Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-08-27
ITALIAN FORCES
FIGHT UP HILL
Virtually Compelled to Wrest
Heights From Austrian
Adversary.
ARMY IN HIGH FETTLE,
Confident OF VICTORY
Boys Take Hill, and Come Out Vet
erans-Fort Seized Without
Orders to Teach Lesson.
Copyright, 1851
BY HERBERT COREY.


GMr. Corey wrote this story prior to
the Italian capture of Gortzia. His
statement that the city would be taken
when the Austrians were dislodged
from two important hills commanding
the city is striking evidence of the ac-
curacy not only of his information.
but of his Judgment This was due to
the fact that he went to the front and
under fire of Austrian guns looked
over the battlefeld]
WITH THE ITALIAN ARMY IN
THE TRENTINo. July 31.-There Is
round mountain near Arsiero. Most OF
it is covered with woods. Its sides are
steep as a house roof. At the very top
is little round knob of rock. on
which the Austrians had mounted
battery.
The wood was full of Austrians. 1t
was taken by assault. this round
mountain. and by regiment OF boys,
Because the story permits one 10
glimpse the spirit of this italian army
it is worth telling.
That mountin must be taken was
the order of the general stafi-
That battery mounted on that round
knob was playing hob with transport
ARRANGEMENTS. Here and there the road
beneath. on which the italians were
moving guns and food and men to the
front. twisted into view of the gun
ners When there was movement on the
road the gunners sprinkled 1t with
shrapnel It happened that the han
dtest regiment to the round mountain
was one made up OF boys
Boys Do the Job.
'-rhey had not yet completed their
term of instruction when they were
ordered to the 'front.'" I was told.
They were needed to help throw back
the Austrian invasion.
The boys had not seen any active
service at this time. They had been
in hearing of the guns for days, and
had seen the trains of wounded go past
them, and had watched the big guns
slambangily up the Alpine roads. But
they had never been under IRE.
Sprinkled through each company were
some older men, and their ohcers
were excellent. That is to state only
commonplace. So far as I have seen
him the Italian officer is always
superb.
So the boys went forward to the as
sault. Here there was no thrilling
run across the open under fire, in which
the boys at least had the consolation
of elbow touch with their fellows.
They went in through the wood-ai-
ways climbing up that house roof hill
to find stone-walled trenches, over
might sometimes be seen.
1t was an individual sort of an action
A group of boys would rush trench
or rife pit or one boy would find
6Oh
three days they took the mountain
They were pretty shaky the drst
day" I was told. Most of them were
pale and their voices cracked little
when they cheered At the end Of the
second day they had become good
troops. AT the end Of the third day
they were veterans.
Fort Taken and Left.
If tell another story Of the same
sort it is because the world outside
of Italy has seemed to hold the achieve
ments of the Italian army rather
lightly. It has not been understood
that in this rock-bottomed mountain
progress by inches on map. The
steps ahead must be taken one at a
time.
The italian war has been fought IN
U
tains are the green hedges and the
valleys beneath represent the grav.
eled walks. Sometimes the two armie:
seemed tangled in an tnextrtca BILE
knot.
An Austrian battery on one hilltop
will seem well in the rear of the
Italians, Smelling their ways of com
munication and quite unreachable from
the valleys they hold. An Italian bat
terry will be kilometers behind wha'
seems 10 be the Austrian front, also
Smelling roads, and also protected by
cliff and gorge from direct attack.
In the valley Of Lagarina you VII
see a fort through your glasses, thu
lieutenant who accompanied me said
We took It last night. but we gave
1t up today.
I am expressly prohibited from giving
the name of that fort because, at the
time of writing, II is still in Austrian
hands It's guns commanded certain Ital-
ian trenches in the valley. From mountain
tops in the vicinity the Austrtans nigh,
have thrown shells Into their own fort l,
they had desired.
The staff did not propose to bother TAX.
ing that fort until the mountain tops WERE
taken. because II would obviously be diff
hcult to hold and because 1t would have
Italian trenches were annoyed by the fire
Let US go take IT, they said to them
selves one night
No Orders Given.
No orders had been given. mind you
No officer told them to go forward Blu
one battalion Just whooped out Of thei
trenches at midnight. and poured through
the barb wire and across the moats o
that little stronghold. and took It, The.
took IL thoroughly.
Along with the fort they took one hun
bred prisoners. The rest OF the defender
were dead Or wounded or had run away
Then came the question:
What shah We do with ft?''
Obviously. there was nothing to be don