RUSSIA'S TASK.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 September 1915, Page 5

RUSSIA'S TASK.

VICTORIES IN CALICIA. .j :l i SIS KEEPING ROUMANIAN BORDER FREEt Petrograd, September 1. Military critics attach importance to Russia's successes in Eastern Galicia. The German attack on the Upper Bug and Strypa aimed at pushing the Russians from the Roumanian frontiers. Five Austro-German army corps, under General Pflanzer, suffered defeat, Colonel Shumsky calculates that a million of the enemy are operating in the Brest Litovsk, Minsk and Bielostok region, 300,000 near Riga, and 600,000 in Galicia. , AUSTRO-GERMANS ROUTED. AFTER DESPERATE FIGHTING. Petrograd, September 1. Details of the defeat of General Pflanzer show that some of the hard-est-fighting on the Bug was near Ballykamenn, ten miles south-west of Lutzk. The enemy on Sunday morning essayed to storm Height 366, but all his efforts were repulsed. The Austro-Germans were reinforced at night and delivered five separate assaults, but were repulsed with heavy loss. Nevertheless three further attacks before dawn were beaten back with enormous losses. Meanwhile General Pflanzer attempted to force the passage of the Strypa, hut was driven back, enabling the Russians on Monday to assume the offensive and surround a portion of the Aus-'fcro-Gerniatf the Ro'ga-'fen-Tarnopol railway crosses the Strypa, capturing guns and many prisoners. The enemy on Sunday made nine attempts to cross the Strypa near Burkanoff, ten miles south of the railway, 'but were repulsed. The attacks south of the Dniester were also without result. .< j* GERMAN REPORT. EVERYTHING- IN THEIR FAVOR. Berlin, September 1. A communique states:—General v»n Hinderiberg's troops are before the outer line of forts at Grodno. .Prince Leopold crossed the Upper Narew and forced the enemy across the marshes north of Giazana. General von Maekenßen continues to defeat the Russians whenever they make a stand. General von Bothmcr, in the face of a stubborn resistance, stormed the heights on the bank of the Strypa, overcoming the enemy's temporary delay. Dusing August we took prisoners on the eastern front 2000 officers, 269,839 men, 2300 cannon, 500 machine-guns, including 20,000 prisoners and 827 cannon at Kovno. Fifteen generals, 90,000 men and 1200 cannon were taken at Novo Georgievsk. Since May 2 the Germans and Auslrians took prisoner over a million men. WIDESPREAD OPERATIONS. TRUNK RAILWAY THE OBJECTIVE. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received September 2, 8 pjn. London, September 2. The Times' correspondent at Petrograd says the position is fluctuating from day to day, The enemy's northern movements at present have reverted to the direction of Riga, and attention is concentrated at Friedriehstadt, which is a vital point situated not far from the railway opening the path to both Riga and Dvinsk. The seizure of the Mitau-Kreuzgurg section of tie railway, which is forty-five miles long, enables the Germans to bring up reinforcements from Mitau. On the- other hand, in the Dviii9k region, we have assumed the offensive. The enemy's crossing.of the Niemen at Olita, and his advance on Orany, disclose an intention to isolate our Vilna, and Grodno groups, thus hindering our retreat from the Niemen line. It is hoped that the >enemy operating in the region of Bialystok and Bieresk has not succeeded in intercepting our retreat from Grodna to the trunk line. In the vicinity of Mosty and Lida the Russian rearguard is offering a desperate resistance on a twenty-mile front, between Bieloaiezh and the Suprase woods, in order to afford time for regrouping in the rear. Serious importance is attributed to the events on the front between Vladimir, Volynsky, and Butzk, where the enemy is operating in great force. Apparently General Maeken:--i's army has been transferred there to undertake an important offensive against the trunk line from Kobel to Kieff. ARMY PROMOTIONS. Received Sept. 2, 10.20 p.m. Petrograd, Sept. 2. General ltussky has been appointed commander, in chief of the armies in the defence of the northern region. General Yanushkevitch, Prince Nicholas' chief of staff, has been appointed assistant Viceroy in the Caucasus, and General Alexief succeeds General Yanushkevitch. RUSSIA'S GOLD RESERVE. Petrograd, Septemer 1. The Financial Statement in the Duma stales that the Government has already borrowed six hundred millions, and probably there will be an important loan on the foreign markets shortly. Russia lias the greatest reserve of gold in the world. HARASSING WARSAW BANKERS. Amsterdam, September I. The Governor of Warsaw has sent thirty Russian hankers to concentration camps for refusing to accept promissory notes. AN AUSTRIAN TRAITOR. Budapest, September 1. Yanchevecki, a correspondent of the Novoe Vrcmya, has been court-martiall-e,l and sentenced to death for communicating military information to the newspaper. JAPAN'S ASSISTANCE. London, September 1. Baron Hayashi, Japanese Ambassador to Rome, states that the public is not aware to what extent Japan is co-oper-ating with the Allies. When it is possible to tell the world she will be astonished at what Japan has done, is doing, and will do. The Russians are .the nearest neighbors, and therefore the Ja- ; panese are the most useful to them. '

A TREMENDOUS STRUGGLE.! KEMABKABLY FIERCE FIGHTING, Keceived September 2 a 10 p.m. Potrograd, September 2. A communique says: We captured four guns on the right of the Vilica. The enemy occupied Oray, where desperate fighting continues. A Russian regiment, surrounded by the enemy, broke through, annihilating a German battalion. We repulsed a series of vigorous repeated German attacks westward of Grodno. We are holding the enemy in the Lutak 'region and Galioia, while withdrawing to a IeBS extended front, inflicting heavy losses. The total Austro-Germans taken prisoner number seven thousand, with a hundred officers. The enemy's most stubborn attacks in the Radzickhoff, Zolotoheff, Zborow, and Bourkanow districts were everywhere repulsed with enormous losses. 'Fighting in the districts of Bourkanow and Boutahatch was remarkably fierce. We repuflsed numerous attacks with the bayonet. The enemy, at some points, being unable to stand the hand-to-hand fighting, retreated to tihe trendies, leaving many prisoners.