New-York tribune., 1918-02-22
Mtr,sk and Rovno
Fall in Ur1resisted
Drive of Germans

LONDON, Feb. 21- Overrunning
helpless Russia in an unresisted drive.
German troops have invaded Esth MA
ccptured Minsk and Rovno and at every
pom on front of more than 400 miles
are continuing the advance
It was announced in Berlin to-day
that a general commanding an army,
425 officers and $500 men had been
taken, besides 1853 guns, four to five
tn usand motor cars, 900 railway cars
(many laden with food, airplanes and
vast stores of supplies.
The speed with which the enemy is
moving may be seen from the capture
Of Mnsk, city of 10000. 46s miles
southwest of Moscow, announced in the
supplementary war statement given
out at Berlin this evening Minsk is
about fifty miles from the former bat
tleline. This distance has been Gov
cred in only thrc days, operations hav-
ing begun at the conclusion of the
armisticc last Monday at noon.
Finland also has come into the Ger
man field OF operations. Four boatloads
OF Finnish soldiers who had served III
the German army and German volun-
teers have arrived az Nasa, on the west
coast to lead the campaign against the
Bolshevik Red Guards.
General Won Eichhorn commands the
northern half of the advance into Rus
sia and General Won Linsingen the
southern.
Crossed Oh the Ice
At the northern end Of the line. Ber-
i'm announces, regiments crossed Moon
Island Sound on the ice from the Moon
Islands. captured last fall, and took the
town OF Leal. They are in position
Tor a rapid advance on Petrograd by
way OF Hapsal and the coast railway.
In Llvonla one column is proceeding
along the coast and has passed PERM
gal and Lemzal. Another has captured
Wenden, iittyiive miles northeast Of
Riga. and now stands before Wolmar.
fifteen miles further on. Feeble re
slstance was made near the coast and
as a result 500 prisoners and twenty
guns were taken there
Between Dvinsk and Pinsk the Ger
man cavalry is riding east fast. seizinr
important railway and highway juno
tions. The German official statement
does not bother with the details. prob
ably because the towns and villages
taken are numbered by The hundred.
From the phrase used Of the taking
of Rovno, that it had been Cleared OF
the Russians some resistance is TO be
inferred. but this seems TO have been
quickly overcome. The great Russian
fortress triangle in Nolhynia. Lutsk
DubnC-Rovno. is now COMPLETELY in en-
envy hands for the first time in the war
Advance on Pskof
German troops. having occupied
Dvinsk. are advancing toward Pskofr,
lS0 miles south. southwest of Petro-
grad. according to a Reuter- dispatch
from Petrograd. They also have occu-
pied Hapsal, Esthonia, and their cavalry
IS pushing toward Mohilev. the formeA
Russian General Headquarters
The NOVA Niedomsky," the dispatch
adds. says the Germans have occupied
Molodeohno. an important railway
junction northwest of Minsk
An Associated Press dispatch from
Petrograd, dated Wednesday, says:
German airmen are reported to have
raided Regitsa on Monday. Many bombs
were dropped and several persons were
killed The raiders disappeared toward
Dvinsk
Just TWO hours after the armistice
ended German troops entered Dvinsk.
the dispatch says. 1t was O'Clock on
the afternoon of February Is that Ger
man patrols neXpectedly anpcare1
GROUND the city and seized the reilsrs
stations aud other central points. c.5
small sRirmishes with fleeing soidie,
took place. The Red Guards oteysd n