ITALIAN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 9 July 1918, Page 5

ITALIAN FRONT.

VENETIAN PLAIN CLEAR OP AUSTRIANS. LONDON, July 7. Tlie Daily Chronicle’s correspondent at the Italian front states: The whole i 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 had held since November a triangular sector at the mouth of the Piave to Cornellazzo, with its apex at Sandona. The soil being sodden, they were un-

able to dig trenches, or to operate in large masses. They had to split into innumerable small groups, converting every factory, farmhouse and cottage, into a fortress, and fixing machineguns in every suitable tree fork, and sowing them along the banks of the 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 the supplies . of these groups by destroying the largest bridge over the river, and keeping three others under constant fire. The 'defenders, consisting of Bosnians

and Herzegovinians, fought stubbornly Four columns of Italian Bersagliers and infantry carrietT out the toilsome task of breaking the. enemy defences in guerilla warfare, fighting continually to the waist in water. Sometimes the combatants lost their weapons while floundering in the swamps and engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle, tearing each other with their teeth. Italian official—We arc consolidat-

ing ourselves on the ground recaptured on the right bank of the New Piavc There is every indication that the enemy's losses were mcuh higher than were foreseen. The French made a brilliant raid on Zocchi, on the Asiago Plateau. Three enemy attacks on Carnonc. between the Frcnzclc Valley and the Brenta, were sanguinarily repulsed. AUSTRIANS ADMIT WITHDRAWAL. ' LONDON, July 7. Wireless Austrian official. —As the

j Delta of the Piave was untenable, i without heavy sacrifice, we withdrew | to a dyke position on the eastern bank | The main branch of the operation was | carried out on the night of the sth. The enemy felt his way at mid-day on ! the 6th as far as the river. 1 THE ITALIAN “DAREDEVILS.” i AMAZING FLATS OF JUMPING ■ JACKS. Received 10.50 a.m. > LONDON, July S. The Italian Arditi, or “Daredevils” I performed some Astounding feats of j agility in the closing phase of the ,| battle in Italy. They adopted the novel : method of approaching and silencing a swarm of machine-guns, which were encircled with barb- wire, for which purpose the “Daredevils” carried long vaulting poles. They made a mighty rush, jumped the obstacles, landing in the rear of the bewildered gunners and drove their daggers into their backs. One “Daredevil” alone stampeded ] eight Austrians into tlio Italian lines under the menace of an uplifted hand bomb. One B'ersaglicri company captured a battery of six 4-inch field mortars. Another, preceded by Arditi, armed with flame-throwers, stormed a factory in the face of 40 machine-guns blew up a munition depot, and prisonered an entire Austrian command.