RUSSIAN OPERATIONS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 6275, 5 January 1915, Page 3

RUSSIAN OPERATIONS

BIG BATTLE ENDED. Germans Everywhere Repulsed. Rec Jan 4, 11.00 pm Pretrograd, Jan 4 Experts consider that the battle of the four rivers has virtually ended and the enemy has everywhere been repulsed with heavy losses. We contiuue the attack but are trying to gain time pending new operations. There has been much hand to baud fighting during the last few weeks but the Russians are invariably superior. Forty Siberians crossed the BzuraSochaezew at night with muffled paddles, crawled to a wood through the German line and ignited a suburb, from whence the German guns had given a lot of trouble. Tho Germans from a cottage commenced firing, whereupon the?iberiacs stormed the cottage and killed every German. A dozen Siberians were killed. Red Cross Abuse. I The Germans vainly bombarded Certain positions for several days but ultimately ceased firing. Ihe Rus sians also ceased. Then a number of ambulance men in Russian uniform, -headed by a priest bearing a cross and accompanied by bareheaded soldiers, appeared on the battlefield. The Russians left their trenches, but suddenly the ambulance men, who were Germans disguised, poured a devastaing machine fire into the Russians, killing many. Strategic Railways Held. The Russians now holl the strategic railways connecting Bukovina with Western Galicia and Hungary, and are within one hundred miles of Hungary over easy passes in. the Carpathians. Thirty thousand panic stricken inhabitants in Bukovina and Transylvania have fled to Roumania.