ENEMY HELD EVERYWHERE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 232, 19 June 1918, Page 7

ENEMY HELD EVERYWHERE

DISASTROUS SEQUEL IN VIEW GERMAN TREACHERY IN RUSSIA A. NEW INVASION >' ' ' Tho news 'from the Italian front to-day is most encouraging. The 'Austrian advance. has been checked everywhere, the Italian line is strongly held, and the enemy is face to face with the acceptance of a costly defeat. It • is pointed out that the moral result of the Austrian failure, 'as it reacts on the seething elements qf revolt within the Dual Monarchy, will be ruinous indeed. There is a comparative lull in the West, except for.some lively local fighting on the Amorican frout, ili which tho oneray was repulsed. Tho German air reconnaissanco is reported to be very active over the British northern flank and also in 1 the French battle-zone. Tho Germans, in' defianco of their treaty agreements with the Russians, have openly flouted them, and are now conducting a new invasion. Japanese inter- , vention in Siberia seems to be nearer. AUSTRIAN OFFENSIVE BREAKS DOWN A COSILY FAILURE " ITALIAN FRONT STRONGLY HELD By Telegraph-Press ABBociation-Gopyrlght. x.- Sipor Orlando (the Italian Premier) reports that the tno Wave have been driven back with heavy losses.-Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn. BATTERING THEIR HEADS ON" THE WALLS OF THE BRENTA. ; m. , . . ; , London, Juno 17. Hr.r VII "'i 118 furiously renewed-the assault against the rocky -walls of the Brenta V alley, hoping; to force their way to Bassano, which was the first day's t he ' r ™ r8 ™ ln -, The onslaught at Monte Grappa was also ' SrV a standstill. The enemy s inhltration. across tho Piave followed the r luicWy, profiting by gas and smoke clouds; but our counter-attacks y - v, ? ban £ the" stream A battalion of the 96th Austrian Regiment orossed in boats on the.Molino-beger-Salettutol sector, making use of the islands m tho centre of the river. A second also' tried to cross, but ■ the Italian fire mowed down half of it in mid-stream, and nearly a thousand ■ survivors were captured—Aus,-N.Z. Cabje Assn. THE OFFICIAL REPORTS ORIGINAL' LINE RE-ESTABLISHED. i. -ad, (Rec. June IS, 7.(5 p.m.) ~ An Ita!ian official report states :-'Tollo\rins( upon Saturday's "heavy 6 losL 2h e " e . m Lv n . Sunda / i? to hindering with intense fixe ouV own and our Allies counter-offensive. The latter, however, were able to gain partial successes and rectify the lino at several points. Tho battle proceeded with ex treme violence along the, Piave The enemy, heedless of ontinued his lOT,? °I d ? T t0 his occupation of Montecclio, and thereby open the way to the plains. We strongly engaged the enemy on the Ciano-Mon- ■ i? An j re ? Iln S? ll ? lcl ? n S onr positions on the river between St. Andrea and fosMlto, and al» effectively opposing! tho advance before the bends of St Dona. We and our Allies have now taken 4500 prisoners, including 261 which tw?d^ ? -N.Z Cable A^n^uter: 05tile aCT ° plane3 bron * W in BRITISH-ITALIAN' REPORT. . . (Ecc. June 18, 7.45 p.m.) 1 fln/+h« r ini 6h " lt?lian °® C - a - 1 r T rt , artillery battteto died down +£ r+k y 1S I ' c ? r 3™. lsl "fr his forces after his severe defeat. Captured mans show that the enemy's objectives were most ambitious, and included the caS ° i j' t au a Cimadieronte. Our prisoners now total 71G, while tho hnntv includes four mountain guns, 43 machine -guns, and seven flame-throwers Con sidering tho seventy of the bombardment, and the intensity of the fiehtine our casualties are of the slightest. Our airmen on Saturday and Sundav dr™ n ,j .over 300 bombs and fired over. 25,000 rounds on troopfand Xh were attempting to cro3s the Piave. J, -Aus.