Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-08-12
Ambitious Plunge Into
Russia Believed to Be
TuetOnic Plan.
Won HIDENBERG is
NEARING CAPITAL
Austro- German Army Now 800 Miles,
in Direct Line, From Petrosrad-
Germans Making Great Sacrifices Of
Men to Capture kovno-Apparently
Satisfied With Situation on Western
Front, Expecting No Offensive.


Vremya discussing today the theory
that Petrograd is the real objective OF
the German offensive says:
There is an enormous difference
between the war Of 1912 and the pres
ent conflict. The Germans are hurting
at Russia an army seven times as
great as that of Napoleon. armed with
the most modern appliances, whereas
in 1904 the Russian army was fully
on a par with the French in such re-
spect."
"The Germans are Intimately better
posted as to the position of Russia
than Napoleon and they are incapable
Of regarding Moscow as the key to the
empire. They know that Petrograd is
the political center. 1t Is only a nights
railway Journey between Riga and
Petrograd and the distance Of 260 miles
over good roads and two lines Of rail-
road do not offer insuperable difficult
ties. This Is no second war Of 1912
but something more serious"
The Reich advised the residents OF
the capital that air raids are liable In
the near future 1t says. however, that
there is no fear for anything further
for the present.
London, April 12-The Baltic flank
Of the German armies under Field
Marshal Won Hindenberg has virtually
attained the banks Of the river Dvina,
between Riga and Dvinsk, with Petro-
grad less than 800 miles away in a
direct line.
Thence southwark the line sweeps
west with the, Russian fortress OF
Kovno still holding out, but next week
may see a great battle on the road
toward the Russian capital.
The second line Of defense upon
which the Russians propose to fall
back after abandoning Warsaw, has all
the appearances Of having been rem
dered untenable, and the British and
Russian press begins to see in the
Aussro- German plan of an ambitious
plunge into Russia. with Petrograd as
the goal. ~.
Germans Sacrificing Men.
/, In the meantime the Russian rear
guards are fighting desperately, es-
pecially in the Dvina region and
Kovno, to capture which the Germans
arc making terrific sacrifice Of men.
It seems plain that the Germans in
tend no great demonstration In the
west but to press to the utmost their
so-far brilliant Russian campaign In
the belief that the French and British
can not present a general offensive on
the western line.
In the Dardanelles the allies are fur
nishing the greatest opposition to the
Teutonic and Turkish allies. Both
Germany and the entente powers are
exerting the hardest pressure on Bull
garia.
London Expects Good News. Y
Wide circulation was given this aft
ernoon to rumor that the government
had received news Of military successes
closely affecting Russia This rumor
was based on activity OF Russian Sc
curities on the stock exchange.
Munitions Shortage Investigated.
A commission of inquiry has been
appointed, according to the Daily Mail
Petrograd correspondent, to investigate
charges against General Soukhomlinoff
former Russian minister Of war, and
others, in connection with tho shortage
Of munitions which has seriously in
terfered with the operations Of the
Russian army.
The resignation Of General Souhom
linoff was announced on July IS, but
the reason for his retirement has never
been announced.