The Washington herald., 1918-02-21
Naval Action In Baltic Com
bmed with Landing of
Finnish Battalion.
GEN. Won HOFFMAN
LEADS HUN FORCES
Reports from Petrograd Say
Indemnity Figures Have
Been Reduced.
Special Cable 10 The Warrington
Herald and New York Tribune.

Special Gable 10 The Warrington
Herald and New York Tribune.
London, Feb. 2o.-Thc Tribune's
Stockholm correspondent states
that the Germans arc preparing
to land Finnish battalion Of the
German army, which will be CON-
bined with naval action in ,llc
Baltic.
They also intend TO occupy tic
whole of Livonia and Esthonia.
Now or never is the time fer
Bolshevism TO be wiped on tic
face of the earth," is the watch
word OF Germany's miii;ari,i,'
diplomacy which has been subor-
dinated to the policy OF blood
and iron. The generals are 10
act. The diplomats are to do III.
explaining TO the people at home
and to the world.
Pose as Crusadcrs.
Posing as a crusader bent upon 'Ss--
ing Europe from Anarchy" Germany
is pushing her new war in the East
with all might and speed. Two strong
armies are pushing ohead reIentlessly.
one against Petrograd. the other on
kseE
Early today the Northern one la
advanced twelve and one-haIf Tniles.
When it got to InEeen1. thirty-se.en
miles north Of Riga. there occurred
the first clash with the Eolshcyls.
The latter's resistance v2s fecbio,
Berlin says. and was easily overcome.
At the same time the southern arr-1v
which started out from Ecvel. end
took Lutzk yesterday. is approaching
| Rovno, the eastern corner OF 49,
Volhynian fortress triangle. Tr.Urg
Lutzk and Dubno being the two other.
In all his onslaughts during thrya
years OF war Hindenberg was never
able to pierce the Russian forces pro-
tecting Rovno.
| The present march is like an cNc-rr-
sion. Like LutzE Rovna is expected
10 fall without a canons shot. TEa
distance between the two Bulwarl;s -
forty miles. Some 200 miles further to
the East from Rovno lies I[iev the
ultimate objective OF this army. which
is Fastening to the help OF the hard
pressed Ukranians.
Announce Captures.
Two thousand prisoners. several
hundred machine guns. and much
rolling stock were enumerated by
the Berlin war office today as tho
|. captures so far.
All dealings with the Bolshcviki
now are in the hands OF Gen. Won
Hoffman, at Dwinsk. He was the
military member Of the German dr1-
egation at Brest Litovsk. who gam
ed such notoriety with his Jabi,-
banging speeches.
, The first thing he did was TO send
curt message TO PetrOgrad in
forming Lenine and Trotzky that
their wireless message OF yesterday
declaring their willingness To sue
for peace meant nothing 10 him or to
/ Germany. The only way to con-
vince him. he said, was 20 send to
him Immediately that same message
in writing with authenticated sig
natures affixed.
Tive Armies Race.
The so far still unconhrmod story
from Petrograd is that Lenine and
Trotzky wired back that they would
do this and requested a prompt re-
ply. Meanwhile the two invading
armies are racing against any COM
promise.
Hoffman,. the fre-ester. who like
the rest OF military commanders
hate and abhor Bolshevikism. be-
cause TO them il means the death OF
organization which is their universe.
threatened at Brest Litovsk that II
the peace parleys were broken OF
within a week we will be in Ra-
val" That threat he now means to
make good, even IL no supporting
naval drive is undertaken, which
would reach the Russian Baltic
stronghold in a few hours.
Meanwhile Won Kuehlmaun, the
foreign minister. has begun the
process Of explaining. we will sec
what effect the new military plans
will have toward Russia" he said
in his address TO the ReichstsE
main committee. Germany" he
loeclareo, VIII not allOw flnlanG.
Lithuania and the Ukraine to be
r ruined by Bolsheviki eNcesses."
Just before the new drive was
started Prince Leopold Of Bavaria.
the commander-in-chiefi in the east,
sent an address TO all his troops
eNplaininE the crusade" in a simi-
lar manner.
No AnnexatIons-
= we want no annexations or con-
. ltributions," il read. but restoration
OF order. Russia is the center OF
; anarchy."
Petrograd dispatches today stated
that Germany had cut down her
' loriginal demand for a $1,000. .0O0. .00e
: Indemnity from the Bolsheviki to
! Is1, SOC, ,000. 900.
German papers lay stress, as did
iaIso Won Kuehlmann in his speech.
? upon the Imperative necessity to
: Irespond TO the Ukrsine's appeal fet
) hsln'