ADVANCE AGAINST LEMBERG AND KOVEL
Late that day, June 29, 1916, General Lechitsky captured Kolomea, the
important railway junction for the possession of which the battle had
been raging furiously for days past. This was a severe blow to the
Central Powers. It meant a serious danger to the remainder of General
Pflanzer's army and likewise threatened the safety of General von
Bothmer's forces to the north.
Still the Russian advances continued. On the last day of June their
left wing drove back the retreating Austro-Hungarians over a front
situated south of the Dniester and occupied many places south of
Kolomea.
Northwest of Kolomea, Russian troops, after a violent engagement,
drove back their opponents in the direction of the heights near the
village of Brezova, and as the result of a brilliant attack, took part
of the heights.
The number of prisoners taken by General Lechitsky during the last
days of June, 1916, was 305 officers and 14,574 men. Four guns and
thirty machine guns were captured. The total number of prisoners taken
from June 4 to June 30, 1916, inclusive, was claimed to have reached
the immense total of 217,000 officers and men.
During June, in the region south of Griciaty, 158 officers and 2,307
men, as well as cannon and nineteen machine guns, fell into the hands
of the Central Powers.
In the region of the Lipa Austrian artillery continued to bombard the
Russian front with heavy artillery and field artillery. Desperate
attacks made by newly arrived German troops were, however, repulsed
with heavy losses to the attacking forces.
Near Thumacz an attack of cavalry, who charged six deep along a front
of three kilometers, was successfully repulsed by Austro-Hungarian
troops.
German forces drove back Russian troops south of Ugrinow, west of
Tortschin, and near Sokal.
At other points on the Kovel front engagements likewise took place,
though the violence of the combat had somewhat abated.
West of Kolki, southwest of Sokal, and near Viczny, German forces
conquered Russian positions. West and southwest of Lutsk various local
engagements occurred. Here the Russians on June 30, 1916, lost fifteen
officers, 1,365 men; since June 16th, twenty-six officers, 3,165 men.
The next objective of General Lechitsky's army was Stanislau, about
thirty miles farther northwest than Kolomea, on the Czernovitz-Lemberg
railway. On July 1, 1916, in the region west of Kolomea, the army of
General Lechitsky, after intense fighting, took by storm some strong
Austrian positions and captured some 2,000 men.
Further north, German and Austro-Hungarian troops of General von
Bothmer's army stormed the hill of Vorobijowka, a height southwest of
Tarnopol, which had been occupied by the Russians, and took seven
officers and 891 men. Seven machine guns and two mine throwers were
captured.
On the Volhynia front the German troops continued to deliver desperate
attacks against some sectors between the Styr and Stokhod and south
of the Stokhod.
In the afternoon German artillery produced gusts of fire in the region
of Koptchie, Ghelenovka and Zabary, southwest of Sokal. An energetic
attack then followed, but was repulsed. Southwest of Kiselin Russian
fire stopped an offensive. At the village of Seniawa and in the same
region near the village of Seublino there was a warm engagement. A
series of fresh German attacks southwest of Kiselin-Zubilno-Kochey was
repulsed. The German columns were put to flight with heavy losses. The
fugitives were killed in large numbers, but, reenforced by reserves,
the attacks were promptly renewed, without, however, meeting with much
success.
South of the village of Zaturze, near the village of Koscheff, Russian
forces stopped an Austrian offensive by a counteroffensive. Austrian
attempts to cross the River Shara southwest of Lipsk and south of
Baranovitchy were likewise repulsed.
On July 2, 1916, Russian torpedo boats bombarded the Courland coast
east of Raggazem without result. They were attacked effectively by
German coastal batteries and by aeroplanes.
At many points along the front of Field Marshal von Hindenburg the
Russians increased their fire, and repeatedly undertook advances.
These led to fighting within the German lines near Niki, north of
Smorgon. The Russians were ejected with losses.
On the front of Prince Leopold the Russians attacked northeast and
east of Gorodische and on both sides of the Baranovitchy railway,
after artillery preparation lasting four hours.
Farther south fierce battles occurred between the Styr and the Stokhod
and to the south of these rivers. On the Koptche-Ghelenovka-Zobary
front, after gusts of gunfire, the Germans left their trenches and
opened an assault upon the Russian line. Under cover of a bombardment
of extreme violence German troops opened an offensive south of
Linievka, but were checked. In the region of Zubilno and Zaturze (west
of Lutsk) the Austrians took the offensive in massed formation, but
were repulsed with heavy losses. East of the village of Ougrinov,
midway between Lutsk and Gorochoff, fresh German forces held up
Russian attacks. At other points on the front of General von
Linsingen strong Russian counterattacks were delivered west and
southwest of Lutsk, but failed to stop the German advance. Large
cavalry attacks broke down under German fire. The number of prisoners
was increased by the Germans by about 1,800. As the result of a week
of costly onslaughts by the Austro-German army between the Stokhod and
the Styr Rivers in Volhynia, the Russian forces had now been forced
back a distance of five miles along the greatest part of the front
before Kovel.
In the region of Issakoff, on the right bank of the Dniester,
southeast of Nijniff, the Austrians took the offensive in superior
numbers. The Russians launched a counteroffensive, which resulted in a
fierce fight.
