OCR Text |
Show TRAP AGAIN SET FOR MUSCOVITES GERMANS HAVE SUCCEEDED IN ALMOST ENTIRELY SURROUNDING SURROUND-ING PARTOF RUSSIAN ARMY. Vilna is Taken by German Forces and Russians Must Fight Their Way Out Eastward or Retire in a Southeasterly Direction. The Germans have oecupietl Vilna, according to advices reaching London, Lon-don, anil, by a wide-sweepinK movement move-ment to the north of that city, have succeeded in almost entirely surTOiinif-ing surTOiinif-ing a portion of the Russian army, which is fighting in the railway triangle tri-angle between Viln, Lida and Vileika. At any rate, the Russian forces in this district either must light their way out eastward or retire in a southeasterly south-easterly direction, for the only railway rail-way left entirely in their hands is that which runs from Vilna to Lida, and thence to Baranovitchi. The army of Field Marshal von Hin-denburg, Hin-denburg, which' took Vilna and has reached Vileika, to the east of Vilna, is working in close co-operation witli that of Archduke Leopold of Bavaria in an effort to catcli a part of the Russian army, an operation which lias been so often tried without success since the Austro-Germans commenced their drive in western Galicia in early May. The Russians express confidence in the outcome of the battle, but witli their northern armies held closely along the Dvina and the German flank well protected by their cavalry, which recently occupied Widsy, across the Vilna-Petrograd railway, it seems impossible im-possible that any aid can come to them from that direction. The situation in the Balkans and at the Dardanelles has reached a crisis. Czar Ferdinand of Bulgaria and the king of Roumania are reported to be holding a conference at a place on the Danube, the location of which is kept secret. It is believed that this conference will decide the action of the Balkan powers. The chief interest inter-est lies in the fact that the action of the Balkan league will decide the all-Important all-Important Dardanelles campaign. Both the GermanS and the French claim minor victories on the western front, but neither there, in the Italian Ital-ian theatre, nor in the Dardanelles have any events of great moment been reported recently. |