-N.Z, Cablo Assn.-Reuter. 1 ' . AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL* REPORT. An Austrian official report states :-"We captured enemy positions "on Piave and astride the Oderzo-Treviso railway on a broad front -We f™Lsession of defensive works on the eastern ed/e of Montelloand nenetraM P fE high road. Prince Schomburg was wounded bv a shell (in MOO prisoners and captured fifty guns. oSXVittt'tiE BrS penetrated the enemy s third positions, and wo took fiOOO prisoners We nar ' j f ° Ur i galll !' ? nemy reca Ptured Eainiero Mountain east of . the Brenta, and forced us to evacuate a portion of the captured territory „ th beyen Communes. We captured Dossoalto, near Eiva »n T2 1 jCarento. in the Adamello region,"-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Heuter. 15,000 PRISONERS CLAIMED. N.Z T Cabfel r in anS 15,000 pri f ners ' and the »*«• COMMENT ON THE SITUATION "A REVERBERATING CHECK." • Marcol.Hutin write:—'"The two days' batllo in Italy mm that the Emperor Karl has sustained a reverberating C °K prC6 ' : shortly be transformed into a colossal defeat. Although the enemv p™?™ } sixty divisions, he has not reached' a single objective/— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn EXPLANATION OF THE FAILURE. ' 'I'he newspapers assert that the explanation of the failure offhn'nftvUoi *Z'\, I ■ to be found in the complete success of the counter-attacks. It is signfficant ilat - fi no Germans, Bulgarians., or Turks took part in tho attack. The am iseinect ed to produco serious internal consequences in Austria. <i"ure is txpectA correspondent of tho "C'orriere della, Sera" states that lhn Aiicf,.; nn u on the first day succeeded only in gaining some positions in our advinneTHne Ihese initial successes w£ro wiped out by counter-attacki m,„ t? r French, and British troops on the Asiago Plateau offered a steadfast TfJ e i™ an ' rtsasarrarir - - T, « owes# . GENERAL MAURICE'S VIEW. t ffiec. Juno 18j 5.5 p.m.) on wfltes: "The irstriamr main attack in CZmutawas on either side of the Brenta, on a front of twenty miles, with the obicet of to ning issues to the plains by way of the Brenta and Astico Valleys If tho nth 'khad been successful tho Italians would have been compelled to fall lwk firm ths Piavo in most difficult circumstances for fifty miles across (ho Bron'ti to i longer and less secure lino behind thf> Astico, involving the abandonment nf J,.,? ice and Padua. Therefore, the complete failure of the attack in "hi, Loini ' of the highest importance. Tho Austrians' attack across tho Piavo is less vih'l 1 It appears to be divided into two parts-first, against the Monteflo l?id«e -mil I hi t second against the Lower Piave. They crossed tho Pinve at the foot of Jl'onlollo 6 but their progress eo far has been insignificant.—'Aus.-W.Z. Cable Assn t AN IMPORTANT ATTEMPT. ffiec. Juno 18, 11.20 p.m.) Mr. Ward Price states: "The most important attempt by^he'l'iih^n! 8 '* cross the Kiver Piave was at the Montejlo sector, because tliat point m ?ewn s a hinge between the mountain and the Piave scctors. Tho latest rennrtc u ? the fighting on the British front mmisuccessful^th« '! cated. fie enemy has so far engaged twenty-nine divisions out of fifty-nina » J AffluNJZ. Cabla Aian. J ~ C

