THE AUSTRO-ITALIAN BATTLE.

Taihape Daily Times, 20 June 1918, Page 4

THE AUSTRO-ITALIAN BATTLE.

The Austrian offensive in Italy may now be regarded as a huge failure; nowhere was the Allied line broken, and at no point did the enemy get pos-. session of important territory that he was able to hold. A noted French expert says that two days of battle gives the impression that the Austrians have suffered a reverberating check; that they have been whipped and sent back in a way that may result in their colossal defeat. The enemy did not reach one single objective he planned to attain, despite the fact that he threw sixty divisions into the attempt. The. French Press, are satisfied the Austrian effort is a failure. British and French military experts are of opinion the Italian situation is excellent. Austria is making the greatest effort to get a permanent road over the middle Piave, and battle still rages in an attempt to capture the Montello crest which dominates the Piave positions. The latest message yesterday states that the battle is dying down to the north, but is growing more fierce towards th sea. The Italian command, however, is satisfied that it is able to hold -the enemy back. Italy was never more united than it is to-day; Italian socialists have offered the Government their utmost assistance. This solemn crisis has knit together all elements in Italian society more closely than at any time since war was declared. May Japanese help come In time to nullify Falkenhayn’s insructions to send men from Russia to the westward.