The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-08-18
ITALIANS CHECK
AUSTRIAN drive
Count CadOrna'S Victory Is Be-
ing Compared to Battle
of Marne.
FOUGHT FOR FORTY DAYS
Italians Fight With Backs to Long
Line of Preeipees Over Which On
slaughts Of Enemy Threat
ened to Hurl Them.
BY A. BEAUMONT.

Milan. - Italians are comparing
Count Cadorna's great victory, when
he checked the Austrian drive from
the Trentino and threw the foe back
headlOpg, to the Battle Of the Marne.
l have just learned new details of this
action.
The defending army nt the moment
the drive began, am assured, amount
ed hardly to two divisions 100000 TO
10000 men). They had to hold the
enemy in check until powerful army
of olfense could be concentrated at
their back.
The ground thus heroically contest
ed was Il tortuous line of Alpine peaks,
the chief of which, after the famous
Monte Pasublo, were the SUBMITS Of
Forni Alti, Monte Alba, Monte Nov
egna, Monte Pau, Monte Magnaboschi,
Gina Echar and Monte Lisser.
Fought FuriousIy
A young officer, who was at Monte
Lisser only n lew days ago, gave me
a graphic account Of these positions.
The retreating Eutde had been fought
furiously almost night and day, for 10
days. The enemy was already gaining
glimpses over the mountain passes Of
the smiling plains Of Vicenza below.
The Italim soldiers were fighting
with their backs TO Il long line of prec-
ipices, over which the furious and in
cessant onslaught of the desperate en-
emy, whose numbers seemed mex
haustible, threatened to hurl them.
Suddenly there came a feeling Of re-
lief. Sledge-hammer blows were being
dealt to the Austrians on the extreme
right and left wings. The onemy's
attack in the center instantly became
less resolute, and the Italian troops,
who had hitherto been retreatng,
found to their JOY that they were
backed by huge lines Of imprcgnable
defenses, prepared during those 40
days, and masses Of troops and artil-
lery were eager to come forward and
take the places of the brave men who
had so long defended the danger-line.
Hours passed in eager expectation.
The last scene in the preparation was
the arrival of the guns. They were
tOwed up the mule paths dragged up
by sheer work of hand to seemingly
SUBMITS. Ammunition
trains stoSl thickly behind, waiting to
unload.
Swarm Up Mountain.
Thousands upon thousands Of troops
We're swarming up the mountain
slopes. New roads sprang into exist
enCe where none had been before !
Batteries made their appearance where
only eagles had built their nests, and |
the last desperate skirmish on Monte |
Lemerle and Magnoboschi had scarcely |
when hundreds of Italian |
guns opened fire with an internal
chorus.
Shells flew thick and heavy from the
lines between Monte Pau and Monte |
across the valley Of Asiago,
and word came that the Austrians
we're yielding and falling back.
The Italian infantry Immediately
took up the pursuit. They rushed
down the mountain slopes, raising
heir war cry of savoy" and occupied
Jesuma and Gallo. Thence they
spread along the roads of the entire
,alley, re-entered AsiagO, and contin-
led the pursuit Of the enemy on
Monte Longara, to the north, and
Monte Cengio, to the south.
And everywhere the Austrians were
ound in full retreat, or Offering only a
weak resistance,
The enemy has set fire to the little
FOUNTAIN villages and hamlets, and is
alling back upon the immediate de-
enses Of Rovereto. Thus the first fu-
olives of the defeated army are re-
urning to this town, whence they had
et out 40 days ago on their "puni-
i've expedition" with the punishment
urning against themselves.