ITALY.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 July 1918, Page 5

ITALY.

ITALIAN THRUSTS. GROUND GAINED AND CAPTURES MADE. Received July 4, 8.5 p.m. London, July 4. Italian official: On the 2nd we conducted a series of thrusts on the lower Piave, against obstinate resistance, over partially flooded country, and gained ground. We prisonered 1900 men and captured many machine-guns and trench mortars. We repulsed a counter-attack north-west of Grappa, where we prisonered 25 officers and 590 men and took many machine-guns and much material. French parties made a successful coup de main in the Zoechi region, on the Asiago plateau.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter.

ITALIANS' CONCENTRIC. ADVANCE. HEAVY FIGHTING PROCEEDING. Received July 4, 11 p.m. London, July 3. Italian operations on the lower tPiave are aimed at clearing out the enemy by a concentrig advance from the west, south, and east. Already the advance has progressed between 2000 and 3500 yards and cleared two-thirds of the whole area by Tuesday morning. Heavy fighting is going on. One of the objects of the push is to shorten and straighten the line and add a considerable number of troops, possibly a whole division, to the reserve. Incidentally it removes Venice a further three miles out of effective gun range.— Press Assoc. THE AUSTRIAN VERSION. Received July 4, 8.5 p.m. London, July 4. Austrian official: Bitter all day fighting took place at the mouth of the Piave, the enemy being nowhere successful, except a slight gain of territory near Chiesannoita. An enemy attempt to land near Reredolin, supported by naval forces, broke down.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc, and Reuter.