Evening star., 1915-03-26
PETROGRAD REPORTS
LUPKOW PASS SUCCESS
Fortified Positions Taken and 5000
of Enemy Made Prisoners,
It Is Declared.
CHARGES MEMEL DEVASTATION
Prince Joachim, Son of Kaiser, In
spects Damage After Russian
Invasion-Says Slavs Will
Be Punished.

LONDON, March 25.-Des-
perate fighting is taking place in
the Carpathians. where the Rus
slams are thrusting back the Aus
trians along the Dukla and Uzsok
line. ."...
Unofficial reports via Bucharest
credit Russia with a sweeping
victory at Uzsok, while Petrograd
officially claims all important sue
cess in the capture of fortified
positions near the Lupkow pass.
These formidable positions were
taken by storm with the Aus
trians losing machine guns and
over 5000 prisoners.
Unofficial reports also credit
the Russian army with further
successes in Bukowina. Vienna
admits the importance of the Rus
sian offensive in the mountain
passes, but at the same TIME de-
clares the fierce attacks on these
positions have been repulsed.
Russia's Chief Offensive.
| As has been predicted by military OBJ
| servers since the fall of Przemysl. Rus
! sia is now directing her chief offensive
against the Austrian front on the Car
| pathians. In the north between the Me
men and the vistula rivers the Russian
forces are making little effort to ad
vance, evidently being content TO to hold
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg in check
Prince Joachim at Memel.
message received here from Berlin
states that Prince Joachim of Prussia,
son of Emperor william. visited Memel
to inspect the damage by the Russians
While there he made speech in which
he said he would report to Emperor Will
liam and Field Marshal Won Hindenburg
that the Russians had ruined the ancient
town. Every man in Germany, the prince
added, would be shocked at the cruel
devastation He declared. BE sure We
Will not retreat before the enemy has
got his just deserts and is severely pun
lshed "
Events Around Memel.
The German main headquarters has
made public the following review OF
the events which have taken place
around Memel, East Prussia:
March IS the Russians advanced
toward Memel in several columns from.
the north and east-from 5000 t.
10000 men, infantry. cavalry anu
ma az
The small force of German Iand
sturm retreated from the frontier to
Memel. and later across the bay Tn.
advancing Russians burned numerous
buildings ana barns at Nimmersatt anu
SaugaiIeue. They damaged altogether
ntteen villages.
Hostages Demanded.
The evening of the 18th the Rus
slams entered Memel. The following
evening the Russian commander ap-
peared at the town hall and demanded
the mayor and three citizens as hos
tages 80
.'On the Goth only Russian patrols
were in the streets. majority Of the
Russians having left town But the
next morning strong Russian forces
again entered the town from the north.
They met strong German forces from
the south, who vigorously attacked
and charged the Russians out of the
town. In the severe street fighting the
Russians lost $50 men killed. Our losses
were small.
Russian Flight Reported.
THE Russians fled, taking their hos
tages, but the car on which the hos
tages were being transported broke
down. the escort fed and the hostages
returned to MemeI. . The Ger
man soldiers pursued the Russians.
When marching through Polaogen the
Russians suffered severely through the
gunfire from cruisers Five hundred
Russians and three machine guns were
captured
''The Russian move against Memel
appears to have been in the nature of
a raid A similar raid apparently had
been planned against Tilsit.
Called Move for Plunder.
The Lokal Anzeiger of Berlin char
acterizes the Russian invasion of
Memel, in East Prussia. being solely
for punder and the persecution of the
population, says a dispatch from AM
sterdam to Reuters Telegram Com
pany.
The newspaper also describes the in
yasion as a gross violation of inter-
national law, and adds:
LAS this demanded immediate re-
prisals, the war levy on the town of
Suwalki at once was increased to l0O.-
600 marks (s25.000). ten distinguished
civilians were taken hostages and
Grodno was bombarded by airmen.
Other reprisals will be taken"