THE RETREAT.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 7912, 31 July 1917, Page 1

THE RETREAT.

PROCEEDING MORE SLOWLY. ENEMY UNABLE TO PRESS HIS ADVANTAGE . Australian & N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, July 28. A Russian official message states: — The enemy occupied Plotyez and Czstylov, northward of Tamopol. We repulsed enemy attacks southeastwards of Tarnopol. We retired a short distance to a new position south-eastwards of Trembowla. We repulsed attacks northward of Czortkov. We continue our easterly retirement between the Dniester and the Carpathians. The Roumanians advance!! Towards the upper reaches of the Suchitza river, where they are consolidating. Their advanced detachments moved forward upon the height westward of Socvia, taking many prisoners, six guns, three mine-throwers and much material. On the Galician front nothing material has occurred. The enemy somewhat pressed our detachments back eastward of Kirlababa. The Roumanians continue the pursuit of the retiring enemy in the direction of Kezdi Vasarsely, and occupied the heights five versts south-west of the villages of Monesteerkd, Kochinul, Dragolavo and Beresczi, and took a battery. We advanced in the region of Kalakul towards the Putna river, and occupied the village of Boduple, on the left bank of the river. THE TRAITORS. WHOLE EFFECT OF VICTORIES WASTED. LONDON, July 28. The “Daily News' ” Petrograd correspondent says the retreat continues on a front of 100 miles. The troops who behaved worst were those most strongly reinforced from Petrograd. Some retired voluntarily after a successful fight because their officers were killed or wounded.

The simple soldiers fell under the influence of the extremists. The latter insist that the bourgeoise is the real enemy of the soldier, and say that a counter-revolution is in progress at Petrograd. So one regiment is persuaded and moves rearward, another follows it, and across the endless valleys of Galicia begins an elemental movement eastwards, destroying communications and interrupting supplies for the troops who are still fighting, thus forcing them to join the retreat. Flying mutineers seize baggage trains with stores of munitions and use them to travel back towards the east. Thus the countryside won at the cost of a hundred battles will be wasted again. The moving armies show no signs of stopping their retreat. General Brussiloff’s splendid positions north-west of Tarnopol have been thrown away. If the Germans had been in great force the retreat of the southern armies would have been cut off long ago. The Germans, however, are apparently disconcerted by the magnitude of their success, and it is likely the enemy will soon halt as a result of fatigue and hunger. This may give the Russians time to arrest the retreat.