salient down to the
Austro-Russo-Rumanian border--the troops of the Central Powers had
been pushed back many miles.

From June 4, 1916, to August 1, 1916, the Russians had regained some
15,000 square miles in Volhynia, Galicia, and the Bukowina. Lutsk,
Dubno, and Czernowitz were some of the valuable prizes which had
fallen into the hands of the czar's armies. At the beginning of
August, 1916, they now threatened the important railway centers of
Kovel and Lemberg, the latter the capital of Galicia.

In defending the former the Austro-German armies had made a determined
stand on the banks of the Stokhod River. This bit of water has its
origin some ten miles west of Lutsk, from which point it winds its
tortuous course for about one hundred miles in a northerly direction
toward the Pripet River, of which it is a tributary. Its northern part
flows through the Pripet Marshes. Its southern part, up to about the
village of Trojanovka, forms a salient, with its apex on an almost
straight line drawn between Kolki on the Styr and Kovel on the Turiya.
This salient, as well as the part of the Stokhod between the southern
base of the salient and its origin, formed a valuable and very
formidable natural line of defense for Kovel against any attacks from
the northeast, east, and southeast. Here the Austro-Germans had thrown
up strong defensive works and were resisting with all their might.

On August 1, 1916, the most furious kind of fighting took place in the
Stokhod sector. By that time the Russian attack, begun a few days
before, had made considerable progress, so that the Russians were at
some points some few miles west of the river. Time and again the
Russians heavily attacked the German-Austrian lines. In most places,
however, the latter not only held, but were even strong enough to
permit of repeated powerful counterattacks. This was especially true
in the region of the bend of the Stokhod near the villages of
Seletsie, Velitsk, and Kukhari. Very heavy fighting also developed at
many points north of the Kovel-Sarni railway. Near the village of
Smolary the Russians attacked three times, but were thrown back as
often, and between Witoniez and Kiselin six Russian attacks followed
each other in rapid succession, encountering the most stubborn
resistance.

Without abatement the Russians threw themselves against their
opponents' lines in this sector on the following day, August 2, 1916.
But the Germans protected themselves with