RUSSIAN PROGRESS IN DVINSK REGION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 230, 27 September 1915, Page 5

RUSSIAN PROGRESS IN DVINSK REGION.

GERMANS DISLODGED FROM MANY POSITIONS. GREAT SUCCESS EN THE SOUTHERN AREA. PETROGRAD, September 26. A communique states: —"A desperate uninterrupted battle IB racing near Novo Alexandrovsk. 11l miles cast and north of Kovno and south of Dvinsk. "Our troops, by a dashing bayonet charge, expelled the enemy from \ ilieka. We captured eight gune and seven machine guns, and turned them on the enemy. "We defeated the Germane near Logiueime, reoccupicd tlip town and captured portion of the enemy's artillery after our cavalry had Bulirrd tingunners. We dislodged the enemy from several village* south of the I'riprt. "Our operation, in the LuU region have l*-en particularly uuc-cceeful. Wo »tormed the enemy's positions north of the town, which we reoccupied. W>■ captnrcd an additional 4.000 prisoners, with machine-guns ami much equipment. Our troops, with great dash, seized the Krasno bridgehead, and occupied the village south-west of Lut/., killing many Magyars with the bayoDct, and capturing 1,000 in fighting for the fords in the same locality. "We drove back the enemy still further southwest of Trcrnbo-vla. "Between the 10th and 20th inst., 35,000 Austrian prisoners panned through Kief!. , ; ENEMY'S ENORMOUS LOSSES AT DVINSK. A later communique says: —"There waa a more intense cannonade in the Riga region. The Germane, using asphyxiating projectiles, made repeated desperate attacks on the Dvinsk front, but were repulsed. The enemy at Novo Alexandrovßk gain.il our trenches, but were dislodged. They re attacked in compact columns, which were met with artillery and rille fire at clu>'range, and retreated in disorder. The attacks were twice renewed, bet were repulsed with enormous losses. Our heavy losses, the result uf the desperate nature of the fighting, are the best proof of the bravery of our troops. During the enemy's disorderly retreat in the Loguichine district we made prisoner many. There waa a hot fight in two villages in the lJubno region. We took prisoner 30 officers and 1 .(WWI men under a hurricane of artillery lire, whi, <i eventually forced v* to retire towards the Ikwa. The enemy were repulsed in the vicinity of Novo ( lexincU, near Galina, where we took 3.n0« prisoners." RUSSIAN GALLANTRY DURING RETREAT. Many storien are related of Russian gallantry during the retreat from Vilna. In one instance a regiment of Cossacks were cornered. They extri cated themselves l,y brilliant daring at small lose. An infantry regiment which wa» cut off fought it« way to the main Ixi lv through the enemy, inflicting heavier li.>* than it Buffered, and bringing back ball n battalion of prisoners. The Germans were .sometimes heavily punched fur over confidence. At onr point they advanced recklessly, Nli'Mng tliey would meet with no opposition because the Russians had e\haust.-d their ammunition. The RuMlianv however, were well supplied, and lay low until the Germans had come over the entanglement* in clone array Then everything nu let go together. The l.ermana »rre practically swept out of existence Eight thousand corpes strewed the field. Scarcely one German escaped unwouiuled. COSSACKS PREFER DEATH TO SURRENDER. An Austrian artilleryman graphically describes the difficulties of tlie I'ripot marshes. Drspitr the terrible condition of the narrow paths in con sequence of increasing rain, a strong line of cavalry ami artillery is said to l>e slowly j«*netrating this fearful region. It is const:STitly lighting ( ossnekw, wh*>, with great courage and rontcinpt of deatii, prefer death to capture. They broke through the Austrian cavalry lines at the thinnest point. Now the Austrian* close up as much as possible They must search every wood with all vigilance for lurking ( ossacks to prevent an attack on tlie rear. The Oo&saeks olwtinately por»overe in yu-ir resistance. At one point they charged the Austrian batteries so effectively that the pine were powcrli-u. The artillerymen resorted to revolver*. Austrian cavalry surrounded the (.'oaaark*. and a desrx-rate combat ensued. The Consack* would not surrender, and were all put to the sword GERMANS ADMIT STUBBORN RESISTANCE. A Grrmaji communique says: The Rus<ians are stubbornly resisting l'rince Leopold of Havaria northward of Korelischi. We stonne 1 Necniewitachi, north eastward of Nuvo (iroxlet, and repelled several strong rountrr attnekf. An Austrian communique says: "The Russians, supported l>y heavy artillery, attacked our positions at Novo Aleksiniec. on tlie 1-ower Ikwa They advanced eleven lines deep. We repulsed them with heavy losses. We mad' , a counterattack and raptured the Russian position. The enemy's further attempts to crort the Lower lkwa failed. "The enemy beyan Bevcral att-ickt. against our Volhvnian front, and reached the trenches at some points. All attacks were repulsed with heavy lo»»es. We took prisoner J.IXV) on the Ikwa line. Austro Hungarian cavalry, traversing th<> forest in a marshy district on the Lower Styr. captured some Ktubbornlyilcfcndetl village*. \S c nucccsslully bombarded convoys in the Utlgrade district."