ITALY.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 June 1918, Page 5

ITALY.

PURSUIT OF ENEMY. ITALIANS RECOVER POSITIONS. HUGE HAUL OF PRISONERS. London, June 24. The Italians have captured 45,000 prisoners, an enormous quantity qf war stores, and many guns. They are now pursuing the Austrians ea6t of the Piave. Paris, June 24. The French press regards the Austrians' defeat as almost a complete rout.— Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. London, June 24. An Italian semi official message states: Our pursuit at certain points reached the left bank of the Piave. The Austrians abandoned considerable quantities of war materials and the prisoners have | not yet been counted. ' We continued the pressure on Sunday 1 from Montello seawards, and obliged the j enemy to retire in disorder, and lie is already thrown back at almost all points to the left of the Piave. Montello was entirely retaken, and along the Piavo considerable bodies of Italians have in large sectors fought their way to the old line on the right bank. In> fantry and cAvalrt detachments reconquered several positions on the left bank at Caposile. Numerous bombing squadrons elsewhere were also thrown across the river.—Aus. N.Z Cable Association and Eeuter. Rome, June 24. The news of the Austrian defeat was greeted with immense enthusiasm and the city is beflagged.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. London, June 24. The Times correspondent at Italian headquarters says that the Austrian command asking.for aid from Germany implies n recognition of Italy's victory. The enemy's losses, including prisoners, pre nearly 200,000. It is understood here that the result of the offensive prevents tlie wholesale transfer of Austrians to France with a view of counterpoising the Americans. —Times.

BY ORDER OF THE EMPEROR, GENERAL CESSATION OF AUSTRIAN ATTACKS. London, June 24. The Milan correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says thnt the two Austrian operations have become incoherent since Thursday and the attacks limited to a few struggling efforts. The Emperor arrived on the scene, not to record a victory, but to advise -what had best be done in the disastrous circumstances. He made a rapid inspection of the Alpine sectors, then proceeded to the lines behind the Piave, accompanied by the Archduke Frederick, General Arz (Chief of the Staff), and the Prussian Major-General Cramon, representing Hindenburg and Ludendorff. A consultation was held with the com* manders at each army headquarters, and then a council of war was convened at a villa near the Piave, where a gen* eral cessation of the attacks was decided on. The Emperor left via the Tyrol, after visiting his brother, the Archduke Maximilian, who is nearly deaf through a shell-burst.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. HOW THE AUSTRIANS WERE CAUGHT. ARTILLERY PLAYED ON RETREATING FORCES. ITALIANS BREAK THROUGH THE LINES. Received June 25, 2.40 p.m. Rome, June 24. An Italian war correspondent says the Austrians are not only beaten but have suffered partial disaster, the extent and importance of which cannot be estimated. The Austrians at night began to withdraw from the Piave, hoping to retreat without attracting attention, but Italian patrols, penetrating the enemy lines, dis* covered the Manoeuvres. The Italian artillery directed intense fire on the enemy troops as they were crossing the rivet, and at eleven yesterday morning the Italian infantry, with magnificent dash, took the offensive and broke in on the Mdntello front, and the Austrian [ retirement became a disorderly retreat. At Nervesa, whieh the Italians feocoipied, they found the Austrians' guns inj tact and with ammunition, as well as ' Italian artillery lost at the beginning ol j the offensive. The waters of the Piave are carrying J away much material and hundreds of corpses. Italian aviators bombed and machinegunned the retreating masses, which were crowding the bridges.—Reuter. FIERCE COLLISIONS. GERMANS MAY STIFFEN AUSTRIANS. Received June 25, 2.5 p.m. London, June 24. Mr. Ward Price writes that the Austrians were badly beaten everywhere. It is estimated they lost 180,000. They are still attempting to continue local fighting near the crossings of the Piave, with a view to preparing the next stage of the general struggle by linking up the two salients. Fierce collisions occurred in the central swamps of Cava and Zuccherina, which protect Venice. All the fighting in this topsy-turvy corner of the field is done along the narrow shelves between the dykeg, giving the advantage to tt3 defenders, who are composed of odd assortments of sailors, bersaglieri, and coastguards, ns.ing amphibious batteries, moved alternately on land ana water . , Mr. Lovat Fraser says it is too soon to sing the Doxology over Austria s failure Some stout German divisions will probably stiffen the enemy and enable him to re-attack somewhere between the Tonale Pass and Lake Garda.—Times

