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Show Austrian Right Flank Forced Into Precipitate Retreat By Russians - i I! WHOLE MAIN CREST OF BESKID RANGE IN HANDS Of RUSSIANS Position Enemy Considered Impregnable Taken After Twelve-hour Twelve-hour Battle Main Body of Austrian Move on Rostoka j and Are Again Repulsed Czar's Forces Now Three g Miles From Uzsok Battle of Unusual Severity Is Raging Along 100-Mile Front From j Bartfeld, Hungary, to Stry, Galtcia. HEAVY CASUALTIES ON BOTH SIDES Vigorous Efforts Being Made to Enter Russian Territory Through Bukowina in Order to Check Russian Advance J in Carpathians Austrians Unable to Bring Up Suf ficient Reinforcements to Drive Back Mus-5 Mus-5 covites Germans Being Pressed on Both Sides of Ossowetz General j Calm in France, a S FIGHTING RESUMED ON SMALL SCALE IN THE DARDANELLES -' Lemberg, April 13, via Petrograd and London, April 14, J 3:35 p. m. In a desperate attack by the Russians on the right flank of the Austrian position at Mezolaborcz on the H-Prian side of the East Beskid mountains and about fifty miles south of Przemysl, the Austrians were forced after a twelve-hour battle to make a precipitate retreat. The whole main crest in this district, which the Austrians considered to be impregnable, now is in Russian hands. The main body of the Austrian army then moved on Rostoka, Ros-toka, where they found the Russians prepared in a strong defensive de-fensive position and they again were repulsed. Another attack at-tack made by the Austrians in the southern district of Uzsok and Veretzkim, met with a similiar check, the Russians occupying a position three miles from Uzsok. The left flank of this Austrian army, under command of Archduke Joseph Ferdinand, is being gradually exposed by the Russian advances toward Bartfeld and Gummino. I Paris. April 14, via London, 1:30 p. m. The French war office this afternoon gave out a report on the progress of hostilities which reads aB follows: "Calm generally was maintained along our front throughout the day of April 13. A Zeppelin airship threw bombs down on Ballleul (a town in France in the department of Nord, near the Belgian frontier). Its ob-l ob-l u Jective was our aviation ground but this was not hit. Three civilians 1 i were killed. ; J "Two German aeroplanes were forced to come to the ground within our lines, one near Bralne and the other near Lunevllle. In both cases the aviators were taken prisoners. A third German flying machine, winged by the fire of our advance posts fell near Omes to the north of Verdun 600 yards from our lines. One of the aviatorB was hit by a bullet" i i j Petrograd War Report. Petrograd, April 14, 12:30 p. m. Via London, 2:25 p. m Austro-German forces which still hold isolated summits sum-mits of the Carpathians are contesting stubbornly every foot of the Russian advance along the front from Bartfeld to Stry. This front runs almost due east and west for IB miles. Bartfeld is in northern Hungary, and Stry In j eastern Gallcia to the south of Lem- Jk berg. --" Rapid Attacks Made. Bj0 Attacks nnd counter attacks follow with such rapidity that both sides may be said to be taking the offensive offen-sive simultaneously The shocks are resulting in unusually heavy casualties casual-ties with only a slight change in the comparative positions of the opposing W forces Uzsok, near the pass of that name, till remains In the possession of the ' Austrians, but the Russians have cap tured the heights to the northward, coming within three miles of the rail road station nnd their occupation of the town Itself Is expected here. Vigorous Attack of Austrian. The Austrians are vigorously repeat- 0m ing their efforts to penetrate from Bu kowlna into Russian territory In the direction of Chotln The Russians characterize this move as ft device "p on the part of the Austrians for draw ing Russian troops from the Carpathians Carpathi-ans They assert that the Austrians 6 have been unable to brins up suffi cient reinforcements to check the l j Russian advance and that the only al-ternntlve al-ternntlve for the Austrians la to di-vert di-vert pari of thr Russian forces in other dire- tion. To th north In the district along C'u the Prussian frontier there are no fjjl movements of first Importance. Small battles are a daily occurrence in the Marlampol district. The Germans have occupied fortified positions from Maria mpol to Suwalkl since their un-successful un-successful Invasion of a month ago. SJB The Russians