NEWS FROM THE AUSTRO-ITALIAN FRONT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2773, 17 May 1916, Page 5

NEWS FROM THE AUSTRO-ITALIAN FRONT

ENEMY APPREHENDS A SUDDEN ADVANCE. (Kcc. May 16, 10.35 p.m.) Roma, May 18. The Austrians have ordered all civilians to ovacualo Trent, where they hare concentrated 300,000 troops, fearing a sudden advance by the TMiana.

SUCCESSFUL COUP-DE-MAIN BY THE FRENCH GERMANS DRIVEN FROM FRONT LINE TRENCHES ARTILLERY ACTIVE IN CHAMPAGNE REGION The High Commissioner reports: London, May 13, 4.15 p.m. "South of the Sommc, near Vei'mandovillcrs, the French executed ;* coup-do-main, which permitted them to drive the Germans from their front-lino trenches. "In the Champagne region there is artillery activity in the sectors 'Ot Maison de Champaguo and Butte do Mesiiil." London, May 16, 1.15 p.m. A British official report states: "On Sunday and during the night there was considerable activity on our front." A French official report states: "On Monday morning the enomy's bombardment in the region of Mesnil and Maison do Champagne was followed by several feeble attacks, all of which were either stopped by our curtain of fire or repulsed by our counter-attacks. "In the region of Verdun there was an intermittent bombardment of our first and second lines west of the Meuso. . "On the heights of tho Meuso a sudden attack prepared by our artillery was fully successful. .Wo cleared the enemy's tre'nehes on. cur front for a leu"th of 200 metres.". ° TRENCH RAIDERS PROMPTLY EJECTED. (Rec. May 16, 9.50 p.m.) By Telegraph—Press Association-Oopyright - • S ir Douglas Haig reports: "There has beeu considerable acttrifr durfL^ha ■ night between lx,os and the La Bassee Canal. Raiders our es S but were speedily expelled;.they also exploded a mine and seized he crate but'after th 6 h crate?» bardmCnt ° Ur tK ™ h M ™ WB attFcfed ' «SttS ift GERMAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE, By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright i n ■ , , «mi . / Amsterdam, Muv 15.s s attempt * reca » ture *«*«• at TEE PUZZLE OF GERMAN STRATEGY . CRITICS GUESSING AT THE 'NEXT MOVE. ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) (Rec. May IG, 5.15 p.m.) •a •,• i •i • ;. L ~ . London, May 15. ■ A critical period in our military operations is now arriving. The German plans tor the year are still obscure. That they have renewed their great attacks' on Verdun has surprised most critics, who are unable to divine the object. Two distinct schools of military opinion on this question hav* been formed in Britain audi-ranee. The first considers that Germany is finding tho Verdun offensive fruitful ot results, because they are bleeding France and preventing the Allies from taking thei offensive, while concealing their plans for an offensive elsewhere Tho critics of tins school point out that the Gorman High Command lias been economical oi life at Verdun, having co-ordinated their artillery preparation and infantry advances with extreme cleverness. Tho French admit heavy losses, while the German losses have not been excessive. If the Germans shortly take the offensive at Riga or in South Russia, that will indicate that she has not yet reached tho limit of her strength. ° The other school of opinion claims that the Verdun offensive is a political move, and that all political battles are ccstly mistakes. M. Marcel Hutin, in the "Echo de Paris," says: "At the beginning of February the Germans prepared four big offensives. They surprised us at Verdun wheretheir preliminary successes and their easy entry into Fort Douaumont convinced them that the. fortress was within their grasp. The Crown Prince brought up all his and material from the other sectors, where German offensives had been prepared, but the restoration of our front by Generals Castelnau and Petam upset the enemy s colossal plan. Wo continue to take heavv toll of Germany s finest legions." ' The eminent Russian critic, Colonel Sliumsky, writing to tho Paris "Journal" expressing the Russian view, states that Germany did not hope to break through on the Western front, but expected to throttlo the Allies' Western offensive while von Hmdcnburg lunged against Russia. Tho result has been exactly the opposite Germany has Become so entangled on the Western front that she has been unable to dispatch reinforcements for the realisation of her grand projects in Russia and the Balkans. The Verdun failure has dislocated Germany strategy, and this has been equally as important as tho results of the Battle of tho Marne."