New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-06
RUSSIA STILL ADVANCES ON LEMBERG AND KOVEl
The Russian Pincers That Threaten to
Close on the Enemy Along the
Superintendent Peril and
the Results to Date
Copyright 6-The Tribune Assn

Brody and are now falling back at full
speed along the Lemberg-Brody- Rowno
railroad, and are at least ten miles west
of Brody already, which means they are
less than forty miles east of Lemberg.
Austro German Peril.
Now the present situation is disclosed
in the little sketch map which accompanies
this article. The Russian armies which
have come down the Styr and along the
Rowno-L emberg railroad are actually lar
nearer to Lemberg than the Austro-Ger-
man armies which have been standing so
successfully before Tarnopol and behind
the Strypa River. These armies are near
" eighty miles due east of Lemberg; the
Russian armies west of Brody are less than
ffty. Unless the Russian armies are now
promptly checked the Austro-German
armies will have to retreat very shortly 70
avoid being enveloped and compelled TO
surrender. The Russian army coming out
of Brody already threatens to intervene
between Lemberg and these Austro-Ger-
man armies.
Meantime, away to the south, as has
been mentioned, the Russian armies IN this
region are approaching Stanislau and ann
ing at Lemberg along the Lemberg-Czer-
nowitz railroad Precisely as the Brody
army is endeavoring to get between the
\ Austro- German forces on the Strypa and
emberg. coming down from the north'
this Russian army is seeking to cut IN De-
tween the same German army and Lem
hero from the south. North. and south
these Russian armies are already further
,yest than the German and Austrian
forces on the Strypa, while the Brody
force is actually nearer Lemberg.
The Russian Pincers.
What we have here, then, is an operation
Familiarity described as that OF pair VI
nincers. the pincers being the two Russian
armies west of Brody and south OF Stan
,sl.u They are closing on the Austro-Ger-
man army along the Strypa, and II they
are not checked the Austro-German army
,,,;u soon have to draw back to escape the
;.ws If the pincers. If it fingers too long
:. NOW he threatened with disaster; II II
rat;res it will have to surrender very
considerable amount of territory and take
its new stand not more than thirty miles
from Lemberg, always provided that II
can make good it's retreat and stand on a
new line. Both of these things are wholly
probable, but by no means certain.
II the Austro- Germans are compelled 10
withdraw they have an admirable defen-
s;ve position behind the Bug and Gnha
Lima rivers. which rise not far from the
Lemberg-Rowno railroad, the one gong
north into the Vistula near Warsaw, the
other south into the Dniester near Halicz.
Roughly speaking, this line would start at
Halicz on the Dniester, follow the Gnlia
Lima north. cross the railroads and go
northwestward behind the Bug until that
stream approaches the head waters OF the
Turia: then it would go due north behind
the Turia and its afiuent, the Lua,
through vladimir Volynski to the Prlpet
Marshes.
In the South.
So far. then, the Austro-Germans, II
thew were able to draw back to the bug,
would suffer no grave loss. But their
situation would still be menaced by the
Russian army moving south Of the Dnies-
tor and between that river and the Car
rathians. If this army were able to keep
on II would cut the railroads crossing the
iCarpathians between Lemberg and hun
GARY. and it would also threaten the flank
of the armies standing behind the Gniia
Lima and before Lemberg. Two years ago
il was precisely this threat which COM
nelled the Austrians to abandon Lemoerg
after their great defeat and rout on the
line of the Bug and the Gnila Lipa.
The Russians will presently take Lem
berg unless both of their great flank oper-
atoms the one from Brody southwest, the
other from the front of Stanislau north
west are beaten down and brought to
a halt Temporarily the floods OF the
Dniester checked the southern thrust, the
German attack from Kovel compelled the
REIMBURSEMENT of the northern. But both
have been resumed and in addition the
Russians still further to the north are
again advancing toward Kovel and Its
capture is a possibility, although 1t is more
likely that the Austro-Germans will stand
on prepared lines behind the Turja, as
they did behind the Styr and the Stachoc
and that the Russians will be held up al
least temporarily.
The fall of Kovel will compel the Ger
mans to carry their Eastern. front behind
the Bug from the Austrian frontier north
to Brest-Litowsk and would mean retire
ment of nearly two hundred miles from
Pinsk. where they now stand. 1t would
probably mean the retirement from
II