ITALIAN COMMAND FULLY PREPARED. (Roc. June 18, 7.45 p.m.) Rome, June 17. Ihe Italian war correspondent:? state that tho date of the enemy's offensive was fixed for a week ago. The Italian command was prepared, and tho enemy's movements nevor escaped observation, even iu bad weather, though largo movements of troops were carried gut with tho object of diverting attention from the real point of attack. The Italian and Franco-British artillery's counter-pre-paration bet;an at midnight beforo the preparation had started, and the Allies' artillery fire was so rapid and accurate that the enemy's lines were thrown into confusion. Even the infernal fire of two thousand Austrian guns failed to silence our artillery. TJio enemy's iirat waves consisted of Czechs and Slovaks, but their losses were so heavy that they were withdrawn to the rear. The principal effort was entrusted to General (jhenchemeil, who was ordered to descend by tho \nl Brenta to Bafcsano, while General Kirchbach's army wns ordeied to cross tho.Piavo, aiming at Trc-viso. The Austrian heavy guns shelled the towns and villous far in the 'rear, three hundred gas shells falling in Treviso alone.—lieutcr. 1 ALL PAST MATERIAL LOSSES MADE GOOD 'Ecc. June IS, 10.30 p.m.) t,_ . , , , , London, June 17. correspondent learns from an Italian military source that all past i ' uate " al iftve been made good, and tho munition factories aro work11 i troops have been highly trained and reorganised, aroi / V ° • eC + R in«reasc(l paj-, insured in case of death, anil prosion made for reinsteting the injured m civil life. Coiiseqaentlv, the spirit of fnfrp- 7tl s „ f ,fc f tha " ;t ilas evcr bem - xt is believed that the Z,?? iL cL m i a A r ° iTI nu,Jlber ' and tho oPP«sing divisions fh, ,L „ni- X' bou ?' l Austria has la'rgcr reserves. It is ako believed that Shf.!' ? was forced upon Austria by the German High Command, " h! f l ''? 11 pCople ' in s J )ite "f tho knowledge of the existenco ot dibaffection in the Austrian army.—Heuter. (i IN EVERY WAY SATISFIED. (Itec. Juno 18, 5.5 p.m.) ■p , , , , . London, June 17. r,i„; ir W!th the British Army in Italy interviewed on e j °®®. er » wbo expressed himself as being in every way nn m? TV Li™ of tho Austrian atlnck against tho British. "Our airmen PlaTe broke up at lcaat seven bridges, and fired twenty-five thousand rounds at a low altitude. —Eeuter. THE CROSSING OF THE PIAVE (Eec. June 18, 9.35 p.m.) i i j- i , ~ _ , " London, Juno 17. . In an evening dispatch Mr. Ward Price writes: "The large number of Austnans who were taken prisoner on the Italian sector indicates tho energy of the attack and the determination with which it was countered. Most of the ground S/mi 7 8 j a l?" B 2?j w l iere the en ? m - v maiie threo Principal crossings and established three bridge-heads preparatory to blinding the Italian artillery and aeroplanes with vast -quantities, of smoke shells. Both tho river and trenches wero enveloped in a dense black fog. The Austrian patrols hurried forward, boats and ratts crossed the river under a random fire, and then pulled over reinforcements in pontoons. Tho most notablo crossing occurred on the important Montello sector, where tho Piave leaves tho mountains and enters tho Venetian Plain. The results on the British 6ector were better. It is reported that our earlier resistance exhausted four of the enemy division?, whose casualties are estimated at five thousand. Ours were comparatively trifling. We took prisoner seven hundred, and captured many guns. Our patrols aro constantly collecting abandoned war material. The enemy w thoroughly demoralised, and his deficiencies in comparison with the British are more evident than ever before. Apparently only fifteen flesh divisions aro available, for the continuance of this disappointing enterprisen rhe French flung, back the enemy easily after a brief attack adjoining the British sector. —"The Times/' THE TORPEDOED BATTLESHIP (E«c. June 18, 5.5 p.m.) fRL an- r „r, >• „ ~ , ROmC, June 17. _ !he triornale d Italia says that the Austrian naval division which Ujptain Kizzio broke up when he torpedoed the battleship Szent Istvan was proceeding on a, mission to bombard a town on the Adriatic in conjunction with tho land oilensive.