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Show RUSSIANS SEIZE STRONGHOLD BY FLANK ATTACK PBTROGRAD, Feb. 16, 5 p. m., via London. Feb. 17, 2:18 a. m. The fan of Erzerum, which had been confidently $ awaited since the news of the taking by the Russian forces of nine of the eighteen I ' forts guarding the gateway to Asia Minor, Is the cause of great elation In Petrograd. 0 Controlling the roads through Armenia, with access to Trebizond, Tabriz and Mesopotamia, the capture of Erzerum is t I calculated to have immense strategic lm- ' portance in the Russian campaign in the Si Caucasus. And It will indirectly affect 5 : the Balkan campaign by relieving the ' a pressure on the allies at Saloniki. 1 c The conviction entertained by all Rus-a Rus-a sian military observers, that Erzerum 1 - ultimately would be forced to capitulate. was based on the fact that the remaining t nine forts were of considerably less lm- j portance than those already In Russian i hands and could be readily flanked, or J even Ignored, in forcing the evacuation of k- the Turkish stronghold. Jfc The taking of the first fort Is believed if, to have destroyed the plan of defense, ifj- since the impregnability of Erzerum rest-ed rest-ed on the assumption of the German engineers who constructed the fortlflca-tlons fortlflca-tlons that the position was safe against n assault from the south. Ej In spite of the intense cold and deep f snow, the Russian troops took Kop moun- tain by storm and dealt the Turks the Mi first staggering blow. Having driven 2m them from this position, the Russian ar-JbJ ar-JbJ tlllery broke through and flanked the other positions, which went like a house .'tj of carde, the result of the Russian on-(r.pl on-(r.pl alaught exceeding all expectations. tc The Caucasian campaign derived great benefit from the Russian domination of the Biack sea, which enabled the army J to receive a plentiful supply of provisions and munitions. The number of men gar- rlsoning the Turkish position before the recent retreat of the Turkish army was estimated at 80.000. shots, the sailors asserted, and two men on the steamer were wounded by shrapnel. shrap-nel. The Napier, by Increasing her speed, escaped. |