Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-26
ENEMY TRENCH LINES
RUN INTO EACH OTHER
Often as Close as Thirty to FIT!
Yards for 400 Miles on
Italian Front.
AT ZAGoRA ACTUALLY TOUCH
Situation illustrates Difficult and
Curious Character OF Warfare,
Where There Is No Flat hand, E4-
cept on Rare Mountain TOP.

HEADQUARTERS OF THE ITALIAN
ARMY. June 24.-Zagora, which Is
little mountain hamlet that was bur
led in oblivion before tho war, is ia
nous to-day as the only point on the
Austro- italian front. and perhaps on
any army front. where enemy trench
lines actually run into each other For
800 miles on this front the Austrian
and Italian trenches run parallel be-
ing often as close AS thirty to fifty
yards. but at zagora they slide into
each other and then slide away again.
uphill and down dale. following the
general trend OF the Isonzo River,
which empties into the Adriatic sea
far above Venice.
The situation at Zagora illustrated
the difficult and curious character OF
the warfare on this front, where there
are probably not anywhere opposing
lines of trenches crossing so much as
a single acre OF fiat land. for there is
no fiat land, except on a rare noun
tantop.
You must see Zasora: they're al
ways hght!ng there. playing little
tricks on each other" said a division
staff officer to correspondent OF the
photographic map and showed two
lines of trenches running for miles
along the mountainsldes. The upper
is the Austrians and the lower is
ours" he explained. Note that at
Zagora the two lines run together"
It was decided that the best time TO
see ZaRora was In the early morning,
when the actual firing was desultory.
Many miles of walking before day
l,ril
the lsonzo River. and up Il mountain
side protected from artillery shells by
tunnels. brought the party to the
headquarters of the officer in comma nd
OF tho hill forces. The commander
conducted his visitors still further up
the mountain towards Zagora. already
visible as heap OF ruins of what
once had been the peaceful homes OF
peasants. The visitors went up at an
angle of 60 degrees. in the shelter OF
old trenches that once had been front
trenches AT every turn were visible
little plots OF wooden crosses. whore
Italian OF Austrian soldiers had fallen
during the terrific fighting carried on
by the Italians to gain their way up
the face of the mountain.
LIKE A SWORD DUEL
ALMOST ALL THE TIME
1T has been like a sword duel be-
tween US all the time" said the com
mander, with little artillery fire, be-
cause either side using guns would. in
view OF the closeness of the opposing
trenches, kill both friends and enemy.
It's wonderful the way the SOL
dicrs have kept up their spirits here"
he went on. For a whole month last
fall, when the mountain was Il mass
OF wet rock and mud. When it was
possible to get food up only by night
when the men could not be relic ved
when TO strike light meant death
from o snper, when our trenches We're
but hastily constructed piles OF stone
left by the Austrians as we pushed
them foot by foot towards the noun
taintop. the men held on with amaz-
ing cheerfulness. Not even the wound
ed complained The death struggle
developed the best qualities of our
men. Even the Socialists among them
whose principles do not include fight
ing, became some of my best soldiers"
AS the visitors came full upon the
shattered blackened stone walls OF the
hamlet of Zagora. the commander adj
Nised: Stoop low. now, and run quiet
~. When you reach our front line.
don't talk; don't even whisper. The
Austrians will hear you and begin an
attack, thinking we ourselves are
about to start one
The party halted near the walls OF
what once had been huge country
kitchen, built under the lower side of
house, facing toward the mountain
top. Within stood men against the
wall with rifles in their hands peep
ing out little apertures. On tho other
side Of this wall. not two feet away.
stood silent enemy watchers, always
ready TO fire. The place might have
been tomb, so silent were its occu-
pants. The only sound came from the
floor where men were sleeping with
their faces covered with blankets to
deaden their shores.
This place Of lagora. with it's silence
fraught with expectant danger, was
more impressive than any open field
filled with the shrek of bursting shells
The party crept from this silent cor
ner through dark tunnelled ways and
zig gagged about other ruined foun-
dalton walls, where other soldiers
stood. and on. down line, until tho