FIGHTING ON THE PIAVE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 248, 8 July 1918, Page 5

FIGHTING ON THE PIAVE

; AUSTRIAN'S ATTACKED FROM SEA AND LAND ! LARGE AREA CLEARED OF THE! ; ENEMY '. London, July 5. larly this morning Italian warships ■ ntl'ackeil the coast between Itevedoli, on tlio banks of the Old Piave, and Caorlc, • in conjunction with an attack by troops ashore. The whole objective was to drive the enemy from the- area between tlm Piavo and the Old l'iavo. The first flotilla, headed for Pola, detected a forco of Austrian destroyers coming south- . west. 'J'he Austrians went at full speed to Pola, and for twenty minutes a running fight was carried on at a range of • 2(100 yards, with the Austrian tracer shells falling accurately around the pursuers. Tho funnel of one of the Italian ships was hit by a shell, and the engines were injured. The largost Austrian destroyer was directly hit, (lames belched up below the, bridge, and the vessel's speed was reduced Tho Italian flotilla gave up the- chase in order to protect tho other flotilla which was bombarding the coast. This force steamed up and down the coast, firing at tho Austrian shore batteries and encampments. At G o'clock auxiliary cruisers towing rafts lay in to tho coast, while- tho destroyers gave out clouds of smoke to mask the movements of the whole group of sluds. This mock landing produced wild firo ashore. Simultaneously a great attack bv the Italian Army was started from Cliiesa Nuova to tho coast, and by nightfall had driven tho Austrians from most of the ground between the two Piavcs. Nearly two thousand prisoners vero taken, mostly Bosnians, who resisted vigorously. The Italians set fire • to the small bridges on tho river with floats, which wero sent down the stream blazing with petrol; Tho Italians, under heavy fire, built eight canal bridges. The battlefield was sdvpu miles long and two deep. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. [The Old. Piave, or Piave Vecchia. is 6omo miles west of tho Piave proper.] A SEMI-SUBMERGED BATTLE SLOWLY PUSHING OUT THE . ' ENEMY. (Rec July 7, 11.35 p.m.) " London, July 5. Mr. Ward Prieo says <i curious semisubinergcd battle is proceeding as the result iif tho Italian effort to. eject tho Austria us from the Piave Estuary, and has resslved itself into a series of fierce little struggles, often, hand-to-hand, on islets, causcways,C(iml dykes. The dead, the wounded, and the living alike full into tho dykes bid are swallcved pili- . lessly in tho filimy water. The Italians are slowly pushing out the enemy.—"The Times." ■ MOUNTAIN POSITIONS IMPROVED E.\ T EMY ( TIiENCHES .PENETRATED. London, .Tilly 5. An Italian official message states: "Wo pained more ground north of Cava Kuvchcrina, near the mouth of the Piave. Wo extended and improved our positions north-west of Mount Grappa and on Mount Coorono Sliorosso. Tho British and French 'penetrated the enemy's trenches i\t Canove and on Mount Bortiago and tho Asiago Plateau, and brought back prisoners. The Allied airmen dropped eighteen tons of bombs on important centres and crossroads on tho Lower Piave."—Aus.-N. 7,, Cable Assn.Heuler. (Hoc. July 7, n.5 p.nr.) ■ London, .Inly 5. An Italian official report states: "On tho Lower Piave. having repulsed a, violent counter-attack, wo destroyed tho new centres of the enoiny's resistance. We considerably extended our occupation, to tho south-east of Chicsa. Nuova and to (ho north of Cava Zuccherina, titkinjr 419 prisoners and capturing a. battery of six howitzers and many machine-guns. We penetrated the enemy positions to (he north-east of Mount Grappa and repulsed two counter-al tacks on the Asiago Plateau, inflicting severe losses. Tho British destroyed a post at Canove."— Aus.-N.Z. Cable. Aesn.-Koutcr. AN AUSTRIAN ADMISSION (Hoc. July S, 1.2(1 a.m.) London, July 6. A-message from Vienna slates: "The Italians succeeded in pressing back our southern wing."—Renter. COMMAND OF THUUSTRIAN ARMIES CHANGE INSISTED UPON BY THE KAISER, London. July 5. Tho "Daily Telegraph's" Milan correspondent says the appointment of General von Below as Commander of tho 'Aw-; trian armies has caused discontent in Austria. Von Ludendorff made no secret of his opinion that Field-Marshal Conrad von Hoetzendorff, General Horeovich, ami General von Arz wero incapable, and the Austrian Emperor was compelled to sign the decree displacing them. The "Munich Zeitung" says that the Emperor yielded after a dramatic council of war. in which von Ludendorff declared that the Piave disaster was due to incompetency, and demanded that the Austrian generals should lie replnced by Germans. • The Emperor was mortified, ond hesitated to comply. Thereupon von Ludendorff produced an autograph, letter from the Kaiser, insisting on tho change. Karl, to tho surprise of the Austrian generals, signed the decree. The generals left tho room indignantly, and none- of thorn went to tho station when von Ludendorff left, General von Below, in a proclamation to the Austrian troops, sayß: "Tho enemy will soon bo vanquished if all do their'cluty."—Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn.