The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1916-08-03

, was precaded nv y homhardment oi
unparalleled duration and intensity
featured by the appearance OF new
and gigantic British howitzers. I'm
der this awful hurricane OF big gun
fire the German first line dcfenses
crumbled. when the British and
French troops advanced they report
ed that they found trenches in which
there was not single survivor, only
the dead guarded the silent rifles and
machine guns. The fighting has been
of the bitterest possible description,
and the reports of press correspon-
dents at the front TEEN with accounts
OF the most amazing heroism and de-
votion on both sides. Instances have
been recorded of the sole survivor of
a company. wounded and without
hope. who manned a machine gun
and fought to the last amid the bodies
OF his comrades; of isolated detach-
ments who stood off their foes for
days until succor reached them or
death; OF captured surgeons who
bound up the wounds OF their cap
tors: OF heroic rescues OF wounded
comrades under fire, and OF countless
similar deeds that thrilled the watch
Ing world.
The first move In the great allied
offensive was not made by the Fran
CO. British, however, but by the Rus
SLAMS. on June 4 the troops OF the
Emperor Nicholas opened a tremend-
GUS assault on the Austro German
lines on n three hundred mile front
extending from the Pripet marches
TO Rumania. The Teuton lines held
firm In the north but on the south
General Brusslloff swept with ire
sistible force through the Austrian
defenses, tearing a great gap about
/ 100 miles In extent. Through this
the Russians poured. capturing Ger
nowitz. the capital OF Bukowina and
oyerrunnlng the crownland. The
Austrian losses are declared TO have
been enormous, a month after the Of
| fensiye began the Russians making
an official announcement that over
200 900 prisoners had been taken and
at least an equal number killed or
wounded.
As the offensive developed the Rus
SLAMS won new successes further north
and at the close OF the year they are
engaged In a mighty struggle. The
fighting has also extended TO the ex-
treme north. in the Riga-Dyinsk re-
gion.
In another theater OF the war the
year was marked by other and I'm
portant Russian successes. Following
tho disasters on the esatern front In
the closing months OF 1915 the Grand
Duke Nicholas was removed as COM
mander in chief OF the Russian arm
iet and sent to take charge of the
operations against the Turks in the
Caucasus. After months of prepara-
tion he began a great drive across
Armenia In January, 1915, which re-
suited in the capture of Erzerum and
the port Of Trezizond and expelled
the Turks from the greater part of
Armenia. After a comparative lull
OF some months the grand duke re-
sumed his advance simultaneous with
a serious uprising against the Turks
by the Arabs in Arabia. The Arabs
took the sacred city of Mecca, Jid-
dab and Taif and besieged Medina,
the city where Mohammed was bur-
led and one of the holiest spots of
the Mohammedah world, In the
meantime the Russians took Mamak-
hatun and Paihurt, but these opera
tions have not yet reached a definite
concldsiop1b" f
In connection with the Turkish
campaign the year saw serious re-
verse for the Franco- British arms
and less important. but highly dra-
matte. disaster for the British, The
lyiiaastrous atfehpf Sf the French and
BRITISH b force he Dardenelles and
seize oenstantincple was definitely
abandoned in November. 1915, and
.lia aliod lrSobs Eahdrawn from the
Gallipoli peninsula. About 10000
troops had been used in this venture.
supported by mighty fleet Six bat
tleships, five British and one French,
were sent to the bottom as we'll as
some minor craft and the casualties
were unofficially reported TO be al
most equal to the original number of
the expeditionary force. This was the
result of six months OF the most san
culinary fighting of the war.
The second disaster Of the British
was the surrender Of 10000 troops