OCR Text |
Show RUSSIANS FILL BACK 0 BILES FRDfGRAGOW Foil Austrian Attempt to Drive a Wedge Between Muscovite Armies South of Tarnow and Tuchow. VICTORY FOLLOWS MOVEMENT TO REAR German Army Passing Southward Toward Pilica in Hope of Cutting Communications. (Spectsl CsMs hy Ananremnnt TVith London Dally Telegraph and International News Service.) PETEOGBAD, Dec. 28. What may prove to be the greatest battle of the war between the Russians and Germans Ger-mans in Poland is now developing between be-tween the Vistula and Pilica rivers, southwest of Warsaw. An effort of the main Austrian army, under General Boehme-Ermilli, to drive a wedge between the Russian southern nmiies south of Tarnow and Tuchow has failed, and the Russian army, by defeating the Austrians near Tuchow on Christmas day, has put a twenty-mile twenty-mile wedge between the right and left flanks of the Austrian armies. The Russians pursued the Austrians across the Biala river, taking the heights of Siedliska, four miles south of Tuchow, capturing nearly 5000 prisoners and many guns. To accomplish accom-plish this, however, the Russians, forewarned fore-warned of the Austrian advance three days ago, had to withdraw large reinforcements rein-forcements from the front of Cracow. Back Fifty Miles. The main Russian army before Cracow Cra-cow was moved back fifty miles, meeting meet-ing and checking the Austrian advance and at the same time holding all the Russian communications. Details are lacking of the extent of the Austrian repulse, but it is certain that the Austrian Aus-trian effort to split the Russian army in Galieia has been defeated. The Austrian advance began last Wednesday in great force from Tym- ! bark, thirty-live miles southeast of Cracow, with the object of cutting off the Russian army besieging Cracow. The impression in military quarters tonight is that General Boehme-Ermilli 's Austrian army has been so decisively de-cisively repulsed south of Tuchow that the Russian armies can once more pour into the Hungarian plains. According to information received here the Magyars Mag-yars are becoming increasingly restive and complain loudly that their coontry has been given insufficient protection. Positions Impregnable. The Russians are iu full possession of a stretch of country twenty miles south of Tucbow and hold impreguable positions separating the two Austrian armies, that on the east the chief Austrian Aus-trian army, commanded by General Boehme-Ermilli, is retreating precipitately precipi-tately eastward and through the Carpathian Car-pathian mountains, harassed bv Russian Rus-sian cavalry, while on the west toward Cracow the Austrian forces have lost the initiative and are reported to be badly crippled. It the two Austrian armies had effected ef-fected a junction and succeeded in getting get-ting a wedge between the Russians be- ' fore Cracow and the Russian army operating between the Vistula ami Pilica rivers, whero . the most tremendous tre-mendous fighting with the Germans is going on, there might have beeu a crushing defeat of tho Russian armies in Poland. Tho German assault on Warsaw, from the direction of the Bzura river, having hav-ing failed, Marshal Von Hindenberg is pressing southward toward the Pilica in the hope of cutting the Russian communications. com-munications. The lighting is as sanguinary as auy that has taken place since the war began. The battle is not yet decided. It was the effort of the Austrians to come to the relief of their allies, which has been signally defeated. |