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Show THIRST AND LEAD FAIL TO STOP DASH OF RUSSIANS ON LEMBERG : Petrograd. The Rech prints the following fol-lowing details of the fall of Lemberg: "The commencement of the fighting which resulted in the capture of Lemberg Lem-berg began August 29, when the Russians Rus-sians drove the enemy from Zisczow (45 miles east of Lemberg) and moved on co Golaya Gorka a name which means 'the naked hill.' "We spent the night on Naked hill, and the actual storming of the town was begun at 2:30 o'clock in the morning. morn-ing. Then followed a four-days' battle. A virtually continuous cannonade continued con-tinued from dawn to darkness without cessation. "Even in the darkness the weary fighters got little sleep. Whenever a single shot was heard the men dashed for. their places and the battle boiled again with renewed fury. Russian Advance Impeded. "The enemy's counter attacks were delivered with great energy and a dense hail of lead and iron was poured over our ranks. The Russian advance was greatly impeded by the hilly nature na-ture of the ground and the great number num-ber of extinct craters, which formed splendid natural fortifications for the enemy, which held them doggedly. Out of these, however, the - enemy was driven in succession. "We suffered much from thirst, for the stony country was devoid of springs. The days were oppressively hot and the nights bitterly cold. "Both sides fought with great obstinacy, ob-stinacy, but the nearer we approached Lemberg the harder the struggle became. be-came. However, it soon was evident that we were superior in artillery. "At length the enemy was driven from all sides beneath the protection of the Lemberg forts. Our troops were very weary, but In high spirits. "For two days the fight raged around the forts, but we were always confident of the prowess of our artillery. artil-lery. The big guns of both sides rained a terrific hail down on the armies, ar-mies, which suffered terrific losses. "At Jast we noticed that the resistance resist-ance of the forts wae growing weaker. A charge at double quick was ordered, and we carried the first line of works. "It was evident from that point that many of the enemy's guns had been destroyed. Not enough of them had been left to continue an effective defense, de-fense, but the enemy was undiscour-aged undiscour-aged and tried to make up with rifle fire what it lacked in artillery. Losses Become Heavier. "Between the first and second lines our losses werb heavier than before, but under bayonet charges the enemy broke and fled in panic. "Our troops entered the town at the enemy's heels. We ran into the town, despite our fatigue, with thunderous cheering. "An episode which had much to do with ending the enemy's dogged resistance re-sistance occurred during the fighting between the first and second lines. The Austrians, in the hope of checking the Russian effort to encircle the town, had thrown out a heavy screen of Slavj troops with a backing of Magyars, who had been ordered to shoot down the Slavu from behind if they showed any hesitation. "This circumstance became known to the Russian commander, who ordered or-dered a terrific artillery fire over the heads of the Slavs and into the ranks of the Magyars. This well-directed fire set the whole line in panic." Fall of Lemberg. "Lemberg, anciently, and now to be called Lvov, was captured by the Russians Rus-sians Thursday morning, together with another important center of administration adminis-tration sixty miles southeast of Lvov, on Dniester, Halicz, Galich. "The fighting which terminiv.ed in such a great victory lasted over a fortnight, fort-night, of which the last eight days has been uninterrupted action extend ing over a front of nearly 300 miles. . "I shall attempt to describe the progress prog-ress of this titanic struggle, according to the data at hand, but in the meantime mean-time it is well to consider the meaning mean-ing of this victory. Lemberg or Lvov Is the capital of Galicia and commands all roads and railways leading into Hungary. Lemberg Strongly Fortified. "It was defended by ancient fortifications, fortifi-cations, modern intrenchments and gun emplacements, being already in u naturally strong position. As the administrative end and military center of a vast region it has provided rich booty of military stores to the victors, thus correspondingly crippling the enemy. en-emy. "When the Russian commanders entered en-tered Lvov they found it possible to communicate by telephone the news of their arrival to Vienna v.iid Cracow. The city has over 200.000 inhabitants. The houses were filled to overflowing with Austrian sick and wounded, who hsd been abandoned to the Russians. "Thti Russian attack was so swiftly pushed home that everything in Khe capital of Galicia was found iu'.act. "While