TEMPORARY LULL IN THE RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE
So strong had the combined Austro-Hungarian-German resistance become
by this time, that by June 26, 1916, the Russian advance seemed to
have been halted all along the line. The resistance had stiffened,
especially in front of Kovel, where the Central Powers seemed to have
assembled their strongest forces and were not only successful in
keeping the Russians from reaching Kovel but even regained some of the
ground lost in Volhynia.
Southwest of Sokal they stormed Russian lines and took several hundred
prisoners. Russian counterattacks were nowhere successful. This was
especially due to the fact that both on the Kolki front and on the
middle Strypa the Germans bombarded all Russian positions with heavy
guns.
To the north of Kuty and west of Novo Posaive Russian attacks were
repulsed likewise with heavy losses.
The fighting in the north, along the Dvina front and south of Dvinsk
in the lake district, had settled down to a series of local
engagements between small detachments and to artillery duels. German
detachments which penetrated Russian positions south of Kekkau brought
back twenty-six prisoners, one machine gun and one mine thrower.
Another detachment which entered Russian positions brought back north
of Miadziol one officer, 188 men, six machine guns and four mine
throwers. Numerous bombs were again dropped on the railway freight
station at Dvinsk. In the Baltic, however, three Russian hydroplanes
in the Irben Strait engaged four German machines, bringing down one.
On the Riga front and near Uxkull bridgehead there was an artillery
duel. Against the Dvinsk positions, too, the Germans opened a violent
artillery fire at different points, and attempted to take the
offensive north of Lake Sventen, but without success.
In the region north of Lake Miadziol, south of Dvinsk, the Germans
bombarded with heavy and light artillery Russian trenches between
lakes Dolja and Voltchino. They then started an offensive which was
stopped by heavy artillery fire. A second German offensive also
failed, the attacking troops being again driven back to their own
trenches.
In the region of the Slutsk road, southeast of Baranovitchy, the
Germans after a short artillery preparation attempted to take the
offensive, but were repulsed by heavy fire.
The Germans also resumed the offensive in the vicinity of a farm
southwest of Lipsk, northeast of Lake Vygonovskoe, and succeeded in
reaching the east bank of the Shara, but soon afterward were dislodged
from it and fell back.
The Russian official statement of that day, June 26, 1916, announced
that General Brussilov had captured between June 4th and 23d, 4,413
officers and doctors, 194,941 men, 219 guns, 644 machine guns and 195
bomb throwers.
Again, during the night of June 26, 1916, southeast of Riga, the
Germans, after bombarding the Russian positions and emitting clouds of
gas, attacked in great force in the direction of Pulkarn.
Reenforcements, having been brought up quickly by the Russians, they
succeeded with the assistance of their artillery, in repulsing the
Germans, who suffered heavy losses.
On the Dvina and in the Jacobstadt region there was an artillery and
rifle duel. German aeroplanes were making frequent raids on the
Russian lines. They dropped sixty-eight bombs during a nocturnal raid
on the town of Dvinsk on June 27, 1916. The damage both to property
and life was considerable.
An attempt on the part of German troops to take the offensive south of
Krevo was repulsed by gunfire. On the rest of the front as far as the
region of the Pripet Marshes there was an exchange of fire.
On the same day General von Linsingen's forces stormed and captured
the village of Linievka, west of Sokal and about three miles east of
the Svidniki bridgehead on the Stokhod, and the Russian positions
south of it. West of Torchin, near the apex of the Lutsk salient, a
strong Russian attack collapsed under German artillery and infantry
fire.
In Galicia, southwest of Novo Pochaieff, east of Brody,
Austro-Hungarian outposts repulsed five Russian night attacks.
Gradually the Russians were closing in on the important position of
Kolomea, near the northern Bukowina border. On the east they were only
twelve miles off, on the north they had crossed the Dniester
twenty-four miles away, and in a few days they reported having driven
the Austrians across a river thirteen miles to the southeast, while at
Kuty, twenty miles almost due south, one attack followed another.
On the following day, June 28, 1916, strong offensive movements again
developed both in East Galicia and in Volhynia. In the former region
the Russians were the aggressors; in the latter, the Germans.
In East Galicia General Lechitsky, commander of Brussilov's center,
began a mighty onrush against the Austro-Hungarian lines, between the
Dniester and the region around Kuty, in an effort to push his
opponents beyond the important railway city of Kolomea, strategically
the most valuable point of southern Galicia.
He succeeded in inflicting a crushing defeat upon the
Austro-Hungarians, taking three lines of trenches and 10,506
prisoners. This success was achieved in the northern part of the area
of attack, between the Dniester and the region around the Pruth. The
fall of Kolomea looked inevitable because of this new advance.
Persistent fighting took place on the line of the River Tchertovetz, a
tributary of the Pruth, and also in the region of the town of Kuty.
Both sides again suffered heavy losses at these points.
East of Kolomea the Russians again attacked in massed formations on a
front of twenty-five miles. At numerous points, at a great sacrifice,
Russian reserves were thrown against the Austrian lines, and succeeded
in advancing in hand-to-hand fighting, but during the evening were
forced to evacuate a portion of their front near Kolomea and to the
south. On the Dniester line superior Russian forces were repulsed
north of Obertyn. All Russian attempts to dislodge the Austrians west
of Novo Peczaje failed. At many other points in Galicia and the
Bukowina there were artillery duels.
In Volhynia, especially in the region of Linievka, and at other points
on the Stokhod, the desperate fighting which had been in progress for
quite a few days continued without abatement.
Russian attacks made by some companies between Dubatowska and Smorgon
failed in the face of terrific German fire.
Near Guessitschi, southeast of Ljubtscha, a German division stormed an
enemy point of support east of the Niemen, taking some prisoners and
capturing two machine guns and two mine throwers.
On the Dvina front German artillery bombarded the region of
Sakowitche, Seltze and Bogouschinsk Wood, northwest of Krevo. Strong
forces then proceeded to attack, but were repulsed by Russian machine
guns and infantry fire.
On June 29, 1916, the fighting northwest of Kuty continued. As a
result of pressure on the part of the superior forces of the Russians
the Austro-Hungarians were forced to withdraw their lines west and
southwest of Kolomea. The town of Obertyn was taken after a stubborn
fight, as well as villages in the neighborhood, north and south. In
the region south of the Dniester, the Russians were pursuing the
Austrians, who were forced to leave behind a large number of convoys
and military material.
Near the village of Solivine, between the rivers Stokhod and Styr, to
the west of Sokal, the Germans attempted to take the offensive. Their
attack was repulsed, but an artillery duel continued until late in the
day.
In the morning German aviators dropped thirty bombs on Lutsk. Light
and heavy German artillery opened a violent fire on the Russian
trenches in the Niemen sector, northeast of Novo Grodek. Under cover
of this fire German forces crossed the Niemen and occupied the woods
east of the village of Guessitschi.
On the Dvina front German artillery bombarded Russian positions
southeast of Riga and the bridgehead above Uxkull. North of Illuxt the
Germans attempted to move forward, but were thrown back by Russian
gunfire.