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Rh By the 15th the Russians had been beaten back to the Bzura, in spite of their gallant counter-attacks. On the same day and during the night they were forced by further very heavy German attacks to retire to the E. bank of the Bzura, leaving Lowicz in the hands of the XVII. and I. Res. Corps.

Battle of Limanowa-Lapanow (Dec. 3-12). According to the plan drawn up for the battle of Limanowa-Lapanow Field- Marshal-Lt. Roth, commander of the XIV. Corps, was to attack the Russian III. Army in flank and rear on Dec. 2 with the 3rd and 8th Infantry Divs., the i3th Landwehr Div. and the 47th Reserve Div. from the area of Mszanadolna-Chabowka, E. of Lapanow. In the meantime, Ljubicic was to maintain his posi- tion, and, in proportion as the XIV. Army attack progressed, to go over to the attack likewise, starting from his right wing. The 6th and loth Cavalry Divs. and the nth Honved Cavalry Div., which had also been placed under Roth's group, were to cover the proceedings in the direction of Neu Sandec.

At the beginning of Dec., before the envelopment by Roth's group could take effect, Ljubicic's 4th Infantry Div. and 3rd Cavalry Div. reduced to less than half their strength were opposed by 4 infantry divs. and 3 to 4 cavalry divisions.

The forces which Roth had assembled for the flank attack were by no means up to their full establishment. The 3rd and 8th Infantry Divs. and I3th Landwehr Infantry Div. could be counted in all at 9,000 rifles, and the three cavalry divs. at 1,500. Only the German res. div., with a strength of 14,000 rifles, was up to its full establishment.

On Dec. 3 the 3rd Infantry and I3th Landwehr Infantry Div. began their advance from Dobra to the N. and, after some diffi- cult combats with the Russian cavalry, reached the line of Wisniowo and the heights N. of Wilkowsko. At Wisniowo Ljubicic's right-wing division (the 3oth) joined up with the I3th Landwehr Infantry Div. and began to advance likewise in the course of the day (Dec. 3).

Meanwhile, the 8th Infantry Div. had gone forward, with the XI. Honved Cavalry Div., along the road to Tymbark and driven back the Russians in the direction of Neu Sandec. The VI. Cavalry Div. had advanced to the Widoma height, to give direct protection to Roth's right flank, and had driven the Russian infantry in front of them.

By Dec. 5 the flank attack was in full swing. The German 47th Res. Div. had pushed forward beyond Rzegocina and Trczina, the 8th Infantry Div. up to Zbydniow and Tarnawa. Ljubicic's left wing had to deal with heavy Russian counter- attacks. The I3th Landwehr Infantry Div. came up to the Russian positions at Gora Sv Jana.

The Russians now realized the threatening nature of the attack by Roth's group. The Russian VIII. Corps (isth and i6th Infantry Divs.) was sent off from the Dukla area, on the W. wing of Brussilov's army, in the direction of Roth's right flank. At the same time the front of the IX. and XI. Corps at Wieliczka and Dobczyce was drawn back to Bochnia, and parts of the XXI. and X. Corps were transferred to the S. wing of the III. Army.

On the N. wing of the Austro-Hungarian IV. Army, Kritek's group, the XVII. Corps (isth and i6th Infantry Divs.) pressed forward S.W. of Niepolomice up to the line Grabie-Ksiaznice without encountering any important resistance. Roth's group and the XI. Corps had fought their way through Lapanow and S. of it as far as Ksiaznice-Sobolow-Raybrot.

To all appearances Radko Dimitriev was expected to offer a determined resistance on this line until the shifting of the XXI. and X. Corps had been completed. The flank attack delivered at this moment by the Russian VIII. Corps, which had come up from Neu Sandec and was fighting vigorously on the line Limanowa-Raybrot, made itself very unpleasantly felt. It was opposed at Limanowa by Nagy's 3 cavalry divs. (6th and loth Cavalry Divs., nth Honved Cavalry Div.) which heroically repulsed all the onslaughts.

