.
Against all of these the Russian troops successfully maintained their
positions. Austrian aeroplanes continued their bombing expeditions
against some of the more important places immediately to the rear of
the Russian front, without, however, inflicting any very important
damage.

Again a comparative lull set in. Of course, artillery duels as well as
continuous fighting between scouting parties and outposts took place
even during that period. But attacks in force were rare, and then
restricted to local points only. The latter were made chiefly by the
Austrians, but did not lead to anything of importance. The official
Russian statements report such engagements on April 6, 1916, near Lake
Sosno, south of Pinsk, along the upper Strypa in Galicia, and north of
Bojan. On April 7, 1916, an Austrian offensive attack attempted with
considerable force on the middle Strypa, east of Podgacie, in Galicia,
did not even reach the first line of the Russian trenches. On April 9,
1916, the Russians captured some Austrian trenches in the region of
the lower Strypa, and on April 11, 1916, repulsed Austrian attacks
north and south of the railway station of Olyka. Once more comparative
quiet set in along the southern part of the eastern front, broken
only by engagements between outposts and by a considerable increase in
aeroplane activity.

But on April 13, 1916, the Russians again began to hammer away against
the Austrian lines. A violent artillery attack was launched against
the Austrian positions on the lower Strypa, on the Dniester and to the
northwest of Czernowitz, and the Austrians were forced to withdraw
some of their advanced positions to their main position northeast of
Jaslovietz. Southeast of Buczacz an Austrian counterattack failed. A
height at the mouth of the Strypa, called Tomb of Popoff, fell into
the hands of the Russian troops. Both Austrian and Russian aeroplanes
dropped bombs, without however inflicting any serious damage, even
though the Russians officially announced that as many as fifty bombs
fell on Zuczka--about half a mile outside of Czernowitz--and on North
Czernowitz.

On April 14, 1916, the Russian artillery attacks on the lower Strypa,
along the Dniester and near Czernowitz, were repeated. Again the
Russians launched attacks against the advanced Austrian trenches at
the mouth of the Strypa and southeast of Buczacz. An advanced Russian
position on the road between that town and Czortkov was occupied by
t