THE RIGA FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1917, Page 5

THE RIGA FRONT.

RUSSIANS' REAL SUCCESS. ■VIGOROUS RUSSIAN ATTACKS. GERMANS IMPRESSED. Received Jan. 11, 9 p.m. Amsterdam, Jan. 10, Telegrams from Berlin state that military circles kve impressed witli the importance of file .Russian offensive in Riga. N»ver has more ammunition been used, nor the Russian attacks been more vigbrous. Snowstorms are assisting tho P,u«n sians, who have achieved a real suce'es though at a heavy price.

: THE BATTLE CONTINUES. RUSSIAN CAPTURES. London, Jan. 10. A Russian official message states that the battle west of Riga continues. We captured a position between Tiavi marsh and the River Aa. Since January 5 we have captured 21 heavy and 11 light guns. ■ \ GERMANY REPORTS PROGRESS. London, Jan. l'O. A German official despatch states that the Russo-Roumanians failed to recapture positions in the Susifa valley. We pressed bacß.the enemy north and south of the Casino valley. We have obtained a foothold on the left bank of the Putna, north of Foesani. .We progressed behind Putna, between loesani and Tundeni, and forced the enenjy beyond the Sereth. We continued \o progress at the mouth of the Rimnik.

DWINA ISLAND CAPTURED. EXTENDS 150 » MILES. London Jan. 10. The Dwina Island captured by the Russians is 100 miles south-east of Riga. _ A German communique speaks of Russian raids in the vicinity of Fredrichstadt. Hence it is apparent that the renewed Russian activity in the north extends along a front of 150 miles, in eluding important strategic positions, Mitau being the most important. It was a German attack which developed the important Russian counter-offensive, which har already brought them within a dozen miles of Mitau. The positions they captured north-west of Mitau were strongly fortified iiers of considerable height, above the flat country. Their conquest directly menaces Mitau. OPERATIONS ROUND RIGA. A German communique mentions that the Russians ha've been attacking on the front west of Riga, between the RigaMitau road and the sea. It i„ rather unexpected to find the Russians prosecuting an offensive on this sector while the ice is impeding naval movements in the Gulf, because in virtually all' the fighting there hitherto the Russian warships have been able "to co-operate by shelling the German left flank. Morelover, during the concentration d! new [divisions and reserves on the Screth, in |Roumania, to check von Mackensen's advance, the Russians can have no special inclination to open an offensive elsewhere.' If the Germans had attacked, the position would be more easily explained, because during the past few weeks German and Austrian local offensives have been reported from many points, their purpose being, of course, to prevent the diversion of Russian reserves to the Roumanian front. Hojycver, Kuropatkin, or whoever is now in command of the northern group of Russian armies, evidently saw an opportunity to improve his position west of Riga while the ground is frozen, possibly knowing that the enemy's lines | were weakly held. There have been spurts of activity on this ,sector at intervals during the past year,"' and at one time rather heavy fighting was reported. When the 3Sermans advanced to, the Dvina they made desperate attempts to reach Riga, attempting the eoast road, the direct road from Riga, and the crossing of the Dvina at Dahlen Island. All these efforts were repulsed, and -the Russians, in November, 1915, forced the enemy bacs beyond Kemmern, keeping tbem something like twenty miles from Riga. From November' until March the front was fairly quiet, and when the Russians opened a minor offensive towards the end of March the initial operations were on this same sector. The March offensive achieved useful positional results, but ijt was brought to an end by the spring thaw, and the real Russian offensive was ultimately launched away in the south. If the Russians have opened a serious offensive now between Lake Babit and the Mitau road, they will have nearly three- months of hard ground for their moveemuts, but, of course, snowstorms are liable to sweep the Baltic provinces, and the period of daylight is extremely short. Presumably the fighting reported by tlie Germans is nothing more . than a positional action, initiated by the Russians to secure higher ground for the-trench line