ITALY.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 May 1917, Page 5

ITALY.

ADVANCE CONTINUES. KEY POSITIONS CAPTURED. SANGUINARY FIGHTING. Received May 21, 11.40 p.m. London, May 21. The Daily Chronicle's correspondent at Italian headquarters, wiring on Sunday, says: The Battle on the Upper Ison/.o for the range of heights mastering tho 'eft bank continues to develop with mechanical precision. After Mount. Kuk, the Hump Saddle of Vodiee was taken. Ths Austrians during the afternoon made, desperate attempts to retake the lost ground at Vodiee. Wave after wave rolled forward upon the hastily improvised Italian trenches, built on the old Austrian line, but every wave was broken.

When the attack was over groups of Austrian dead were lying everywhere in Xo Man's Land. Fighting was continued all night long. At dawn Vodiee was captured.

(Vodiee is the key position for the capture of Monte"Santo, the possession of which, with its defensive system, would place the Italians substantially in an equality with tho enemy on the front north of Gorizia.) POSITIONS EXTENDED. ENEMY LINES ENTERED. London, May 20. An Italian official message states: We extended our position at Voditne and drove back dense maßsea of the enemy who were attempting to stop our prog-c-ns. The enemy in the evening abandoned counter-attacks and concentrated their artillery on the lost positions, which we maintained. We entered the enemy's lines eastward of Gorizia. THE AUSTRIAN CASUALTIES. Received May 21, 10 p.m. Rome, May 21. The Messagero states that there were twenty thousand Austrian casualties during the first four days of the Italian offensive.