ANZACS SENT TO ITALY.

Taihape Daily Times, 23 November 1917, Page 2

ANZACS SENT TO ITALY.

According to Australian papers fo hand by yesterday's mail, Australian and New Zealand troops have been sent to Italy with other British and French forces. Commenting the Sydney "Telegraph" states: Our troops had shown such ability as shock troops in France and Flanders that it was believed they were to be kept for use in the great Western offensive now aboht to to be undertaken And, in particular, it would seem a pity to take from a sector which they knew, and a kind of fighting in which they, with others oi the Empire's shock troops have been splendidly successful, the men who have had so big a share in the storming' of the Ypres ridges, and in the driving in of the wedge which is to cut off from Germany her best U-boat bases. But the Italian situation is cue of those circumstances which alter cases, and there are, after all two fairly obvious and likely reasons why Australasian divisions should be sent to Italy, if any are. In the first place, it is believed that they were at the moment when the call came, in reserve behind the lines. It is true they had had a pretty hard 4ob, and had well earned a rest, but no long rests can be given in war-time, and it I is some weeks since the Canadians took their places at Ypres. At any rate the call came so suddenly that the choice of troops available was ' no doubt restricted 'to troops in reserve at the time. But there is a sec- j ond possible reason. Italy is very j much nearer than England to the Suez Canal, and if Australasian reinforcements were also to be sent by that route a good deal of shipping might be saved. Only in that case Egypt would have again to be our trainingground, instead of Britain.