The Colorado statesman., 1914-08-29
RUSS ARMY HOLDS EAST PRUSSIA
AFTER TEN-DAY GRAPpLE AT
CLOSE RANGE.
REvERSES ON BORDER
kONlGSBERG AND DANZlG ARE
FORTS THAT NOW CHECK
RUSSIAN ADVANCE.
western Newspaper Union News Service.


London, Aug. 27.-After ten days Of
desperate hand-to-hand fighting, Rus
sia is in possession of nearly all of
east Prussia, according to the military
correspondent Of the Daily Express.
The strongly fortified German posi-
tions have been carried, one after an
other, at the point of the bayonet The
Russian soldiers, trained in this meth
cd of attack, have charged in the face
of rapid-fire guns and have driven the
enemy out of their entertainments.
slaughtering all who offered resist
ance. The ferocity of the Russian
form of attack is shown by the fact
that many of the defenses have been
taken by the use of hand grenades.
Thrown at close range one of these
exploding shells frequently killed thir-
ty or forty German soldiers time and
time again.
The same close fighting, in which
the infantry soldiers creep under cover
as close to the enemy's trenches as
possible, then, leaping to their feet
and firing as they run, fall upon the
defenders with their bayonets, has
won for the Cars forces decisive vic
tories against Austria.
The Russian army invading east
Prussia is stated ON the highest au-
thcrity to number the astounding to-
tai of 100000 men, while the reserve
army of 100000 is slowly following
up their victorious march.
Tho only, euoooe. oIoio,ad h,, ha
German-Austrian allies took place
near Krasnik in Russian Poland.
There, the official dispatches say,
battle of three days duration ended
in a complete Austrian victory. The
Russian forces were repulsed along
the entire front of forty miles and
are now in full flight in the direction
of Lublin.
The military correspondent Of the
Nieuwe Courant at The Hague de-
clares he is able to state on trust
worthy authority that the Germans
plan to abandon temporarily east and
west Prussia and Pomerania to Nne
Russians and withdraw slowly to the
River Oder. where the main defenses
of Berlin lie.
Germany, according to the CORE
spondent, appears to have undertaken
this measure to give time to her army
operating against France to try and
deal the British and French armies
their death blow and then march on
to Paris, the distance between Mons
and Paris being four times less than
the distance between st. Petersburg
and Berlin.
The Germans in the Elbing district
of east Prussia near the Vistula river,
are fleeing westward before the Rus
sian advance.
A st. Petersburg dispatch to the
Reuter- Telegram Company says that
the Russian troops in eastern Prussia
have occupied the towns of Norden-
burg, Sensburg and Bischofsburg and
the railway station at Rothfliess and
| adds that the Russian advance con-
| tinues.
In eastern Galacia the Russians
have driven back the Austrian rear
guard beyond the River Zeota Lipa,
which runs north and south, about
thirty miles west of Tarnopol.
A dispatch from Bucharest. via
Rome, says that the Russian columns
invading Galacia have occupied Tar
nopol, an important city eighty miles
east, southeast of Lemberg, capital of
Galacia Three Austrian army corps
are said to be opposing them.
The Russian embassy issued the
following statement:
"In eastern Prussia, on Aug. "a, the
line of the River Angerap, although
fortified FOR defense, was abandoned
by the enemy without an attempt to
offer resistance. Insterburg and An
gersburg are occupied by the Russian
troops. The enemy has retreated in
great disorder, partly towards Koe-
nigsburg and partly toward Rosten-
burg. From the front Ortelsburg-Sol-
dau the Russians are gradually ad-
vancing, the enemy retiring to Oster-
ode and leaving several guns, machine
| guns, ammunition wagons and provi-
sions."
The Times st. Petersburg correspon-
dent says that the Germans. who re-
treated by forced marches after their
defeat by the Russians at Gumbinnen,
are assembling part of their forces
at Konigsberg. The German fortified
position on the River Angerab was
abandoned without fight.
THE roads beyond the Angerab are
strewn with cartridges, knapsacks and
equipment, cast aside in the hasty
flight of the German troops" says the
Times correspondent.
North of Neidenburg there was
stubborn fighting in which the Rus
slams were again victorious. largely
through their superb use of the bay
onet. The enemy here had estab-
lished the entire Twentieth army
corps in fortified position. The Rus