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Show Teutonic Forces Rapidly Driving I Russians From Rumanian Field I SERIOUS PHASE REACHED IN RUMANIAN CAMPAIGN; ALLIES IN WAR COUNCIL I Von Mackensen Advancing on Galatz-Serelh Line m is Menaced and Buzeu River Wavering I Whole Moldavian Front imperiled. If"- The capture of Braila by Field Mar- shal von Mackensen, his advance on Galatz, twelve miles north, thp clearing clear-ing of Dobrudja of Russians and fur-i fur-i tier Teutonic successes In Moldavia have brought the Rumanian campaign to a new phase. The Braila bridgehead, while not it spR an integral part of the Sereth line now held by thp Russians running northwestward from the Danube toward to-ward the Moldnian frontier mountain?, moun-tain?, formed an outlying defense of j that line on the Danube end and its capture weakens the eastern flank of' the Sereth position. Galatz Is Threatened. Galatz. likew Ise on the Danube, lies 1 just behind the Sereth line and that j town now is menaced by a Qermano-Bulgarian Qermano-Bulgarian movement across the Dan ube from it in Dobrudja, made possi ble by the Russian evacuation of the I province It is not onh here, however, that the Sereth line is threatened, for. de- j spite a tenacious defense by the Rus ! sians and Rumanians, the line north-; rfr westward he ond the. Buzeu river is not holding well against the Teutonic pressure, while the efforts to keep the Teutons in check In the Moldavian frontier valleys is apparently proving still leas successful A break in this line on the southerly south-erly front would imperil the Moldavian Molda-vian frontier position, while the piercing pierc-ing of the frontier line itself, not an apparent improbability, would endanger endan-ger the entire line running southwest-ward southwest-ward to the Danube. Russians May Abandon Une. In these circumstances, commentators commenta-tors in entente capitals arc considering consider-ing the possibility of the Russians being be-ing compelled to bandon the line of the Sereth and withdraw to the Russian Rus-sian frontier or beyond it, to Bessarabia. Bessara-bia. The French, British and Italian premiers pre-miers and important military subordinates subor-dinates in several entente ministries are holding a war council in Rome for consideration of the general situation. Emperor William Is quoted as declaring de-claring In an order Issued to the army a and navy that as Germany's offer of peace negotiations had been refused, ihe war would be continued with a view to an understanding forced bv arms. Russians Renew Attack. Berlin. Jan. 6. by wireless to Say-ville. Say-ville. The Russians brought up reinforcements rein-forcements and renewed tholr attacks! yesterday on the northern end of the Russo-Galiclan front, near the Gulf of j Riga, it is announced officially . They entered German positions east of the river Aa, but elsewhere were repulsed. re-pulsed. In a counter-attack the Germans Ger-mans took 900 prisoners and several machine guns. The text of the statement follows "Front of Archduke Joseph: In the southern part of the wooded Carpathians Carpa-thians there was a strong artillery engagement. en-gagement. Austro-Hungarian troops 'repulsed RuaBlan battalions northeast of Kirlibaba, "South of the Trotus valley Bavarian Bava-rian and Austro Hungarian regiments regiments stormed extensive hostile defensive establishments between Co-tumba Co-tumba and Faltucana. In addition to the heavy sanguinary losses suffered by the enemy we took 300 prisoners. "Between Casinului and the Suchit-2a Suchit-2a valley several points of support were captured. "German columns, after clearing v height positions southeast of Soveia and advancing along the valleys towards to-wards the northeast. "After an effective artillery preparation, prepar-ation, divisions of Lieutenant-Generals Schmidt von Knobeledorf (Heinrich) and von Oetinger. commanded by Lieutenant Lieu-tenant -General Kuehne, stormed the position of the Russians, strongly constructed con-structed and fitted with barbed wire barricades and flank defenses from Tartanuas far as Rimnicend, captured these towns and advance across the swampy river sector to the Sereth. The enemy there still holds some villages vil-lages from which he launched unsuccessful unsuc-cessful counter-attacks. "In theso engagements, the Madge-burg Madge-burg reserve infantry regiment No, 26 distinguished itself. "Further to the southeast Lieutenant Lieuten-ant -General von Schmctto, with a reinforced re-inforced cavalry corps, captured Cla-leasca, Cla-leasca, Gullanca and Maxienenl The unguards reached the Sereth. "Tho Russians on the night of Jan-t Jan-t uary 4, 6. desisted from further re- sietance south of tho Sereth against the Danube army of General of Infan-I Infan-I try Kosch and retreated to the north I bank, sacrificing strong rear guards. "German and Bulgarian cavalrj entered en-tered Braiia from the west and German Ger-man and Bulgarian infantry from the east across the Danube The most important im-portant Rumanian commercial city is thus in the hands of the allies ( Feu tonic). In Dobrudja the Third Bulgarian, army, containing German, Bulgarian j and Turkish troops under command of General Nerezoff, quickly and definitely defin-itely fulfilled their task. No more Russian or Rumanian soldiers remain there I "New operations that arp intended! are being bejmn. Galatz is under our ! fire." Quiet on French Front. Paris. Jan 6. 1 30 a m "There were mi eents of importance during the night." says today's official announcement. an-nouncement. "On Thursday night French aerial j squadrons showered projectiles on the i aviation field at Griesolles and on the) railway station and barracks at Guis-card. Guis-card. where it was observed that four Inrenrliai-v firrvi anrl Rpvpral PYnlnsinne ' occurred. "On Friday night enemy encamp-; encamp-; ments south of Spincourl. munition ! depots at LongaU farm and the railway j station at Mesnil St Nicaze also were bombarded." Fight on the Ancre. Berlin, Jan 6. b wireless to Say-ville.- -In an attack north of the Ancre last night British troops penetrated a German trench, the war office announces an-nounces There was igorous artillery artil-lery fighting In the Ypres bend, along the Somme, In the Champagne and along the Verdun front Vigorous Artillery Duels. Berlin. Jan. 6. by wireless to Say-ville. Say-ville. The official statement regarding regard-ing the western front issued by the war office today reads as follows: "During last evening there were vigorous vig-orous artillery engagements in ihe Ypres salient, on both banks of the Somme and in Isolated sectors on the Champagne and Meuse fronts "Near Serre, north of the Ancre. In the Somme region, British troops in a night attack entered our most advanced ad-vanced trench. "Our raiding detachments in the Massiges district and on the northeastern north-eastern front of Verdun brought back prisoners from the French lines." More Towns Captured. Berlin, Jan 6. by wireless to Say-ville. Say-ville. In addition to Braila, the capture cap-ture of which was announced last night, five more towns in Rumania have been taken by the Teutonic troops which have reached the Sereth river at two points. New operations have been inaugurated in Dobrudja, following ihe expulsion of the last of the Russians and Rumanians. SERIOUS EFFECT OF BRAILA FALL London, Jan. 6, 4:20 a m. The capture cap-ture of Braila by Tield Marshal von Mackensen, is discussed by the morning morn-ing papers In reference to its probable prob-able effect on the Russian defense of the Sereth line Braila formed the advanced defense toward the eastern end of this line. Some of the commentators com-mentators fear that the fall of the town may seriously shake tho whole Russo Rumanian position on tho Sereth Se-reth and may mean tho abandonment of that front and the withdrawal to the Russian frontier, or perhaps beyond be-yond it into Bessarabia. In the mean time the German effort to turn the line from the west Is being pressed with an apparent prospect of success. |