ITALY.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 July 1918, Page 5

ITALY.

ITALIANS CAIN MORE GROUND, ENEMY OFFENSIVE ARRESTED. ENEMY DRIVEN FROM COASTAL ZONE. London, July 7. Italian official: On the Lower Piave our presure, continuing fiercely, again broke the stubborn enemy defence, and yesterday we gained more ground, leaching the right hand of the new Pi#ve from Grisolera to the river mouth. A violent offensive return attempted by the enemy northward in the direction of Chiehanuova was arrested. Renewed violent attacks on our positions at Porte-di-Saltona, north-westward of Grappa failed. After five days' bitter and uninterrupted struggle the enemy, on the afterBoon of the Ctli, was completely driven to the left bank of the new Piave. We have captured all the coastal zone, which the enemy had occupied aince November. We hare captured, since June 15, 523 officers, 23,911 men, 63 guns, 1234 ma-chine-guns, and much other material. We also recovered all the artillery and material lost in the first phase of the struggle.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. CLEAR OF THE ENEMY. THE WHOLE VENETIAN PLAIN. STUBBORN FIGHTING., Received July 8, 11.55 p.m. London July 7. The Daily Chronicle's correspondent at the Italian front states that the whole Venetian plain to the Piave is clear of the enemy. There is not a single Austrian on the west bank of the river, except the 24,000 prisoners. The enemy held since November a triangular sector at the mouth of the Piave to Cornellazzo, with the apex at Sandona. The soil being sodden, they were unable to dig trenches or operate large masses. They had to split into innumerable small groups, converting every factory, farmhouse and cottage into a fortress, fixing machine guns in every suitable tree fork, and sowing them along the banks of the countless canals. The Italians have taken three hundred machine guns, but hundreds of others were buri«d under the demolished buildings or sunk in the swamps. The Italian artillery cut off the supplies of these groups by destroying the largest bridge over the river and keeping the three others under constant fire. The defenders, consisting of Bosnians and Herzegovlnians, fought stubbornly. Four columns of Italian Bersaglieri and infantry carried out the toilsom» task of breaking the enemy defences in guerilla warfare, fighting continually up to their waists in water. Sometimes the combatants lost their weapons while floundering in the swamps, and then engaged in hand-to-hand struggles, tearing each other with their teeth. ITALIANS CONSOLIDATING. ENEMY'S LOSSES VERY HEAVY. Received July 8, 10,.10 p.m. London, July 7, Italian official: We are consolidating ourselves on the ground recaptured on the right bank of the new Piave. There is every indication that the enemy's losses are much higher than foreseen. The French made a brilliant raid on Zocchi, on the Asiago plateau. Three enemy attacks on Cornone, between the Frenzela valley and the Brenta, were sanguinarily repulsed. Wireless Austrian official: As the delta of the Piave was untenable without heavy sacrifice, we withdrew to the dyke position on the eastern bank. The main branch of the operation was carried out on the night of the sth. The enemy felt his way at midday on the 6th as far aa the river.—Aua. N.Z. Cable Assoc. AUSTRIANS ADMIT SET BACK,. Vienna, July 6,. The Italians have succeeded in pressing back our southern wing.—Reuter Service,.