PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 233, 20 June 1918, Page 4

PROGRESS OF THE WAR

Generally speaking, the news from Italy to-day goes to show that tho Austria ns have failed disastrously in their offensive, and have incurred enormous losses without appreciably approaching their' obiect of breaking through tho Italian line. Somewhat serious possibilities are suggested, however, in a Rcutor message from London, which makes the brief announcement that the Austrians have gained the Montello heights. If the enemy is in fact in full possession of this elevation a vigorous counter-stroke depriving him of his gain may be the only alternative to an Italian retreat. Tho Montello Ridge is tho intermediate position between th'e mountain country and the plain which was occupied by thc_ British contingent, in Italy when it first reached the Italian front and before it was transferred to the Asiago Plateau, where it has lately been engaged. Gain: ing the Montello hills the enemy would he well placed to turn both the lino of the Piave River, to the south, and the Grappa massif, to the north.

The possibilities of the situation were sketched by a special correspondent in Italy at the end of April. "The danger of the Piave lino has always been," he .observed, "that it might be turned by an enemy advancing down one of the valleys to the west. ... An irruption into the plain from the mountains'to the west of Montello would clearly produce so much more serious an effect than a mere forcing of the river that the enemy's efforts have been chiefly concentrated, and in all probability will continue to be concentrated, on gaining command of one of these valleys. West of tho Montello Ridge the line of defence leaves the Piave and strikes across to the neighbourhood of Valstagna, on the Brenta valley; from thence it passes across the Asiago Plateau to.tho little river of the Astico, and tbence again, still almost due west, to tho upper reaches of the Adige. These rivers all pursuo a nearly parallel course; roughly speaking, they come down from the mountains in a southerly direction, turning eastwards towards the Adriatic on reaching the Lombardy Plain. • West of the Val Lagarina (which is the name given to the upper part of the Adige Valley) we come to the amphibious sector of Lake Garda, and west of that, again, to the Val Giudicaria. There has been hard fighting for the command of all these routes to the plain beneath. . . . Each river, as we go westward, turns the line of its predecessor. An advance down the valley of the Brenta would render the line of tho Piavo untenable, just as an irmption by the Val Lagarina and the. Adige would necessitate a withdrawal from the Brenta line."

The Austrian conquest of Montello, commonly described as the h/inge connecting tho Italian mountain •. front with the front through tho low country along the; Piave, would be only less* serious than an advance into the plain by one of the valleys farther west. It would gravely endanger tho safety of all tho Italian forces between the mountains and the sea, and unless the hills were regained an extended retreat would become inevitable. The position meantime is obscure. • Somo of the later messages received indicate that the Italians retain full mastery of the situation at all points where the enemy has crossed the Piave, the Montcllo sector included, and it is meantime- doubtful whether the enemy has accomplished the vital alteration in these conditions which would bo entailed in his capture of the whole Montello Ridge.

_ Mr._ Bonar Law's review of the situation in the Western theatre is marked by caution, but on the whole puts a hopeful light on .prospects. He admits that the Germans arc still at a material advantage in being able to outpace the Allies in concentrating their reserves on whatever front they npay select for their next attack, but unless it is unduly optimistic his statement that it is impossible for the enemy to win by wearing down the. Allied reserves before exhausting his own is even more important,