On July 3, 1916, the Russian advance west of Kolomea still continued
in this direction. The Austrians were dislodged from several
positions, and as a result of this the Russians occupied the village
of Potok Tcharny. The booty taken by the Russians here was four cannon
and a few hundred prisoners.
Further north in Galicia the army group of General Count von Bothmer,
southeast of Thumacz, in a quick advance, forced back the Russians on
a front more than twelve and a half miles wide and more than five and
a quarter miles deep.
On the Styr-Stokhod front the Russians again threw strong forces, part
of them recently brought up to this front, in masses against the
German lines to stay their advance, but were repulsed.
An attempt of German troops to cross the Styr in the region of the
village of Lipa was repulsed. During the night the Russians captured
on this front eleven officers, nearly 1,000 men and five machine guns.
Still farther north, local counterattacks at points where the Russians
first succeeded in making some advances, all yielded finally some
successes for the Germans, who captured thirteen officers and 1,883
men. Two lines of German works south of Tzirine, northeast of
Baranovitchy, however, were pierced by the Russians. In this fighting
they captured seventy-two officers, 2,700 men, eleven cannon and
several machine guns and bomb throwers.
On the northerly front there was lively artillery fire, which became
violent at some points. In the region of the village of Baltaguzy,
east of Lake Vichnevskoye the Germans attempted to leave their
trenches, but were prevented by Russian fire. A Russian air squadron
raided the Baranovitchy railway station.
Once more, on July 4, 1916, the coast of Courland was bombarded
fruitlessly from the sea by Russian ships. The operations of the
Russian forces against the front of Field Marshal von Hindenburg were
continued, especially on both sides of Smorgon. On the Riga-Dvinsk
front the artillery duels were growing more intense. Northwest of
Goduziesk, Russian troops dislodged German forces from the outskirts
of a wood. German aeroplane squadrons dropped bombs freely on the
railway.
The Russians recommenced attacking the front from Tzirin to a point
southeast of Baranovitchy. Hand-to-hand fights in some places were
very stubborn. The Russians were driven out of the sections of the
German lines into which they had broken and suffered very heavy
losses.
On the lower Styr and on the front between the Styr and Stokhod, and
farther south as far as the region of the lower Lipa, everywhere there
were fought most desperate engagements.
In the region of Vulka-Galouziskai the Russians broke through wire
entanglements fitted with land mines. In a very desperate fight on the
Styr west of Kolki the Russians overthrew the Germans and took more
than 1,000 prisoners, together with three guns, seventeen machine guns
and two searchlights, and several thousand rifles.
In the region north of Zaturse and near Volia Sadovska the Russians
seized the first line of enemy trenches, and stopped by artillery fire
an enemy attack on Schkline.
In the region of the lower Lipa the Germans made a most stubborn
attack without result. At another point the Germans, who crossed the
Styr above the mouth of the Lipa, near the village of Peremel, were
attacked and driven back to the river.
On the Galician front, in the direction of the Carpathians, there was
an artillery action. The left wing of the Russians continued to press
the Austrians back. On the road between Kolomea and Dalatyn the
Russians captured the village of Sadzadka at the point of the bayonet.
Southeast of Riga and at many points on the front between Postavy and
Vishnieff, further partial attacks by the Russians were repulsed on
July 5, 1916. On the Dvina front and the Dvinsk position and further
south there were also lively artillery engagements at numerous points.
Near Boyare, on the Dvina above Friedrichstadt, Russian light
artillery smashed a German light battery. Attempts by the Germans to
remove the guns were unsuccessful. The gun team, which endeavored to
save one of the guns, was annihilated. All the guns were eventually
abandoned.
Extremely fierce fighting, especially in the region east of Worodische
and south of Darovo, was everywhere in German favor. The losses of the
Russians were very considerable.
In the direction of Baranovitchy the fighting continues, developing to
Russian advantage. The Germans delivered repeated counterattacks in
order to regain positions captured by the Russians, but each was
easily repulsed.
South of the Pinsk Marshes the Russians had important new successes.
In the region of Gostioukhovka they captured an entire German battery
and took prisoners twenty-two officers and 350 soldiers. Northwest of
Baznitchi, on the Styr, north of Kolki, the Russians captured two
cannon, three machine guns, and 2,322 prisoners. North of
Stegrouziatine they captured German trenches and took more than 300
prisoners and one machine gun. Between the Styr and the Stokhod, west
of Sokal and southward, the Germans launched many counterattacks under
the protection of artillery.
In Galicia, after intense artillery preparations, the Russians took up
an energetic offensive west of the lower Strypa and on the right bank
of the Dniester. The Germans were defeated and driven back. The
Russian troops were now approaching the Koropice and Souhodolek
Rivers, tributaries of the Dniester. They took here nearly 5,000
prisoners and eleven machine guns. On the front of the Barysz sector
the defense, after the repulse of repeated Russian attacks, was
partially transferred to the Koropice sector. Russian assaults
frequently broke down before the German lines on both sides of
Chocimirz, southeast of Tlumach.
Near Sadzadka the Russians with superior forces were successful in
penetrating the Austrian positions, who then retreated about five
miles to the west, where they formed a new line and repulsed all
attacks.
Southwest and northwest of Kolomea the Austrians maintained their
positions against all Russian efforts.
Southwest of Buczacz, after heavy fighting at Koropice Brook, the
Austrians recaptured their line.