EASTERN THEATRE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 12 August 1915, Page 5

EASTERN THEATRE

THE NORTHERN REGION KOVNO REMOVAL OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND FACTORIES. (Rec. Aug- 1"2, 9.5 W.im.) PETROGRAD, Aug. 11. The Government Departments at-Kov-tio have been transferred to Bobrinsk. Various factories are. being removed to other towns. RUSSIANS. HOLDING GROUND NEAR- RIGA. DESPERATE FIGHTING ON THE NAREW. ASSAULT AT KOVNO. ATTACKS THROWN BACK.

(Official.) PETROGRAD, Aug. 11. On the roads from Riga we repulsed on the night of the Bth and on the 9th, in hand-to-hand fighting, several German attacks, supported by a powerful force of £ heavy, artillery. '_ On the same night and the folio-wing day, in, the direction of Dvinsk and the district of Schoenburg and Wilkomierz, the enemy fell back, leaving a.hundred prisoners; and several machine guns and munition, chests. There., las been desperate fighting on the Narew front. Our. artillery repulsed an offensive against Nqv» Georgievsk» •On the; roads from. Voldara we repulsed attacks made t under cover of asphyxiating gases. The focus -oi. the enemy's pressure is eastward. of the • Ponievitch—Wilkomierz line. General Schemettan's cavalry made extensive * reconnaissances, turning - southward from Ponievitch, indicating that the objective is tVilna, which has Tecently- been a, special target for a-via- . tors. •■ * :-. ' • (Omcial.yPETROGRAD, Aug. 11. Details of the assault at Kovho on the Bfch4 inst. .show that tie enemy, at midnight opened a., bombardment . from the village of Piplo. Guns of all calibres. up - to 16-inch were employed, and the hurricane of fire lasted for two. houre. Our .batteries vigorously replied. - - • . ; '..■ <■ ■ About, three in tihe-morning.the assaulting, columns in close ' formation, marched, against our . positions, - but by concentrated 'fire, the explosion of mines, and gallant counterattacks,. the enemy were thrown back on the whole front within a n , hour, suffering enormous losses; The exhausted Germans were, hurled. ~ into a neighbouring ravine, where -they v prepared for fresh assaults. At noon on the Bth the enemy's fire increased, to terrific-intensity,, but the protracted and destructive hurricane of fire from-powerful guns failed to shake our troops. Our artillery valiantly supported the infantry *. and an incessant cannonade : lasted all day. .-.-..._ At Nightfall the enemy columns massing.-rushed to the assault, the at T tacks lasting two hours. They succeeded "in-= taking part of the trenches in our advanced position. ■ ■,-■.-' Later our reserves swept forward and repulsed the Germans with enormous losses, the enemy only retaining Works near Piple. _, Two Zeppelins, bombed two Red' Uross trains in Poland, killing a. number of wounded,, and wounding some of the attendants-.

"NOVO GEORGIEVSK AND NOVO AI^XANDRIAREPGRTED "iNVES-rarENT. GENEVA, Aug. 11The investment of Novo Georgieysk became, effective on the night of the Bth, when,, the hombardmemt An arnry of 60,000-is investing >.ovo' Alexandria. ~. ~ THE BllftC ACTION NAVAL CO-OPERATION. TO SECURE COMMUNIGAJipN BY WATER. LONDON, Aug. 11. The "Daily Telegraph's" Petrograd correspondent says that following the Eussian retirement from Warsaw the Germans shifted the -momentum of their main attack to tie. left flank, ™th the immediate object, of cutting the Petrograd—Warsaw railway somewhere •between Pskof and Vilna. . _ .. , The fleet is actively co-operating *n this fresh operation, and thougft « ■£b l%islv -«d *wo destroyers ,m the first attempt to enter the 27-mile hetween Oesel and-.the... mam"•ffiftt is not likely that be the last attempt to penetrate the Gull of Riga, None of the Russian vessels of the Germans is to secure I passage for the supply _by water o£ troops operating towards They alreadv hold the western shores of the gulf, 'but desire-seaward access. AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL MESSAGEAMSTERDAM, Aug. 11An Austrian official message records a .* fuXVadvance in resxon It says,, "We crossed the W <eprz at several points, and captured a bridgehead near Czernelica, on the s°*th bank of. the Dniester. The SS^P S stubbornly defended ™?* e oners 221, officers and 2800 men, and captured; much material.' GERMAN STATEMENT. AMSTERDAM, Aug. 11Berlin alleges that the Baltic acta" l , -eras merely a reconnaissance to ascertain the. position of the mines. , -Lwo email mine *~«epers -were lost.

