Russians stand

German check in the North

THERE appears to be good reason to believe that the work of the organisation which has been going on for in Russia for the past few months is now bearing fruit, and that reinforcements in men and material are already reaching the fighting lines.

The “black-eye beauties” of Warsaw are reported by German officers to have thrown roses from the balconies to the German soldiers marching through the streets below (although no roses grow in Warsaw and flowers of any kind are exceedingly rare but elsewhere thorns replace petals and blood is flowing like a river.

Progress has been made but at a cost which would make Berlin quake were the truth revealed.

It is evident, that the Russians are now making a firm stand on the extreme North of their line, that Hindenburg’s great movement is for the present held up, and that, though Dvinsk is being evacuated by the civilian population, at this bend of the front west of the town named the Russians have taken a counter-offensive which has resulted in the enemy being pushed back.

At Kovno, as we have already learned, they received terrible punishment, their desperate attacks being repulsed with great slaughter while a sally from the garrison resulted in three German battalions being almost completely wiped out.

A Petrograd message to hand this morning speaks of the “unprecedented haste” the Germans are showing in their operations against Kovno. “Evidently,” says the telegram, “they hoped to pierce the Russian lines and debouched on the flanks of our basic defensive positions before our armies had time to go north to regroup but from their very haste, coupled with the striking energy and activity which the Russians are now displaying between the Niemen and the Dvine, it is permissible to infer that our forces have already reached the northern front.

“The reduction of Kovno is indispensable to the enemy because it bars the path eastward from the Niemen and prevents his occupation of both banks of the river. Every institute is precious and, therefore, instead of subjecting the fortress to a prolonged preparatory bombardment, the Germans confined themselves before attempting to storm the fortifications to a hurricane fire lasting for several hours.

The annihilation of three battalions is but a foretaste of the colossal sacrifices which the Germans must be prepared to endure before they gained their object.

“It is suggested that the enemy is now retreating in the direction of Ponieviesh, in order to take up stronger defensive positions or else is contemplating a re-grouping and the arrival of reinforcements before resuming his offensive operations.”

The enemy reports no change in Courland, but claims to have repulsed “an attack commenced by the enemy with strong forces” in the Dvina section.

Between the Narew (Naref) and the Bug the reinforced Russians are offering a vigorous resistance but the Germans claim to be still advancing in this zone, Zambrovo; 30 miles east of Ostrolenka, being stormed. On the Vistula front, Lukov (South of Siedice, and 60 miles south-East of Warsaw) had been occupied while further to the south-East Von Mackenson as reported to have made further progress in the direction of Brest-Litovsk.