Clever retreat

Vilna army out of danger?

THERE is considerable division of opinion as to whether the Vilna group of the Russian armies has successfully extricated itself from the encircling movement described yesterday.

In fact, the whole general position is again somewhat opaque and the more cautious observers will await further developments before forming definite opinions, a premature expression of views being likely to show how much easier it is to be wise after the event.

The average newspaper reader, for whose benefit and convenience these daily attempts to review the situation are made, is apt to dwell gleefully on errors and miscalculations, however late actual knowledge comes either to him or anybody else, and this form of “gratitude” does not encourage anything in the nature of forecast.

That is why, on so many occasions of late, the views of well-known military writers have been quoted here to show that in anticipating movements, sometimes correctly, sometimes incorrectly, the writer has afterward been proved to have sinned or scored in excellent company.

The newspapers, it cannot be too often repeated, have little or no more actual knowledge than the general public and that when special information come their way, more often than not its publication is precluded, and even surmises based upon it forbidden.

Occasionally, perhaps as expression of opinion is coloured by inside intelligence, but generally speaking, dependence is placed upon official reports and the later telegrams and the endeavour then being to present an accurate summary as possible of the positions thus revealed.

This morning we have the German claim that “the attack against the enemy retreating from the district of Vilna is proceeding” and that, “further south,” the German troops “pursuing the retreating enemy have reached the line Miedniki Lida Soliane” (on the Niemen).

Miedniki is about 15 miles south east of Vilna and it will be noticed that no claim is made as to prisoners, the inference of course being that Von Hindenburg has again failed to trap the Russians who have apparently made a rapid and (in the circumstances) very clever withdrawal.

There is the possibility, however, that we have by no means the whole of the story yet.

As a matter of fact it is only by reading in between the lines of the Petrograd report that we conclude Vilna is really in the hands of the enemy.

If he has also actually reached Lida he has achieved a great success and further news will be awaited with some anxiety.

Probably as one authority points out, the greatest danger to the Russian armies is to be found in Hindenburg’s masses before Dvinsk in that great force which operating on the left of Leopold of Bavarias army and in harmony with the old gentleman’s nine corps is pressing northward and eastward.

Riga is still the objective and though the taking of Vilna does not endanger the Riga line the same could not be said of a success against Dvinsk.

The fate of a large body of men is, of course, involved in the Vilna retreat but as has been pointed out, there is no direct evidence either from friendly or hostile sources, that this force is in immediate peril.