THE VICTOR OF GORIZIA

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2854, 19 August 1916, Page 13

THE VICTOR OF GORIZIA

—__$. LUIGI CADORNA SKETCH OF THE ITALIAN GENERALISSIMO In a long and enthusiastic article in tho "Corriere della Sera" of Milan Signor Luigi Baraini sketches the chief commander of tho Italian Army: "The great spirit of General Luigi Cadorna is really tho moral fulcrum of our army. His person, bony but. square of build, solid, full of vigour that seems to belio his age,, quickly reveals his energy and simplicity. None of the trappings of pomp supports his prestige. One who 'has never seen Cadorna and who enters his office for tho first time, has no conception of tho modest appearance of the old gentleman soldier.who awaits "him, erect, dressed in the rough uniform of tho field, on which glistens the insignia of his rank. The frank cordiality of his salutation, his courteous gesture of invitation, his open smile, the bright expression of his proud, thin," tormented, genial face immediately' dispel tho slight disquietude of one who approaches a personage in power, which is perhaps merely a putting' one's self on guard. And before speaking you havo a certain ineffable sense of confidence that opens the way to your fullest sincerity. "His thick moustache is white, his sparse, straight hair rises from a forehead lined by thought, his whole face has tho wrinkles that the cares of life print, but a verdant youth looks out of Ins clear eyes. They flash, they laugh, those eyes of his, and from them shines the freshness of a spirit that is unalterable because it- is-perhaps, the' freshness of ,a whole soldierly race descended, to him with an atavistic confidence in war. Be is not, like Joffre, -a silent-man, but he is not one who wastes "words. He economises them liko, ammunition'; he saves them up to attain an object, to which they go straight as ' a cannon shot. Often he is silent for -a long time, and seems 'distraught,- but ho is listening; and if, in the conversation'thero Comes up an error to bo destroyed or a'truth to be demonstrated, then he will .let go a sentence. It is a blaze of ideas, a brief gust, but tho whole web of conjectures, of ratiocinations and of hypothese that had been spun about him is broken and thrown into disorder, tho truth appears. For Cadorna has made of common sense tho fundamental law of his thought. "The art of .warfare," ho lias written, "should inspire itself from pure and simple common' sense." In this maxim is'the whole science of life.

Cadorna. understood that ' to' wait meant getting a trench war in our own country; lie felt the absolute necessity of using every disposable means at onco for a bold attack, even if a- dangerous one—both to carry the struggle out. of Italy at one blow and to push tlio front out and have its roots enter as deeply as possible, correcting tlio most dangerous weaknesses of tho frontiers, taking away from tho enemy tlio passes that threatened us the most. Ho made his demands, and when Cadorna demands he is inflexible, because he docs not {jet tlio strength of his reasoning from the consonsus of other men's opinion. He is sure. He has in himself all the elements of certainty. His will draws Rungs along just through the intuition that everyone las of bis logic. When lie does not'draw, lie overturns.

Thus the sparse covering troops wont outside their limits and littlo by little i became an army, they knit together durig tho offensive action, broadening out

gradually through the arrival of the mobilised forces that were corning from the arteries of tho country. It was a technical prodigy/ Behind the field ot military operations which are burning, tangible, there went on for. a long time an intense work of creation, of formation, of strengthening—obscure, vast, marvellous. Let us not forget that when Italy felt the need of its army there was no army. Political evils had reduced it to an appearance. In nine months it was called up out of nothing. During- that long vigil of waiting, while Europe was on fire, Cadorna improvised the work of decades with an activity that would seem superhuman if one were not acquainted with the iron calm of this man, who knows with preciseness and order what is to be done, and who knows it''without knowing fatigue. He deserves the name of tho Father of the Army. But even performing miracles, tho preparation could only be maintained by a constant effort equal to that demanded •by events. And necessity made even greater demands. Tho instrument of the struggle had to continue renow'mg itself right through tho struggle.- This work of Cadorna's, necessarily the least known, is not the least splcirdid. It was constantly and- urgently his task to face the peril .of disproportion be.tween his needs.and his means. All tho organisms were brought to the extreme of efficiency, were raised to the maximum of their yield, by a veritable' wave of energy and will, of enthusiasm and faith, that came down from tho General-in-Chief.