Evening star., 1915-06-08
EASTERN FRONT is SCENE
OF DESPERATE CONFLICT
German Report Of Notable Victory
in Baltic Provinces Nbt Ad-
mitted by Russia.
SAYS ENEMY rs EXHAUSTED
Berlin Declares Russian Offensive
Has Been Broken and Is Now
Only a Weak De-
fensive.

LONDON. June 8. IL 20 pm.
Virtually the entire western
line of battle, except those por-
tions held by the Belgians and
the British, has been the scene of
what would appear to be a series
of offensive movements initiated
by the French.
In the region of Arras the
French have extended the area OF
their attack while they are press
ing all along the front from the
angle of the Aisne and the Disc
in northerly direction as far as
the British positions near La
Bassee, where the British forces
are lying apparently quiescent.
Hard Fighting in Labyrinth"
For the past three weeks the French
have been advancing slowly. but stead
lily. in the country Immediately north
Of Arras.
Here they met a determined resist
ance from the formidable German work
known as the labyrinth" part Of which,
however, 10 now In their control. The
French have been gathering in prison
ers.. At Hsbuterne they have taken
some 400 and at scissors $50 more
Desperate German counter attacks.
according to the French report, have
been made. but without success and
with terrible losses to the attackers
The German official announcement
makes but brief reference to events on
the western front. merely recording the
repulses of French attacks.
Battling Along Rivers.
Rivers figure more or less promi-
nently today in the reports from both
sides. From the eastern front the
Russians claim to have pushed their
offensive movement across the Pruth
near Kolomea. while the Austro-Ger-
mans have crossed the River Dniester
in Galicia. The River Dubysa changed
",
Russians finally in possession
Of1cial advices from Petroerad give
few definite statements concerning the
situation in Galicia. 1t is admitted.
however, that the Austro-German
forces succeeded I'm crossing the Dnies-
ter river near Zurawno, and appar-
emily the Russians are still falling
back along most of this front
Victory in Baltic Provinces.
A German victory almost as striking
as that In Galicia is said in Berlin to
have been won in the Baltic provinces,
which were invaded several weeks ago
by the Germans. The Russian resist
ance is said to have broken down. A
Petrograd dispatch, however. asserts
the Russians were victorious in the
bitterest battle of this campaign,
fought for control Of the Dubysa river
1t il said the fighting was SO fierce and
deadly that the river was choked with
bodies Of the dead. A plank roadway
fer the artillery, 1t was asserted. was
laid by the Russians across a solid
bridge of bodies.
The Dubysa, although wide. Is so shall
low It can be crossed on foot at some
at ford half a mile wide. north Of
the water.
Charges in Midstream.
There were several bayonet charges in
midstreau and all who fell. even though
they were only slightly wounded. were
drowned. Troops on both sides in their
attacks and counter attacks late in the
dav advanced over the bodies of the
dead.
A Berlin dispatch says that in addf-
tion to crossing the Dniester. which was
by Gen. Linsingen's army
through a feint attack on Zurawno. the
Austro-German forces also were victors
at Klusz. forty-five miles southeast OF
Drohobycz, where they took many pris-
oners.
Russians on the Defensive.
BERLIN, via London, June S.-As a
result of what Is described in military
circles here as almost complete ex-
the Russian offensive in
Courland Is delared to have shifted to
a weak defensive. against which the
Germans daily are making headway
which Is only overshadowed by their
gains In Galicia.
The Russian troops in this section. IL
is said. are mostly old feservists who
are aided by laborers who have been
hurriedly armed. The German advance
northeast and south of Shawl was
checked with difficulty by the Russians.
who barely succeeded in bringing up
their 10th Corps to Mitau.
Directly before Libau the Russians
are declared to have withdrawn their
lines about sixty kilometers (about
forty miles,. Their activity Is limited
to shelling the intervening villages in
order to make the German advance
more. dimcult. Omcers say the weak