e west of the
Upper Vistula the army of General von Woyrsch had met resistance from
the Russians behind the Ilzanka after the Russian defeat on July 13,
1915, that, however, Silesian Landwehr on the 18th had captured the
Russian defenses at Ciepilovo by storm, and that the Russian line at
Kasonow and Barenow was beginning to yield. The army of General von
Gallwitz had now taken up positions along the whole Narew line from
southwest of Ostrolenka to Novo Georgievsk. The Russians, however, as
already indicated, were still holding fortified places and bridgeheads
on the right bank of the river. In this sector the number of prisoners
taken by the Germans had risen to 101 officers and 28,760 men.

In the sector next adjoining, passing onward around the enveloping
lines, that lying between the Pissa and the Szkwa, the Russians
likewise had retreated until they stood directly on the Narew. Here
the Slavs had been favored by forests and swampy land which made
pursuit difficult.

At the extreme left end of the German line a magnificent success had
been achieved in the occupation of Tukkum and Windau. This capture
brought the Germans to within fifty miles of Riga, seat of the
governor general of the Baltic provinces. They were, however, destined
not to make any substantial progress in the direction of that city for
many months to come.

Blow fell upon blow. The question "Can Warsaw be held?" began to
receive doubtful answers in the allied capitals. The colossal
coordinate movement of the Teutonic forces in these July days had
received so little check from the Russian resistance that the British
press had begun to discount the fall of the Polish capital. Shortness
of ammunition and artillery was ascribed as the cause of Russia's
failure to make a successful stand against the onrushing Teutons.

On July 20, 1915, Berlin announced the capture of those fortifications of
Ostrolenka lying on the northwest bank of the Narew River. This was one
of the strong places designed to protect the Warsaw-Grodno-Petrograd
railway. The threatened fall was highly significant. To the south of the
Vistula the Teuton troops had advanced to the Blonie-Grojec lines. Blonie
is some seventeen miles west of Warsaw and Grojec twenty-six miles south
of the city.

Farther eastward and to the south troops of the army of General von
Woyrsch had completely turned the enemy out of the Ilzanka positions,
having repulsed the counterattacks of the Russian reser