The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-01-02
|E|DTDl INVASION OF
n0lDAv|A HAS BEGUN
y1.AuNCH CONCERTED OFFENSIVE
Berlin Reports Capture OF Several
u Heights and Rcpuisc Of Violent
Russian and Rumanian Counter
Attacks

The Teuton invasion of Moldavta
has begun.
General Gerok's forces forming the
left wing of Field Marshal Won Mack
ensen's army chain attacking the
Hereth front, is more than eight miles
within the Moldavian border, accord
ing to Official admission from the
Petrograd war office.
.~rhe enemy" says the Russian off,
rial report. attacked the Rumanians
on the front and south of the river
Kasfno (Castn). eight versts east OF
the Moldaviau frontier
"a verst IS little more than
kilometeT)
The Russian statement further ad-
mlfs that the Teutou center is only
Thirteen miles west OF Focsaml ana
That the right is only ten miles from
Braila
Focsami. the pivotal points of the
fortified Sereth line. is the objective
OF three armies driving against II. re-
speciiyeiy from the north, south ana
west. The fail OF Brara IS expected
mnlncfitariiy by Berlin The Dan
ufys army" says the Berlin repoi
"has forced the enemy back into the
brsagehead Of Braila."
At the vital points on the whole
s00-mlle line from Pinsk marshes
iown to the Black Sea. the Russians
suffered serious reverses. according 10
the German war Office statement.
borne out and supplemented by Rus
sian official admissions.
launch Concerted Offensive.
II IT becomes more and more appa-
rent that MaCkensen aims TO Iauncn
concerted offensive along this whole
-htfse- battlefront as soon as the Sc
sreth line has fallen.
I Briefly summarized, this is what
each side reports;
Petrograd admits that the Teutons
creed AA+-- Rnn4an4AnA- -MLthdIAW
10 within thirteen miles of Focsaml,
sthat the Russians on the whole hne
between Focsami and the Danube re-
tired 10 rev positions, though with
out pressure from the enemys hank
and that in the Dobrudia force OF
23.a00 Teuton troops threw the Rus
5sians back to the next line OF de-
Tense
Teu,on attacks were beaten off,
showevcr. the Russian war once
sctaims on the Buzeu River and along
tac s4uzeu- Braila Railway. az well as
TO the west of the important Danube
port.
Ia fierce battle south Of Ptnsk.
the right wing of Bavarian Prince
LEOPOLD scored Il short lived success,
the Russians wrestling from the at
hackers position they had gained
after three violent assaults Further
south Teuton offensive movement
was stified in the Russian barrier fire.
The Teutons haze resumed the
drum fire" against the Russian lines
in Northeastern Galicia. south of
Brody No infantry attacks are as yet
recorded IN that area.
Report Heights Captured.
The Berlin war office reports the
capture OF several heights between the
liz and Putna valleys and the repulse
of violent Russian and Rumanian
eounier-attacks 1t further announces
The capt1re of two towns in the Ia ba Ia
valley: Herestrau and tngureni. These
are IA the region where the Teutons
are beyond the Moldavian border line.
General Won Falkenhayn's forces,
composing the Ninth Army, have
Thrown the Russo Rumanian defenders
back to n position half way between
Focsam and RimnicuSaraL thus
driving 3 wedge into the Slay center,
Meanwhile Mackensen's Danube army
has carried it's drive to the Braiia
brtGe cad. whose capture Is believed
30 be matter of hours
oHe thousand prisoners. four can
non ard eight machine guns. Berlin
asserts. were captured yesterday in
The Dobrudja, whore the Russians
aere hurlea back against a bridge
head position 10 the east of the Dan
abe port OF Macjn.
FINALLY g. party OF fifty Russians
Who had. crossed the st Georges. one
nj the delta extremities of the
Danube. met disaster at the hands Of a
Bulgarian River guard the Muscoviies
being annihiiated.
The repulse of strong Russian raid
ing attachments on the northernmost
sector of the eastern battfe Tine also
II reported by Berlin. as is a success
ful Teuton raid near pinsk