ermans launched nine counterattacks, all of
which were repulsed. The losses on both sides were very severe. For,
though the Austro-German forces had to give way, they did so only
after the most stubborn resistance. Every little village had to be
fought for for hours, and each street had to be cleared at the point
of the bayonet. Especially severe encounters occurred near Meidzigory
and Tchistopady. By August 5, 1916, the Russians had registered some
important successes in this small sector. The number of their
prisoners had mounted to over 5,000, and a considerable number of
machine guns and bomb throwers had fallen into their hands. The
Austro-Germans tried to dislodge their opponents by means of violent
artillery fire and a series of strong counterattacks, but were
unsuccessful, and by the end of the fourth day, August 5, 1916, the
Russians were in possession of the west bank of the Sereth, near and
northwest of Zalocze, and of the villages of Zvyjin, Ratische,
Tchistopady, Gnidava, and Zalvoce, and the entire ridge of heights
between them.

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 th