The Story of the Great War, Volume 6: History of the European War from Official Sources
History
The Story of the Great War, Volume 6: History of the European War from Official Sources
World War, 1914-1918
Without let-up the Russians continued to hammer away at the
Austro-German lines on the Graberka and Sereth Rivers. On August 6,
1916, the Russian troops captured some more strongly fortified
positions in the vicinity of the villages of Zvyjin, Kostiniec, and
Reniuv. This region abounds with woods, and lends itself therefore
easily to the most determined defense. This resulted again in very
fierce bayonet encounters. The Austro-German forces attempted to stop
the Russian advance and launched a long series of very energetic
counterattacks, especially in the region of the river Koropiec. All of
these, however, were in vain. They were repulsed and resulted in
considerable losses. According to their official statement, the
Russians made about 8,500 prisoners in the Sereth sector on August 5
and 6, 1916, captured four cannon, nineteen machine guns, eleven
trench mortars, a large number of mine throwers and much war material
of all kinds. The amount of ground captured by August 7, 1916, was
claimed to have reached the considerable total of sixty-one and
one-half square miles.
Closer and closer the Russians were getting to their immediate
objective, Stanislau. On August 7, 1916, strong Russian forces
attacked along a front of about fifteen miles on a line between
Tlumach and Ottynia and succeeded in forcing back the Austro-Germans
along this entire front. They forced their way into the town of
Nizniow (about fifteen miles northeast of Stanislau), which was
captured, as also were the villages of Bratychuv, Palakhiche,
Nodworna, Charnolocza, Krovotula, Nove, and the small town of Ottynia,
and finally the town of Ilumach itself.
In spite of the gradual retirement of the Austro-Germans they
maintained their counterattacks, which, however, were not successful.
By April 8, 1916, they had been forced to take their line back to the
west of Nizinoff-Tysmienitsa-Ottynia, or within a few miles east of
Stanislau. The Russians on that day crossed the Koropiec, drove their
opponents out of their fortified positions, and themselves occupied
the left bank up to the point of its juncture with the Dniester. Late
on the same day the town of Tysmienitsa was taken as well as a ridge
of heights to the northeast as far as the right bank of the Dniester.
The fall of Stanislau now had become only a matter of days.
Throughout the next two days, August 9 and 10, 1916, the battle for
the possession of Stanislau continued to rage incessantly. One after
another the Russians overcame all the obstacles in their way. River
after river was crossed, trench after trench was stormed, and village
after village was captured. At last, about 8 o'clock in the evening of
August 10, 1916, the Russians under General Lechitsky entered
Stanislau from where the Austro-German troops had previously retired
in good order in a northerly direction against Halicz.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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