—-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. EMOTIONAL SCENE IN ITALIAN CHAMBER SOCIALISTS PLEDGE THEIR SUPPORT TO THE GOVERN- ' ME NT. (Roc. June 18, 7.45 p.m.) An emotional scene took place in the Chamber of Deputies when thTsocialist Leader (Signor Turati) proclaimed the solidarity of the Chamber in their solemn crisis, in the face of death, which wns knocking at Italy's door "We feel, lie' said, "that many judgments m ust be altered, and we offer tiie Government the Italian Socialists' assistance." The deputies rose in i body' and cheered wildly. Signor Bissolati embraced Signor Turati.—Ans -N Z Cable Assn. THE AUSTRIAN PLAN (Eec. June 18, 11.20 p.m.) • Diplomatic dispatches from Italy state that the smash the Italian defences in the Brenta region, capture Bessano, simultaneously cross the Piave, capture the railway junction at Treviso, and trap tho Allies betwocn giant pincers.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. A GERMAN PEACE OFFER REFUSED . . ~ . _ Washington, June 17. Official cablegrams from Eome state that Signor Orlando, tho Italian Premier. announced in a speech that Italy had refused Germany's offer of an "honourable peace."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. LULL IN THE WEST LOCAL AHACK ON AMERICANS REPULSED GERMAN AIRMEN BUSY OVER BRITISH NORTHERN FLANK . (Ecc. June 19, 1.25 a.m.) Sir Douglas Haig reports:-'*We repulsed a number of m"en°y raids "on 1 m - ElSWh " r6 tb ° USUaI "ciprLl artillery A French communiqno states' Between tho Oirp nnri lulised some enemy counter-attacks north of Hautebrave' -liid pnn^Hffwn^ e fj r -" norning; S gains. We took three hundred and :able 0a Eoutei- 3 ' e ,nachmo ' BUUB and ei S h ' tamch mortars.-lus'-N z! ; ; ATTACK ON THE AMERICANS REPULSED-WITH SEVERE LOSSES. An American official report states-.—"We rennlsed witl, Jun ? i mem, an attack in the.Wo'eyre. We broke upTo M'in* tor feof°Ch" 1 eau ihierry. There is active Tecipvocal artillcrv -viinn fili Sx ia :eau Thierry and in ricardy."-Au 3 .- P N.Z Cable Kfe? 8 ° £ Cha ' SHOCK TROOPS THROWN IN. ' { On tho American front at Tonl, German shock troops attackcd°t{ie of ] Uvray. Following a heavy bombardment, they penetrated \ivnw I,!• n?„ n scaaar^sfar* *»-* '•«; THE GERMAN REPORT. (Ecc. June 18, 9.30 p.m.) A German official report states:-"We niacin l n(! 'li, )urcq and tho Marne. The booty captured ™ v ' Mn gUDS ami ™ GERMAN CALL FOR MORE MEN 1 • — - 1 s (Rcc. Juno IS, 11.45 p.m.) i The "Morning Post" states that Von iudendorff has ordl°"i vrVhiii ' ayn to hand back from Russia within a week ererv 1i uJ ' ln,Kcll ] »S tho severity of the German losses on tho West front Tti« wHmnf n S i P fi OV i > hirty-five .German divisions aro left in Jhlia „f iw,, ,Lf f ' at ' Jkraino, mostly Landwchr and other poor troi P s.-Aus.-N.Z. CMc Zan!" AIRCRAFT ACTIVE ON BRITISH NORTHERN FRONT (Hcc. June 18, 10.30 p.m.) ; is were workinl? souWi tons ol boulbs - uring tho daytime and twelve a ii.ght-iimo, heavily attack ng tho rai"Uv at * xmonticres, tsU.res Comu.es, Courtrai, and tho docks at Hrugc-. 'I \■ 1 Bri- P ish liight-lllcrs failed to return. '--Aus-.WZ. Cable Aesii.-Heutor. t w ATTACKS ON THIONVILLE. | (Rcc. June 18, 0.30 a.m.) wro l ro&ST rt< ir , ' A ! 1 fo '' cc flom Air Force il ihinnc li' • m!! M 0 fOUr attacks on Thionville, two attacks on f{ aWe Abbu.-E euter, ° M ° tliei ' with « 00(l results."-Aus,N.Z. 4 J o: