FALL OF RUSSIAN FORTRESS OF BRESTLITOVSK

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2552, 28 August 1915, Page 5

FALL OF RUSSIAN FORTRESS OF BRESTLITOVSK

■ ■ 2—l ■: '' ' ' X'' ' ! RUSSIANS GREATLY OUTNUMBERED THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE ON. VILNA; . ' Bj Telegraph.—Press AeMclatlon—Copyright. . •-. _ • A Amsterdam, August 26. A Geriaan official communique announces the fall, of the; Russian fortress of Brest-Litovsk. The Russians made a bold defence, bufe were greatly outnumbered. They'retreated eastward in good order. : The capture has excited a tremendous outburst of joy in Germany. • , ''General Mackeflsen's army took Brest-Litovsk. General von Ajz captured two forts on the western front, while another force stormed'the fortifications on the north-west front .and entered the inner fortifications at night time. -The fortress thereupon surrendered; . . _ ' "Our vanguards have . reached Biealostok' and gallantly expelled tlio enemy nortihward and sduth-eastward of Bielsk."- f ~ '. ENEMY. STRAINS EVERY NERVE TO TAKE VILNA. \V/' London, August 26. / Reuter's agent at Petrograd reports"The enemy had two tliousarid guns of various calibres at Kovno. Fighting is now progressing twenty miles northwest of Vilna. " . ■ i "The Germans are straining every nerve-to capture Vilna before the Russians are firmly established on their new front .eastward of-the Nienien."-. RUSSIAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE (Rec. SAugust 27, 6 p.m.) . ! Petrograd, August 26. ' A 1 communique states: "The enemy has resumed the offensivo in theShor-berg-Radzivichki region. "After severe fighting we drove'the Germans back near Onikchty, on the Scvehta. "Our troops'in the'direction of Vilnaj while holding up the enemy, are gradually falling baok along both banks of the Viliia. "Our armies on the Middle Niemen and between the Upper'. Bohr and Pripot are retiring eastward." ■ '■ ■ ' 'AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. . {' (Reo. August 27,£.40 p!m.)' '.■■■; Amsterdam, August 27. r A'n'Austrian communique states: "The Hungarian Landwelr captured the village of Kobylany, south-west of Brest-Litovsk, and thereby broke through the outer line of forts. The West Galician, Silcsiau, and Moravian infantrysimultaneously stormed the fort southward, of Koroszczyn, and the Germans captured the citadel.near the railway-bridge/ In the meantime our allies drove the enemy across the Lesnm into the forest and marshy land south-eastward of the fortress. . _ ■ ■■ ■. . ' _ • ■' "Our oavaby, pursuing them from Korneli northward, threw the Russians' rearguard back near Bucin, and Wyjnva." / GRODNO WILL PROBABLY RESIST FOR A .TIME. ' ("TinfeV and Sydney "Sun"' Services.)' (Rec. 'August 27,-7.40 p.m.) .v , London,' August 26. "Ths Times" correspondent at Petrograd states: "We will probably continue to hold Grodno, which is strongly fortified,'until the bulk of. our armies assumo their appointed positions eastward of Vilna.. There is no reason to modify our hopeful estimates of the situation. Until our northern front.is turned from the sea, wo, may view the military outlook calmly." THE CAPTURED GARRISON AT NOVO-GEORGIEVSK. . Petrograd, August 26. The Russian newspaper "Retell" states that the strength of the garrison at Novo-Georgievsk during the last stage of defence did not exceed a division. The greater part of the garrison had withdrawn during, the bombardment. .General Bobyr, the commandant, was seriously wounded just before the fall. RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT REORGANISATION A" NEW. PRIME MINISTER MENTIONED, , (Rec. August 27, 10.50 p.m.) petrograd, August 27. Tweilty-four leading members of the Duma and the Council of the Empire hare dissented from the reorganisation of tlio Government. TMjr have decided that tlio country has need of a'strong and energetic Premior. The nailio of -Monsieur A. V. Krivoscheino (a. member of the Council of Empire} lias been .mentioned.. Hitherto M. Krivoscheine has declined, tlio'posltloilj'cousideiilljs that .tic Guarantees if support ara nofc sufficient.

POLES ORDERED TO RETURN .TO THEIR HOMES. (August 27 6 p.m.) . i Amsterdam, August 26. Field-Marshal von Hindenburg ordered all the Poles who fled before tho Anstro-Gcrman advancfe to return to their homes, and threatens to heavily tax absentees. GERMAN BALIC FLEET. SEEKS SAFETF. Copenhagen, August 26. Owing to the disasters in the Gulf of Riga tlio bulk <jf the German fleet at Libau has been removed to Danzig. ' ■ : RUSSIA'S MUNITIONS OUTPUT DOUBLED . ' (Rec. August 27, 8 p.m.) London, August 27. Tho "Daily Chronicle's" Petrograd correspondent says that M. Shingareff, Chairman,of tho Duma Defence Committee, has-announced that the Russian shell, crisis is ovev. Tlie quantity of munitions being manufactured has more than doubled, and supplies are being forwarded promptly to tlio front. < The army is in splendid fighting condition, and the word "evacuation" is losing its terror to the minds of the people, who are beginning to Tegard the idea of protracted mobility as feasible in a military, scheme, ENEMY'S PEACE PROPOSALS TO RUSSIA . . RAISON D'ETRE OF THE GALICIAN .OFFENSIVE,, ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.)' ■ ' London, August 26. , Tlie Stockholm correspondent of the "Temps" has given dotails of the Kaiser's recent peace proposals to Russia. After the failure of the first march on. Warsaw, Germany thought it possible to get Russia on her side by offering her the Dardanelles. Russia refused,'whereupon the Kaiser ordered the great Galician offensive. . ' • During the latter part of July, when the advance on Warsaw was delayed, Berlin financiers became alarmed at the long duration of the war, and urged the Government! to briug about immediate separate peace. The Government thereupon proposed to cede Constantinople to Russia, giving Turkey Egypt. This proposal coincided with the publication of surprisingly .friendly references to Russia in the German Press, and also of eulogistic articles by Sven Hedin in the Swedish Press. Russia again refused. . A , TSAR'S ■ WILL TO FIGHT ON." ' ... Paris, August 26. The Tsar, in an interview with M. Cruppi, a French ex-Minister for Justice, sent the following message to France: — , "Fraiice.may; rely on my imshakeable will to fight on until victory crowns' our efforts."-. . . , ' -