IN THE EAST

Taranaki Daily News, 11 August 1915, Page 5

IN THE EAST

WARSAW'S CAPITULATION. DISAPPOINTMENT IN GERMANY. Rotterdam, August !). Keen disappointment followed Berlin's Hag-waving, owing to the absence of announcements of large captures of men and booty. The tone of the newspapers suddenly changed, and they pointed out that the capture of 'Warsaw was not a decisive military achievement. The Vossisehe Zeitung said: "The capitulation of Warsaw is a great stride nearer peace, which, however, is still far distant. No fortress, not even Paris, can be regarded as the final object of military operations. Peace will only follow the ruin of the enemies' armies. The conquered Vistula line will become a springboard for the attainment of this object. Like Liege and Antwerp on the west front, .the capture of Warsaw and Ivangorod ony clears away the first difficulties."

AIMING AT OSSOWIECS. RUSSIANS REGAIN MITAU. Petrograd, August 9. The newspapers assume that the Germans are altering their plans on the eastern front and are now aiming at Ossowiecs. They declare that the enemy's opeerations towards Riga cn!. : rely failed.

The Novoe Vremya says tliat the Germans were thrown back at Jfitau, which explains the" sudden attack on Kovno'. Baltic papers imply 1 that".Mitau is now again in the possession" of -the Russians.

RUSSIA WILL COME BACK.. GERMANY'S GREAT TASK. interesting OPINIONS. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) Received August 10, S.liO p.m. London, August 10. Colonel Repington estimates that-at the end of June two-thirds of the German Army wore still in the West. He believes that a million and a quarter supplemented three-quarters of a million Austrians operating in the East, hut he says that- we must, not flatter ourselves that the German reserves are being uii'd itp. Tlie garrisons and depots in the interior are still full of recruits, though of inferior quality. The Germans' advance in the East is hotly pressed, but they are unable to break the order of the Russian retreat. Mr. Stanley Washburn says that he travelled thousands of miles in Poland and ttalicia. He visited eight active armies, and met and talked witli nearly a thousand officers. From the first month llic popularity of the war has gr.iwn steadily, until it has the support ni>W of Dhc entire Russian people. The Russians have come through their trial of Are without exception, and they are one army, now reconstituted. Tliev have probably suffered far less in personnel than their enemies, but their spirits arc good, and their confidence is unshaken. The task, he says, 'before Germany is to repeat their Galieian enterprise against an army infinitely better than the one she bioke, and she mav, if she can do this, have the same problem to meet at some other line in two months, Mid, after that, another, and yet another. She may do it once, and she may do it twice, but there will come a time when she can do it no more, when Russia, will slowly, surely and inexorably come back, step by step, until she has Germany on her knees.

NEW GERMAN KINGDOM. IN' LITHUANIA. Rome, August 0. Refugees from Lithuania state that the Germans are distributing pamphlets in Kovno announcing the re-union of the Russian and Prussian Lithuanians as an independent kingdom under the Kaiser's sou, Prince Joachim, whose portrait adorns the pamphlet. ON THE VISTULA. RUSSIAN FORC'BS IN GOOD POSITION. GERMAN ATTACK WEAKENING. Received August 10, ">.j pm. London, August 10. The .Petrograd correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph says that the higher military critics regard tiie Russian's Vistula army as out of danger. The troops are taking up positions without precipitation, and their rear is not at the moment threatened. There are growing indioationsfthat the impetus of the Austro-German attack is weakening, and the failure to repeat Friday's attempt to rush Kovno and Ossowiecs is evidence that the enemy has not a large force in these zones.

HAVOC AT KOVNO, ENEMY SHORT OV SUPPLIES. Received August 10. 5.5 p.m. London. August 10. News front Vilna states that the Russian artillery at Kovno wrought fearful haw, Prisoners state that lately there lias teen a deficiency of food and fodder. The soldiers are exhausted by the continual marching, and some are unable to stand, refusing food and begging only for permission to sleep. THE BALTIC POSITION. I GERMANS NOT MAKING HEADWAY. Received August 10, 5.5 p.m. London, Augiut 10. The Russian position in the Baltic is firm. They have pushed back the Germans almost to Mitau, and the latter show no inclination to resume the aggressive. It is 'believed that the Germans have drawn upon bhese forces to strengthen the attack eastward of Pon'cvitc.h. where the battle hangs in the 'balance. The Germans have made no headway, and the main enemy pressure continues on the Narow line, anil also in front of and on both sides of the Wiepr/., where the figllrting favors the Russians. There are indications that the AustroGermans have small faith in the permanence of tiheir gains. A refugee from Calieia reports that the Austrian* are not restoring their civil administration.

