Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-09-04
ABANDONED
RIGA FALLS
T0.TEuT0NS
Great Port and Arsenal,
Gateway To Petrograd, Is
Evacuated BY Russians
As Germans Close In
From All Sides.
LAND, SEA AND AIR
ATTACKS COMBINE

ATTACKS COMBINE
Petrograd, Sept. s.-The Russians
have abandoned Riga. the war Office
announces.
The statement says an order has
the Riga region on account OF the
threatening situation.
Some Russian detachments volun.
tarily left their positions. the war Of
flee reports and are retiring towards
the north.
MENAcED ON ALL SIDES.
The fate Of Riga virtually was seal
ed Saturday when German troops.
powerfully initiating their Offensive,
forced crossing of the Dvina south.
east of the city and began to push
northward after making good their
foothold on the right bank of the
stream.
Menaced also by the attack OF col.
umn Ut Teutonic forces moving from
Mitau, southwest of Riga and by the
German naval forces recently report
ed lowering in the vicinity Of the Gulf
OF Riga, the Russian military author
tiles evidently considered the city no
longer tenable and decided to evac.
uate it.
GREAT STRATEGIC VICTORY.
The possible ultimate military con-
sequences of this development ara
difficult to estimate The right flank
OF the entire Russian western front
was anchored on the Gulf of Riga at
a point to the west of the city and
with this anchorage apparently lost
the possible strategical developments
of the situation seem infinite.
! Much depends on the purpose Of
the Germans and the; size Of the
forces at their disposal for operations~
In this war theater 1t is too early
| yet for it to be made apparent
whether they will be content at pres
| ent with the occupation of the Baltic
sea port the Russians have left to
them, or if the advantage is to be
pushed and an attempt made to swing
back the entire Russian line on this
front, creating an opening for an
operation by land and water with
Petrograd as the objective.
FOUNDED BY GERMANS.
Riga. the ca pital of the government
of Livonia. had population Of more
than 100000 persons before the wa'
and aside from Petrograd was ths
most important Russian commercial
and industrial town having access to
the Baltic 1t is situated al the south.
ern extremity of the Gulf of Riga.
lying at the point where the Dvina
empties into the gulf The port is
!, ice bound during virtually one-third
of the year
1t had a very large German popula.
tion before the opening OF hostilities
and it is interesting to note that 1t
was founded in 115S by German mer'
chants as store house. the city pass.
ing through the control Of various
northern nationalittes during the cen
turtles until finally in 1721 it was in
corporated with the Russian empire
Its commercial standing is indicated
by the fact that it was the third sea
port Of Russia. only Petrograd and
Odessa exceeding It in Importance.
RESULT OF REVOLUTION.
The Germans long have had theii
eyes upon Riga and at the close Of the
great campaign of 1915, when Poland
was overrun and large sections Of
Russian soil erupted by the Teutonio
forces an effort was made by Field
Marshal Won Hindenburg to break the
line Of the Dvfna between Riga and
Dvinsk. 10 miles to the southeast.
The Russians at that time. however.
were able to hold their grip on the
line. being aided by the advent Of
winter. During last year no serious
offensive was undertaken by the Ger.
mans on the northern front, their en-
ergies in the eastern war theatre be
ing directed elsewhere in resisting
the Brussiloff offensive and in the
Rumanian campaign.
Ever since the Russian revolution
with its disorganizing effects upon the
Russian armies made the military
situation more favorable to the Ger.
mans, there have been hints that a
descent was to be made upon the
Russian northern front and several
alarms have been sounded in Petro'
grad that such an eventuality was