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AGONY OF ITALY IN THE RETREAT

TERRORS OF TAGLIAMENTO

FLIGHT OP CIVILIANS

(Sydney "Sun" Special Correspondent.) London, November r>. The retreat from the Friulian Plains will be counted one- of the most intense moments of _ human _ agony. Civilians were quick in scenting the clanger. Enemy aeroplanes wero over them like hawks, swooping, bombing, terrorising. The roar of guns far exceeded anything they had heard before. Soldiers drifting back from the mountains, lirst singly, then ni large numbers, told excitedly of countless Germans. The Mayors of Udine and Cividale, chief cities of the plains, had reassuring proclamations posted on the walls, but these served only to clinch the civilians' determination.

They began to creep westwards on Friday, two days nfter the Germans had smashed the Italians' line. Moro than a week has passed, and they are still creeping on, yard by yard, with every road congested, and every track pounded into mud by thousands of l'eet. The rain was torrential, so heavy and hard that it seemed to do striking blows for the Austrians. A bitter and angry wind blow in the emigrants' faces.

Flight Changes to Panio. Above all the physical hardships— the weariness, hunger, chills, and wounds—was the most cutting of all human pains, that of a terrible dread. The Germans and Austrians travelled always quicker than the refugees. They drew steadily nearer. Motorcycle machine-gunners would elude the Italian cavalry, and shoot down a mixed line of soldiers, women, sr.d children. Aeroplanes camo in the spasms of calm weather, and dropped bombs. There were rumours and threats and sometimes shells. _ Towns and villages behind were burning. Ammunition dumps exploded like gigantic displays of fireworks. The ltiilims bad fired their stores, of food and clothing, and these burned with a low, smouldering haze. The crowds sometimes lost all sense of security, and scattered' madly. Vehicles were abandoned, and there were wild flights across country. As in air raids, the lawless instinct of people became uppermost. Anger, passion, and kar swayed them. ■ These last two days before the Gormans reached the Tagliamento wore like nothing seen in this war. Mr. Ward Price compares the scene to a Gustave Doro conception of the- Day j of Judgmont. There were women with children in their arms,, and others weeping because they had lost their babies in the confusion. There were fashionable women in fur cloaks, plodding along in thin shoes over the stony and muddy way. There wore scores of thousands of soldiers, walking wearily, as though nothing mattered—slogging on like patient pilgrime, dreading every halt becauso of the pain of starting, hating every step becauso-of sorely swollen feet. The white faces flitted by, like the foam of flooded rivers, and everywhere tho dominant note was ono of intenso travail.

A Moving Chaos. The vehicles were heaped with strange impedimenta. Little boys stuck obstinately.to little dogs. Dogs and even cats were to be seen perched on military wagons. In one caso a soldior, who seemed to have great difficulty in keeping his cloak around, his shoulder, was foiuid to be sholtoring a tiny puppyi Tho pastoralists had tried to bring their cows, and so confused was the military control that these cluttered the ' roads for many miles. Extraordinary contrasts were seon. Girls walked in woodon clogs, and held tight to little bags l,..kling what they— liko many Italians—prized dearly, thin, high-heeled boots.. People ato lavishly of what they had-brought, discarding tins of food—and later going hungry. At one villago Austrian aeroplanes swooped low and bombed the columns. At the same time from a small church near by a bevy of pretty young girls in wllite dresses camo out aftor their first Communion. >

People crossed the Tagliamento by the railway bridge, which has no floor, except that of sleepers and rails. Tho swollen river run menacingly beneath. Others crossed by a wooden hridgo built by Napoleon, when ho passed hero against Charles of Austria. A third bridge was the scene of an appalling incident, for the Anstriaus were close behind, and a column rushed it, and many fell into the stream beneath. Constantly tho cry would run down that the German cavalry had come, and senior Italian officers would h'ro their revolvers above the heads .of the peoplo to quieten them. There would be a check, but the seething mass of soldiers and civilians would press forward again, and agony would bo intense until the old creeping, halting gait was resumed.

Saving the Guns. The saving of tho British guns was a heroic feat. An Italian staff officer rode to the batteries and ordered that they should be destroyed if they could not be brought back. The men set to work gallantly to eave them. All these guns are of the heavy howitzer typo. Tractors were few. Accounts aro conflicting, but it seems that only one engine could be spared for tho 40 British guns. It pulled thorn to the road thrco at a time, and the last was still firing when the second last was removed, with nothing between it and the Austrians. The men yoked themselves to the guns, and throughout a four days' march of 40 miles were always helping the horses with them. They .had no sleep, and little food. Their wounded they tied to the guns, and their sick they had to leave. More than once a gun would slip into the ditch, and the men would have to fight for a clearing _of the crowds whilst they. with their last strength pulled it out. Tho Tagiiamento was crossed by the narrowest margin. The British Headquarters Staff was given a train, which was ono of tin last to leave TJdine. As it steamet from the station Austrian machine gun ners arrived and spattered it with bullets until an Italian rearguard scattered them. Sixty trains were still chokinj! the sidings about Udino, and apparent ly were lost: The Duke of Aosta saved the bull of his Carso army, but 60,000 laid dowi their arms before tho Tagliamento They were cut off by a- clever Gennar movement down the east bank, whicr joined tho Austrians advancing throngl: Gorizia. Of course, the Italians, hai suffered severely in morale. A brave but volatile people, illiterate, they hat to pay the price for the faithlessness ol a few. They could not recover. Tin mood of defeat was upon them. Many hundreds of thousands got across the Tagliamento, and there hat thrco days' respite beforo the Germans forced a' northorn passage. But thiiil* of what these Italian soldiers had no come. They had been through a nerve wracking o'rdeal, they had had two three, or four days' marching m bittci weather without sleep, and even without food; their clothes were destroyed they were without ammunition, one their personnel was confused and mix od. They wore troops needing a lortnight's complete rest and reorganisation, not lit for another heavy battle They had a- few guns and shells wen short. _ | _ ii| n

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19180110.2.62

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 91, 10 January 1918, Page 9

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,155

AGONY OF ITALY IN THE RETREAT Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 91, 10 January 1918, Page 9

AGONY OF ITALY IN THE RETREAT Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 91, 10 January 1918, Page 9

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