Evening star., 1916-08-20

Sabotino and San Michele north and
south of Podgora and Of Gnrizia
Finally they sent their infantry up tho
slopes of these hills, took the Austrian
trenches and some thousands of pris-
oners and thus held both sides of the
gate. They looked down on Gorizia
and their guns commanded the rear of
Podgora Hill and the bridges leadin.
from Gorilla across the Isonzo.
There was nothing for the Austrians
to do. then, but get east fast
tney could and attempt to hold n new
line from the sea to the Alps. If such
a line existed and could be made good.
For. bear in mind, that. while the
Italians had taken the Gorilla bridge
head and got inside the Gorilla gate
way, they had not got all the way
through and the narrow neck between
the sea and the Alps continues east and
west for some miles. II was as II,
had entered a long vestibule, through
which they must pass before they could
get to the point where they could be-
gin TO use superior numbers.
A Summers Job.
Now. writing on Tuesday. August Is.
it is not yet clear whether the Italians
have actually got all the way through
the Gorilla gateway. that is to the end
of the vestibule or the Austrians have
been able to rally behind a second line,
still resting upon the mountains and
the sea. before whicf the Italians VIII
have to halt and begin ali over again.
We can safely conclude that such a
position VIII not be nearly strong
as the Gorilla line, bur il may be strong
enough to compel the Italians to walt
until their heavy artillery gets up and
then begin new blasting operation.
Such delay Will enable the 'Austrians
to construct a second and a third line
and it may be a summers job, still for
the Italians to get all the way through
this gateway and into the wider space
10 the east. where the sea falls away
from the mountains. Everything that
one can now see suggests this, although
the Italians are pressing on and are
already half a dozen miles east OF
Gorizla. This is the old story of trench
war, this is the story of Nerdun, where
the Germans broke through the nrst
French line and ultimately the second,
but they did not actually pierce all
the French lines and they had presently,
TO halt before the new lines that the
French constructed behind the broken
line.
We can see now that if the Italians
can keep on for ten or at most twenty
miles due east they Will be beyond the
Gorilla Thermopylae, and II they are
twenty miles they viii have Trieste, for
they are only twenty miles from II now:
But twenty miles is a very big advance
in trench war, and neither the french
nor the Germans have made such
gain since the beginning of the war or
trenches in the west. 1t is a matter of
life and death for the Austrians to hold
up the Italian advance, for II II does get
twenty miles east, then 1t VIII spread
like a tidal wave that has cut through
a like. and the Austrians, pressed as.
they are by the Russians have not the
men to hold understanding lines.
Italy's First Great Modern Victory
AS it stands. the Italians have won the
first great victory in their modern his
tory. Hitherto they have gained free
dom and then a reunited country
the aid of other nations. Of
France first and then of Prussia, while
their own troops have fought gallantly
rather than successfully ard known de-
feat rather than victories. In Italian
history the August Gays that saw the
fall of Gorilla will he landmarks ana
may well stand for the completion Of
that great work OF restoring Italy,
which was undertaken almost a CEN
tury ago. on the very morning after
the congress of Vienna had turned Italy
over to her ancient masters and denied
her the liberty she longed for.
And, too, the moral effect of the Aus-
trian success in Vienna and Berlin can
not be exaggerated. Three months ago
the German and Austrian papers in re-
counting the successes of the Austrian5-
along the Treutino front were forecast
ing the collapse of Italy and the out
break of a revolution resulting from
popular discomfort and disillusionment
But such revolutions are not the con-
contents of victory, and while the Aus
trian invasion has ended, the Italian
people are celebrating the first great.
Italian victory Of modern history in the
spirit that The French greeted-without
celebrating-their deliverance at the
Marine.
The Synchronized Attack.
Again, the Italian victory supplies
one more detail in the picture OF a
great, combised and synchronized at
ack upon the lines of the beseiget, CEN
raj powers. L coiacides with new Rus
ian victories. it gives new encourage
nent to the enemies of Germany, new
strength TO the allies, new promise of
Ultimate victory and even early Aus
rian collapse.
1t may be several weeks before we shall
know whether .he victory of Gorza set
led the fate Of Trieste and opened the
Dad TO a real invasion of Austria from
he west. Despite the familiar phrases,
he modern thrust moves terribly slow
Y and troops are hurled" at a snails
iace. But the moral effect, as contrasted
With the military encct Is instantly
apparent and can hardly he eXa8gerat-
ID. Nor can one fail to reckon its inc
luence in Bucharest, where Rumaniaar
tatesmen are only waiting until the
moment is ripe for an attack upon
AUSTRIA or in Sofia, where Bulgarian
tatesmen are daily counting the costs
# their Teutonic alliance with increas-
ng anxiety. .-.q.
Go back to last summer and fall, when
he stream of victories of the central
,owers seemed ineXhaustible and vic
ory followed victory with monotony,
nd then the change in twelve months
S unmistakable. The Italian victory
as cut another fragment from the 5
var map of Bethmann-Hollweg; it has
dded new and heavy burden to all
he other burdens the Hapsburg mons
rchy is carrying. 1t Is not Waterloo.
is not Liepsic, but it may prove to
e another Baylen, which was the first
uthentic sign of the crumbling of the,
:. 7la"lic prestige.