New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-25
KAISER'S GUNS
NOW THREATEN
BREST-LITOVSK
Heavy Artillery in Place
as Germans Storm
Nearby Hill.
tBy Cable 10 The Tribune. !

Lugano, Aug. 24.-Dispatches from
LODI, via Buchs, report that large
forces of Austrians have driven back
the Russians at Wysoko and Litovsk.
The Germans have already placed
heavy guns within range of the ad
vanced works of Brest-Litovsk.
Large detachments of troops from
the armies of Generals Won Gallwitz
and Won Eichhorn have already arrived
north Of the fortress.
London, Aug. 24.-While the Teuton
armies are moving closer to Brest-
Litovsk, the fanking movement to the
south continues. A hill at Kopytow,
southwest of the Russian fortress, has
been stormed by the German forces.
And to the southeast the Austrians re-
port that their cavalry has entered
Kovel, an important railway junction
on the lines to Kiev and Kovno.
While the Russians are falling back
east and south OF Kovno, it is ex-
planned by Petrograd that this was
necessary to prevent them from being
outaanked. They still hold both banks
of the Niemen River from Preny, just
south of Kovno, southwark TO Grodno,
one of the few fortresses still held by
them.
Further details of the fighting in the
Gulf of Riga, says "The Daily Chroni-
cle," show that the German squadron
had two main objects in view-first, to
clear the gulf of Russian warships, and,
second, to protect the landing of
troops. As for the effect of the naval
defeat on the land operations, no par
ticular change in the position of the
German forces in Courland is to be OBJ
served, except that the tendency of
their advance is not so much in the
direction of Riva now as toward Duna-
burg.
German Groups United.
The enemy's group of forces around
Kovno has now united with the Cour-
land group, and the front of their COM
bined offensive is on the Dunaburg-
Kovarsk line. On this front the Rus
SLAMS are holding firm, except at the
southern end, where the Germans are
making an effort TO reach Landverovo,
the junction of the trunk line, and the
East Kovno-Koenigsburg branch, just
west of wilma. At this southern end
the Russians have retired TO the right
bank of the Niemen.
To the north Dunaburg and Wilma
are, of course, valuable objectives, be-
cause their capture means the i'm
mobilization for the Russians of a con-
siderable section of the Petrograd
railway, although, in view Of the other
railways on the rear, it is not disas
trous. The German occupation of
Dunaburg would, however. give trouble
on the Dvna and might mean the capt
ure of Riga from the rear. These, how
ever, are comparatively remote possi-
bilities, and the Russian resistance is
pretty firm in the northeasterly direc-
ton.
Seek to Trap Cars Army.
OF more immediate Importance is the
position of the Russian army on the
middle Niemen, where the Germans are
irving to turn the defending line. One
step of the Russians IN parrying this
movement is the retirement TO the
right bank of the Niemen at the point
nearest the danger zone. Simultaneous
ly with the Nlemen operation, the Ger
mans are aiming at Brest-Litovsk, the
two operations being connected by the
common object of joining hands east Of
the Kovno- -Brest line in such way as
to trap a considerable Russian force.
But the Russian army has already
its power II resisting to
the utmost and then stepping out Of
reach the moment il is L. danger OF be-
ing surrounded. The main question,
then, is as to the possibilities of the
enveloping movement against 'Brest-
Litovsk. Here the engineering capacity
of the Germans will be strained to the
utmost. They have just entered at
Bielsk and Vlodavs that immense
swampy and heavily wooded region
known as Polesia, which includes near
Bielsk the famous Bielovieh forest, used