Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-07-02
Zagora Is Only Place in En-
tire War Zone Where
Trenches Collide.
FIGHTING TOGETHER
Austrians and Italians Use
Same Barbed Wire Pro-
lection Here.
Correspondence of The Associated Press.)


HEADQUARTERS OF THE ITAL-
IAN ARMY, June 22.--Zagora, which
is a little mountain hamlet that was
buried in oblivion before the war, is
famous today as the only point on
the AustroI Italian front, and perhaps
on any army front. where enemy
trench lines actually run into each
other. For four hundred miles on
this front the Austrian and Italian
trenches run parallel, being 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
single acre of flat land for there
Is no flat land except on rar,
mountain top.
you must see Zagora, they're al
ways fighting there, playing little
tricks on each other" said "a division
staff officer to the correspondent of
the Associated Press. He then took
down a Photographic map and showed
two lines of trenches running for
miles along the mountain sides. THE
upper is the Austrians and the lower
is ours" he explained. Note that
at Zagora the two lines run together.
1t was decided that the best tint
to see Zagora was in the early
morning when the actual firing was
desultory. Many miles of walking
before daybrcak over pontOon
bridge spanning the Isonzo river and
up mountain side protected from ar
tillery shells by tunnels brought the
party to the headquarters of the of
ficer in command Of the hill forces
The commander conducted his vsi-
tors still further up the mountain to-
wards Zagora, already visible as a
heap of ruins of what once had been
the peaceful homes Of peasants. Thu
visitors went up at an angle of sixty
degrees in the shelter Of old trenches
that once had been front trenches
At every turn were visible little plots
OF wooden crosses where 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 sword Duel.
"It has been like a sword duel be-
tween us all the time" said the
commander, with little artillery fire,
because either side using guns would
In view of the Closeness of the op
posing trenches, kill both friends and
enemy"
IT'S wonderful the way the sol
diers have kept up their spirits here. .
he went on. For whole month
last fall. when the mountain was a
mass of wet rock and mud, when It
was possible to get food up only by
night, when the men could not be
relieved when to strike light
meant death from a sniper. when our
trenches were but hastily construct
ed piles of stone left by the Aus
foot towards the mountain top, the
men held on with amazing cheerful
ness. Not even the wounded com
plained. The death struggle devel-
oped the best qualities of our men.
Even the socialists among them
whose principles do not include
fighting. became some OF my best
soldiers"
AS the visitors came full upon the
shattered. blackened stone walls of
the hamlet of Zagora. the comman-
run quietly. 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 a huge country
kitchen, built under the lower side
Of house. facing toward the noun
tain top. Within stood men against
the wall, with rifles in their hands,
peepins out at little apertures. On the
other side of this wall not two feet
away. stood silent enemy watchers.
always ready to fire. The place
might have been a tomb so silent
wero its occupants. The only sound
came from the floor where men were
sleeping with their faces covered with
blankets to deaden their snores.
Danger Everywhere.
This place of Zagora. with Its ST.
lence fraught with expectant dangei
was more impressive than any open
field filled with the shrek of burst
Ing shells The party crept from
this silent corner through dark tuii-
neled ways and zig-zagsed about
other ruined foundation walls, where
other soldiers stood and on. down a
line, until the Austrian trenches
could be seen through maze or
barbed wire defenses.
An officer pointed to the barbed
wire and said: I'VE are on such in