Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 August 1920 — 3 RED DIVISIONS ARE ANNIHILATED [ARTICLE]

3 RED DIVISIONS ARE ANNIHILATED

Polish Army Slaughter the Bolshevik Forces In Great Battle. THOUSANDS TAKEN PRISIONER 57th, 58th and Bth Soviet Unite Are Mowed Down in Bis Drive—Poles Use Tanka and Airplanes. Warsaw. Aug. 20.—The Fifty-sev-enth, Fifty-eighth and Eighth bolshevik divisions on the Warsaw front: have been annihilated and thousands of soviet soldiers made prisoners, an official statement says. The Russians lost their bearings lm trying to meet attacks on all sides from the Polish columns on their flanks, the statement adds. The Poles, continuing their advance,, have occupied Kaluszyn, 86 miles east of Warsnw; Ste-dlce. 67 miles east of the capital; Mllzyrec, 20 miles southeast of Sledice and Wlodawn, on tbp Bug river, 126 miles southeast of Warsaw. The Poles are reported to be regrouping before Lemberg for a coun-ter-stroke against the bolshevlkl, who are less than 80 kilometers from the city. In the region of Thorn, about 106 miles north of Warsaw, the communique says, the Poles have launched a counter-attack. Reds Quit Brest-Lltocsk. Russian soviet forces are evacuating Brest-Lltovßk, the strongly forth fled town on the Bug river, 120 miles east of Warsaw, according to advices received here. x" The red army Is fleeing on a disorderly panic along the front between the Vistula and Bug rivers, where the Poles are advancing with success. In their counter-attack to relieve bolshevlkl pressure upon Warsaw, the Poles are using tanks, airplanes, armored trains and artillery In great numbers At Novo Minsk, east of here, and Serock, to the northeast, 3,000 prisoners, seven cannon, hundredSvOf wagons and vast quantities of supplies have been captured from the bolshevlkl. The bolshevik retreat north and east of Warsaw, where the soviet forces were closely driven by the Poles, t6ok the semblance of a rout at some places. Polish successes on dll fronts, with the exception of the southern battle sector where the Russian forces are advancing in the direction of Lemberg, are reported. Northwest of Warsaw the Russian troops, who met resistance at Wlodawek where they had designed to cross the Vistula, bombarded. Wloclawek for hours, the shells damaging the cathedral and the bishop’s palace.

"Crisis Past, Warsaw Base.” The newspapers assert that the crisis has been passed and assure the public that Warsaw is absolutely safe. The counter-offensive of the Poles Is announced In the newspapers in big headlines and the council of ministers has issued a"p roc,flniatlon which has been posted In the streets telling of the victorious attacks against the bolshevlkl who attempted to outflank the capital’s defenses. The newspapers say that northwest of Warsaw, where the Poles have shoved the reds to the northeast across the Wkra river, the Poles already have taken more than 2,000 prisoners and much war material. Radzymln, which Ihe Poles held three times, is now considered fairly secure from their attacks. The town is being visited dally by residents of Warsaw who have permission to visit the front. The natives who refused to evacuate Radzymln say that the bolshevlkl robbed the houses, taking everything of value they could find, and also burned several buildings. Trotzky Asks German Aid. London, Aug. 20.—A dispatch to the London Times from Danzig says Leon Trotzky the bolshevik minister of war, arrived Monday at Trosken, on the East Prussian frontier, about ten miles southeast of Lyck secretly from Bialystok, to negotiate political and strategic questions with German staff officers. A preliminary conference of soviet and German office j occurred August 12 In East Prussia. It Is asserted by the correspondent that German volunteers from East Prussia are forming an army near Vllna to march ostensibly as a revolutionary army Into East Prussia and bring about joint action by East Prussia and the soviets against Poland.