The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-08-07
GERMAN ACCOUNT
OF Bloody Battles Between Italians
and Austrians.

berlin, July Il, ktOlISSpoii"NiiNS "
The Associated Press.) ATTACKS that
in bitterness and determination beg
gar description, losses that run into
the thousands, desperate, unless in
fantry assaults following hourlong
artillery fire, have characterized the
terrible struggle between the Italian
and the Austrian forces along the low
er lsonzo River.
When the war shall have ended it
is doubtful whether Neuve Chapelle
and Ypres will stand out more grim
ly terrible than some of the bloody
battles of early July along the Aus
tro-ltalian frontier.
A picture of the green lsonzo liter
ally aioat with bodies, of the mead
ows and fields along its course a YER
table shambles, of whole companies
and battalions wiped out of existence
on both sides, OF proving night at
lacks checked by ghost-like search
lights and of almost unbearable artil-
lery fire whitening and destroying
everything in its path. is drawn by
Leonard Adelt, correspondent of the
Berlinger Tageblatt, in a dispatch
from the Isohzo River
Adolf sketches dramatically the
events leading up to the fearful ltal-
ian attacks, the secrecy of the prep
arations, the terrible strain of with
standing them when they did come,
and the bravery displayed on both
sides. His dispatch is in part as fol
lows:
IN single file the Dalmatians crop
ed their way up the path through the
woods to the saddle of the PLAYA
Heights. Soon they could hear the
rasp Of spades and the hack of picks.
and took their appointed places in the
shelters that are shot to pieces blythe
Italians in the daytime and that are
repaired again each night.
On the night of July 1t was nm
usually still. on both sides. The
shostlike arm of our search light
CROPPED its way along the fortiiicat-
ions of the enemy, the bags OF sand
in which looked like rows OF dead
men. The white shaft OF light in one
OF its journeys revealed the enemy's
saDpers lying fiat behind rocks, their
faces distinguishable through a glass
in the bright light.
They had placed iron tubes with
explosives under the barbed wire en-
tanglements, and when they found
themselves discovered they rose fear
lessly and advanced. 4 few of the
mines exploded suddenly, the explos-
ions followed BY tangled wires and
flying posts and stones. But before
they houm get to our trenches ithe
rifles eRAned fire and the sappers
dropped. annihilated,
Behind tho ruin of every house In
oslayiia, Gradiscutta and Podgora, be
mind every stone and bush, there
were Italians. Their number grew to
an entire corps. three infantry dhis-
ions, ~
Their catapults spat mines hlo
our distinctions and Az night smaller
groups assailed our positions with
hand1grenades and rifle fire. AAll
throqeh thgbth of July the cannon
numbered about us. Again and again
they made dirt heaps of our covering
and graves of our shelters. The
howitger shells acted much like n
sword that mows down everything in
'front.' of it, and under their shelter
there advanced toward us from Osla-
VIA column after column of the
enemy.
Opposition looked impossible and
retreat out of the question. vet the
Dalmatians, the Hungarians and the
Croatians did resist, outlasted the
Shell-coyered death zone, dug them
selves out OF living graves into which
they had been catapulted and met the
enemy with lightning fire that deci-
mated the attacking lines. They
held the positions all that day and
until the attack stopped at night.
While an entire Italian army corpc
was trying TO force the northerns en-
trance to Gorilla, not less than three
army corps were trying to get at it
from the south, by route which has
as its pivot the Plateau of Doberdo
The next general attack on the
I'd OF July was prefaced again by a
Commandment by cannon 'of all cali
bres. In some spots more than sixty
shots minute were counted. Two
! divisions then stopped the front lines
between Sagrado and Vermekliano,
and one regiment each Mt Polazzo and
Redipuglia. But the Croatian troops,
in bitter oounter-attacks, drove the
Italians back into the plains of the
lsonzo, and even captured their ma
chine guns.
The Sd OF July brought not only u
bombardment of Redipugla, but a
night attack as well, which was re-
pulsed
/ "On the 4th and 9Th of July the
siege operations against the great
| national bastion of Doberdo turned
snto huge field conflict
THE night of the 9Th five strong
divisions of Italians advanced against
the Croatans who were in the infer
Tor numbers, robbed OF their shelters
! by the Italian artillery bombardment
| Discharging their rifles and machine
guns until the muzzles threatened to
burst, they met the onslaught, literal