THE GREAT ITALIAN RETREAT.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 November 1917, Page 3

THE GREAT ITALIAN RETREAT.

INVASION OF ITALY.

FLIGHT OF CIVILIAN. POPULATION.

i LONDON November 3. j Accounts coming in of the evacuation of the inhabitants of Friuli poignantly recall the first day’s of Belgium’s retreat. The advancing enemy hordes are laying bare Italy’s richest agricultural district-, burning pillaging, -and illtreating the terror-struck population, who are fleeing along the roads and fields, which are crammed with military and civilian impediments. The whole countryside is the scone of one tremendous migration all day long and all night long. Udine’s first intimation or danger was a succession of air raids, with the failure of the light milk and food supplies. 'Hie Mayor issued a reassuring proclamation, hut too late to calm the population, which frantically evacuated southwards. Soon the town wa s half deserted, plunged into darkness and the shops shut.

GENERALS UNDER FIRE. Air. Jeffries telegraphs: “Remembering that Germans began preparing in February for their retreat from the Somme the Italians have accomplished a great feat to save the bulk of the army in six days. Withdrawals and reorganising are now proceeding apace.” Mr Jeffrie s and other correspondents graphically depict the great retreat. The Supreme Command worked all night packing up papers and documents, destroying correspondence tearing down maps. General Gouza aas transported to Udine with eleven wounds. His staff were all killed or wounded, and only three of the mounted escort of 40 escaped alive. General lladoglio’s Bersagheri heroically defended the pass at Caporettn and ’ Cividale. A mounted lieutenant was the only survivor from the Monte Nero. These troops remained unconquered and the Alpini on the higher Tsonzo gloriously sacrificed themselves,

CAPTURE OF UDTNE. Incendiary bombs were fired at Cmtlalo and adjacent villages, destroying the British: -Red Cross Hospital at’ Trento village. A British doctor and a Canadian surgeon saved all that could possibly he saved. The chief difficulty of the retreat was that the coimny was devastated and the soldiery practically foodless on Monday and Tnes day. They stumbled along doggcdlv although mostly wounded helping each other as host they could. A motor-car 1 full of haughty German officers was the first to enter Udine, escorted hy ma--1 chine-gun cyclists, who were promptly I shot by a determined rear-guard. 1 The specdv advance on Udine caused a midnight ‘flight of the remaining in- ! habitants. British Red Cross officers and several correspondents escaped in motors as the patrols n ired the town. | PITIFUL SPECTACLE ON THE ROAD.

Tho roads were a piteous spectacle, 1 crowded with men, women, and chil- . (Ren afoot and vehicles of every dej script-ion. There were aged, sick, and j wounded, ..babes at their mothers’ breasts, sOlllO in evening dross, and ' some half-clad among their eliat- * tels and domestic animals. Thrifty barefooted peasant girls carried their shoes. The civilian flight intermingled with the interminable passage of troops and military transport and galloping cavalry.

A torrential rain piercingly cold soaked the footsore and weary fugitives' ' The correspondents reaching Pordeyne, across the Tagliamento, spent- a foodless and hedless night. Next morning they paid three shillings for a packet of chocolate, and bought half a dozen biscuits at a shilling each. The Socialists at Turin and Milan have publicly announced their readines s to support the Army in the defence of the country against the barbaric invaders

SAD SIGHTS. LONDON, Nov. stli. Mr. Ward Price, the British official correspondent on the Italian front, states that agitators in the army, and also in the interior were found to bo largely supplied with German money. Their propaganda: was specially effective between Prezzo and Oorizia, where the troops were for six months without the test of battle- These troops failed, and many of them deserted without arms or equipment. The retreat from Cividael and Udine was one of the saddest sights of the war. There was a painful panic amongst tho shop-keepers and poor families in attempts to save, their effects. Even children were harnessed to cartloads of goods, while shells from the Austrian 12in guns were screaming past. The civilian exodus was for two days crawling along the road. Then it was overwhelmed a s the armies arivod. “A few Italian guns which were dragged by tractors had to be manhandled at- the steep corners,” Mr.

Price says. ‘‘l found at a corner a truck train which took 31 hours to cover 15 miles, crawling and stopping amidst the crashing of the artillery and ammuniton dumps.” Some of the worst rigors were suffered by the British in hospital at Versa. Lorries which had been arranged for the evacuation did not arrive, and it was decided to try and inarch to the railway. A few ambulances were available for the worst of the wounded. The rest were compelled to hobble on foot through the darkness and rain all night. On arriving at the railway station it- was found that the carriages were packed with soldiers

and refugees. In great misery they had to intermingle with the shabby multitude. The last Britsh gun continued firing while the second last was being removed, though there was nothing between it and the enemy. For four days the great retreat went on. The first detachments ate all the military food a't the depots. The second detachments were fed generously by the villagers. The next was reduced to starvation. Many died, but hundreds of thousands reached the Tagliamento somehow, forming an organised army once more. The flooded river H and broken bridges prevented the enemy from, following

more closely or cutting in from the ■ .Tier th. Moreover, the ground ovotr I which the Third Army retreated was 1 marsh v.

Torrential rains made the roads the only means of advance, and prevented the aeroplanes from bombing the densely packed *columiis creeping westward. Occasionally Austrian airmen flew through the storms, and, descending low, ruthlessly bombed and machinegunned the detachments. One British Red Cross car was honey-combed with bullets.

The Germans reached Gomona' surprisingly quick, hut were hungry and wearied, and were easily scattered by the cavalry.

the Change in Italy. FEARFUL LOSS IN A FEW HOURS. LONDON, Nov. 3

Mr. Ward Price, official press representative on the Italian front writes: | The suddenness of this supreme characteristic Austro-Gerniaii success is unbelievable. The 1 talan army, on the morning of October 24tli, was a highly organised force, fighting in the enemy’s territory. It- was deeply entrenched, with thousands of guns, and possessed a splendid service in the rear of its lines with 3500 miles of new roads, testifying to the skill of the engineers, and cableways, in additon to towns of semi-permanent buildings, with widespread equipment- of war, which had taken thirty months to accumulate. All this was abandoned in as many hours. The enomv made a siulden attack, and compelled an instant withdrawal, with the inevitable confusion and destruction of much accumulated stores and material. Three days previously there was a general feel ing of confidence and stability over the progress which had been made on the whole front, despite the reports of the arrival of Anstro-German reinforcements on the Tsonzo front.”