EXTREME PESSIMISM. GEU.UAN PRESS DiSALWINTED. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) Received August 10, 8.30 p.m. London, August 10. The German press is greatly disappointed at the Duma's unswerving resolution to continue the war to the hitter end. The Berliner Tag Matt says: We always warned our leaders against the view (,f llussia, aiming at a separate peace. We believe that the Russian Government will attempt to keep up the hopes of the people and drag on the war. The Kreug Zeitung says that the resolution of the Duma is an object lesson, showing that Russia's moral power and resistance is still unbroken. The Cologne Gazette says that since the position on the Bjura. Rawka front has been given up the possession of Warson has lost in military importance. TERRIBLE BRUTALITY.

MURDER, RAPE, AND LOOT.

LIICE FATHER, J.IKE SOX. Petrograd, August 4. An Austrian prisoner describes the terrible German brutality to prisoners. At Jaroslav he saw Germans ignite a barn in which there were nine Russians who, when tliey attempted to escape, were beaten back with clubs, accompanied by German laughter. While crossing flu' San the troops were blocked :U foiiii' small pontoon bridges when a large party of Russian prisoners arjWcd. yije German commander said: ' Russian, devils in tile river.'-' The order was carried out and many Hundreds were Iwyonetted Jiefore his eyes. He saw a company of Austrian Lilians, under a German officer, practising sword work on dead anil wounded Russians who were stuck in a swamp. An eyewitness has given sworn evidence of Prince Joachim's presence at the sacking of a big estate at Smvalki. llis share of the loot included a troika team. The witness's father was killed at Kalisli. His sister was tortured and succumbed; another was abducted.

PRAOA OCCUPIED. GERMAN' REPORT. Amsterdam, August 0. Berlin Official: Kovo Georgievisk is now cut oil' eastwards. We captured several thousand Russians at Warsaw. 'We have occupied Praga, and are advancing further eastward to Woyrseh. We ' crossed the Garwolen-Ryki road, north eastward of Ivangorod. Mackensen's left wing pushed the Russians back across the Wierpz, and. our centre and right wing are approaching the Oitrow-Gansk-Ugrusk line.

RUSSIAN REPORT. GERMANS LOSE HEAVILY. • Received August 10, 10 p.m. Petrograd, August 10.' Official: Northeast of Wilcowierz we dislodged the ,Ocrman advance guard from several tillages, inflicting great loss. During the night of August, 7-8, ■the enemy renewed their attacks on Kovno. There was an intense bombardment on the eighth by artillery of ail calibres, including the heaviest, and /tremely desperate attacks on our advanced position. The assault against the western front at Kovno was everywhere repulsed, with enormous German losses. AUSTRIAN REPORT. Received August 10, 8.40 p.m. Amsterdam, August 10. An Austrian official message says: The left bank of the W r ieipr/ and the right bank of the Vistula,, near Ivangorod, have now been cleared of the enemy. The number of prisoners captured by file Archduke Josef's anny has increased to eight thousand. On the Dneister, tor wards Uscieczsko, we repulsed the Russians at several points, and captured sixteen hundred prisoners, and tool< five machine-guns. SLOIW GERMAN ADVANCE. Amsterdam August 9. A German communique states: The Germans approached tile Kovno fortress, capturing 430 Russians. We progressed towards the northern and western front of Lomza, after severe lighting, taking prisoner 1400 and capturing an armored motor-ear. We crossed the Ostrow-Wyszkow road, the enemy at some points stubbornly resisting, but lie was repulsed, LOSSES OF AUSTRIAN OFFICERS, Times and Sydney Sun Services, London, August 0. Extreme measures have been taken to recruit officers. The special course of instruction only lasts a month, Since the commencement of the war Austria has lost 40,080 officers, including 30 generals.