ITALY.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 June 1918, Page 5

ITALY.

DETAILS OF ATTACK. j HEAVY ENEMY LOSSES, London, June 10. British-Italian official: After ix heav> bombardment from the sea to the Adige the enemy's infantry attacked all day long. Four Austrian divisions attacked the British front. Tho attack on the right completely failed, with the heaviest enemy losses. The enemy on the left penetrated the front line on a front of 2500 yards and to a maximum depth of 1000 yards, where he is firmly contained. The enemy suffered very heavy losses. Our low-fliers, in the afternoon, were continually engaged in machine-gunning and bombing the enemy 'bridges and transport on the lower Piave, doing great damage.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. HUTIN'S VIEWS, AUSTRIA FORCED TO MOVE. OBJECT OF ATTACK. A COMPLETE FAILURE, Received June 17, 5.5 p.m. Paris, June 10. M. Marcel Hutin says that the Austrian offensive is an important military event, synchronising with the difficulties of the moment in the Austrian internal situation. German opinion was recently at white heat against Austria, which was most bitterly stigmatised and charged with inactivity when Hindenburg was seeking a decision.

Count Burian seems to have boon soundly rated, and he rushed back to Vienna to obtain approval to attack. The Italian losses in artillery have been made up, and the army generally is in good condition. Marshal Conrad commands the northern group, while General Bowevitch commands tho southern plain group of attackers. Renter's correspondent at British headquarters in Italy says: The attack on Saturday on the British positions on the Asiago plateau was made by a division of Austro-Germans and some Bosnian troops, the enemy's objective apparently being to reach the lino of hills about the plateau of Cima de iPointe, four kilometres behind the front. They reached the front line, but have made little progress since. The attack on the right was completely repulsed, but succeeded at first in jraing a few hundred yards near the left centre.

The country is full of hidden folds, and lends itself to attack by small isolated detachments. The preliminary bombardment was of the heaviest kind, but the enemy sparingly used gas shells. —United Service. EXTENT OF OFFENSIVE. TONALE OPERATIONS A FEINT. Received June 17, 5.6 p.m. London, June 16. The Austrian offensive, from Astico to the sea, covei'3 nearly 150 miles of front, having regard to the contours of the ground, but the newspapers point out that the German offensive in March began on a wide front, being later contracted to selected positions. Apparently, Thursday's attack at Tonale Pass was a feint to cover the real offensive, which was fifty miles eastwards.—.Press Association. BRITISH FRONT RE-ESTAB-LISHED.

HEAVY FIGHTING CONTINUES. Received June 17, 6J5 p.m. London, June 10. British-Italian official: The pocket on the British front was cleared of the enemy during the night and early this morning, and we are now re-established on our original front line. We took over 350 prisoners. Early on the 15th, when the attack was launched, invaluable assistance to the infantry and artillery was immediately provided by the Italians on the left, which was largely responsible for bringing the Austrian infiltration to an immediate halt. Heavy fighting continues in many places along the Piave and the pastern end of the Monte Bello heights, also astride the valley of the Brcnta. A us. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. PRELUDE TO GREAT OFFENSIVE. Rome, Juno 16. A correspondent of the Corricre della Sera opines that fruitless attack on the Tonale Pass is a prelude to the great offensive which has long been preparing General Krobatkin employed a whole division, and his only success the capture of height 2545, which was within 300 yards of the Austrian starting point and is dominated from the Italian positions. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. Military critics consider the Austrian attempt to force the Tonale Pass means the beginning of the delayed offensive, Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. ITALIANS HOLDING THE ENEMY. Received June 17, 7.50 p.m. Rome, June IG. Signor Orlando (Premier) is optimistic regarding the battle. The Italians are everywhere holding the Austrjans, and frequently counter-attacking and prisonering thousands of the enemy.— Press Assoc. AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL REPORT. Received June 17, 7.80 p.m. London, June 16. Wireless Austrian official: We broke the enemy's lines on the plate:"' in Seven Communes and also ciw < _- iie Piave. The prisoners number in.ooo of Italians ant 1 - V French, also a considerable nu. 1 08Wk

