THE EAST FRONT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3249, 21 June 1916, Page 23

THE EAST FRONT.

STORMS INTERFERE WITH PROGRESS. PETROGRAD, June 12. A communique states : On the southern front storms are interrupting our com-

munications. General Bmssiloff'i offensive continues. We continue our pursuit cf the defeated enemy in many sectors, although at some points the enemy aro desperately •counter-attacking. The total number of prisoners is now 1700 officers and 113.000 men. One re-cently-formed unit captured yesterday comprised 1203 Germans and 768 Austrians.

The enemy on the Ikwa front, south of Lut.sk, are retreating, and we are pressing them closely. The Austrians near Gliadkl Yerosievkar, north of Tarnopol, attacked furiously six times, and were finally repulsed. Our artillery especially is doing gallant work, countering the enemy's murderous fire with a fire equally violent.

GERMANS TO THE RESCUE. PETROGRAD, June 12. A communique states: Near Bobulikze, north of Buczacz, the Austrians, assisted by fresh German forces, desperately coun-ter-attacked. Oar troops replied with further attacks, but were finally forced to give ground slightly. Fighting continues with ever-increasing desperation. The fighting for the Czernowitz suburbs has begun. The enemy blew up a bridge east of Czernowitz. General Letchttzky's troops have now taken prisoner 21,000 men, all being Hungarian infantry and cavalry.

The German right flank on the Riga sector assumed the offensive north of Tirol marsh, and -was repulsed. The Germans along the entire Jacobstadt front attempted to advance after a violent artillery fire, and "were everywhere repelled. Important German forces assumed the offensive south of Lake D-risviaty, also south of the village of Kostany, and were compelled to retreat.

The Russians on Sunday attacked the bridgehead at Zaleszczyki, on the Dniester, and approached the suburbs of Czernowitz, where the Austrians caused many explosions. It is believed they were blowing up the bridges.

AUSTRIAN RETREAT FROM LUTZK. PETROGRAD, June 13. Prisoners continue to arrive at Kieff, They are chiefly Austrians, Germans, and Magyars: no Slavs. The offensive continues steadily. The Russians are building bridges to enable them to transport big guns on a large scale. Cavalry operations among the Austrian communications continue, to enable the Russian rear to reorganise and the troops to prepare for a frest push. Lutzk was surrounded by 19 lines of entanglements, but the Russian turning movement led to a hun-ied Austrian retreat, and the abandonment of the guna

INCIDENTS OF THE ADVANCE. LONDON, June 12. According to the Daily Telegraph'* Petrograd correspondent, wounded Russians state that an Austrian division was surrounded and almost wiped out, the survivors surrendering en masse. An Austrian Red Cross nurse was taken prisoner for shooting at the Russians with a revolver.

The Russians, capturing a railway station, surprised Austrian officials at their posts. A quarter of an hour later a train full of troops and munitions steamed in, and was captured. A telegraphist was surprised in the act of summoning more supplies of shells, but was allowed to complete the message, and the shells were duly sent up and captured. The Russians have captured the village of Demidovka, and are now 27 miles south of Lutsk and 20 miles west of Dubno.

Despatches describe the Austrian dugouts as luxuriously equipped with furniture, pianos, gramophones, pictures, and in some cases domestic kitchens. The A'ustrians had also laid out vegetable and flower wardens in their lines.

Advices from Vienna state that the Russians have captured Roshitshe, north of Lutsk, and are now 50 kilometres from Kovel and Vladimir-Volinski.

Military circles in Germany estimate the Austrian losses at 400,000, and express the fear that the Russians will secure the Lublin province, and will soon threaten the entire front to Vilna. A German communique states: In Galicia General Bothmer's Austrians and Germans repulsed Russian detachments, which were advancing north-west of Buczacz (south of Tarnopol), taking 1300 of them prisoner. Otherwise the situation on the German east front is unchanged.