Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-04
TEUTON|C ALLIES
WIN BIG VICTORY
in WEST GAL|C|A
Smash Entire Russian Cen.
ter Along Front of
Many Miles.
TAKE 5000 PRISONERS
DURING OPERATIONS
Berlin Celebrates Success, AL
though Full Details Are
Not at Hand.
CTTnHVADTNEc araVN Adm prov
SUBMARINES AGAIN ARE BUSY
Three Norwegian and One Swedish
Steamer and Two British
Trawlers Sunk.

LONDON. May 3.-According to Ber-
lin and Vienna the German and Aus
trian armies have achieved a notable
victory in West Galicia, smashing the
entire Russian center along a front OF
many miles. or. as the Berlin official
statement puts it, across the whole
western tip Of Galicia, from near the
Hungarian border to the point where
the River Dunajec joins the Vistula,
right at the frontier Of Poland.
Though the 5000 prisoners the Teu-
tonic allies say they have taken do
not compare with the number which
somo Of Field Marshal Won Hindenberg's
operations netted him in the north, the
achievement, II subsequent reports bear
1t out. will mean at least n temporary
check to the Russians hammering their
way westward since the fall OF
Przemys1.
BERLIN CELEBRATES
NOTABLE VICTORY
Berlin is celebrating the victory to-
night, though it is admitted flags have
been flown before full details are to
hand.
England and Franco make no claim
to gains in the west, the British merely
saying that the German attacks on hill
so In Flanders have been beaten back;
the French confirm this.
The Germans maintain they arc push
Ing forward to the northwest Of Ypres
and toward st. Julien. which they cap
tured after the attack following their
first extensive use OF gases. but which
they were forced to yield under coun-
terattacks.
In the fighting In the Baltic prov
fnces. also, Berlin finds cause to re-
joice. In rejecting the Russian con-
tention that 1t Is only a sporadic cav
airy raid. Berlin wireless comment re-
ceived tonight says 1t seriously threat
ems the Russian right, and the fact
that troops could be moved so far
northeast before they encountered re-
sistance Is considered q reflection on
the Russian intelligence system
DAY
so FAR AS CLAIMS GO
So far as claims go. it was an Aus
tro-German day. a number of vessels,
neutral and otherwise, have fallen Vic
Tins to German submarines, Norway
being particularly heavy loser.
IL the Austro-German contentious
relative to the Galician situation are
correct In the opinion OF some English
military writer's. 1t will mean that the
whole Russian campaign In the Car
pathians Is seriously affected, making
extremely precarious the position of
the Russian troops pressing down the
southern slopes toward the plains OF
Hungary.
The line between the Vistula and tho
Hungarian frontier was about forty
miles east OF Cracow. The Austro-
Germans have been defending II stub
oornly ever since the beginning OF the
Carpathian lighting
The general British comment ia some-
what reserved pending the Petrograd
version Of operations.
RUSSIAN COMMUNICATION
is VERY RETICENT
Beyond the administration In the
Petrograd official communication that
a desperate battle has been engaged
IN since last Saturday night on the
front from the lower Nida River to
the Carpathian Mountains, no further
news has come through concerning the
hShting, In which both Berlin and
Vienna claim a victory.
The reticence of the Russian official
communication, though 1t may indicate
that the battle Is still unfinished. is
considered In military circles here to
give considerable color to the Teutonic
claims, at least to the claim OF Vienna.
which does not place the victory SO
high as does the German communica-
tion.
II the Austro-German claims arc
correct. according to military OBJ
servers, the Russian right flank Is in
danger OF envelopment; the Russian
left flank is threatened by strong Aus
tro-German forces. and on the Stry-
Munkacs line the position Is so dan
gerous as to be likely to involve a
general retreat.