the Russians were carrying on their victorious campaign on Lvov I i it would appear that the Austrian main armies, which had been encouraged encour-aged to concentrate in the Polish provinces with their front towards Lublin and Kholm, were unable to accomplish ac-complish anything beyond a single forward for-ward march on the extreme left flank, while the right flank still rested on Belz, in their own territory southwest of Sokal. "The left flank moved to Opoland. The line runs thence to Zamostjs and Belz. How much of this Austrian right flank suffered defeat during- the combined operations has not seemed clear, but the forces of Austria, which inundated the province of Poland, are still referred to in official reports as the Austrian main force. "Russia has certainly got enough men in position across the front of this main Austrian army to restrain it, and victories in other parts of the battlefield, which extends over 150 miles, have brought large Russian armies ar-mies hardened by three weeks' fighting fight-ing and marching, into the rear of the Austrian main forces. "Russia has been conducting in perfect per-fect secrecy its combined operations against Austria in two regions over 400 miles apart, keeping well in touch with the enemy throughout this enor mous distance and further executing a swift dash into East Prussia, another an-other 200 miles away. The actual space covered by Russia's lines is considerably con-siderably over a thousand miles Russians' Strategy Seen. "Over this vast extent the attack and defense, cavalry raids and recon-noissances recon-noissances on the part of all arms, with temporary successes and occasional occa-sional mishaps, have been alternating with one another for weeks past. Only now it is possible to penetrate to some extent the strategic plans of the commander-in-chief, and that only as regards the operations which have ended in the victory of Lvov. "Russia, confident in its strength, took the risk of operating with two separate armies one entering Galicia from f the extreme east and pushing vigorously westward, while the other kept the Austrians employed along 500 or 600 miles of the frontier. "Precisely by what tactical movements move-ments the situation was brought about I have not sufficient data to judge, but it may be safely assumed that the Austrians were increasingly favored in their attacks and Incursions into Polani? until their commanders were satisned they had discovered an opening open-ing to the main positions, when they concentrated hostility on the Russian right flank. Russians Foil Germans. "The Austrians would be more readily read-ily disposed toward this direction, as it brought their main forces nearer to the armies of Germany, which ought at the same time to have been pushing push-ing vigorously toward Warsaw. The Germans, however, were prevented from performing this part of their plans by the Russians' invasion of East Prussia, which laid the German left flank open in any attempts to penetrate far into Poland from the west. "The Austrians in the meantime continued victorious in their progress into undefended portions of Poland from the south. Early in the war the Austrians had a line about one march into Poland and extending over the whole western portion. As this territory was undefended, it was or should have been sufficiently obvious ob-vious that Russia attached little mili tary importance to it. "The Austrians having secured their flank, proceeded to drive iD 6trongly toward Kielce, but not en couraged in that direction, finallj found a line of least resistance in the direction toward Lublin and Kholm, and proceeded to make repeated at tacks in force with sufficient success to warrant their generals in making this the main objective of their forces. Keep From Alarming Austrians. "While these tactical operations were in progress Russia was pushing quietly, and not in too great force to alarm the Austrian general staff, into Galicia from Podolia and Bessarabia. In this region the Austrians trusted to their defense, also strong bodies of troopo resting on fortified camps at ever river crossing of this well-watered district. "Tne Russians carried these in turn, capturing the valleys of the Rivers Se-reth Se-reth or Gmelden a-nd the Luga without with-out apparently exciting any particular alarm at Austrian headquarters. When they reached the third river, moving westward of Foulipa, the Austrian had evidently taken alarm and desperate des-perate efforts were made to arrest the westward progress of this army and even turn the flank at Halicz or Galicia, Ga-licia, at the confluence of tho Foul lipa with the Dniester. "By this time it was too late and the Russians, after weeks of marching and fighting, occupied a semi-circle of positions po-sitions around the east side of Lvo and about one march from that plate." |