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Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2628, 25 November 1915, Page 4

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For over four months the Italians have been endeavouring to smash their way into Gorizia. Tho task has been one of enormous difficulty, but one after another tho carefully prepared and formidable defences of tho enemy havo been broken down, and now wo aro told that tho fall of the town is close at hand. With splendid dash, endurance, and determination the Italian, troops have driven the Austrians from one vantage point to another, until, towards the end of June, the enemy took their stand on tho line of hills which give Gorizia the character- of an entrenched camp. It is a natural fortress of vast strength, and all that military science can do to make it impregnable has been done. Some two moaww- ago tho wrr«po«ideat of. a London, gap^i. _ awwuftped

that the four chief bulwarks of the town—Monte san Michele, the Podgora, tho Pcvna, and the Sabotino— were in the grip of the Italian pincers, and the latest news states that the defenders of three of those positions have been almost wiped out. Tho great strategic importance of Gorizia has been demonstrated in many previous wars since the days when the Barbarians came into conflict with the military organisation of the Roman Empire. Many desperate battles took place in its vicinity during the Middle Ages, but never has there been a more stubborn or a more terrible struggle for its possession than that which is now proceeding. The- Italians are proving themselves masters of the art of mountain warfare under modern conditions. For several months before Italy decided to take an active part in the war, the Austrians had been perfecting their defences along the most probable lines of attack. Tho invaders have had to encounter the best modern artillery, mines, and wire entanglements—everything that the ingenuity of man could devise to block their progress. The Italians have had to drag their heavy guns up to the mountain tops,'and almost every step forward has been furiously contested. But the capture of Gorizia will be a substantial reward for their efforts. It will be well worth the gieat price that has been paid for it.

In what does 'thc_ value of Gorizia consist from a military point of view 1 In the first place it is an important railway centre, and railways play a very big part in modern warfare. . At Gorizia the Austrian frontier system is connected by two routes with the large seaport 'of Trieste. Gorizia is also the chief fortress on the eastern frontier, and its capture might enable Italy to strike a vital blow at her adversary. In his history of the war, Mr. Buchan tells us that General Cokdona, }n- planning his campaign, saw that the main line of advance must be towards Trieste, the Istrian Peninsula, and the ,woodcd hills of Styria, which sweep to Vienna, There Austria is most vulnerable. But the other , salient points on the border had also to be attacked, in order to keep the enemy busy and to prevonfc outflanks ing strategy. The principal blow, however, was directed against the Isonzo River (which encircles Gorizia) and the road to Trieste. It should always be borne in mipd that Italy's campaign is not' an isolated affair, but that it is an integral part of the whole strategy of. the war. The fall of Gorizia, for instance, would have" an _ important bearing uppn the operations in the Balkans.' It is well to remember this when we .are inclined to think that Italy ought to do more to help the Serbians. If the Italian army succeeds in breaking through at Gorizia', the onslaught on Serbia will have to be weakened, for Austria will have to deal with a serious danger nearer_ home. This would require the withdrawal of at least a portion of her trops now operating in the Balkans. A decisive Italian victory at the present critical juncture might even be sufficient to turn the tide against the Central Powers in the Near East. The Italian advance has lately been slow, but it has been sure, and after tho defences of Gorizia havo been battered down, big and more . rapid developments may bo looked for in this theatre of tho war. •