WAR- CHRONICLE

27
and severely threatened by the Germans and Honveds from "Hill 584,"
the defenders could not make a stand against the 4th Bosnian-
Herzogowinian an the 89th and 90th Infantry Regiments, which
Major Kuchinka led to the assault.
The final victory was achieved on the most important point
of the battlefield. To the West of the Laborcz river, the decision
had not been arrived at on Easter Monday. True, the group
commanded by Oberst Haustnann, advanced towards the height at
Felsôcsebeny, but owing to the flank fire, to which it was subjected
from "Spur 468," from guns and machine guns its position was
most critical. Major Liebhart and his men did their utmost to take
the heights by assault. The attackers advanced to within 30 yards
of the enemy position, but were unable to work a passage through
the wire obstacles. Still, they took attention off the Hausmann
group, which had quickly surmounted the difficulties of the situation
and taking the foremost enemy positions by storm, advanced on
the crest of Felsôcsebeny. On 6th April German reinforcements
arrived at this part of the field of action. In conjunction with these
fresh troops, the capture of "Hill 468" was effected. Oberst Hausmann
put the enemy to flight after bitter and violent fighting from
their second line on the Felsôcsebeny crest, but the Russians, who
were in the base situated behind this, offered most obstinant resistance,
against which three attacks carried out with the greatest bravery,
broke down. Now mountain batteries -were brought up, which
subjected these positions to a most effective fire. In the early
morning hours of 6th April, the assault was repeated in co-operation
with a German division and at last the allied troops were able to
capture this so bitterly contested point d'appui from the enemy.
The Russian plans, however well laid, had once more been foiled.
Piercing the Russian Lines in West-Galicia.
Berlin, 6th Mai 1915.
Main Headquarters has sent us the following description of the
fighting in West-Galicia:
The enemy was completely surprised when at the end of April,
considerable German troop transports were brought to West-Galicia.
These troops, under command of General von Mackensen, had the
task of piercing the Russian lines between the Carpathian ridge and
the middle Dunajec in cooperation with the adjoining armies of
our Austro-Hungarian Allies. The problem was a new one and the
task difficult, but the heavens favoured our troops with magnificent
sunshine and dry roads. In this way the airmen and, artillery were
-able to pursue their activity undisturbed, and the local difficulties
presented by the country, which here is similar tp the German Alps
or the Horselberge in Thiiringen, were surmounted. At several
points it was only possible to bring up ammunition by means of
4*