RUSSIA'S TASK.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 September 1915, Page 5

RUSSIA'S TASK.

THE BALTIC PROVINCES. DEFENDERS CHECKED ADVANCES. Petrograd, Sept. 12. 'A communique states: A Zeppelin flew over and threw bombs on the Baltic ports. Our seaplanes bombed German ships p.t Windau. A series of German attacks in the direction of Dvinsk were repulsed. A German aeroplane, while ; bombarding a hospital train near Ponemounek, waa brought down between Smenta and Vilna. Strong forces of the enemy opened a vigorous offensive eastward of Wilkomir. The enemy is advancing on the Dvinsk road and neighboring roads, directing his principal ieffort, with the assistance of strong field and siege artillery, southward of the Dvinsk road. Simultaneously large forces of the enemy are advancing in the region of Chirvintz, their general direction being from Kilkomir towards Sventsiany. We repeated our attacks on the OzierySkidel front. Skidel passed from hand to hand, and finally, after a brilliant assault by one of our battalions, Skidel remained in our hands. Our cavalry, aided by the infantry, which dislodged the Germans from the trenches southward of Skidel, eagerly pursued the enemy. There was a desperate fight on the river Zelvianka, southward of the Niemen. A battery was entirely destroyed, and we thereafter easily stopped the attacks, and near Zelva, despite asphyxiating gases, repelled a series of assaults and maintained our positions on the right bank of the Zelvianka, after completely clearing the enemy from the whole of this hank. IN GALICIA. ENEMY PREPARING FOR DECISIVE ATTACK. Petrograd, Sept. 12. Official: We held up the enemy towards Rozhany and Kovno. The Austrian attacks were resumed on both banks of the Goryn. We held up the enemy on the right 'bank, despite poisonous gases. Several detachments were destroyed by our fire. We broke the enemy's obstinate opposition in the Tamopol region on Saturday. Prisoners state that the 6th Battalion of Chasseurs waß entirely destroyed. The enemy fled, leaving 39 officers and 2900 men in our hands. A company of motor quick-firers actively helped us. The enemy retreated towards the Dneister. We repelled furiousS attacks southwards of Tarnopol and expelled the enemy from Tioust, taking prisoner 800 men. The enemy's submarines arc reported on the Crimean coast. Summing up the situation, the entire Austro-German forces from one side to the other are striving for a decisive blow. RUSSIAN RETREAT. GERMANS IN DEVASTATED COUNTRY. RESULT OF THE INVASION. ■London, Sept. 12. The Observer's correspondent at Petrograd says that the Germans are advancing in a country burnt and devastated by the retreating Russian army, and the population of refugees moves eastward in whole parishes, headed by the priests. Sometimes enemy patrols overtake the refugees, capture the priests, beat the men, and carry off the young women. The Germans, instead of finding food in the conquered territory, are obliged to'•draw nearly the whole from Germany. /The only aid rendered by the Russians is steadily to reduce the number of Germans who must be fed, clothed and transported. The main result of the invasion has been to stimulate Russian organising power to an unprecedented degree. Organisation is no longer left to the Government. Every man and woman is thinking about organisation, especially for the production of munitions. RUSSIAN LINE OUT OF DANGER. WILL GERMANY FACE A WINTER CAMPAIGN? (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) London, Sept. 12. Colonel Pvepington says that the supreme merit of tlie Grand Duke Nicholas and liic officers was that they remained deaf to all threats anil entreaties which might have prevented weaker men from withdrawing unbeaten armies and from declining a decisive battle. The armies are now ;Out of danger, with secure •lines of retreat. Within a few weeks of the bad season, and with a wasted country behind them, the Germans must be sheltered for the winter or perish. In 1812 Napoleon misunderstood the Russians, and the Germans to-day are reproducing the misunderstanding. It is a war on parallel fronts, so hateful to Gi.'ruiiiaand against successive well-, ■defended positions, and the Germans are faced with the perplexing problem whether to halt till spriii" or embark on a winter campaign, attempting to capture Petrograd and Kieff. BRINGING UP MUNITIONS. COSSACKS HARNESSED TO PLOUGHS Petrograd, Sept. 12. Flotillas of German barges are ceaselessly bringing shells from the Niemen to Kovno, whence they are taken on motor-lorries to the front. A number of Germans taken prisoner at Novitrok succumbed to German asphyxiating shells. There is indignation in Russia at postcards showing Cossacks harnessed to German ploughs. PETROGRAD IMMUNE. COMMANDER CONFIDENT. Received Sept. 13, 11.25 p.m. Petrograd, Sept. 13. General Ruszky, commander in charge of the defence of the northern region, when interviewed, said that the capture of Petrograd is impossible, since the conditions regarding Russian shells and rifles and fresh troops are slowjy but surely improving, while the intervening ground offers endless difficulties to the German advance, .