ITALIAN CAMPAIGN.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 July 1918, Page 2

ITALIAN CAMPAIGN.

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION. COPYRIGHT.]

BRILLIANT FRENCH RAID

LONDON, July 7th. Italian official: “We are consolidating ourselves on ground recaptured on the right hank of tlie New Piave.. There is every indication that the enemy’s losses are much higher than foreseen. The French made a brilliant raid at Zocehi. AUSTRIAN MESSAGE. LONDON, July 7tli. A wireless Austrian official message states that as the delta of the Piave is untenable without heavy sacrifice, we withdrew to the dyke, a position on the eastern hank of the main branch. The operation was carried out on the night of the oth. The enemy felt his way at midday on the 6th as far as the Asi ago Plateau. Three enemy attacks on Cornone, between Erenzea Valley and Brenta, were sanguinarily repulsed.

THE PIAVE CLEAR. 24,000 AUSTRIAN PRISONERS. LONDON, July 7. The “Daily Chronicle’s” correspondent at the Italian front states that the- whole Venetian plain to the Piave is clear of the enemy. There is not a single Austrian on the west bank of the river, except 24,000 prisoners. The enemy lias hold since November a triangular sector from the mouth of the Piave to Cornellnzzo with an apex at Sandonasoil. The ground being sodden they were unable to dig trenches or operate in large masses, and had to split into innumerable small groups, converting every factory, farmhouse and cottage into a fortress, fixing macli ine guns on every suitable tree fork and sowing them along the hanks of countless canals.

The Italians have taken 300 machine guns, but hundreds of others are buried under demolished buildings, or sunk in the swamps. The Italian artillery cut off all supplies to these groups hv destroying the largest bridge over the river, and keeping three others under constant fire. Tiie defenders consisted of Bosnians and Herzgoviuians who fought stubbornly four columns of Italian Bersagliers and the infantry carried out a toilsome task, breaking life enemy defences in guerilla warfare, and fighting continually up to their waist in water. Sometimes the combatants lost their weapons while floundering in the swamps. They then engaged in a hand to hand struggle, tearing each other with their teeth.

THE “DAREDEVILS.” STRANGE STORIES OF VALOUR. Received, This Dav at 8.50. a.m.) LONDON. July 8. The Italian “Arditi” or “Daredevils.” performed astounding feats of agility in the clising phase of the battle. They adopted a hovel method approaching and silencing machine gims, which were behind barb-wire. The “Daredevils” carried along vaulting poles, made a might rush and jumped the obstacles landing the rear of the bewildered gunners and drove their daggers into their backs. One “Daredevil” alone stampeded eight Austrians into the Italian lines, under menace of his uplifted hand and a bomb.

One Bersagiieri Company captured a battery of six four inch field mortars.

Another, preceded by “Aditi” armed with flamethrower stormed a factory in the face of machine-guns, and blew up a munition depot and prisonered an entire Austrian command.