Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-07-24
Associated Press Correspond
emf Allowed at Front to Wit
ness Russian Retreat
(By Associated Press.l

HEADQUARTERS OF RUSSIAN
THIRD ARMY-It Is seldom that the
stan OF any army cares TO allow a
newspaper correspondent 10 observe
or write Of its defeats and retreats:
the field censor's motto Is Nothing
Passes Except Good News"
The staff OF the Russian third army
has broken the precedent In allowing
the freedom Of its lines to the British
official press representative during the
whole OF its heart-breaking retreat
from the Carpathian slopes. back
across Galicia and even across the
Russian frontier. The correspondents
first story, covering a long series OF
daily fights and daily Russian defeats
followed by the inevitable retreats be.
fore the Austro-G Germans concentrated
artillery FIRE, Is as follows:
The advance of the Russians over
the Carpathians was sure to draw a
couuter-stroke, and IL came just where
many expected IL, but with tremen-
dous force. This was because It was
not SO much the work OF the tired Aus
TRANS. but rather the biggest effort
that Germany has yet put up in her
attempts TO bolster her ally.
In a house standing high by a
church I found the staff OF the divi-
sion. There was q hut on the top
of the hill; sitting In front of II one
could see for at least ten miles In
either direction.
The division was holding front OF
Eight miles across a low line Of wood.
ed heights, OF which the most marked
feature was q village with q little
church tower. Against three Russian
arguments were nine. mostly German,
and backed by the most formidable
artillery.
Beyond each Of the tanks of the
Division one could see at intervals
black clouds OF smoke; one thick
stream OF smoke that stretched into
the skies came from some distant pc
troleum works. The whole right wing
was being pounded with crash after
crash, sometimes four block columns
rising almost simultaneously at inter
walls along It; under each would
break out little angry teeth of spark
Hing flame: the only thing that seem
ed not to be hit was the church tower
which, as each cloud died down, came
out again IN the bright sunshine. The
left wing was In patches Of smoke
that sometimes disappeared for a
gfime.
Center Was obscured.
What was happening to the center
was not so clear; 30 after watching
for some hours the shells and shrapnel
bursting along the line and on the
slope, We descended by some winding
gullies, drawing z shrapnel as We
passed over low shoulder, and soon
reached the stan OF the center regi-
ment.
Under the nearer wall OF hut, little
groups were working at the teie-
phones, while q number Of soldiers
lay around on logs The colonel came
forward and took me into the open
pointing al the ridge some 600 yards
away All his left was at grips with
the enemy, and on his right his men
were lighting at the close range OF
200 yards in the wood beyond the
crest
The telephones worked necessarily.
Each Of the battalion commanders re-
ported In turn-one that his machine
guns had been put out Of action. an
other that there was gap in his line,
third that he was holding good al
fun strength. The colonel explained
THAT his last reserves were engaged.
A message came that his right flank
was open and was being turned. He
seized the telephone and called two
companies forward az the double" re-
porting his action directly to the stan
Of the division.
There was 3 peculiar humaneness
about all these messages; In form they
were Just ordinary courteous CONVEX
sation. The question which brought
the most disQuieting answers was,
~How are your connections?' The
colonel on the left reported that his
line was penetrated at more than
one point but was holding out The
right wing telephone gave no answer
al all. Life there was unliveable; and
I heard from soldiers report that
they had seen the sAustrians in the
Russian trenches.
Shells and shrapnel were crashing
all round as. especially in our rear; q
hut that had passed on the way
down broke out In fun flame. Nearer
down there fell -four black explosives
at regular distances of so yards, -the
four packets" as one officer called
h Our cover would all have gone
with single shot. and the men
cruoched to avoid the falling splinters
from each she'll
Retreat AZ Niohtfali.
In this most depressing atmosphere
went on the conversation between the
colonel and the divisional stan. =
can get no track Of the right wing
cavalry is reported on both Of m,
banks. The right has had to retreat.
The answer was an order to retire al
nightfall. Three hours at least tc
wait.
NV hosts urged me to go. The sit
nation was getting too serious for 9
noncombatant IL was with an i'll
FEELING that / turned for the slope. A
hersn to reach shelter ] suddenly
sew On the hills to the west men run
rinr down the slope tovprds us
perhaps ours. perhaps the enemy
said nv Cossack escort But w