From here it continued its advance to the east, its left wing trying to push in between the big marshes and the triangle of the Volhynian fortresses, Lutsk, Dubno and Rovno, which were the centre and the pivot of General Ivanoff's armies; the right wing of Puhallo's army was meantime approaching the River Styr, in front of Lutsk. With the fall of Kovel and Vladimir Volynsky the line of the Middle Bug was pierced and it was certain that that of the Upper Bug and of the Zlota Lipa in Galicia would have to be abandoned. The Austro-German offensive against that line recommenced on August 27. On that day the Fifth Austro-Hungarian army corps under FML. von Goglia (Army Boehm-Ermolli) broke through the Russian positions near Gologory, at the watershed between the Bug and the Zlota Lipa. Our Allies withdrew across the marshy valley of the Upper Bug towards Bialykamien. On the next day the enemy entered the town of Zlochoff. Whilst the Second Austro-Hungarian Army under General von Boehm-Ermolli was forcing the Upper Bug, the Austro-German Army under Count Bothmer crossed the Zlota Lipa round Brzezany, advancing towards the ZboroffPodhaytse line. In the south the left wing of the Army of Pflanzer-Baltin was advancing from Nizniow and Koropiets towards Buczacz. Our Allies had to withdraw from the line of the Bug and Zlota Lipa not so much on account of the pressure brought on it from the west, but rather because it would have been risky to hang on to an advanced position in Eastern Galicia whilst there was as yet no certainty of their being able to maintain themselves in the Volhynian triangle. Had the Russians succeeded in holding out on the Zlota Lipa, but had they at the same time been compelled to abandon Rovno, their southern armies would have run a serious risk of being enveloped, especially as along the southern flank, on the Dniester, the Austrians had near Zaleshchyki a footing within the "belt of the Dniester." Volhynia was clearly the decisive theatre of war in the southern zone. It was along the Lvoff-Brody-Rovno line that the Army of General von Boehm-Ermolli was exercising the main pressure. A concentric movement seems to have been planned against Rovno, from Kovel by Lutsk and from Galicia by way of Dubno. On August 29 a fierce battle began on the entire front extending from Bialykamien by Toporoff to Radziechoff (on the Lvoff Stojanoff railway-line). Seven separate attacks were delivered on that day by the enemy against Hill 366, which dominates the district of Bialykamien, but each of them was beaten off with heavy losses. The fighting continued during the following days. On August 31 our Allies suffered a reverse; the enemy captured Lutsk and crossed the Styr, the Russians slowly falling back on the Olyka-Radziviloff front. This retreat necessitated also a withdrawal of the line farther south. On September 1 the Austrians entered Brody. South of the Lvoff-Krasne-Brody railway line our Allies had to withdraw from the line of the Zlota Lipa to that of the Strypa, and then to that of the Sereth. This retreat was carried out in a way resembling the previous withdrawals of these troops ;* though retiring, they succeeded in inflicting on the enemy more serious losses than they suffered themselves. number of guns and about 10,000 prisoners were captured by them in skilful counter-attacks whilst they fell back some 30 miles to the east. A The advance of the enemy against Dubno continued during the first week of September, though it had to be paid for by extremely heavy losses. On September 7 the Austrian forces reached the Ikva; on the same day they entered the fortress of Dubno, which had been previously evacuated by our Allies. But before they had time to celebrate that new success came the Russian counter-blow. "In Galicia, near Tarnopol," says the Petrograd report of September 8, we achieved yesterday a great success against the Germans. The German 3rd Guards Division and the 48th Reserves Division, reinforced by an Austrian Brigade and a great quantity of heavy and light artillery, according to statements made by prisoners, had been preparing for several days a decisive attack. This was fixed for the night of September 7-8. "Forestalling the enemy, our troops took the offensive, and after a stubborn fight on the River Doljanka the Germans yesterday evening were completely defeated. THE GERMAN ADVANCE. killed and wounded, left as prisoners in our We captured thirty guns, fourteen of which were of heavy calibre, many machine guns, gun-limbers, and other booty." This victory was accompanied by one hardly less important in the district south-west of Trembovla.* The country to the north-west * Trembovla itself lies deep in the valley of the Sereth; on a wooded hill on its eastern bank stand the ruins of an old Polish castle. Trembovla is one of the oldest towns of "Red Russia" its castle was one of the Polish strong. holds against the invasions of the Turks and the Tartars. of that town is an undulating plain traversed by many small streams. South of the BuczaczChortkoff railway the high plateau is cut by many deep cañons. Between Trembovla and the heads of those cañons stretches wide, open ground. In its centre, to the west of the Trembovla-Buczacz high road, extends a complete plain, the so-called steppe of Pantalicha." Not a single hill rises above its flat, even level; no river crosses it, no trees afford cover. Here and there in slight depressions extend small marshes. Some fifty years ago the steppe was still virgin soil, covered by high grass. Two generations ago * the land was brought under the plough, the marshes gradually shrunk in extent, wild water-fowl, which in former years swarmed in the steppe of Pantalicha, practically disappeared. The wide, open district became in recent times the favourite ground for Austrian cavalry manœuvres ; the country