New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-26

him until operations to the south COM
PEELED an evacuation. Kovno, Grodno' U.s.
sowetz. Lomsha, Ostrolenka, Novo Geor-
gevsk. these were the chief fortresses'
West of Warsaw. from the Vistula at
Novo Georgievsk to the same river at the
fortress Of Ivangorod, the Russians IN
trenches held back the Germans with ease
East of Cholm the marshes and the tort
resses of Dubno, Lutsk and Rowno held
.he line. But between Lublin and Cholm
there was an unfortified gap; if Mackensen
could force this he would be in the rear
of the Warsaw army, and il he could cut
the three railroads leading from Warsaw
east to Petrograd and Moscow before the
Russians could escape, he could bag the
whole lot in Sedan greater than any
thing history records.
A Greater Sedan?
He began his drive in the last days of
June. He was at Krasnik in the first days
of July; but the Austrian force on his
flank. commanded by an archduke, was
heavily beaten little later and the whole
advance was checked. For several weeks
there seemed to be real chance that the
German drive had at last been halted.
Meantime Hindenburg to the north OF
Warsaw was pushing down upon the fort
resses from Grodno to Novo Georgievsk,
but making little real progress.
Far more minatory was the German
operation in the Courland, which, pushing
east from Libau and Windau, was now
aiming at Riga and at the Petrograd-
Wilma Warsaw railroad, northeast Of Kov'
no. which was already beginning to be
heavily attacked. This threatened to cut
off the Russian armies in Warsaw from
the capital. While this threat was in part
met, it continued TO mount. Meanwhile
Mackensen was making slow but sure
progress; by July "a he was across the
Warsaw-Kiev line, near Lublin:
A few days later the world knew that
Russia was planning to evacuate Warsaw.
Could the Grand Duke now draw his
armies from between the closing jaws?
The question was to remain in doubt for
many days. Slowly, steadily, the Russian
armies drew back; there was no sign OF
haste. no evidence of large German capt
ures. On August A Warsaw fell, but the
Germans captured only shell; the city
had been stripped. Meantime, Novo Geor-
gievsk to the west and north was de-
Tended. This deprived the Germans Of the
use of the Vistula for transport, as the
defence of Maubeuge a year before had
deprived the Germans of the main trunk
line from Aix-a- Chapelle to Paris.
Novo Ceorgievsk.
Novo Georgievsk resisted until August
: 10. It's fall gave the Germans the only
considerable capture since the Dunajec
They estimated their prisoners at $4,000;
5 the Russians fixed their own losses al
: $4,000 But they lost an enormous number
Of heavy guns-a real blow, but one fore
5 seen, for they were fortress guns and could
not be removed.
u But before the fortress fell the Russians
l. were well clear of the jaws Of the gigantic
: nutcracker. Their main army had reached
: Brest- Litovsk, hundred miles east Of
c Warsaw; the forts of the BobrNarev
u line had been evacuated with due delbera
ton and without loss of men or artillery
. The Russian line now ran from Riga, be
Il hind the Dvina River, to Dvina, and ther
west of the Nemen at Kovno, and straight
e south to the marshes through Brest
Litovsk.
Here they were expected to make {
long stand. Brest-Litovsk was their grea
military centre, the base of all their opera
. tons in the west. Their line was nov
: straight, or practically so. The world ex
!. pected long pause here, and perhaps tn,
END or the AuStro-German advance.
L Tho Grand Duke Il Relieved.
r But the fate of Brest-Litovsk was set
e tied by the fall of Kovno to the north OF
s August IT, This opened the road to tn
r Petrograd- Bielostock railroad and to tn
whole line of communications behind tn
n new Russian front. At the same time tn
e Russians to the south were across tn
e railroads to the south Of Brest, and Lutsl
d and Dubno were doomed. Accordingly tn
!. Russians gave up Brest-Litovsk on Angus
> % and fell back upon Pinsk.
4 The battle for Kovno was one of thu
d fiercest in the whole campaign, but once
the Russians we're out Of the fortress