AUSTRIAN FRONT PIERCED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16253, 12 June 1916, Page 5

AUSTRIAN FRONT PIERCED

ADVANCE TOWARDS LEMBERC. CAPTURE OF 71,000 PRISONERS. v The Russians have pierced the Austrian front. The blow from Volhynia broke the enemy's lines over a distance of 90 miles, to a depth of 40 miles. The Russians are officially reported to have entered Buczacz, In Galicia, and to have captured over 71,000 prisoners and 94 large guns. It is unofficially stated that the Austrians have evacuated Dubno, the southernmost of the Volhynian triangle of fortresses, and that the Russian vanguard is within 20 miles of Lemberg. The Austrian army in the Pripet marshes is endangered by this success. It is believed that five Austrian armies are on the eve of a general retreat. There is heavy fighting north-east of Tarnapol. All accounts show the Austrian losses to have been very heavy. A battle is raging on the Sette Comuni Plateau, about 20 miles south-east of Trent. The Italians made the enemy suffer greatly for a gain of 100 yds. Hill 304 has been the chief storm-centre near Verdun. Several German attacks were repulsed. A skirmish between British monitors and destroyers off the Belgian coast ended in the Germans retiring to Zeebrugge. Unofficial reports suggest that in the North Sea battle the Germans lost 20 destroyers and five submarines. The demobilisation order in Greece will affect more than half the army. The French have occupied the island of Thasos, south of Kavala.