Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-08-25
GREAT RUSS FORT
TAKEN BY TEUTONS
Kovno, Which Protects Second
Line of Defense, Totters.
KAISER'S ARMIES SMASH ON
Bombs Are Hurled on Wilma and Brest-
litovsk-Germans Capture Two
More Stronqholds at Novo-
georgevsk.


London, Aug 20.-Kovno, the great
Russian fortress protecting the north
ern end of the Russian second line of
defense trough Brest-Litovsk, on
which the Slavs promised to make
their final stand after the fall of War
saw, has been captured by the Ger
mans.
This announcement, made officially
in Berlin on Wednesday, together with
simultaneous announcement that the
Russian armies in Poland have retired
to Brest-Litovsk, and bombardment of
that-the greatest of all the Russian
Notifications about to begin, indi-
Gates that the mastery retreat" of
the Russians in Poland has resulted
merely in their retirement to posi-
ton equally insecure. Russia's posi-
ton today is by far the most serious
since the start of the war.
The text of the statement issued is
as follows:
Army group of Field Marshal Won
Hindenburg: The fortress of Kovno.
with all it's forts and innumerable
quantities of material, including more
than 400 cannon, fell into German pos
session on Wednesday night. The for
tress was taken by storm in face of
the most stubborn resistance on the
part of the enemy.
The armies of General Won Scholtz
and General Won Gallwitz penetrated
farther toward the west. Our foremost
divisions are approaching the Bialy-
stok-Bielsk railway.
Before Novogeorgievsk two more
forts on the northeastern front were
captured by storm. We took 600
prisoners and 20 cannon.
Army group of Field Marshal
Prince Leopold of Bavaria: The left
wing met with renewed strong resist
ance in the Kamionka section on both
sides of Siemiatycze. On the Bug and
southeast of Siemiatycze we forced
our way across the Kamionka section.
The enemy was driven back to (name
cut out). Our right wing reached the
southern bank OF the Bug.
Army group of Field Marshal Won
Mackensen: This army group has
driven its ~nemies across the Bug and
into the outer positions of the fortress
of Brest-Litovsk. East of Wlodawa,
our troops penetrated across the rail
way line OF Chofm-B in an
easterly direction"
Kovno fell under the direct COM
mand of General Won Hindenburg. The
capture is the first personal triumph
of the "old man of the MaZurian
Lakes" since the great Austro-German
campaign in the east was inaugural
ed The six great forts defending the
city from the west and southwest were
simply blown to pieces by the inces-
SAINT pounding of Germany's great AZ
centimeter guns and a host of minor
pieces.
The forts of Kovno have been I'M
der direct attack for scarcely a week,
demonstrating again the superiority
of modern artillery over fort struc-
lures built by man.
The fortress of Novogeorgievsk is
about to fall German troops have
stormed and captured two more of the
forts on the northeastern side of Novo-
georgievsk. Six hundred prisoners
and twenty cannon were taken.
Mackensen's troops have crossed
the Bug southwest of Brest-Litovsk.
pressed on across the railway con-
Meeting vlodava and Brest-Litovsk and
are now attempting to surround the
fortress.
The whole Russian line extending
north from Brest-Litovsk to Kovno is
in retreat. The armies of General Won
Scholtz and General Won Gallwitz are
approaching the railway leading from
the fortified city of Bialystok to Brest-
Litovsk. marching against the section
of the railway lying between Bialystok
and Bielsk.
German aeroplanes are persistenly
bombarding the city of Wilma, about
fifty miles east of Kovno, says a dis
match from Petrograd. The possibility
of the capture of Wilma by the Ger
mans is foreseen in Petrograd and OPP
erations preliminary to its evacuation
are in progress.
The governor general of Wilma has
ordered the removal of the equipments
of factories and of banks. with sup
plies of metals. including church bells.
leather and everything else that might
be useful to the invaders. Horses and
other live stock are being taken away.
Preparations for the evacuation of
Rialvstok continue The town is in
darkness at night because of attacks
by German air craft