DEADLY COUNTER-BOMBARD-MENT. ENEMY'S INITIAL SUCCESS. ENERGETIC COUNTER-ATTACKS. Received June 17, 8.20 p.m. Rome, June 16. An. Italian communique states: A great battle lias been in progress wince Saturday. The artillery preparation was exceptionally intense. The enemy's masses of infantry 'began their expected offensive against the eastem sector of the Asiago plateau and Brenta Valley and Mount Grappa, and also attempted to force the passage of the Piave, and carried out heavy local actions on the remainder of the front. Our own and the Allied barrage anticipated the enemy's preparation with a deadly counter-bombardment. The infantry sustained the offensive in the advanced defensive area. The enemy attacked most intensely on a 150 kilometres front. In the initial stage they occupied a few front line positions in the Monte Bival Bella and Asolone areas, also at the head of the Monte Solaroito salient. Some of the enemy pased the iPiave at the Nervesa and Fagaremusilo areas. We energetically counter-attacked all along the front and succeeded in holding back the pressure and regained a good portion of the positions which we had temporarily yielded, altough isolated detachments, with great Valor, continued to remain, some at all costs. The violence of the struggle did not diminish during the night, we firmly holding the froiit of the Asiago plateau. 1 We completely reoccupied the original positions in the Asolone-Solaroito sali- ' ent, pressing most closely the enemy who ' crossed the Piave. We prisonered 3000, including 89 officers. | Our own and allied airmen are taking a strong part in the battle, bombarding the crossings of the Piave and machinegunning the enemy's masses. We downed 1 31 aeroplanes.

OFFENSIVE NO SURPRISE. MOST INTENSE BOMBARDMENT. Received June 17, 10 p.m. Rome, June 10. The Austrian offensive was no surprise to the Italian command, who knew the enemy's 'bombardment was timed to begin at 3 in the orning of the 15th and where it would be most intense. They, therefore, ordered the Italian batteries to open concentrated fire at midnight in the zone of Seven Communes on th# Asiago plateau and on the Brenta, between Asiago and Monte Grappa. The batteries violently bombarded the enemy's front lines, gun emplacements, and immediate rear while the Austrians were making final preparations for the attack. The bombardment lasted twenty minutes, and was resumed thirty-five minutes before the opening of the Austrian bombardment.—Press Assoc.

AUSTRIA'S GREATEST EFFORT. ENORMOUS ARRAY OF ARTILLERY. Received June 17, 10.30 p.m. Milan, June 10. II Corriere della Sera's correspondent at headquarters states that the offensive is the greatest and most ambitious effort Austria-Hungary has attempted in any theatre of war. There is an enormous array of artillery. A thousand guns are concentrated against one It"" -i army in the Trentino, and 1500 on • 4siago sector from Astico to the Brciu l g The enemy's chief- aim b over whelm the defences in the nar ■< I'renzola Valley, securing a break 1 trough the Brenta Valley and enabling/ iiim to debouch in the Vlastagna. This is practically a resumption of the offensive foiled in May, 1918, and again last winter. General Conrad, who has twice failed, is directing the third attempt on this sector with greater strength of men and material.—-Press Assoc. THE BRITISH SECTOR. "HOLDING LIKE A ROCK." Received June 17, 10.30 p.m. London, June 10. Mr. Warner, Allen, writing from the Italian front, states that the Austrian offensive had a less propitious beginning than any in the history of this war. Two divisions attacked the British. One had heavy loss, and finally, under pretence of gaining ground, dug trenches in No Man's Land. They could have done this without attack, as we were quite willing to have them fully exposed to our guns. The other division was rushed up in lorries and attacked on a narrow front, the attackers coming on in many waves. All were repulsed, and retired in confusion, wherein artillery did enormous execution. The British were thus able to send a message to their Italian comrades that the left wing was attacked, but the fropt was holding like a rock.— Press Assoc. Received June 17, 5.5 pjn. (Paris, June 15. The Austrian armies were divided into two groups, the mountain group under Marshal Conrad, comprising Generals ICrobatkin's, von Sc'hendtenstul's, and Krauss' armies, and the group in the plains under General Bowevitch, comprising Generals Kirschbachs, Jurm's, and Henrique's armies.—Press Assoc. i I