MONTELLO EVACUATED. ITALIANS PURSUING ICXEMY. STUBBORN REARGUARD ACTION. ITALIAN POSITION" COMPLETELY RESTORED. Received June 25, 7.50 p.m. T1 London, June 24. . e latest news states that the Aus* trians wholly evacuated Montello and re-crossed tjie river, partly by one remaining bridge and partly by. wading. They were followed up by the Italians, who captured one general and hundreds of prisoners. They also recaptured 72 of their own guns. The Italians are now on the north bank, with one bridge at Faily and another at Nervesa, where they are making bridgeheads and meeting with little opposition. Between Montello and Zenson the Italians are on the river for the whole distance. They are making a bridgehead at the Pont di Piave, and on the whole of that front are pushing over their cavalry. The efiemy south of Zeiison are fighting a stubborn rearguard action, in order to cover the retreat of the main arm y> but there are only two bridgeheads left them, one at San Dona and the other at Grisolera. The Italians recovered the Caposile bridgeheads with prisoners. ** The position at present is that the Italians have practically restored . the situation to what it was before the Austrian attack. The enemy lias very few reserves on the Piave sector, and they also made few trenches east of the P'ave. besides which their lateral communications ore bad, rendering the passage of reinforcements from the north extremely difficult. At a moderate estimate the Austrians' losses are double those of the Italians. —Reuter. j A GRANDIOSE SCHEME. COLLAPSES;

AUSTRIAN'S HELD AT RIVER BANK. 1 HORRIBLE SCENES OF CARNAGE. Received June 25. .8.10 p.m. London, June 24. The situaton in Italy abounds with possibilities, but General Diaz ig unlikely to take risks, as he has alreadv scored a great success. It is estimated the Austrians have twenty divisions in general reserve, so it is impossible for General Diaz to throw his infantry across the Piave without fn!l preparation. Tlie Austrians have thus far used seventy divisions in the battle each one a half more numerous than the German divisions. (A German division is now between 8000 and 9000) Prisoners state that eight divisions initiated the storming of the Asiago plateau yet it was necessary to put in seven divisions of the reserve the very first day, as the Austrian losses were tremendous. It is now clear that a grandiose scheme for crushing Italy in order to enable a final Austro-German advance in France has collapsed. Emperor Carl, realisms the situation was hopeless on the battlefield, lurried back to -Vienna to deal with the civilian disorders. There is grave anxiety in Berlin regarding Austria. The Kaiser has sent general Ludendorff on a special mission to Vienna. Tlie latest telegrams from the front say that they cannot yet calculate the extent or the Austrian disaster The advancing Italians showed magnificent elan, the victory exalting the courage of the troops. Directly General Diaz learned that the Austrian commander had «ive-n the order to retreat from Montello, his counterattack increased in intensity. The Atistrian retreat commenced on Sunday. By eleven on Monday morning the retreat had become a rout, the Italian aviators continually bombing the Austrians crowding across the bridges, which one by one were destroyed, until only a single bridge was left on the Montello sector. The Austrian casualties are at least 180.0A0, and the Italians' 80,000. It is expected the Austrian casualties will be immensely increased by the present fighting. It is already known that the re-crossing of the Piave resulted in the most serious losses. There were horrible scenes of carnage at the water's edge, where masses of bewildered Austrians were awaiting a chance for using the hastily 'improvised bridges, which the Italian artillery and aeroplanes were continually destroying. Many were also drov/ned in the river. The pioneer American aviation corps did particularly brilliant service, attacking the bridges until the passageways were finally blocked with dead and wounded Austrians. The Italians, after a violent bombardment, recaptured Nervesa by a brilliant bayonet charge on Sunday at 0 p.m.— Press Assoc. THE AUSTRIAN ACCOUNT A SUCCESSFUL EVACUATION. Received June 25, 8 p.m. London, June 24. Wireless Austrian official: The height of the river and bad weather caused us to evacuate Montello and oilier positions on the right bank of the 'Piave. The order was given four days ago. Our evacuation was unobserved by the enemy.—Press Assoc, GERMAN TROOPS BEING SENT. Washington, June 24. The Germans are hurrying troops from France t?> Italy.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

CROWNING RESULTS OF VICTORY. v GROUND COVERED WITH DEAD. 1 ' Received June 25, 8.30 p.m. London, June 24. Italian official: Yesterday gate us the crowning results of victory. The enemy was pushed up against the bank of the ■ I'iave on an ever narrowing strip of ground, and there unceasingly bombarded In; our artillery and aeroplanes. After maintaining himself desperately on the right bank for eight days, at a cost of enormous sacrifices, the enemy began, on the night of June 22, a withdrawal to the left bank, crossing the river under the deadly fire of our artillery. The retreat continued on Sunday, protected by a strong array of machineguns and covering troops, who, after a stubborn resistance, were driven back from Montello and from all the right bank of the Piave, excepting a small portion at Musilo, where the struggle continues. An extraordinary number of Austrian dead cover the ground, proving the enemy's valor and his great defeat.