THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE

Evening Star, Issue 16197, 19 August 1916, Page 6

THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE

GRAPHIC STORY. JVom Petrograd Mr William- Philip Shams cabled ! to New York:— General Bruseiloflt's smashing offensive Las developed Hk-a giant kamnier blows against the Austrian front. From an eye-witness I loam that the Russians are fighting as they never fought before. Regiment after regiment of young, fresh troops, some never before in action, jumped out of their trenches almost simultaneously, and charged like tigers towards the Austrian lines with characteristic Coseack-like fearlessness.. These Russian infantrymen formed human waves as far as the eye-could ees along the 340mile batt-lo line. The Russian artillery had done its work. Barbed wire as thick as the index finger," in places woven together to a depth .of 300 yards, ljad been literally' torn into bits by the Russian hurricane she'll fire. Hidden pits with spiked bottoms before the Austrian lines hampered the advance somewhat. These the charging Russians heroically traversed by using planks or rough, sapling ladders, while the artillery threw a curtain of steel between 'them and the Austrian rifle and maxim volleys. The Russians suffered heavy casualties, but the masses, of blood and steel did not. falter. Sweeping over the enemy's foremost defences, they dashed on over the second and third in the first mad rash. The Austrians were forced to fall back. The Tear's cavalry thai took up the work. Divisions of Cossacks and lancers threw their hardy little pomes into the cbasa, and: the fleeing enemy was utterly disorganised. Battered companies, and even regiments, cut off by the cavalry, surrendered to the Russian infantrymen, who followed close on the heels of th-a Russian horsemen. The cavalry swept on, cutting off and disorganising more of tho fleeing Austrian units, who surrendered as fast as the soldiers' could advance and post guards over them. —A Smashing Blow.— This happened on varied scales at many points of the impetuous Russian drive.. .Three notable ruptures were made iii the Austrian defences. Tho Russian drive on Kovel, 30 miles behind the original Austrian line, crushed through with such force that tho Tear's troops now form a serioua menace to the German army before Pinsk. On Friday tho Russians were able to count over 14,019 new prisoners as tho result of the day's work. These included 185 officers, bringing the total prisoners captured to 1,328 officers, and 79,876 men—a figure in excess of the modest official communique claims. The record drive of the offensive carried the Russians "22 miles in two days through the rupture of the enemy's lines near Olyka. This advance transformed the Olyka-Lu'tsk-Kolki triangle Into KuK-ian territory for tie first time since 1915. It also gave the fortified town of Lutsk back to the Tsar, and en-. tabled the troops to press ou, "towards Kovel, which town may soon figure in the official despatches. . _ The second definite break in the Austrian line was made in the direction of Stanislau, where the Russians penetrated 1 14- miles. The third was before Ozenrowitz, enabling them to occupy the highly important strategic railway line. The three important breaks spaa: a total of 125 miles of what a week ago was a highly-fortified Austrian front. All Russia, down to the lowliest peasant woman, who is interested in the Austrian defeat because her man is a Russian soldier, is praising the strategy of General Brussiloff, whoso foresight made,/the Russian victory possible While the Austrians were building their elaborate earthworks and wire entanglements the soldiers of Brussiloff were constructing miles of corduroy roads behiud the RussiaaL lines. Before the big advance on June 5 Russian, cavalrymen occupied these roada, ready to do just what Brussiloff had planned for them—hurl their forces through the rents made by the Russian infantrymen and demoralise the enemy.