The sun., 1916-09-03
SDELIG4TS ON WAR AS SEEN BY SUN" CORRESPONDENT
HOW ITALIANS CAPTURED
THE STRONGHOLD OF CORITZ
Blasted Out the Eyes and Brains of the Defensive
System and Kept Austrian Reinforce
ments From the Front.

Special Correspondence 10 The SrY.
ROME. Aug. 1l.--Thc full story of how
the Italians captured Goritz. the Aus
trian fortress. situated In a pocket
FORMED by a bend In the lsonzo River and
surrounded by steep mountains stretch
ing In n semi-circle north. east and south.
Will not he known until the war is over.
since the outbreak OF tho war between
Italy n Austria fifteen months ago,
enormous and continuous efforts have
been made by the Italians who fought
desperately and almost hopelessly TO in
crease the ground gained beyond tie
lsonzo which they crossed in the OPEN
ing days OF the war.
Time passed on and the Italians undis-
couraged despite their failures and their
losses. continued their efforts against
Goritz. which they were determined to
occupy ut all costs. The Austrians, who
strengthened the city's defen,es VT Ella
borate trenches OF metal n concrete.
intricate wire ntarslements and other
obstacles. including mined areas, masked
batteries In caves and grottocs connected
by underground rails for the movement
of guns from point to point where needed.
fully realized that the Italian efforts
seemed bound to end successfully and in
an effort to avert the fall OF 0orits de-
cided TO invade Lombardy from the
Trentino.
The offensive Of a large scale In the
Trentino was undertaken last spring with
this object. n for a time the strategy
of the Italians. who had insisted on con-
sidering the Trentino az a secondary
front. was considered a mistake. .Goritz
had TO be abandoned as all available
troops were rushed to the Trentino Just
In time to avert an invasion. The Aus
trian offensive failed. The invaders were
driven back after having reached the
edge OF the plains of Lombardy and
Venice. and the effort made by tie
Italians was so tremendous that IL was
taken for granted that Goritz was no
longer menaced.
Occupation Of Gorits.
after the Italians had blocked an Aus
trian invasion from the Trentino. the
Italians occupied Goritz. The most i'm
portant OF all the fortified positions on
the isonzo front fell into our hands,
Gen. Cadorna announced. 'as a result OF
the most powerful and violen. attack
delivered against a stronghold In the
history Of the present great war" The
strategy OF Gen. Cahorna was not UNI
sound after all.
In less than a fortnight. most OF the
Italian troops concentrated in the Tren-
tho were transferred to the Isonso front,
where all the guns tina; Italy could ge;
from the Allies. and II Is stated tina, the
number Was enormous. were In position.
On August 4 the Italians quite unex-
le.:e1,y attacked a hill 10 the east Of
Manfaicone, twelve miles from Trieste.
The attack was exceptionally violent and
delivered with great dash. I; proved sue
cessful.
The ltalia;s drove the Austrlans from
their positions a; the point Of tina bayo-
tic, and occupied Hi SIS. Teen they
advanced. n they were reinforced to
such an eN:eEt that the Austrians as
suncd tina; "A dssa for Trieste was the
objective. This assumption was In
creased when the Italians attempted a
landi;g on the coast west OF Trieste
supported by var vessels which shelled
;he Austrian forts.
Naturally the .Austrians rushed re-
endorsements toward Trieste. They
counter attacked the Italians and wen
drove them back and announced tina;
they had repulsed an Italian attempt
,gaius: Trieste. or the following day
when the Aus;rlans were e!ated and the
Italians were supposed 20 be discour-
aged AT their failure to advance toward
Trieste. all The Italian guns along the
lower Isonzo opened fire simultaneously.
Picking the Targets.
what astonished the Aus.r.ans was
that the Italian artillery fire was not the
regular preparation preluu!ng an attack,
The Italian guns seemed to be firing
erratically. not against The cnemy's posi-
tons. but beyond them and in front Of
them. The Italians fired also against
'iori:z. but only aimed AZ the Law
course and a paper mill. which we're i'm.
mcdiately sent on fire and destroyed.
Strangely enough each italian gun
seemed to have a particular target,
either al Isolated farmhouse or a clump
OF trees or a rock.
Il did not take long for the italian
Eunners to destroy completely each tar
ge:. and il took less for the Aus,rians
20 discover what the Italians were firing
Al. The italians destroyed carefully and
systematically every building used by
the .Austrians as their headquarters. all
the commands OF regiments, brigades
and divisions, and every tree or rock
ar roof used as an observation station.
In other terms the Italians were blast
ing out the brains and the eyes of the
enemy.
When the task was accomplished, ard
It Is really wonderful how the Italians
knew and carefully located their tar
Ee;s. the guns directed fire against the
enery's positions. trenches n forts on
h'lIs. covered supports. caves and grot-
toes. This was real artillery prepara-
ton p~reluding an attack. md the Aus
TRANS deprived OF their commanders and
their telephones. knew not what to do.
Meanwhile every effort was being made
TO uinmon the troops sent to defend
Trieste.
While preparations were going on be-
hind the Austrian lines an Italian 40
lila OF ae~roplanes. capronis. each hold
Ing two bombthrowers besides the pilot,