The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-08-24
BATTLE LASTS
SEVEN DAYS
ROut- Of the .Austrians From
Servia Wildly Described
By the War Correspondent Of
the Paris Journal.
ROADS CHOKED WITH WOUNDED
Never Saw So Many Prisoners
Taken in Open Battle.
Austrian Biplane Used to Lo-
cate the Servian Position.

Paris. Aug. 24.-The first detailed
account of the great battle between
the ServiGiis and the Austrians, which
lasted for seven days, in the territory
on the frontier between Shabatz and
Losnitz. has just arrived in Paris by
telegraph from KraGujevatz, sent by
Henry Barby, war correspondent of
the Paris Journal.
This battle ended in q great. VIC
tory for the Servians. The Austrians,
decisively defeated. precipitately' re-
tired. seeking to recross the river
Drina- The Servian army pursued
them with drawn swords, INJECTING
great daughter as the enemy retreat
ed. When the fugitives reached the
bridges the artillery had already
opened fire.
The spoil was enormous. fifty guns,
complete ambulances. a complete
equipment train. ammunition and sew
eral thousand prisoners falling into
the hands Of the Serbs. Mr.. Barby
writes:
with the Servian army 1 followed
the Servian- Turkish and the Servian-
Bulgarian wars I saw those great
battles at kumanovo. Monastir and
Bregalnitzal. But this time have
witnessed a more formidable struggle
still. bloody battle which lasted for
= week. The Servian troops yielded
to the Austrian invasion on the front
Of Losnitxa and Shabatz, c.. the Drina
and the Save, which they held fur
Their up in a straight line for about
fifty kilometers. Three Austrian army
corps for two days attempted to in
wade Servia by this direction. With
the Servian army I advanced on Au-
gust Is to meet them. For the last
seventy kilometers my automobile had
to pass. obscure in a thick cloud of
dust, an uninterrupted file Of vehicles
carrying ammunition and pontoon
building material. These latter were
carried by the Servians SO that they
in turn could invade Austrian terri
tory with their reserve troops.
Austrians Take to Hills.
ION August 16 in the evening I ar
rived at the quarters of the general
of one Of the armies which had adj
vanced twenty Kilometres. The Aus
TRANS had left the plain and were &C.
cupying the heights. Their cannon
attained a range towards Shabatz and
to the left, dominating all the region
about. The enemy had had time to
install themselves strongly with artil-
lery and to dislodge them had become
an extremely difficult task. Unfortu-
nately 1 cannot describe either the
number of the Servians nor the exact
locations of their works; that would
be to give the enemy information re-
garding the Servian units.
The deadly battle continued. The
Austrians did not fight with that en-
ergy and courage that I had expected.
I did not wait at the front.
The artillery continued to advance
along the route. The roads were
choked with the wounded returning to
the rear, with peasant women and
children who had fed from the vii
lagos.
"Profitiny by their knowledge of
the ground, the numerous bodies of
the Servians pushed on irresistibly.
Never have I seen so many prisoners
taken in open battle.
The Sixteenth cavalry debouched at
q point known as Balikamen before an
entire division of Aistrians ambushed
there. The situation was critical. The
Austrians, superior in numbers, at
tackled furiously. Fortunately bat
talon of infantry, a squadron of cav
airy and two sections of rapid firers
from a neighboring division passed
close by and were called in.
AS soon as these reinforcements ar
rived the batteries went into action
with wonderful rapidity. and with such
precision that they not only silenced
the artillery of the enemy but also
overwhelmed battery which they
made prisoners.
Regiment Almost Wiped Out.
To the left of where this battle was
raging two other cannon we're taker
and about 20 prisoners while the enemy
fed precipitately.
I Intercepted some of the officers
who had been taken prisoners, among
them Major Stranski OF the Twenty
eighth infantry of which the colone
FRANCO-PRUssIAN