New-York tribune., 1917-07-22
Several Possibilities
of the Recent Ad-
vance on Rus.
sian Front
Copyright I917-The Tribune Association

| capturing kaluSz, about twenty miles wess
of Stanslau, and the headquarters Of the
Austrian army south of the Dniester.
When the Austrian army lost the line
of the Bystritza the question was imme-
diately posed whether it could retreat
and hold the Lomnica line. Like the
Bystritza River this stream rises In the
Carpathians and flows north, entering the
Dniester five or ten miles west OF the
Bystritza Either of these streams sup
plies a satisfactory line for extending the
Austro-G German position south Of the
Dniester to the Carpathians. But il the
Russians succeeded in passing both the
river crossings they would then have no
considerable natural obstacles in their
pathway all the way to Stryj, thirty miles
to the west, and if Stryj should fall the
fate of Lemberg would be sealed.
Early Russian Success
In the first dash of the Russians they
passed the Lomnica River and occupied
uNmber of towns west of the river, as well
as Halcz to the eastward; and from Halics
they passed to the north bank OF the
Dniester, west of the Gnila Lipa. In this
position they threatened the whole Gnila
Lipa line north OF the Dniester and the
whole Lomnica line south Of it. They IN
terposed a wedge between the two armies
of the Central Powers, and the position OF
each of these armies became dangerous.
Unless the Russians could now be checked
a general and sweeping change on the
Eastern front was imminent.
The taking of Kalusz was announced on
Saturday. On Sunday the Russians were
still pushing forward south Of Kalusz and
were clearing the eastern bank OF the
Lor1nica River and seizing the crossings.
But then there came a change. First
we had reports of heavy rain which
slowed down the Russian advance, and
later on Tuesday came the announcement
that the Germans had retaken the town OF
Kalusz and that the Russians had retired
behind the Lomnica line.
This is the situation which exists at the
moment these lines are written. II the
Austro- German counter offensive shall
now make good the line of the Lomnica,
| it is plain that the Russian offensive will
come to a dead halt, and that 1t will
amount to a considerable, but only local,
success. The Russian official statement
announces that more than $4,000 prisoners
and many guns have been taken since the
general offensive of July began. A con-
siderable strip of territory between
Bystritza and the Lomnica River has been
taken and a number of small towns have
likewise been occupied.
If the Drive Is Ended
But all this is of minor consequence X
the Russian drive is over. Then it will
remain true, as said last week, that the
moral rather than the military value of the
new Russian offensive will be the impor-
tant thing. We have now to wait and see
whether the Russians can bring up fresh
munitions and new reserves and renew the
attack south Of the Dniester or whether
they will now have to resign the offensive
for the time being. Before these lines
reach the reader the facts should be clear.
II the Russians are still held up east Of the
Lomnica it is fair to conclude that the
Russian offensive south of the Dniester
is over for the time being and that the
Germans have succeeded again, as they
succeeded along the Stokhod last year, in
beating down Russian drive which
threatened to dislocate the whole front
from the Pripet Marshes to the Carpa-
thans.
,Iar J,,ap ~
Russians west Of the Lomnica River will
compel the Austrians and the Germans
north of the Dniester to retire behind the
Gnila Lipa line. If this line is turned
there is no good defensive position east Of
Lemberg, and il seems inevitable that the
Austro- Germans will have TO evacuate the
capital of Galicia again; but it must be
remembered that such an evacution would
be the greatest moral disaster for the
Germans since Verdun. They are bound
to bend every nerve and energy TO avert
it, and unless they have reached the crack
ing point it is likely that their superior
lines of transportation and organization
will enable them to ward off the blow. Con-
ceivaby the Russians will now try else
where, as they struck at the Bystritza line
after they had been checked north Of the
Dniester in the first week Of July, but
much depends now on the domestic affairs
of Russia Above all, ii is again necessary
to advise against too great optimism and
too great hope so far as the Russian often.
sive is concerned. It has done more than
anybody had right to expect, but it has
not achieved decisive or more than .
local success so far, and it has not in any
degree approximated Brusiloff's success Of
last year, when he broke the Austrian line
in volhynia, near Olyka, and subsequently
captured Dubno and Lutsk and cama
within an ace Of capturing Kovel.