New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-16
Continued Success By
the Czar's Armies May
Change the Eastern
Battle Front.
Copyright 1916
THE TRIBUNE ASS y

less Of Lutsk. which they lost in tho sum-
mer
Writing on Sunday, January Q. co
the situation in something this fashion:
Along the Lemberg line the Russians
have pushed the Austrians back from the
Sereth to the Stripa River, something less
than twenty miles, on a very wide front,
and they have sheed the Austrians out
Of the hills commanding the city OF Czcr-
uowitz. They claim TO have crossed the
Stripa at several points, and il they force
this barrier they will have no natural OBJ
stacle between them and the city Of Lem
terg, which is about sixty miles west Of
where they now stand.
But the operation on the kiev line i,
much more interesting and important. On
the railroad itself the Russians seem 10
be halted by the fortresses Of Lutsk and
Dubno, which they lost in the summer
lighting. but they are now attempting 70
cut the Kovel line north and west ~ these
fortresSes and not more than fifty niles
from Kovel, in the bend Of the Styr River
at CZartorysk.
Now, If the Russians could cut the ko-
vel line west Of Lutsk they would iso-
late these fortresses and cut the sole rail
read line Of communication for this por-
ton of the Austrian front Beyond much
question, this success would mean gen
eral retirement Of the whole front in this
porton Of the battle line. Could they
press on fifty miles to Kovel. they would
be on the flank and rear Of the centre Of
the Austro-German forces at Pnsk,
threatening them along the Kovel-Brest-
Litovsk railroad line.
Complete Russian success along the Ko-
vel line then. would mean that the Aus
tro-Germans would have TO retreat from
their present front, in the centre; it would
mean that great wedge would be driven
into their whole battle line, and tho
would not improbably have 10 come back
to Wilma and the Niemen. abandoning Their
conquests in the Courland as well as in the
marsh country between Brest-Litovsk and
Pinsk.
As IL Stands.
As Il stands. at the present moment the
Russians have won only preliminary suc-
cesses They have not won any adtan-
tage which does more than open the eyes
Of observers to the possibilities Of their
present campaign. An eminent German
naval and military writer, Count Reyent-
low. has described the Russian drive rs
well organized and comedies that the Rus
slams have great reserves both IN men and
in artillery He also remarks that com
plete Russian success might settle for both
Rumania and Greece the question of COM
ing in.
We are. then. face to face with the fact,
attcsted by German witnesses, that Russia
has recovered from her great defeats and
is once more pressing All offensive which
is making small but visible headway and
= has already disclosed great possibilltes.
She is too. making It along precisely tho
j lines that saw her great opening victories
+, OF the war.
j II within the next few days the re-
Jorts of the war shall disclose the arrival
: Of Russian armies on the KOyel railroad
line. or at Kovel itself. then, unless the
success is quickly neutralized. there will be
\ q remaking Of the whole Eastern battle
$ line. and that change viii be marked by a
? very considerable rccoil Of the whole Ger
j man and Austrian front from the Baltic
e TO the Rumanian boundary. What Russia
is now trying to do is 10 WIN back from
=. The Germans important positions which
p they won a few months ago. and which. II
they hold them. may serve as the bases
for a new offensive directed at Moscow,
/ Petrograd and Kiey in the summer.
!, If the Russian pressure continues we
= may expect TO see Che operation against
' Salonica abandoned and the troops that
!. we're to make it recalled 10 the Russian
! frontier. Or we may see the transfer
e from the west of troops who are sup
e rosed TO have been sent there for an Of
d fensiye against the French and British
= when the weather became favorable. This
IS an opinion held by some observers and
k secuted by others, who believe such an
: attack would be too costly TO tempt the
a Germans in their present -tate OF num-
n bers.
n By contrast. if the Austrians and Ger
g mans succeed in hating and smotherlng
n the Russian offensive we shall know that
! the stories that ;helr numbers are begin
ming 70 fail have been exaggerated. 20 say
the least: we shall know that the Russian
recovery has been less rapid than now
= seems. and we shall probably be able TO
dismiss from the reckoning any chance 81
a successful winter campaign by the Rus
slams.
T. Such a situation followed by successful
= German and Turkish campaigns against
{ Egypt and Salonica. might 90 far toward
convincing the Allies that Germany could