Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-22
Latest Reports From East
Emphasize Importance
of Fighting There
PURSUERS MOVING 1
IN TWO DIRECTIONS
One Column Hundred Miles
Southeast of Erzerum
Toward Kut-El-Mar

Toward Kut-El-Mar
London, Feb. 21.-The Russians
have taken by storm the Turkish
towns of Mush and Achlat, south o:
Erzerum, and are in close pursuit oi
the Turkish army which Is retiring
from Erzerum. The southern wing of
the Russian army is marching on
Diarbekr, in the hope of opening up
the road to Syria. The northern wing
of the Russian army has captured the
town of Wilde and is driving the
Turks back in the direction of Gumish
khaneh, which is on the road to Treb
izond, while large Russian force is
moving westward from Erzerum, will
the object of cutting off the Turkish
troops before they can reach a new
line of defense. Russian warships are
Smelling the Turkish batteries along
the Black sea coast and are also ha1-
assing the retreating troops.
A dispatch from Petrograd reports
the Russians in possession Of the en-.
tire Lake Van district, with the Turks
retreating southwark and even evacu.
ating the important city of Bitlis.
Lake Van lies 100 miles southeast
Of Erzerum and Bitlis, city of more
than $4,000 population, is southwest
of Lake Van, not more than ten miles
from the nearest point on the, lake
shore
Bitlis is on the direct line of force
pushing. from Lake Van toward Diar.
bekr, about 100 miles away, fifty
miles beyond, which city runs the
Bagdad railway, possession of which
by the Russians would cut Turkish
communications with Syria and rem.
der hazardous the position of the Tur.
kish forces facing the British down the
Tigris in Mesopotamia and likewise
that of their forces in Persia.
Turks Are Harassed.
The rapid advance of the Russian
forces in Turkish Armenia, following
the fall of Erzerum, is complicating
the task of the Turks in efforts to re-
form their scattered forces.
From Tffis, the Russian headquar-
ters in the Caucasus, comes the report
today that two Turkish army corps
which were on their way to reinforce
the garrison at Erzerum turned back
when they learned that the fortress
of this report, the Turks in eastern
Armenia have lost the prospect Of i'm
portant help in extricating themselves
from what appears to be their perilous
position.
Unoficial accounts of the Russian
movements record an advance both to
the south and to the north, in the
former direction toward Diarbekr and
the Bakdad railway fifty miles beyond
and in the latter in an effort to cut of
the retreat of the Turkish forces which
have been operating along the Black
sea coast. 49,.
Nearing Turk Seaport.
Petrograd dispatches indicate that
definite results are earliest expected
from the movement to the north,
where another Russian force is work
ing along the Black sea coast in the
direction of Trebizond, toward which
the Russian forces from Erzerum alsc
are pushing.
Far reaching results would follow
the success Of the Russian thrust to.
wards the south, it would appear, as
the cutting of the Bagdad railway
would sever communication with
Syria and point to the possibility Of
close cooperation with the British
down the Tlgris from Bagdad in oper-
ations for the taking of that city.
Germans on Offensive.
The Germans are carrying on a
vigorous offensive movement againCt
the British and French along the
User canal in Belgium, and have
stormed $50 meters of position. The
Germans, however. were prevented
from crossing the canal. In The
Champagne district, between the
Meuse and the Moselle rivers, tho
French have bombarded successfully
German position
The Austro-H -Hungarians have report
ed the capture Of an Italian position
northeast of Durazzo. This is the first
indication that the Italians were oper-
ating so far north in Albania.
Four German seaplanes rafded the
east and southeast coast of England
yesterday and dropped bombs on
Lowestoft and Walmer. Three per.
sons were killed and one injured. The
raiders escaped.
Britons Repulsed.
Berlin declares today that British
hand grenade attack on the positions
on the canal recently taken by the
Germans was repulsed as was also
an attack along the Lens-Arras road.
The Official statement likewise re-
cords backward push for the Brit
ish south Of Loos, where they had
advanced to the edge ofsA German
mine crater
Aerial raids along the Franco-Bel-
gian front are reported by both sides.