Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-12-30
TERRIBLE LOSSES
IN CARS) BATTLE
War Correspondent Gives Thrill.
ing Description of the
Fight.
HEROISM ON BOTH SIDES
Surpassed All Horrors Winter Had
Seen in Nine Months With Aus
tro-Hungarian Forces-FieId
Is Strewn With Dead.

Zurich.-A thrilling description OF
the recent terrific battle on the Carso
plateau from the pen of Joseph Po-
gany, q wor correspondent who viewed
the gigantic struggle from the most
advanced Austro-Hungarian positions,
has just been published here.
THE eighth battle on the Isonzo
was TIE elimination of the Italian
campaign" says Pogany. ~ have
spent nine months on this front and
witnessed the awful struggles around
Doberdo and Gorilla, but the hell on
the Carso plateau surpassed all hor-
rors ! had seen before. The Italian
attacks In this latest and greatest bat
tie were of almost incredible ferocity
and the heroism displayed by both
sides will live forever in history.
''The new Italian offensive was well
planned and carried out with great
skill and energy. On the compara-
lively short front of six miles Gen.
Count Cadorna threw no less than 260.-
900 men into battle, or 100000 men
more than he used in his September
drive on a front of ten miles. Two
full corps Of infantry, the Fourteenth
and the Twenty-fourth, attacked on a
front Of only three and one-half miles.
together with IL corps of dismounted
cavalry, while at the same time eight
regiments stormed forward against
Hill 144
Follows Joffre's Methods.
"Tn his great effort to break the
Austro-Hungarian. lines, General Ca
dorna used the methods Of Joffre and
BrussIloff. He prepared the storming
attacks by a drum fire of his heaviest
artillery and when, after terrible
bOmbardment of 200 hours, the Aus
trian positions seemed to be pulver-
lied, or at least badly shaken, he or
dered a general attack. His infantry,
with admirable dash and courage, adj
vanced in formations twenty lines
deep under a whitening fire from the
heights.
The Italians concentrated their eff
forts on the short front between
Grace di Merna and Novavas and Hills
LA and POS. From two sides the Ital-
ian waves rolled forward until they
reached Jamiano. The Austrians
soon found themselves flanked from
two directions and their retreat was
rs the Italians had pene-
trated q full mile to their rear and
threatened to cut them off completely.
"When the situation became ex-
tremely critical for the Austrians two
Tyrolean regiments launched a furi-
Gus counter-attack. The Italians were
caught in the flank and fell in rows
under the hail of Austrian shells and
bullets Nearly fifteen hundred men
We're cut off and had to surrender.
During the night the battle around
Hills IA and POS and NovavaS ragged
Italian re-enforcements
arrived continually and when the
came the eight flank of the
defenders hung in the air and the
ruins of Novavas were In the hands of
the Italians A counter-attack of Ty-
rOlpiln TtSttutnNS anu IlutiEdi luAl tIOppS
re-estahlshed the Austrian line, but 1t
was bent back three-quarters of mile
on front of about two miles.
This was the whole result of 48
hours of the most bloody fighting of
the present war. All during the next
day and the following night the Ital-
ians continued their stCrming attacks
without Il moments pause. Their re-
serves seemed 70 be ineXhaustible, but
they made no further Roadway.
"Ou the morning of the fourth day
they gave up their efforts TO break the
front. Only in the
southern part of the Carso plateau
they attacked u hours longer.
In their latest attempt TO reach
Trieste the Italians sacrificed at least
100000 men. | AIN positive that $4,000 /
of their officers and soldiers were |
killed. wounded or taken prisoners in |
the sector between Lokvica and Hill |
LA alone. but the losses of the Aus |
trans were also very heavy. When /
the battle ceased the field was covered /
with dead. They are all holy. friend |
and foe an Austrian general said TO
me- pointing to heaps of corpses. Let
us kneel down and pray for them.