d was covered
almost entirely with dense forests. In the center of these there are
located extensive swamps known as the Tirul Marshes, and smaller
stretches of swamp lands are also found in various other sections of
these woods.

With the exception of the Mitau-Riga railroad there are only two means
of approaching Riga, a fairly good road that leads along Lake Babit
from the Aa to Riga, and another that runs from Gross Eckau on the
Eckau River through the woods by way of Kekkau to Riga and in its
northern part parallels the Dvina. The latter stream widens
considerably about ten or fifteen miles above Riga and forms many
small islands, the largest of which is Dalen Island, just to the north
of Kekkau. Separating it from the mainland is only a comparatively
narrow arm of the Dvina. The northern tip of the island is solid,
somewhat elevated ground, and commands the eastern main arm of the
Dvina as well as its eastern bank. If the Germans could gain this
island their chances of reaching Riga from the south would be many
times increased. An attack in that direction had nothing to fear from
a flanking movement on the part of the Russians, because the latter
would be prevented from getting at their advancing enemy either from
the west or northwest by the impassable Tirul Marshes.

On October 16, 1915, the Germans decided to attempt this maneuver and
made a rather unexpected attack east of Mitau and north of Eckau and
forced the Russians back of the Misse River, an eastern tributary of
the River Aa, near Basui, on which occasion they claimed to have
captured over 10,000 men. Some more ground was gained in that
neighborhood during the next three days.

Immediately the Russians retaliated by an equally unexpected naval
operation far to the north, at the western entrance to the Gulf of
Riga. A Russian fleet appeared there and bombarded the ports of
Domesnaes and Gipken. Detachments were landed. Although they destroyed
some of the fortifications that had been erected there by the Germans
and scattered the small forces which the Germans had there, they
withdrew within a few days. This operation had practically no
influence on the further developments along the balance of the front,
except that, threatening as it was for the time being to the German
rear, it resulted in a temporary reduction of the pressure that the
Germans were trying to exert from the south.

One other attempt to reach Riga before the coming of winter was mad