On the whole front of the Austro-Hungarian IV. Army violent fighting had broken out everywhere. The Higher Com- mand had been informed in good time of the shifting of the Russian VIII. Corps, and taken measures to counter it. An

order was issued on Dec. 5 to transfer the 55th Landwehr Infantry Div. from Cracow and the 39th Honved Infantry Div. from the right wing of the I. Army by train to the S. wing of the IV. Army. Von Arz, commanding the VI. Corps, was to take over the com- mand of both divs. At the same time Boroevic's army was to carry out a relief offensive towards the N., by which the Russians Were to be prevented from transferring yet more of their forces from the Carpathian front to Radko Dimitriev's army.

Boroevic therefore proceeded to reinforce his left wing. At Muszyna Leluchow he concentrated a group, under Gen. Szur- may, consisting of half of the 38th Honved Infantry Div. and one combined Honved infantry div. in all 20 battalions, 3 batteries and one squadron. These he had brought up by train from the Uzsok pass.

On Dec. 7 Szurmay was to take the offensive at Neu Sandec conjointly with the 4th Cavalry Div. and Col. von Weiss's brigade, which were holding the crossings S. of Neu Sandec and W. of Alt Sandec respectively.

On Dec. 8 the whole front of Boroevid's army was to begin the advance on Bartfa on both sides of the Ondava and Laborcza valley. The remaining half of the 38th Honved Infantry Div. stayed behind in the Uzsok pass under Col. Czermak.

Meanwhile, on the right wing of the IV. Army, Field-Marshal- Lt. von Arz, who had been placed under the Roth group, had taken over the command of the 3 cavalry divs., the i3th and 45th Landwehr Infantry Divs., the 39th Honved Infantry Div. and the Polish Legion, and received in addition a combined brigade sent up from the I. Army. The isth Infantry Div. was brought into the Wieliczka area.

The IV. Army attack went forward with great vigour in an easterly direction on Dec. 8. On the N. wing the noth Land- Sturm Bde. and io6th Landsturm Infantry Div. made a sortie on Kocmyrz6w from the ring of forts. Kritek stormed Zakrzow (S.W. of Niepolomice), and the XIV. Corps gained ground by attacking in the direction of Bochnia. On the S. wing Arz, with the I3th and 45th Landwehr Infantry Divs., made a furious attack on the right wing of the Russian VIII. Corps by way of Rzegocina and the S. of Raybrot and stormed the Kobyla height S.E. of Raybrot, while the 3 cavalry divs. and those parts of the 39th Honved Infantry Div. already engaged had to contain the left wing of the VIII. Corps at Limanowa. The following day brought yet more successes, but on Dec. 10 the Russians were able to put parts of the XXI. and X. Corps into the field against the Austro-Hungarian XIV. Corps, which gradually found itself faced by superior numbers.

Strengthened by these new additions to their forces, the Rus- sians, on Dec. 10, started an embittered counter-offensive along the whole front, during which the XIV. Corps lost all the advan- tages it had won on the previous day, and had to retire. On the N. wing Kritek repulsed all attacks, but had to withdraw his right wing to Jaroszowka in conjunction with the XIV. Corps. On the S. wing also the fighting broke out afresh with great violence. Arz was forced to surrender the Kobyla height, and the Hussars of the loth Cavalry Div. and nth Honved Cavalry Div. won undying laurels at Limanowa, where they repulsed all the Russian attacks in a fine fight. The vigorous Russian counter- offensive had brought the Austro-German offensive to a stand- still. The Army Higher Command was obliged to bring up new forces with which to repeat the attack.

Meanwhile, in the I. Army an XVIII. Corps had been formed from 2 Landwehr divs. Both this corps and the 6th Infantry Div., advancing on Boroevic's left wing, were to be brought up. At n A.M. the battle, raging with the same intensity along the whole front, and particularly on the S. wing, had reached its climax, and by the afternoon the crisis seemed to have been overcome. Although Arz had to retreat on Mlynne and to the W. of Limanowa, Roth's centre and left wing held their ground.

With the arrival on the field of the combined brigade of the X. Corps N. of Limanowa during the afternoon, and the encircling attack by half of the Honved infantry div., coming from Zalesie, which completely surprised the Russian left wing, the Russian power of attack was crippled here also, and the battle on the S.