The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-07-02
ElCH WARFARE
on TRtNTIA0 FRONT
- Doaics OF Trocpe Are operassnx
r. - Open--Anscrian ARTILLERY
Preservation OF Excellent
Character.

Character.
xrentino, Front July Trench
warfare, for the time being, has been
abandoned here Trench hnes no
1ensr count
Great troop masses are nance
I uvr1ns In the open, through the val
loys and gorses, swa-rntng over the
aummfts o. these mountains The
u Ansfr1ans dare advance only as far
- the long arm OF their guns VIII
5 faach. and are bending all their en-
serKy TO bring UP these guns
Il 10 siedge hammer tactics, 80 dear
"a The Prussians that the Austrian
cornnnan5ers have adopted. and rom
the general aspect OF their plans IL
4 would appear that these we're pre-
pared and rnatured IN Berlin rather
than In Vienna
Unl,ke verdnn. Il is not q fortress
that ~ being assaulted, bat great
drive. carried or By Siege Methods.
Nor converwtns or a single center
but radiattns like the sticks of FAN
from q central nase.
The Austrians Il is estimated oy
competent experts. have veil over g
900 pieces Of ARTILLERY IN seeuons
along this battle line. These tncsu dc
4 great mum Der Of heavy ca1fore guns
Naval guns. With an ert-ene length
OF range are being used with great
skin through out the engagement
Kept IN -eserve. ana Usually silent,
though posted close 70 the firing line,
they have had tisconcerrng eject
in tina. their Are has reached far be-
hind the Italian Gnes at intervals be-
tween the attacks. firing shotn At ran
dom which did little dam age, but gaze
the impression Of continued sdvance
With the front OF this battle line
extern ding now to a length OF twenty
two miles, the artillery of the enemy
works out at nearly ieo pieces 20 the
mile or one gun every twenty yards.
The shells AIRED by this artillery are
OF excellent workmanehfp.
THE Austrians fred away all their
bad shells during preliminary ac-
tons" was the comment OF young
italian staff of1cer who "a IN the habit
Of recording the efficiency of Austrian
shells But II ,s quantity as we'll
which the Austrtsns are relying on
Twenty thousand shells were nred,
against my position on the frss two
ssnv- Of thu en@agerre nt, AZ Aipt-!
major, commanding a small knoll, re-
marked 10 me Using this as a basis,
It would not be far from the truth
10 assert that over 100000 shells
were fred by the Austrians IN the
6rst two weeks Of the present battle
THE morning group Of some 25o
Austrian prisoners ARE in fila VIII
lage. These prisoners ara Rournan-
!ans from Pennsylvania They are
young we'I-set-up troops They are
captors tell me that they fought
waliantly."
The equipment OF these men Is new.
and wac struck by the excellent
quality Of their boots Their uni
forms are IN many cases Of heavy cot
ton twill very tough and resisting the
hard mountain hghting better than the
usual cloth UNIFORM
Asked about their food, they re-
piled that they did not get enough 20
eat but their looks oelied their state
ments Whatever may be the truth
in regard 20 TIE rneauess and fatlews
days in tfe Harrisburg empire, the
arynteH IN the 4eld are not sufferins
in this respect. and though the civt.
Hans AT home are now put on strict
rations their soldiers rasjons in thi.
sector 1t le 4st have not been cu'
down
T. Is evident that the Austrian com
manders have assembled the picked
troops OF the Dual Monarchy for the
storrnine Of these Trenttnc heights
Everything would point 70 the fact
that they are making supreme and
final effort 20 win the war. Prisoners
confirm this by stating that the wa
can NOT go on much longer.
YESTERDAY morning an TTalian Pc
troll coming In from ~ nights tout
of inspection OF their pos!tio rs brought
In a prisoner He IS a burlv thick
tipped peasant boy ~ twenty dressed
IN q Russian uniform On h+a }ceAe.
fitting, blouse-like tunic, torn In man,
places is pinned q black and yellow
rtband. ana han z1nr from thin re-
raaining strand shines the silver media
Of g. George Al italian subalferr
takes charge OF the prisoner
"A Russian refugee" the oficer re-
marks. The Russian smiles good ma.
turedly. as he feels secure that now
he IL among friends
'There are close 20 20. ooo Russia r
pr1eoners Of war employed by the
Austr4ans along our front. repairing
snakfng trenches. and engaged or
Uther non -corsbatant' military duties, -
the officer informed me A few man
are to escape into our lines nearly
every day, but many more Russian
dead he In The silent crer'asses Of our
high mountains who have lost their
nves while attern ptinE 70 escape"