ITALY.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 June 1918, Page 5

ITALY.

BRITISH RECOVER GROUND. ENEMY'S MMMLTIES INCREASING. LARGE RESERVES BEHIND MOUNTAIN. Received June 22, 5.5 p.m. London, June 21. Tho Australian Press Association learns that 1070 Austrians were taken prisoners, also that five mountain guns and seventy-fivo machine-guns were captured on the British front in Italy, where our counter-attacks recovered the ground taken by the enemy. The Austrian gains west of the Brenta are insignificant. Italian counter-attacks rendered them unimportant. Tho Austrians did better on the Piave front, where they occupied a" continuous front of eighteen miles —no mean achievement —which, if they had been aible to develop before the Italian reserves were available, the situation would have been serious, but on the 18th the situation was altered to the Austrians' disadvantage. The Italian reserves carried out a series of counterattacks, broke the Austrian line, and gained the banks of the Piave. The enemy's difficulties are increasing Ibv tha river flooding, and supplies of reinforcements gre rendered difficult now there are no bridges, except one north of Montello, which is being heavily bombed by British airmen- No enemy reinforcements have reached Montello since the 18tJ». The Austrians have used up thirtynine divisions out of fifty, ibut still have large reserves behind the mountain front. It is possible they will rssuma the attack on this front, whila keeping up the pressure on the Piave. Although the Austrians have been defeated, it is too early to say they will not attempt to retrieve the situation.— Press Assoc. CONFUSED FIGHTING. HAMLETS CHANGE HANDS SIX TIMES. Received June 23, 6,5 p.m. London, June 22. The Daily Chronicle's correspondent at Italian headquarters says that the fighting on the Piave was most fused, owing to dense bushes, there being frequent surprises on both sides. The Italian divisional headquarters were almost surrounded yesterday, but the staff left their desks, snatched up arms, and fought an enemy detachment unti\ the latter was driven off. 1 Two hamlets on the lower Piave salient changed hands six times.—Press Assoc. Received June 23, 5.5 pjn. Washington, June 22. Austrians were discovered sending their soldiers, dressed in Italian uniform and speaking the Italian tongue, into the Italian ranks with a view to creating disorder. Each Austrian so discovered was shot. —Press Assoc. ENEMY PRESSURE CONTINUED ITALIAN'S REGAIN GROUND. FAILURE OF FIRST PHASE. ACCEPTED BY THE ENEMY. Received June 23, 5.6 pjn. London, June 21 (8.30 p.m-). Italian official:—The enemy pressure at Montello was continued strongly on Thursday, but was everywhere held, our counter-attacks regaining ground. The | enemy attempted advances westward an£ southward. An animating struggle took place, particularly eastward of the Casa-Cheller-Baeuaria line, and in the vicinity of Nervosa station. We prisonered four hundred and re-captured two batteries, which we promptly turned against the enemy. We completely repulsed an attaok westward of Candenl. Our counter-offensive' before Fagare and Zenson, begun on Wednesday night, was continued, irresistibly carrying us to the positions of the previous day. The enemy suffered heavily. We pri-! sonered several hundred. The enemy, westward of Sandona Valley, attacked four times againsi Lasson, being forced to desist by his exceptionally heavy losses. Parties of: sailors and bersaglieri northward of Cortelazzo, daringly broke in the enemy lines, prisonering two hundred, and firmly retaining the captured position. We extended our bridgehead at Oavaz and Uccherina. American airmen participated in the (battle for the first time. London, June 21. French critics believe the collapse of the first phase of the ibattle has already 'been accepted by the Austrians as final. M. Marcel Hutin states that Emperor Karl has forbidden a second effort, adding that an offensive whith gave the defenders eleven thousand prisoners will not eneourago the Austrians in theif illusions. M. Hutin adds that puiblio opinion in Vienna, Buda Pestli, and Prague is greatly impressed by the failures, synchronising as it does with critical food and political difficulties which victories were intended to avert. GERMANS TO REPLACE AUSTRIANS Received June 23, 5.5 pjn. The Hague, June 22. The Times correspondent states that Germany proposes to send twelve divisions to Italy, twelve Austrian divisions replacing them on the West front.— Times Service. THE AUSTRIAN VERSION. Received June 23, 6.5 p.m. London, June 22. Wireless Austrian official: —The enemy, on tho 20th, made an effort with undiminished violence, and vainly attempted to recapture the positions we had won westward of the Piave. The struggle at Montello increased in violence, we destroying wave after wave of enemy storm troops. There was hand-to-hand fighting on a twelve-kilometre front, the Italians throwing in reserve after reserve. We prisonered 3800 on

OFFENSIVE NOT RENEWED. local attacks repulsed, Received Juno 23, 11 p.m. Rome, June 22, Italian official: The enemy's offensive has not been renewed since Thursday evening. We sanguinarily repulsed strong local attacks. The enemy concentrated violent Are in the direction of Montello and Monte Grappa region. We crushed subsequent infantry advances. We again enlarged our bridgehead at Cavazuc Cherina, and penetrated a post oil the Asiago plateau and captured the garrison. We downed ten aeroplanes. Wireless Austrian official: We repulsed Italian attacks at Montello, westward of Sangona. The enemy between June 15 and 20 lost 42 aeroplanes. The prisoners are now 40,000, including a few Czecho-Slovak legionaries, who were immediately subjected to the treatment prescribed by martial law. Received Juno 24, 12.30 a-m. London, June 23. A British-Italian official message of the 22nd says:—-The situation is unchanged on the British front. Our coun-ter-attacks were most successful. We made many direct hits on hostile batteries and exploding numerous dumps. The Yorkshires, on the night of the 21st, successfully raided positions south-west-ward of tihe Asiago, inflicting heavy casualties. Between tho 12th and 21st, we destroyed thirty-three aeroplanss, TwU British machines are missing.—Ans.-U.Z. Oalble Assoc. and Retuer. DIFFICULTIES OF CAMPAIGNING. 12,000 AUSTRIANS CAPTURED. Received June 23, 11 p.m. London, June 22. Reuter.'s correspondent at Italian headquarters describes the difficulties of campaigning. The whole front is a mass of vegetation, concealing guns, while canals, dykes and ditches, and trailing vines overhead impede quick advance. Altogether 12,000 Austrians have been taken prisoner since the opening of thi? offensive.—Times Service. Mr Ward iPrice says the enemy is using the German system of infiltration attacks by a constant small stream of patrol assault troops with specially trained bombers, bayoneters, flamethrowers, snipers, and machine-gunners. The fluctuating fighting produces odd sights. He saw naked wounded men peddling biovcles, the pressure compelling the immediate evacuation of the patients from the dressing stations without clothes.—Press Assoc. GERMAN LEADERS ON THE SCENE. Received June 23, 11 p.m. Washington, June 22.

The New York Times' correspondent at Italian headquarters states that Hlndenburg and Lndendorff have conferred with the Austrian generals on the Italian front. The Germans gave advice regarding the lines on which the offensive should be continued. A number of American airmen have arrived in Italy. One bombed the Piave bridge.