AUSTRIAN OFFENSIVE.

Taihape Daily Times, 19 June 1918, Page 4

AUSTRIAN OFFENSIVE.

The western front is at present enjoying tolerable quiet, but the dogs of war are again rampant in Italy. The most astounding aspect of the new outbreak is the diametrically opposed reports issued. We have repeated assurance that the Austro-Germans have everywhere been driven back to their starting point, while an Austrian official message claims that positions across the Piave, and across the Treviso railway on a broad front were captured. They took possession of eastern' Montibello to the main road; they took ten thousand prisoners on the Piave and fifty guns on the first assault, goodness only knows what happened in the second they may have taken all Italy; they are astride the Brenta and took another six thousand prisoners there; they captured Dcsso Alto, and stormed Dorno di Cavento, but they have omitted to say how many prisoners and guns they took at these places. This Austrian official message has a double signifance; its most important mission is doubtless to stem the revolutionary movement at home; to call a halt in the break up of the Hapsberg empire, and it will bo sedulously circulated by Germany throughout Russia with a view to discrediting the Czech-Slovak movement. It may be that the message was written before the battle, or that it is an excerpt from an estimate of what Austria wished to accomplish, for it can scarcely be regarded seriously in the face of all Italian and 'British reports to the contrary. ■ The -first British reports stated the-'Austrian effort was a f but ■ that fighting was proceeding at various, places; the British line had been completely restored, and 350 prisoners were taken just after the attack was launched. A later Italian report said the Italians were holding everywhere, were counterattacking, and taking thousands of Austrian prisoners. Later the British general sent a message to the Italian commander that thjc British >vfere> holding as solid as a rock, and the last report was from the 'ltalian (Prime Minister, saying that the Austrians who crossed the Piave were driven back with heavy' losses. There are significant peculiarities about the Austrian claims; they say they "partially" maintained their gains—we wonder how many of the 16000 prisoners they .managed to keep. The enemy they say, recaptured fthe mountain east of the Brenta, and forced them to evacuate territory they had captured in seven different communes. It i s apparent from this naive admission that if they really did capture anything the British and Italians took it all back again in a marvellously short space of time. Capturing Italian territory in seven different communes is not a modest claim, and to have to admit that it was prorapt)y, retaken by the Italians savours of indignity. There is evidently a liberal spice of mendacity in the claims which future reports will sheet home.