The sun., 1917-06-07
AUSTRIAN SMASHES
: REPULSE ITALIANS
Vienna Reports Capture of
G77l Prisoners in Carso a..
Fighting.
ROME ADMITS RETIRING
Large ReenfOrcements Brought t
Up for Resumption Of
Fighting.
ROME ADMITS RETIRING

LoNpoN. June Ga staggering blow
has been dealt the Italians on the Carso
plateau. Vienna announces to-day. In
the fighting yesterday near Jamiano the
Austrians took prisoners 271 officers and
$500 men, making a total OF $4,000,
which, the Austrian War Office remarks,
b an extraordinary number for a de-
fensive battle. The Italians took only
some $1,000 in the entire recent Of
fensive.
After this strong counter attack yes
terday the Austrians began a new at
tack on the southern Carso. In this
attack. Vienna says. they recaptured a
considerable portion of the positions the
Italians stormed two weeks ago, includ-
Ing trenches on the western slopes Of
Monte Hermada. However. the fighting
IL not over and the Italians have
brought up large reenforcements.
1t appears from the Italian official
statement that the Austrian massed
counter attack has made an impression
on the Italian lines. The Italian line
south Of Jamiano has been withdrawn
slightly to a position which is more
advantageous tactically. Gen. Cadorna
reports following the heavy fighting of
Monday. There Is no hint Of how the
Italians came to lose SO large num-
ber Of prisoners.
The correspondent OF the Times at
italian army headquarters telegraphs
that there is little doubt that the Aus
TRANS have been able to make so strong
Ruh TINS nv,
thousands of men taken from the Rus
sian front because of the inactivity Of
the Russian army.
"A week ago 1t seemed as II the Aus
TRANS were near the end OF their tether
D. far as men were concerned" he says,
but in the interval they have sue
ceeded in collecting reenforcements from
the eastern front and so to launch a
desperate attack from Goritz to the
sea"
After describing the fighting for Faiti
Hrib on the northern Carso the corre-
spondent describes fighting on the south
ern Carso. making II appear that the
Italians have regained practically all the
lost ground. He says:
Meanwhile further south the Aus
trians made great effort to regain their
lost ground. A heavy bombardment con-
tinued from Sunday night until dawn
yesterday. when the enemy attacked the
southern half OF the Carso and the lower
slopes Of Hermada. Here. too. tenn
porary successes were won. The Italians
were driven Off a stony hillock 1,20C
yards west of Selo. This hill Is a diff.
cult point to hold It was taken by our
allies May "a, lost May 25 and retaker
the following day. This time the enemy's
success was no more permanent. for the
hill fell into our hands again yesterday
The enemy made a still more violent
attack on the newly won Italian posi-.
tons on the slopes leading up to the
main Hermada ridge. Here his tempo
fary success was Of wider extent. Our
allies were driven back down the slopes
toward the Flondar line. which they had
wrested from the Austrians May %. but
here again the enemy could not make
good his temporary advantage. The
italian guns shelled him unmercifully
and the Italian infantry pushed him
steadily up the hill Most of the lost
ground has already been won back and
the fighting continues.
The Italian army had never been SC
tried as during this struggle, not even
last year at the Trentino. Not even
then did the soldiers reach such a level
Of endurance and heroism."
The official statements follow:
Austrian-South Of Jamiano. half
way between Monfalcone and Her
mada, our troops in a counter attack
systematically prepared and carried
out recaptured a considerable portion
of the trenches captured In this sector
two weeks ago by the Italians. The
enemy vainly threw into the battle his
reserves. which arrived on foot or
were brought in motors. in order to
snatch again from us the territory
which we conquered. In a struggle
lasting q day and a night and which
early to-day. owing to fresh italian
Yeenforcements, increased to the ut
most violence. our heroic infantry re-
manned victorious on the entire line
and the enemy was repulsed every
where.
Italian attempts to bring relief to
the southern wing by thrusts near
Castagnavizza and east Of Goritz
failed completely before the brave de-
fence of our troops.
The number of prisoners brought
back Yesterday near Jamiano amounts
20 I'll officers and $500 men. The
total announced In the last report Is
thus increased to the extraordinary
number. for a defensive battle. of 49,
600 prisoners.
An enemy hiplane was shot down In
an aerial hght over Dampazzo.
Italian-Lively artillery duels con-
tinued yesterday on the front from the
Monte Nero area to the heights east
OF Goritz. On the Carso the violent
sheliing of our positions from Versic
10 Jamiano was resumed. provoking
an energetic reply from our batteries.
South of Jamiano the fighting was
less intense after the heavy action of
Monday. Our new line fronting Flon-
dar. however. has been withdrawn
slightly to a position which Is more
advantageous tactically. In yester-
days action we took 256 prisoners. in
GLIDING ten officers.
There was Intense aerial activity.
One enemy machine was beaten down
by gunfire near Moos. in the Sexten
Valley. Another was brought down
In an aerial fight between the Vodice
and Monte Santo
Last night our bombing squadrons.
not withstanding violent shelling by
anti-aircraft guns, dropped more than
two tons of high explosives on the
st. Pietro station of the Trieste -Lu-
eiana Railway Our machines returned
eafely.