New-York tribune., 1918-03-14
Centre of Great Rus
sian Granaries Is Oc-
cupied by K.aiser's
Troops
Forms Link With
Teuton Railroads
Bolsheviki Held the
City; Had Beaten
OFF Ukrainians'
Attacks

British Admiralty. per Wireless PressI
BERLIN (via London), March 13.-
German troops have entered Odessa.
This official announcement was made
tonight.
Earlier in the day the War Office an
nounced that German and Austro- Hun
garian troops were before Odessa.
With Odessa in the hands of the. Gem
trail Powers the Black Sea for all prac
teal purposes becomes a German lake
and the open route to Persia and Al
ghanistan, which the semi-official Wolff
Bureau recently announced that Ger
many had obtained, changes from line
upon the map of Europe and Asia into
an actuality.
From Odessa to Batoum. the chief
eastern port of the Black Sea and one
OF the cities Russia was forced to dis
gorge to the Central Powers with the
whole southern section of Transcau-
casia, water communication is direct.
Thence the Transcaucasian railroad
carries to the Caspian Sea and picks
up on the other shore of this BODY of
water to skirt the northern border of
Afghanistan. way to Afghanistan
through Persia by way of it's capital,
Teheran, also lies open from Trans
caucasia. Northern Persia, since the
treaty negotiated by Sir Edward Grey.
has been in the zone of Russia's influ-
ence. Southern Persia has been in the
zone of British influence, and General
MarshalPs victorious armies in Meso-
potamia now flank the southern terri
tories of the Shah. The Ameer. of Af-
! ghanistan, which is the buffer state to
the northwest of India, has been friend.
]y to Great Britain throughout the
present war
Key City on Route to India
To the west Odessa connects directly
with Lcmberg, the chief rail centre of
Eastern Galicia, and so is tied up to
the German railroad system. The other
chief rail approach to Southern Russia
-klev-also is connected with Lem
berg and is likewise in the hands of
the Teutons. Aside from being one Of
the key cities on the northern route to
India, Odessa is the great port of the
southern Russian granary and nay
serve as the forwarding point for sup
plies passing up the Danube.
Activities of the Austro- German
armies campaigning in Southern Rus
sla have for the last fortnight been un-
known to the outside world, the news
OF their approach on Odessa being the
hrst intlmation that the lines had been
extended that far. though recently re-
ports from Berlin spoke of dispensing
armed bands in the direction of Odessa.
1t is remembered that in the pre-
lIminary peace pact signed between the
Central Powers and Rumania it was
specifically provided that the latter
country aid in the transportation of
Teuton troops through Moldavia and
Bessarabia to Odessa, thus making pos
slble the importation of supplies from
the Ukraine.
Odessa has 'long been boon and a.
the same time bane to Official Russia.
Mhlle it possesses all the advantages
of shipping centre, being located on
an ideal harbor Of the Black Sea and
is an important industrial city as well
as the pivot Of great grain country,
these advantages have been neutral
lzed by the fact that the only outlet
for cargo carriers to the commercial
world is through the Bosporus, the
Dardanelles and the Egean Sea, long
under Turkish control. 1t was this
warm water" outlet that was Russia's
announced goal in the war.
Is Great Grain Port
Odessa is perched on a slope COM
manding the Black Sea and is the
southern gate to the empire. 1t is
in the government Of Kherson, east of
the Dnieper Rivers mouth and 400
miles northeast of Constantinople.
Although it is the fourth city of the
nation, with a population of 620,155,
it is one of Russia's most modern
municipalities, having been founded as
recently as 1893 by Catherine II. One
third of the population is Jewish and
thousands of Germans are settled
there.
While the shipment of grain is
Odessa's chief business, it is an in
dustrial city of great activity, ex-
pending more than $4,000 900 yearly
for administrative purposes.
Being a prize worth while, Odessa
has been the object of attack by in
vaders on other occasions. In the
early days of it's life, the city was at
tackled by the Turks, and in 1854
French and British war vessels com
bined in bombardment that did
much damage. An effort by the Turks
to blockade the port in lS76-'77 failed.
An attack also was made on the port
by countrymen Of the inhabitants in
l905-'06. when the Black Sea feet
turned its guns on Odessa, killed many
persons and inflicted great property
damage. This attack was made for the
purpose of auelling the rioting and
anti-Semitic demonstrations which fol.
lowed the proclamation of constitu-
tion for the Russian Empire.
During the Balkan war of 19l2-.1o
the port was closed, and the most res