Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-18
Serious Blow to Russians.

| Military experts have agreed that the
loss of the fortress of Kovno would be
a serious blow to the Russians. The
critic of the London Times in an arti-
Gle published this morning says:
| "If the enemy succeeds in reducing
| Kovno and is thereby able to cross
| the Niemen he will be in the rear Of
| the Russian line north of the Sventa.
and with the junction of the two wings
of Field Marshal Won Hindenburg's
| army the position of the Russian right
| flank will be very difficult
| The official German statement of yes
! terday announced the capture of the
| forts on the southwest front of kovno.
| together with 4,500 prisoners and 240
guns. This was interpreted as fore
shadowing the fall of the fortress
proper. but its accomplishment 30
speedily was hardly expected.
Won Hindenburg in Command.
The famous German general, Field
Marshal Won Hindenburg, personally
took command of the army attacking
Koyno. The selection of Germany's ma
tional hero for this task indicated the
importance attached to it by the Ger
man general staff.
Koyno capital of the Russian prov
ince OF that name, is on the right bank
of the Nfemen. 1t is fortress of the
first class The civilian population OF
the city is more than $4,000.
At the time of the fall of Warsaw the
Austrian and German forces in Rus
sia were operating in three large d.
visions From the south Field Marshal
Won Mackensen pressed into Polano
with the troops with which he had sue
cessfully swept through Galicia, recap
turing the province from the Russians
From the west Prince Leopold OF
Bavaria advanced directly at the war.
saw front. From the north came the
forces of Field Marshal Won Hinden-
burg, advancing through the Baltic
provinces.
Enables Teutons to Unite.
After Warsaw was captured a juno
ton was effected between the army
groups of Mackensen and Leopold.
The capture of Kovno proba bly, will re-
suit in welding the northern and GEN.
tral Teutonic forces into consolidated
line from the Baltic provinces to
Galicia Kovno is a unit of a line of
fortresses running from the Niemen
south and east, connected by railroad.
On this line are Grodno, Brest-Litovsk
and LUtsk.
The capture of Kovno raises the
question whether the Russians will be
a BILE to retain this line, or whether they
will again be compelled to make gen.
eral retreat. Retention of the remain-
ing positions on this front might eX-
pose the Russians to the danger of a
Ranking movement The next line to
which they might be expected to fall
runs from Wilma, about fifty miles east
of Kovno through Ida, Baranovitshi
and Pinsk to Rovno. This line is about
800 miles long.
German Advance Rapid.
The rapidity of the German advance
since the fall of Warsaw, August 5, is
indicated by the fact that they are
within thirteen miles of Brest-Litovsk,
which lies about lis miles east Of the
captured Polish capital. The line to
which they may now be compelled to
fall back is about 200 miles east OF
Warsaw.
Kovno is $50 miles southwest of Pc
trograd, the possibility of an advance
against which is now being considered
in Russia and England. Surrounding
the fortress proper, at an average dis
tance Of two and one-haff miles, is
girdle of forts, eleven in number. The
town lies for the most part In the fork
formed by the junction of the Niemen
with the Viliya, and is guarded by
strong defenses. X