THE RIGA FRONT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 35, 9 February 1917, Page 5

THE RIGA FRONT.

VIOLENT ENEMY ATTACKS. GREAT "WASTE Or MEN. AND BUT *_TT_B PROGRESS. (Australian md X.Z. Cable Aaioeiation.) LONDON, February 8. The Petrograd correspondent of the London "Daily Chronicle" writes: "The battle on the Riga front rages with unabated severity, although the winter is the worst for many years. The frost is continuous. The fighting on both aides !of the An River is as stubborn as were the conflicts before Kovel and Halicz in the summer. The violence of the bombardment recalls General Mackensen's phalanx in Galicia, except that it is equally violent on both sides. The Germans are throwing in strong reinforcements, and succeeded in making headway in the direction of recovering their winter positions before ilitau, which were lost in the recent Russian -offensive. The Germans have now been brought to a l standstill. | "The Russian salient is within two miles of the Mitau-Tukkum railway, the most important German line of communication on the Riga front. Where tn* Germans formerly had one division on .the Kalncem front they now have two I arm,- corps. They fling the men into , incessant attacks under cover of virulent poison gas sheila of a noTel type. " The German losses are enormous, and the Russian losses comparatively slight. The German commanders, in their anxiety to crowd men into the firing-line, limited the kit of the men, who were hurried to their positions by train and sleigll. Now they are without adequate proteei tion from the bitter cold. The Germans are attempting to cut the Russian salient (from south to north, but have little prosI pect of success."