The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-08-14

Russia has a line OF Notifications at
Warsaw, Rowna, Litowsky, Grodno
ana howno. Ia addition 10 these,
Russia has established a score or
more Of fortified military camps
along her frontier.
Russia has a secondary line OF for
tifcations extending through wilma,
Riga, Ritebesk, SmoIensk and Kiev.
Besides these forts, Russia has mas
sive defenses at Warsaw, Odessa, Hill
stngfors and st. Petersburg.
Austria-Hungry
The main Austrian frontier forti-
fcations are al Cracow, Przemysl.
Budapest and semlin. Also Vienna
and other interior cities are strongly
fortified.
England
The entire coast Of Great Britain
IS protected by Notifications, but it
| IS scarcely within the range of pos
siblity that with the huge English
feet on the sea, there would be any
land fighting in the British Isles.
Servia
Belgrade, the capital is the only
fortified city in Servia, but the
country for the most part is noun
famous, and the ridges and valleys
form natural defenses OF the Bal
kans that would make it hazardous
for Austrians and Germans to at
tempt to invade the country.
experimenting the forts built
along the frontiers of the various
countries now at war, almost the
whole of Europe is well protected
by natural defenses, mountains, riv-
ers and valleys, narrow passes and
defiles. The country along the
French border, the eastern part of
Belgium and western part Of Ger
many is hilly and crossed by noun
| tain chains. Three rivers and their
valleys of prime military Importance
cut this hilly country, the Rhine and
| it's western tributaries, the Moselle
Land the Meuse on the French side
and the Main IN Germany. In the
valleys of these rivers lie the princi-
| pal lines OF communication OF the
entire region. The Franco-German
| border may BE considered in two
parts, the southern or Alsatian from
tier and border of Lorraine. The
AIsation border is formed by the
Voges mountain range, fifty miles
long, crossed by seven roads passing
! thru defiles, but the narrow nature
| of these passes makes their defense
comparatively easy. That is the rea-
SON why both Germany and France
rushed their armies into Alsace as
soon as mobilization was begun and
war declared.
To the west of the valley of the
MoselIe and separated from it by the
massive mountain formation of the
Eiffel, is the River Mouse, coming
from France, and entering Belgian
territory at Sedan. 1t flows thru
Liege and the Dutch province of
/ Limburg.
Thus there are three natural lines
for any advancing army from Ger
into Germany, thru the Troue de
Belfort, the lMoselIe valley near
Metz or the valley of the Meuse
thru Holland and Belgium. All these
passages are naturally well guarded
by the rivers and mountains and
easily defended. It is where the
natural defenses are weakest that
the rival nations have erected their
chains of fortificat9ons
The eastern "'theater' OF war,
stretching from the Baltic Sea down
to the Black Sea, comprising east
ern Germany, western Russia and
northeastern Hungary, is composed
mainly of huge plains, cut up by big
rivers and divided by the Carpathian
mountains, forming natural de-
tense for Hungary against Russia.
The Carpathians in their west
ern part have an Alpine character
and are extremely difficult to pass
by large bodies of troops and heavy
artillery The eastern part of these
mountains is lower, but heavily
wooded.
The southern "theater" of war is
apparently of secondary importance
at this stage. It seems probable that
the first great engagement of the
war will take place in the west, be-
tween Germany and the allies