New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-21
Berlin Claims Capture of
$4,000 Troops and
800 Cannon.
GERMANS HEM IN
BREST-LITOVSK
Enemy Fleet Penetrates Gulf of
Riga and Engages
Russian Ships.

London. Aug. 20. Novo GeorGievsk,
the last halting place OF the Russians
in Poland, has fallen. For two weeks
the German siege guns had beer bat
terinc the fortress and, like Kovno, it
was forced to yield.
Berlin to-day announced the capture
of the fortress with its 500 guns and
large quantity of war material. The
spoils have not yet been estimated, but
they probably are large, as it had been
hoped by the Russians that the earth
works around the fortified camp would
enable it TO hold out much longer. The
Germans claim the capture of $4,000
men.
Petrogrsd admits German successes
against the outer forts Of NOvo Geor-
gievsk and the retirement of the Rus
sian troops into the central defences.
against which the Germans directed
their FIRE. Before this retreat the gar
rison blew up the bridge over the
; Narew and the abandoned forts.
A German fleet has penetrated the
Gulf of Riga and is engaged with Rus
sian warships defending the coast, ac-
cording to the -uficial statement issued
tonight at the Russian War Office.
OF the quadrangle OF forts designed
TO keep the invader from Poland Brest-
Litovsk alone remains, and the German
armies are hemming it in. Marshal
Won Mackensen has pushed close to the
fortress. His advance up the Bug has
continued and east of Vladova the re-
treating Russians are hard pressed.
Brest-Litovsk Surrounded.
Military observers here now believe
that the Brest-Ltovsk line, the second
front of defence, will be abandoned.
Won Hindenburg threatens to flank IT
On the north and Won Mackensen on the
south. The capture of Brest-Litovsk,
Grodno and ASsowetz and the penctra-
tion Of the Petrograd railway seems
certain.
After the fall of Kovno Field Marshal
Won Hindenburg's army began again an
offensive along the whole front from
the Gulf OF Riga TO Kovno with the
object of taking Riga and the whole
Warsaw Petrograd railway from wilma
northward. He is meeting with stub
born resistance and may be denied
even the possession of Riga unless the
German feet succeeds in entering the
gulf.
South OF Kovno as far as Grodno the
Russian armies, after the fall of kovno,
fell back toward the Niemen River, and
here, according to the German Official
account. they are offering fresh re-
sistance in the hope of preventing or
delaying the development of the north
ern flank of the Brest-Litovsk line.
Direct Attack Expected.
There seemingly is danger of this
line being forced by direct attack. SIX
Austro- German armies, strengthened
by the corps which have been investing
Novo Georgievsk, are converging on
the Russian centre behind the Bug and
along the railway from Brest-Lltovsk
to Bialostok. Doubtless they Will soon
commence a bombardment OF Brest-
Litovsk.
Other armies have cleared the whole
of the left bank of the Bug before
Brest-Litovsk, while Field Marshal
Won Mackensen, having crossed the
Bug. is advancing on the fortress from
the south. This means that the obsta-
Gle of the marshes has been circum-
vented and tina, Brest-Ltovsk, the
chief military depot and concentration
centre of Russia, is virtually envel-
oped. Although military observers be
leve that the Grand Duke probably
again will be able to withdraw his
army in safety, the loss of these lines
is considered greater military MIS-
fortune than the loss of Warsaw.
German Guns Superior.
The German success has been due
almost entirely to their great superb
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