WARSAW MACHINE GUN FIGHTING IN THE STREETS. LONDON, Aug. 10. The "Cologne Gazette" declares that the people of Warsaw welcomed the Germans, but heavy machine fighting occurred in the streets towards Praga. RUSSIA'S FAILURE OF SUPPLIES DUE TO RED-TAPE METHODS. ( NEW OFFICES TO BE CREATED. LONDON, Aug. 10. The Petrograd correspondent of "The Times" said that at a, meeting of the Duma Committees of the Budget and Naval and Military Affairs, various proposals for organising supplies and mu- . riitions wei'e discussed. The President, M. Rodz-anko, attributed the to red-tape methods in the Ordnance Department, which resulted in a disastrous delay of many months before the industry was proper, ly organised. He deprecated crying over spilt milk, but insisted on the urgency of remedial measures. The main difficulty is that the War Depai-tment owns or controls all the arsenals and factories. Any change in administration will induce a complete disarrangement of the work .--He recommended the creation of the position of a second Under-Secretary for War, with a seat in the Cabinet and full control ,who will be personally responsible for war supplies. The Minister for War entirely, concurred, and approved the proposal for the cxeation of a Consultative Committee, including experts and representatives of the Duma, which will, assist : the War Office in dealing with ihe problems of transport and food supplies. STILL UNBROKEN DUMA'S UNSWERVING RESOLUTION. LONDON, Aug. 10. The German press, is greatly" disappointed by the Duma's unswerving resolution to continue the. war to the bitter end. The "Berliner Tageblatt says:—"We aiways warned our. leaders against the view" that Russia was aiming at- a separate, peace. We believe the Russian Government will attempt to keep up the hopes of the people, and drag on the war."

" The "Kreuz Zeitung" states.that the i Duma as an object lesson, ,shmydhg that Russia's moral power of resistance -is still unbroken;. The "Cologne Gazette'' states that since the position on- the Bzura-Rawka front was given- up, the possession of Warsaw has lost in military importance. RUSSIA AND THE WAR WHOLE PEOPLE FAVOURS IT. GERMANY'S INEVITABLE FAILURE. LONDON, Aug.'lo- - Stanley Washburn, the war correspondent .says :—I have travelled thousands of miles in Poland and Gaiipoli, visited eight active armies, and met and talked with nearly one-thousand offi- . ceTs. From the first month., the popularity of .the war has grown steadily, until it has the support of the entire Russian people. The Russians have, coir e through their trial of fire, and, with ; the exception of one army, have been how recoristituted t They" have, probably-suffered far less in. personnel than their enemies Tfieir spirits are good; and- their confidence., unshaken. The. task, before Germany., is to repeat her Galician enterprise against an army infinitely better than the one she broke. 1 She may, df she can do this, have the same problem to meet oni some other line in two months, and after, that another and another. . ~ .. . . .. She may do it once. She imay rto it twice, but there will come a time when she can do it no more, .when Russia will slowly,.surely, and.inexorably come back, step by., step, until she has Germany on her knees. GERMAN~COMMUNIQUE; (Rec. Aug. 12, 12.35 p.m.) BERLIN, Aug. 11. A communique states that Von Hindenburg easily repulsed strong Russian advances along the Riga—Mitau road. There is no change northward of the Niemen. A strong Russian attack, from rKoyno failed. We have captured here 2116 men since the Sth. We are advancing east of Lornza in tne direction of the Bohr —Narew line. The enemy still holds the bridgehead at Wyzna, and the entire Russian line is retreating. Out' pursuing troops crossed the Caerwony and Brok rivers, advancing eastward, and captured the rail junction south-east of Cstrow. The Russians evacuated Benjaminow fortress eastward of Novogeorgievsk. Our airships bombed Novogeorgievsk and Brestlito.vsk. Prince Leopolds left wing is pursuing, and reached Von Woyrsch, upon the first wing, stormed the rearguard position on both sides of the Olenka, westward.of Lukow, capturing 1000.