RUSSIANS YIELD GROUND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3197, 23 June 1915, Page 19

RUSSIANS YIELD GROUND.

A SUCCESSFUL COUNTER-ATTACK. PETROGRAD, June 16. Official : The Germans, strongly reinforced, resumed the offensive in the- Jaroslav region and on the right bank- of the San. After three days’ hard fighting we yielded ground on the right banks of the Bubackzow and the Wisznia. We successfully counter-attacked on the left banks of theTismenica and the Stryj, capturing 1200 prisoners and seven machine guns. The Germans at Widatcheff fired hoisting the white flag. We killed them all with the bayonet. We took 1500 pri- s soners near Nezniow. > We withdrew across the frontier in the Czernowitz region. GERMAN SAVAGERY. PETROGRAD, June 17. A commission of inquiry into German atrocities examined a sergeant-major who had a large slice cut from his back by a German officer in an attempt to get him to divulge information. RUSSIAN OFFICIAL REPORT. PETROGRAD, June 17. (Received June 38, at 0.55 a.m.) Official ; The German attacks during the last three days on the Liatzkow were unsuccessful, and ended in oiir favour. Our troops in the Popeliany district crossed the Venta, the cavalry cutting down hundreds of the fleeing Germans. Fighting in the Shavli region continues with varying fortunes. Some villages have fallen into the enemy’s hands. The enemy, in fruitlessly attempting an. offensive beyond the Middle Niemen, sustained heavy losses. We recaptured all our advanced trenches northward of Prasnysz. The battle on the San continues with increasing fierceness. Fighting on the Tysminica-Bystritza front has continued to our advantage. We captured southward of Widacheff another 500 Germans (including 14 officers), and also four guns and six machine guns. GERMAN ARMIES IN RUSSIA. PETROGRAD, June 17. The enemy’s strength on the San id enormous. With their new reinforcements the Germans alone have 14 army corps concentrated in the regions of Lubaczowka and Wisznia. The enemy’s advance on the right bank of the Lubaczowka gives him possession of a railway spanning the river leading north-east to the Rawaruska group. On the Lubaczowka he is endeavouring to advance north-east, and is menacing the Russian rear on the Dniester, while in the Wisznia group he is moving in the direction of Lemberg.

AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL REPORT. AMSTERDAM, June 17. An Austrian official report states ; During the last 15 days we captured 108 Russian officers, 122,300 men, 53 cannon, 187 machine guns, and 58 wagons. The Italians were everywhere repulsed. [More than a grain of salt is needed to digest this information, and the statement regarding the captures from tbo Russians may be gauged by the palpable untruth concerning the Italians.]