are attempting persist ently to oust the Germans from this region The Szeszupa river, flowing northward from Marlampol, forms a strong protection for the German left wing. German Offensive Attempts. The GermanB are attempting to undertake un-dertake an offensive movement at several sev-eral polntB along the Narew river, but are avoiding battle In the district beyond be-yond the Nlemen, where the miry condition con-dition of the ground makes maneuvers difficult. The Germans are making occasional sorties further to the south, presumably for the purpose of relieving the pressure in the Madam-pol-Suwalkl district They have attacked at-tacked the town of Chafranka, on the Skwa river, 15 miles north of Ostro-lenka. Ostro-lenka. At Evabno a persistent artillery artil-lery battle 1b in progress. The Russians are pressing the Germans Ger-mans on both sides of Ossowetz, which Is again under heavy fire of German howitzers. Efforts to destroy de-stroy the bridges over the Bobr rivor opposite the fortress by the use of inflammable in-flammable rafts was frustrated by Russian artillery flro. Berlin War Statement. Berlin, April 14, via London, 2:45 p. m The German army headquarters headquar-ters today gave out the following official of-ficial statement: "In the western theatre: An attempt at-tempt made by the enemy to advance at night at Berri au Bac failed. "Northwest of Verdun the French yesterday employed against our lines a mine developing yellowish smoke and asphyxiating gases "Between the Mouse and Moselle fighting continues During a strone: French attack against our Malzerey-Marchevllle Malzerey-Marchevllle front the French penetrated pene-trated our positions on one narrow section at Marcheville, but they speed Uy were driven out again by counter attacks On the remainder of this front the French attack broke down in front of our position. "Between Corobres and St Mihlel there were only artillery duels. In the forest of Allly three enemy attacks at-tacks were repulsed after the French had made unsuccessful mining attempts. at-tempts. "An attack on both sides of the high road between Essey and Flirey failed on the west of this road, and led to fighting at close quarters on the east of It. in which our troops retained the upper hand- In the for-eht for-eht of Le Pretre there was no flght- lng. jn the Vo6ges a French advance on Schnepfen-Rlethkopf, southwest of Metzeral. failed. "In the eastern theatre the situation situa-tion remains unchanged." Review of War Situation. London. April 14. 12 45 p. m The struggle for the last of the Carpathian Carpathi-an passes remaining In the hands of jthe Germanic allies atlll holds tho cen- ter of the war stage. In London the critical Importance of the .series of fierce battleB being waged along the eastern front from Bartfeld to Buko-wlnd Buko-wlnd is so fully recognized that the activities in other fields appear relatively rela-tively of minor importance. Each side Is making claims of success. suc-cess. The Austrians assert that the Muscovite invaders have been held In check since March 20, but an official offi-cial statement from Petrograd declares de-clares that fighting is in progress more than fourteen miles to the south of Dukla pass which would Indicate a considerable Russia advance In the direction of the Hungarian plaint. The Teutonic forces still hold Uzsok pass and continue their counter attacks, at-tacks, but last night the Russians announced an-nounced the capture of three more heights within four or five miles of that vita! gateway. TJzsok pass apparently is the key to the situation and on account of the strong forces of Austrians and Germans Ger-mans massed in this district the Russians Rus-sians have been unable to force their way through The last Russian official offi-cial report, however, announced tho capture of three villages and 2,700 prisoners in the fighting near the pasB In the western arena the allies have done little in the last two or three dayB beyond the consolidation of positions po-sitions preparatory to another effort to oust the Germans from St Mihlel. Rumors persist of German warships cruising in the northern waters of the North sea. Fighting in Dardanelles. After a prolonged lull in the operations opera-tions at the Dardanelles, fighting has been resumed on a small scale. An official report from Constantinople says the batteries at the entrance to the straits were bombarded yesterday and that a cruiser and destroyer were struck by the Turkish fire. crv |