New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-19
4OOCannOn and Great
Stores of Munitions
Captured.
ROAD TO WILMA
is NOW OPEN
Germans Menace PetrO-
grad Railway and Move
on BreSt-LitOvsk.
FLANK RUSSIAN LINE
FLANK RUSSIAN LINE
Invaders Are East of Second
Defence Front-Grand Duke
Hastens Retreat.

| IBdStcHS NciiSd''
London, Aug. 1S.-kovno, one o.
the crucial points in the Russian de
fensive in the north, was captured
by the Germans last night. The road
to the Wilma acknowledgement rail-
way is now open to the kaiser's
troops.
The capture of the fortress wa7
another triumph for the German
sixteen-inch guns, which throughout
the war have not failed once in bat
tering down fortifcations. With the
fortress of Kovno the Germans took
more than 400 guns, and, according
to Berlin, an enormous quantity OF
war material.
Besides opening the way to wilma.
an open town, from wnIcn most or
the inhabitants have fled and every
thing that might be of use to the in
vaders removed, the fall of Kovno
removes the last protection to the
main line railway to the capital AMI
places the Germans in a position to
threaten the flanks of the Russian
! armies retiring to the Brest-Litovs'l
line and those operating in southern
| Courland.
Russian forces still are holding
Notifications at Jesia, two and one
half miles south of Kovno, according
to an official statement issued to-
night by the War Office in Petrograd.
The communication says:
On the 18th, after eleven days
of fighting near Kovno, the enemy
succeeded in seizing the fortifica-
tions on the left bank of the Me
men. To the west of Jesia, and or
the right bank of the Niemen, we
are holding all the Notifications.
Retreat from Poland Hastens.
Grand Duke Nicholas apparently ex-
pected the fall of Kovno, for his
armies are Fastening their retirement
in Poland eastward. They still hold
their own from Kovno to below 0sso-
wetz, but south of that they are be
ing pressed, on the northeast by Gen
erals Won Scholz and Won Gailwitz and
on the west by Archduke Leopold, who
has crossed the Bug River, and is ap-
preaching the Brest-Litovsk and Bielo-
stok railway. In the south, General
Won Mackensen, after many rebufs,
finally has succeeded in driving the
Muscovites into the outer positions Of
the fortress of Brest-Litovsk. Two
more of the forts CT Novo Georgievsk
have fallen.
For the first time since he began
his retirement from western Gslicia
in May, Grand DUKE Nicholas, in the
opinion of military observers, finds
part of his army in serious danger OF
development The military writer's
express curiosity as to how he will
extricate II.
Orderly Retreat Continues.
The Russian commander continues
an orderly retrea.. Outside Of the
guns taken with the fortress of Koyno
or captured in the forts of Noyo Geor-
gievsk, the Germans make no claim
to the capture Of artillery. II would
appear also that few prisoners have
been taken, which doubtless means
that the Austro- Germans have not met
with serious lighting.
With Kovno in German hands ana
another German army across the Bug
south of Brest-Litoysk, speedy exit,
military observers say, is the only
safe one for the Russians II they are
to escape before the second set OF
pincers are closed.
Berlin Celebrates Victory.
Tidings Of the fall of koyno were
greeted in Berlin by salute Of fifty
"Victory" shots at noon to-day IN the
Lustgarten. All the church bells IN
the capital rang at the same time.
GERMAN OFFICIAL.
The text of the statement issued to-
day by the German Army Hesdqusr-
ters staff follows:
Army group OF General Field Mar
shall Won Hindenburg: The fortress
! of KoVno, together with all its forts
and innumerable quantities Of ma
terial, including far more than 400
cannon, fell into German possession
in the course Of the night. The
fortress was taken by storm IN face
Of the most stubborn resistance on
the part OF the enemy
The armies Of General Won Scholy
and General Won GaflwitL penetrated