July 23. The Blomie-Nadra.jin line, defending Warsaw from the west and south-west" •a splendidly entrenched and manned by veterans from Burn and Rawka, The news of the cold-blooded shooting of five thousand Russian prisoners has aroused burning indignation in the Russian army, which is determined to make the Uermans pay dearly.

WARSAW'S FATE. RUSSIAN'S OPTIMISTIC. Received July 25, 5.5 p.m. Petrograd, July 24. The gravity of the situation 'due to General Mackensen's advance on the Trauniki Woislavitzc lino is generally recognised, but the army organ insists upon an optimistic view of the situation, whether or not the Russians retirs There is a further order to base the flanks on Ivangprod and Bresthtovsk, which will place Warsaw's fate in the balance. An idea prevails that the German will not attempt this, in which case they will represent the capture of Riga as a great victory. GERMAN HOPES. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) Received July 24, 15.10 p.m. London, Jul-,- 23. The Reichstag meets on August 10. It is hoped in Germany that (Warsaw will be taken before thcii, thus facilitating a new war loan. , ° I

i THE GERMAN FISH. STRATEGY OF THE GRAND DUKE. Received July 25, 5.5 p.m. London, July 24. The Morning Post's Petrograd correspondent says that the German progress has ceased. It can now be said that Grand Duke Nicholas simply played the. enemy into the. present position as a fisherman plays a fish, the Germans followed the lure of the retiring Russians headlong, giving the Russians many welemployed opportunities for temporary stands, which cost the enemy very de-ir. It is true that the Germans found justification for glorious accounts of thr : ir victorious progress, but the truth is different.* After 'twelve months' costly effort they are now being given the decisive general battle which they have been seeking. The Russians on the Narew and Blonu-Nazarzyin fronts are ready for the final struggle. The position now occupied was prepared eight months ago, and only on the southern front has the Russian line not reached its final position. The enemy was alternately enticed and irritated into positions from which there is no retreat and no chance of victory. Grand Duke Nicholas has undoubtedly got a position giving the Russians more than a good hope of victory against defeat. If local defeats occur the only result will be further loss of German time and life. .

THE RUSSIAN STORY. PROGRESS OF OPERATIONS. Received July 25, 5.5 p.m. Petrograd, July 24. Considerable importance is attached to the Russian offensive at Sokal railhead, where the enemy was expelled. Details show that the Russians advanced on Tuesday along the oust bank of the Bug through Sokal and Poturzyea, and despite fierce counter-attacks captured the first line of trenches. The enemy is specially obstinate in Poturzyea region, but counter-attacks were encountered with point-blank artillery and rifle fire, followed by bayonet charges, whereby several rows of trenches were taken. A GERMAN ACCOUNT. CLAIM A SKRIKS OF VICTORIES. Received July 25, 5.5 p.m. Berlin, Jnlv 24. General von Bulnw defeated the fifth Russian army near Sliavli. The Germans, by ten days' continual fighthg and marching, arrested the Russian retreat at h'ozalin and Szadow, and dispersed them. The booty of these operations, since July 14, lias been twentylive guns and forty machine-guns. General von Gallowitz stormed tie? Rozan-Pultusk line, forcing a crossing of the Xiirew. and strong forces of Germans are now on the south bank. Since July 14 we have takfii fourteen guns and ninety machine guns. The Germans have reached the Vistula in the region from the mouth of the Pilicza to Kozipicc. Our troops have approachod closely to the western front at Ivangorod. There is obstinate fighting between the Vistula and' the Bug. We repulsed an attack on the bridge-head at the Sokal.

AX AUSTRIAN VERSION. Received' July 2.1, 3.5 p.m. Amsterdam, July 24. An Austrian oilieial note says":— The enemy are- strongly reinforced at the iSokal, whore they established themselves at the bridgehead on the east hank, and advanced at some points to within three hundred yards of our trenches. Elsewhere there, have been hand to hand fights, the Russians being repulsed with heavy losses-. The Cicrmnns made important progress between Ystruz and the Vistula, north-west of (Jruhiedow. The Archduke's troops repulsed the enemy neross the Wronow. west of the Vistula. The Austro-Ormans advanced up ;iic Vistula to Tvangorod' and girdle the forts.

