ITALY.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 April 1916, Page 5

ITALY.

;N THE TYROL.

CAPTURE OF COLDILANA, fc GREAT ENGINEERING FEAT* - Received April 24, 9.35 p.m. •' London, April 24. .The Daily Chronicle's Milan corresponjfent states that the destruction »f the Austrian positions at Coldilana was a herculean'task, • which involved four 'yionths of preparation to bring a gallery ?S0 feet long in the solid rock. It was «gun on Christmas Day, and the en- , gineera toiled incessantly night and day. Early "in March the noise on the hills twoke the enemy to what was going on 'ipd they started a'counter-tunnel. The Italians hurriedly laid mines consisting of tons of gelatine and dynamite, blocking in the charge with a formidable ' iiVield of thick armoured steel in order to - irevent tt>e destruction of ihe tunnel, ' vhele forty soldiers volunteered to wait in readiness to rush the position after ihe .explosion: The mountain was shaken as if by a ' itjrriftc earthquake, then followed a hellish roar, and the soldiers who dashed through the, 1 tunnel found the enemy positions ' shattered, while heaps of CorpieNw Were among the debris. The survivors surrendered. AN ITALIAN SUCCESS. Received April 25, 12.25 a.m. Rome, April 24. \ A communique says: We took by assault a strong entrenchment, 350 metres long, east of Beltz, the enemy losing heavily. We captured much munitions, including liquid-fire implements, BALKANS. TO THE RHINE. ■ THROUGH THE* BOSPHORUS. FRENCH OFFICER'S FORECAST. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received April 24, 7.10 p.m. London, April 23. j General Cherfils, writing in the Echo 4e Pans, forecasts that the Russians will attempt to advance in Asia Minor, force, the Bosph'orus, and take Constanti- ■ nople, while the Roumanians, Greeks and Serbs will converge on Sofia, the irrroies of Salonika, Suez, and Caucasus jnnctioning at .Thrace to overwhelm Turkeys final resistance. He adds that the be3t road' to the Rhine is through the Bosphorus.

AIR RAID ON SOFIA. FRENCH AIRMAN'S JOURNEY. s . Received, April 25, 12.25 a.m. Salonika, April 24. A French airman dropped four bombs . on Sofia, causing fires and a panic. The •viator made a non-stop 400 miles' iourney. v IyiBSdPOTAMIA. AN ATTACK THAT FAILED. OWING TO BOGGY GROUND. itetceived April 24, 11.45 p.m. \ London, April 23. •Jeneral Lake cables that the attack on the northern bank of the Sannayat position on the 23rd failed, though it had been systematically bombed since the ' '. 20tth. Owing to the floods it was only possible for a single brigade to attack on a very contracted front. The leading troops, consisting of a composite battalion, »dvanced with great gallantry and penetrated the enemy's first and second lines through* a bog and submerged" titnehes. A few got into the third line. /he , brigade,Aowever, was unable to " maintain itfwf under the Turkish counter-attacks. The' other brigades were unable to . .. ■: reftoh the objectives across the floods and ' frffcy poind. Under heavy machine- . fcuna, Our troops on the right bank were (iIW ttntble to make much progress.