ITALY.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 November 1917, Page 5

ITALY.

. » ; • THE DECISIVE BATTLE, j i ITALIANS . MANOEUVRING FOR • ' POSITION. ' | FRANCO-BRITISH" MASKING. ; Recei^di% ( | vjfpv. 8. ; Cables from Rome state that the de-i cLsive battle is'beginningin-italy. Tlie j army is manoeuvring for position. Franco-British reinforcements are massing on the Piave river line. ENEMY'S ADVANCE DETAINED. larger units ijettre UNMOLESTED. -Received .Nov. 9, 850 p.m. London, Nov. 8. Italian official: We -continued the , withdrawal .of our line yesterday. The larger uilts retired nnmolested. There .were, numerous engagements between Vittorio Hills ancfthe confluence of the Monticamo river with the Liven/a, in VMeh-ose succeeded in detaining tlio eiwimy.'s^dvaiice. t-.jlergplanps renewH bombardments ,e enepy along the TagHamento.

ENEMY VIGOROUSLY ADVANCING.

•260,000 MEN AND 2300 GUNS CAPTURED. A GERMAN* CLAIM. Received Nov. 9, 10 p.m. London, Nov. 9. •German -official:-Our-detachments- ad' yaneing jilong the mountain roads have 1 broken the resistance of the l Italian rearguards. An outflanking movement cut off >thc retreat of the Italians in the middle of the Tagliamcnto, betwwnTolmmo und Gemona, and-valso -the-fortified Monte San Simeon. Already we have taken a general, and have also taken 80 guns. The-%Uiaff-,devfilope<Lfl]u the plain along the Livenza. The, Austjo-Gergians are vigorously advancing, des.pite,the destroyed bridges. We fat^d v a lt .threw hack; the enemy westward. The total „ fire. over ; 250,Q00 prisoners an;l 2300 gunsi ENEMY'IC^IVfty. ■ißerne, Nov.-8. The Journal states that the AustroGermans in the seeking to attack Brescia. There is ,great .activity west of Lake jGurda. ADVICE TItAT WAS NOT .TAKEN. • Sane, :Noy. S. Several Swiss and Jtaliari military, experts consider that General ■ Cadorna, . .should Jijve,v^tb4W( n :N the Adige, whence a- strong cwrnter-offensive might •destroy- the enemy; -This- would mean abandoning Vicenza, Padua, and' Venice, which the Italians willjiot allow. ' During .tJie ' offensive in > May, ■ 1916, General: Cadjorna - telegraphed -to the Government: "If.you permit me.to abandon Vicenza for 48 hours I will deliver you the Austrian .army." The , ment refused; .the .,^ere-de ; feated, but riot/capfartil.'