Arizona republican., 1915-08-19
One of the Crucial Points of the Russian Defensive in the North is Captured by the Kaiser's Troops After Severe Fighting
ALSO TAKE OVER
 FOUR HUNDRED GUNS
Fall of the Fortress Takes Away Last Protection With Exception of Rus sian Field Army, to Nam Railway to Capital
ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPATcHI

LONDON, Aug 18-Kovno, one of the crucial points of the Russian de- fensive in the north was captured by the Germans last night. The road to Wilma and the Warsaw-Pe e r O. grad railway is now open to the troops of Emperor William. The cap ture of the fortress was another tri umph for the German sixteen-inch guns which throughout the present war have been brought against no Qualifications they were unable to re- duce.
 With the fortress of KovnO the Ger mans have taken over four hundred guns, according to their accounts and an enormous quantity of war mater ials. This, however is not the mosc important matter to the Russians. Be sides opening the way 10 Wilma, which is an open town, and from which most of the inhabitants and everything of use to the invaders has been removed, the fall of the fortress takes away the last protection with the exception of the Russian field army, to the main line railway to the capital and also places the Germans in posi- tion to threaten the Hanks of the Litovsk line and those operating in Russian army retiring to the Brest- southern Courland.
 Grand Duke Nicholas apparently eX- pected the fall of Kovno Tor his srn. ies are hastening their retirement in Poland eastward. They still hold their own from Kovno to the south of Os- sowetz but south of that they are being pressed from the northwest by Generals Won Schalz and Won Gallwitz and from the west by Archduke Leo pold, who has crossed the Bug, and is approaching the Brest Litovsk and Bialystok railway. It seems in the south that General Won Mackensen after many re-buffs has finally sue ceeded in driving the Muscovites into other positions from the fortress Brest-LitoVSk. For the first time since he began his retirement from western Galicia in May. Grand Duke Nicholas, in the opinion of mil ftary observers finds a part of his army in serious danger of envelOp- ment
 Military writers express curiosity as to how he will eXtricate it. The Russian troops are in orderly retreat as evidenced by the fact that outside of the guns taken with KoVno or cap IQFeQ III the IOTIS Ol \ONOSeOTSleNSh, two more of which have fallen, the Ger mans make no claims to the capture
 of artillery. It would appear also that few prisoners were taken which doubt . i less means that a considerable part
 of the Austro- Germans in the most l recent advance have not met with serious fighting. With Kovno in Ger
 man hands, and another German l ID, | Litovsk, a speedy exit according to military observers is the only safe one for the Russians if they are tC | escape before the second set of pincers spread for them are closed.
 1 While fighting to crush the Rus sian army the Germans find time ! for minor activities in other fields
 Last night they carried out their l seventeenth air raid on England, wis
 iting eastern counties where they dropped bombs which, according tC
 an official communication. killed ter
 and injured thirty. As in the last