south-west of Trembovla came to play the part of the Galician Salisbury Plain. It was to become now the scene of a great battle. Our "During the 7th and the 8th we took here 150 officers and 7,000 men prisoners, with three guns and thirty-six machine guns. losses were unimportant. Yesterday evening the enemy retreated in great haste pursued by our troops towards the River Strypa. "Since September 3 our success on the whole front of the River Sereth has secured us the following trophies: 383 officers and over 17,000 rank and file prisoners, 14 heavy guns, 19 light guns, 66 machine guns, and 15 artillery limbers captured. "Altogether our armies are firmly and resolutely carrying out the movement in conformity with the object assigned and contemplate the future with confidence." On September 9 the battle was continued in the district between Trembovla and Chortkoff. "The Austrians were forced to beat a precipitate retreat," says the Petrograd report; "according to a provisional estimate we took 5,000 prisoners with sixteen officers." On the next day the battle continued along the entire line from Tarnopol to Tluste, on a front of about fifty miles. Tluste, a wretchedly poor little town on the Zaleshchyki-Chortkoff railway, is the junction of four first-class high roads and three secondary roads. From the north-west an excellent, wide high-road leads from Buczacz by way of Koszylovtse through Tluste to Ustsie Biskupie ; from Zaleshchyki another high road crosses Tluste in a northerly direction, leading by Chortkoff and Trembovla to Tarnopol.* The troops of General von Pflanzer-Baltin were standing in the beginning of September in a semicircle round the important railway junction near Chortkoff. A converging movement from Buczacz and Tluste was intended against it; it was countered by our Allies, and on September 10 the Austrians had to beat a speedy retreat from Tluste to Zaleshchyki. The fighting between the Sereth and the Strypa was continued during the following weeks, bringing in for our Allies heavy "bags" of prisoners. The total number captured by the armies of General Ivanoff during the month of September exceeded 100,000. Meantime in Volhynia our Allies not only completely arrested the advance of the enemy, but after some heavy fighting recaptured, on September 23, the fortress of Lutsk, taking prisoners eighty officers and about 4,000 men. On September 5 the following Army Order was issued by the Tsar: To-day I have taken the supreme command of all the forces of the sea and land armies operating in the theatre of war. With firm faith in the clemency of God, with unshakable assurance in final victory, we shall fulfil our sacred duty to defend our country to the last. We will not dishonour the Russian land. (Signed) NICHOLAS, General Headquarters. In assuming the supreme command of his fleets and armies the Emperor of Russia expressed in a deed the determination which he shared with his entire nation and with the Governments and peoples of his Allies. * Tluste is not on the Sereth. No high roads follow the rivers south of the Buczacz-Chortkoff line. The open high plateau between the rivers is preferable to their winding, deep cañons. END OF VOLUME FIVE. A INDEX Agamemnon, H.M.S., in Darda- nelles operations. 382, 387 in aviation field at Ghistelles, 42: Aitken, Sir Max (Canadian Eye. witness), dispatch quoted, 209 Alien enemies, attitude of the Committee formed, 403; Cart- shell, 424 Archibald documents quoted, 250, Artamanoff, General, Russian com- TO VOLUME Asphyxiating Gas, 440; German Press defend use of, 55, 56; Asquith, Rt. Hon. H. H., as Secre tary of State for War, 281; Australian Auny, in the Gallipoli Austria, Archduke Frederick of, in Austria, Archduke Joseph Ferdi- nand of, in command of Fourth of, in command of 25th Aus- tration of, 100; at Gorlice, 106 Austro-Italian Frontier, 31 B Balfour, Mr. A. J., appointed First ganda, 172; on British block- Baltic Provinces, The Campaign Barter, Comp.-Sergt. Maj., awarded Battenberg. Prince Louis of, mobi- Below. General von, 329; advance Bernstorff, Count, Gerinan Ambas- V. America, 248-251; promise 66 to U.S.A. over the submarine of German siege train at Novo-, Besko, Russian defence of, 134 tude of, 196, 197; relations 162 Biala, Austrians cross near Luchow Biala line described, 95 Bieliaeff, General, munitions work Bielostok-Brest Litovsk-Kovel line, Birdwood, Lieut-General Sir W. R., "Blockade," German submarine, Bluhm, General von, 145 vancing on Grodek, 159; in Bouvet, French battleship, in the and fall of, 494; Austrian ances, new scale, 295, 296; of, 327; Germans cross at Burian, Baron, appointed Austrian from the, 333 C Cadorna, General, reorganizes Ita- Calais, Zeppelin drops bombs on, 42 appointment as Lord Chan- 219; at Givenchy, 219; at danelles, 384, 385 command of Naval forces in Carson, Sir Edward, appointed Attorney-General, 314; sug- pointed Secretary of State for Chanak, forts attacked at, 361 Choate, Mr. Joseph H., on Ger- Chocimierz, Austrians repulsed at, 142 Church, Mr. Samuel H., replies to the Curragh crisis, 281; ap- Cigielka, Russians reach, 98 operations, 382, 384, 385, 456 man troops occupy important Crewe Lord appointed Lord Presi- 30. les: Admiral Hornby's British Expedition (1807) 374; Dardanelles Campaign, The, I.. 361-400 II., 441-480; Allied to justify Lusitania crime, 251; Dhair Hissar, Turkish torpedo 400. Diller, Baron von, appointed Gover- 359. Dmitrieff, General Radko, in com- mand of Third Russian Army, Drewry, Midshipman G. L., award- Dubissa, Germans cross the, 349. Duma, Russian, and the conduct Falaba, British steamer, torpedoed, Falkenhausen, Genera! von, 330. Battle of, 230-240: Finlay. Lance-Corporal David. paign policy criticised, 365; 314. Fleischman, General. 103; in com- Foch, General 58; at Ypres, 63; François, General von, 109. addresses troops in the Ypres |