ITALY.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1917, Page 5

ITALY.

i THE FIRST BRITISH SHOTS. IN AERIAL COMBATS. . ■ ENEMY PLANES DEFEATED, Received Dec. 5, 9.40 p.m. London, Dee. 4. The Britisli headquarters . correspondent in Italy state* that the first shots between the British and Germans occurred in an aerial'battle. Four British aeroplanes flew over the enemy lines near the Alpine foothills. Five Germans attacked, ene being downed. Later; the British twelve of the enemy's machines, seriously damaging two, the rest being driven back. BRITISH DOWN THREE ALBATROSSES. Received. Dec. 6, 12.55 a.m. London, Dec. 5. Mr, Ward Price states that in the Britishers' first air fight on the Italian front five albatross machines were attacked, two being downed. Then s'even reinforced, and another was downed. The Britishers escaped scathless. r ON ENEMY MASSES. ITALIANS TURN POWERFUL CONOENTRATED FIRE. Received Dec. S, 5.5 p.m. London, IDec. 4. Italian official: We repulsed attacks southward of the Daone valley and in the Giudicaria region. The enemy artillery was active between MontesSisemol and Cartel Goberto. We carried out powerful concentrated fire on enemy masses in the Gallio wood #nd northward of Monte Tondareeo. ALLIES MORE COMPACT. ITALY'S SUPERB RESPONSE. Paris, Dec. i. Signor Orlando, in an interview, said the Allies had concluded their conference and would be more compact, better srmed, and stronger from a military point of view. Italy had responded superbly aftcT her reverse. The courage of her army wag unimpaired and had held back the advancing flood. Nevertheless, the arrival of Anglo-French troops had (produced an excellent impression. ENEMY GROWIMH DESPERATE. ITALIANS AND ALLIES CONFIDENT, New York, Dec. 4. The Rome correspondent of the New York Times says that the lull means that the Austro-Germans are drawing large forces from the Russian front preparatory to an attack on a stiy vaster (scale, which the Italians, with the Fran-co-British troops, are confidently awaiting. ,