The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1920-09-10
B0LSHEvIKI MAKE
STAND AT CR0DN0
Decisive Battle Extending Over a
1O0-MiIe Front to Brest-
Litovsk Is Expected.
TR0TzKY TAKES COMMAND.
Russian Reds Safely Interned In Prus-
sia Turn Their Guns Against Poles.
France Urges Poles to Gain
Strategic Advantages.

Paris.-The BolSheviki are making
a desperate stand at Grodno, accord
ing to statement of the foreign min
istry here. The statement adds that
all available Bolshevist troops are be-
ing concentrated at Grodno, and a
great battle is expected soon, extend
ing from that place to Brest-Litovsk.
[From Grodno to Brest-Litoysk is
somewhat more than 100 miles.l
The foreign ministry announced
that France had counseled Poland to
attain the best strategical military po-
sition possible until peace should be
signed, regardless of her ethnograph-
ical frontier, because the military situ-
alton would influence the peace terms.
It was added. however, that France
had advised Poland to withdraw her
armies within the Polish frontier at
the signing Of peace.
Eighty thousand Russian Soviet SOL
diers have been captured in Poland.
10000 killed and 10000 interned in
East Prussia, according to the latest
report received from the French mis-
sion in Poland.
The Poles continue to advance along
the East Prussian frontier. Notwith-
standing all their efforts, the Red
command has failed to install in the
Bolshevist troops enough courage or
energy to resist the Poles, who, after
a few hours Of almost desultory fight
ing, took possession of the Ossovetz
forts, opened a passage across the
Bobr marshes and reached the Angus
towo Lakes east of the East Prussian
frontier, thus gaining command OF the
whole Of the southern side Of that
frontier as far as Augustowo.
The Reds. driven back on the line
of Augustowo-Grodno, are in a good
defensive position, on account Of the
forests and marshes which cover It..
Consequently it is difficult for the
Poles to attack frontally, owing to the
nature of the ground and the fact that
the fianks of the enemy rest on the
west on the German frontier and on
the east on the Niemen River. The
region with the object Of stopping the
Poles from extending their line east
ward. For this purpose the Angus
towo-Gredno line constitutes flank
position so highly extolled by the late
Karl Won Clause Witt, the German
master of theoretical warfare.
This danger is not considered q
serious one in military circles here,
where it is said that to be Of any use
a flank position must serve as base
for an offensive. The military observ-
ers assert that 1t Is hard to see with
what success the Soviet forces could
be formed for mass manoeuvre.
They say that the Bolsheviki at pres
ent 1have available 10000 to 10000 men
who escaped from the battle of War
saw, but that little can be expected
from the interior of Russia. where
mutinies are already reported among
the troops ordered to the front.
Bolshevist batteries stationed on
German soil have fred upon Polish
troops, says Polish official commu-
nique. The text Of the statement fol-
lows:
On the northern front, in the sec
tors occupied by the First and Fifth
Armies, the situation is unchanged.
During the process of cleaning up
the territory between Mlawa and
Ciechanow, we made 5000 prisoners
stragglers from remnants of the Boil
shevist troops.
Trotzky Assumes Army Command.
Warsaw.-General Tuchatschewski,
known as the Soviet Napoleon" has
been relieved of his post as commander
in chief of the Bolshevist army on
the Polish front because of his failure
to take Warsaw, according to informa-
tion given to the press here. Leon
Trotzky, BolsheviSt minister of war
and marine, has personally taken
command of the army. it is reported
by Bolshevist officers who have been
captured.