Italy

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 66, 14 October 1916, Page 5

Italy

AGREAT VICTORY.

ENEMY'S CoLLOSSAL LOSSES

EXTRAORDINARY VIOLENCE.

FIFTY-MILE FRONT

Press Association —Copyright, Austra

lian and N.Z. Cable AKsoi-intifi" London, October 13

The Daily Telegraph's Home corespondent says that no Italian attack lias taken such a lengthy preparation

as the latest. Almost the entire front from Garda to the sea was swept by shells. The Austrians expected the offensive at the Carso, not in the Trentino.

The results in the Trentino surpassed expectations, causing colossal losses. Three enemy battalions were wiped out in the eastern sector and others in the southern. The strategic result is the breaking of the whole front north of Passubio and Arsiev along a thirty mile front.

The battle in the Carso continues with extraordinary violence. Two Italian armies are. engaged with two hundred thousand Austrians. The enemy's defences have been broken on a ten-mile front from Yertoiba to Novastas, and they are retreating to new lines, which are now subjected to unceasing attacks. The Austrian losses in killed greatly exceed the prisoners and wounded. Entire units were entombed by the debris in the trendies. Half a million men were engaged in the Carso battle. Whereas the Italian offensive m October, 1915, was broken by the Krupp-Skoda guns, the Italian artillery have now a marked superiority. The Italian fire was continued throughout the night, by moonlight, the whole plateau being in flames, and fires were rising from the deep ravines enveloping the hamlets and villages. The burning woods wore turning the trenches into charnelhouses. , The Austrians followed a new plan, saving their munitions for the moment of assault, when the barrage of lire was intense. Prior to the attack Austrian officers deprived the men of their handkerchiefs, but their eagerness to surrender was so great that the Austrians took off their shirts which they waved as signals. Many of the prisoners declared that they bad been foodless for falty hours.

At least 24,000 Austrian* wore killed, wounded or taken prisoner in two days. The battle of Carso extended to the' Plava, Tolmino, and Monte Saintonuino,; and now rages over a fifty-mile front. :

LINE COMPLETELY SMASHED. THOUSANDS OF CASUALTIES. Press AsOTcifttion-Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received 11.15 a.m.) London, October 13. The Daily Chronicle's Milan correspondent states that the net result of ithe.two days' gigantic battle on the Julian front was the complete smashing through of the enemy's first line system on an eight-kilome-tre front and a depth of 1 to 2 kilome f tre. Not less than 24,000 adversaries were placed hors de combat, and 80U0 were taken prisoners, including three battalions, which were almost intact. The enemy has now mustered all the available reserves and guns on the threatened sector, and the incessant and unsuccessful douse massed counter-attacks entailed heavy losses.