IN BALTIC PROVINCES

KLOCKJXG TO IfKJA. Received July 25, 5.5 p.m. Perrograd, July 24. The Russians are requisitioninn'cattb, horses and carts in the Baltic provinces for cash. All else that is useful to the enemy is destroyed. Tlie population of C'ourlaiul is (locking to Riga, w l„. r( . there are admirable arrangements for shelter. SITUATION IMPROVED. GERMANY'S TOUGH JOB. Received July 25, .1 p.m. London, July 24. The Daily Telegraph's correspondent Bays that there are indications that the situation at Warsaw has improved in the last twenty-four hours. The chief Austro-German blow is still clircctad against the Lublin-Cholm railway. The enemy's approach at Tranniki threatens the railway, but even if it succeeds in breaking through they will have a tough job at the Ivangorod-Prestlitovsk railway befomthoy can hope to compel tin. surrender of Warsaw. There was further progress on the front at Gorizia. A SERIOUS CHECK. GERMANS' GREAT LOSSES. Received July 25, n.30 p.m.

Paris, duly 25. Geneva reports that the Germans lost eight thousand men on tiie Warsaw front on the twenty-second. They received a serious check against Novo Georgievsk the Russians recapturing the fortified positions taken by the Germans at great sacrifices.

ATTACK ON THE NAREW. BUMBARIMIKXT IX THK BOSPHORUS. Received Julv 25, 11.so p.m. „„, . I'etrograd, July 25. Olhcial: The cnemv continued" to ndvance on the Janislini-Shavli-Rosslena front, and on the Xarew front on the left side of the Pina. We repulsed a mght attack, notwithstanding asphyxi.itin? gases. The enemy are in'aki:i« efforts to force the Narcw at Rosani. A few attacks on the advance works at Novo Georttiev.sk and Ivangorod were r, - pulsed. The enemy are endeavoring to advance towards Voljitza. In the Lublin area the enemy' concentrated near Grubtcszow, after stubborn fightiii" managed to debouch northwards. New German troops have .appeared on the Sokal front.

Our destroyers in the region of <Ue Bosphorus bombarded a Turkish cavalry camp, inflicting heavy losses.

AN AUSTRIAN ACCOUNT.

Received July 20, Uo_a m. Amsterdam, July 25, An Austrian official message savs that as a result of Archduke Ferdinand's victorious attacks the enemy has evacuated the positions between the Vistula and Bistritz, on a front of forty kilometres northward. Our captures have increased to 43 officers and 11500 men. The Germans north of. Glulteszow pierced the enemy's position. The enemy made fruitless attacks on the east bank of the Bug, west of Ivangorod.

ON THE VISTULA. A PROTRACTED BATTLE. Received July 25, 3.J5 p.m. \ Pctrograd, July 24. Official: The enemy stormed a portion of our line in front of Ivangorod a ,„i broke the entanglements. We counterattacked and drove them back. Th;re Is stubborn fighting in the Sokal region. We captured several lines of trench?s, pressing the enemy towards the Sokal. Large enemy forces' occupied a portion of Porturzca, near Sokal, but we expelleil them. Reserves attempted to come tin, but our artillery prevented them crowing the Bug, inflicting enormous losses. There is stubborn fighting near Voile witze, on the left bank of the Vieprz. Large German forces commenced an advance to the north, and a fierce battle raged in the woods on the night of the twenty-second. The enemy everywhere were thrown back with ycry heavy losses, also six guns and five hundred prisoners. On the rest of the front the situation is unchanged.

WAR MINISTER'S ACCOUNT. A VIOLENT BATTLE. Received July 25, 3.5 p.m. New York, July 24. The World publishes a telegram, dated July 22, from M. Polivanoff, Russian War Minister, which states that tlk> Germans made ten attacks on the 17th and 18th at Wizkolaz, trying to break the Russian line and reach Lublin. They were repulsed with enormous lossea. The Germans are making similar attacks with reinforcements on the Krasnestavtzdebno front.. The battle is extremely violent, and continues to develop. The Russian success was a series of counterattacks in which we captured all positions the enemy occupied last, week. Our troops on the right flank in this great battle backed against the Ivangorod forts, while the left was engaging the enemy near the Sokal. The Russians made seven thousand prisoners at Hukovina.

RUSSIAN BRAVERY. PRAISE FOR THE exk.mv. Received .Inly '!">, :'..."> p.m. Copenhagen. -Inly 24. The Germans express admiration for Russian bravery. An artillery attack tvas responsible for their retreat, and probably no other soldiers in similar "irrumstances have equalled the Russians' achievements.