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Show K1JS IRRESISTIBLE Austrian Armies Badly Crippled Crip-pled and Forced to Retreat Beyond the Bug River. r Pctrograd, Aug. 2, noon, via Lon don, 10:55 P. m. The ultimate Russian Rus-sian occuDation of Kovel and Lemberg and the retirement of the Austro-Ger-raan line of defense beyond the Bug river are now regarded here as a foregone fore-gone conclusion. The armies of Generals Gen-erals von Bochin-Ermolli and von , Linsingen, which have been badly crippled in their efforts to hold back the advancing right wing of General BiHissiloff's forces, have been forced to retreat to a point which leaves 3 open the approaches to these two ini- portant centers, and the Russians In both regions have begun an encircl-j encircl-j ing movement, which Is slowly but ap-i ap-i l-arehtly irresistibly closing in on the i , tvo cities. K 'Ihe German loss of the Stokhod ; crossings leaves the important line of : ucfense before Kovel open, except a : i.aiural barrier, consisting of a wide 1 wamp, which undoubtedly will retard ine Russian progress. But this move- ment from the west along the routes mid-way between the Sarny-Kovel and . Rovno-kovel railways In conjunction ; with the pressure brought from the south in the region of Vladimir-Voly-nski, both of which are successfully developing, despite all German coun-f coun-f ter-attacks, is considered making the j outcome assured. The actions against the Germans I also are having an important effect ;l in facilitating the advance against the Austriaus defending Lemberg, since they enable the Russians to exert :j pressure against the Austrian left ; flank and increase that brought on j Lemberg from Brody and from the south where General Letchitzy's army ! was delayed in floods which threatened threat-ened the Galicla capital along the i route leading through Stanislau and Halich. It Is unofficially reported that the Germans already have begun their retirement from Kovel and are preparing pre-paring to fall back on Brest-LItovsk, Cholm and the general line of defense de-fense following the Bug river. nn |