The Mena weekly star., 1916-06-15
RUSSIAN DRIVE IS
 . NEAR CzERNOWITZ
Vienna Comedies Withdrawal of the Austrians Within Thirteen Miles of the Capital of Bukowina-
 The Siav View Point. ID q

petrograd, June i2 lvia Londonf The Russian troops Sunday apr preached the outskirts of Czerngr witz, the capital of Bukowina, the war office reported Monday. As the Russians drew near Czernowitz. the report adds. there were numerous explosions caused by the Austrians within the city.
 The statement also says that Rus sian troops attacked the bridge at ZaleseZyky
 i Czernowitz, the objective of inc | Russian drive on this part of the front. was in the possession of the ! Russians for some time early in the war, but they were compelled to evacuate the city during the pro- gress of the Austro-German ot- fensiVe.
 Zalesczyky is on the River Dneis- ter thirty miles northeast of Ger nowitz. It was in this region that some of the heaviest fighting of the Russian offensive last spring oc- cured.
 Russians Analyze Situation.
 Petrograd, June H. via London, I June i2.-The similarity between General Brussiloff's advance in the last week and the Russian drive against the Austrians at the begin ming of the war is generally com mented upon here One difference, however. is pointed out that Gen. eral Brussioff's initial blow has been considerably more effective and the retreat of the Aastrians be- fore it more precipitate than dur ing the initial events of 1914
 The net result of the weeks op- erations has surpassed the eXpecta- tions of the most ardent believers in the southern leaders ability.
 With upward of 72,000 prisoners 4 the latest official statements nov place the number of prisoners at about i0S,0003, and immense booty and with the communications be- tween the Austrian armies around
 Czarterysk and Rafalowka and those
 in the neighbOrhood of CZernowitz
 seriously threatened, there is i'm mense rejoicing among the military and civilian population.
 Piercing of Line Important.
 The military authorities regard the piercing of the Austrian line along the Strlpa as perhaps of
 greater importance than breaking
 thru at at Lutsk. Assuming that the Austrians, with the aid of the
 Germans, are unable to push the Russians back here, it will mean
 that the Austrians themselves must fall back along the whole line northward in order to maintain a formidable front. 1t is pointed ]; '.out. that an orderly retreat with ,ISuch gigantic armies is an extreme tdifficult task. 1T Once they are on the move and with the Russians pounding at their lrear it isecontended that the great drive of 1914 thru Poland and Gala
 cia IS likely to be repeated | At the same time, the military i critics warn the people that the
 great trial of strength between Gen. 1 eral BrussilOff and General yon
 Linsingen is yet to come. They add
 that if the Russians succeed in [ holding what they have already , gained the Austrian plans of the
 summer campaign have doubtless been effectively smashed. ; Scenes Are Described.
 Scenes of excitement in the trenches and villages where the re- serves are stationed when the word ; of the proposed advance came on : Saturday, June 2, are told by a cap tain of a Serbian regiment. Where possible religious services were held.
 Next day" he continued. after a
 tremendous bombardment. the
 first, second and even the third lines of Austrian trenches were easily taken Our losses were light
 But in the strongest positions in the , rear the enemy made a desperate
 stand with machine guns. bombs
 and prepared mines. Here we sui fered more heavily. It was neces- sary to storm these positions. This i our men did with splendid courage
 and determination.
 As soon as we came within reach
 of the bayonet the Huns gave up. . whole companies throwing down their arms They appeared to have
 no heart for the bayonet work On we went. leaving heaps of dead be- 2 hind. Sometimes we had to take defensive positions against counter
 attacks My corps withstood eight
 n succession, repulsing them and
 then charging again. Thru the
 breaches in their front our cavalry
 poured, m some instances riding ] into the demoralized rear, slashing.
 spearing and yelling like demons as
 they rode.
 Entire regiments of Austrians were cut of and surrendered. There , was a continuous stream of prison CTS toward the Russian rear among the prisoners were many
 German speaking officers and a thousand German soldiers who had been incorporated with the Austrian lregiments.
 here was still no official report or the Austrian losses, but the esti- males here, which are considered