The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-12-24
INITIATIVE
(Conrnued from First PaSe.)

mo plain and would vastly prefer n pn-
Stion at tho northern lImll IL the plain.
Al least where climatic conditions woulL
favor his troops wnilc possession OF TIA
peaks would ennbl" him to control the
territory for miles in front nf them.
Even curs"ry visit to the 'irap7a
sector. however. Is sUnlcien.' tn reveal
convincingiy how very far the enemy
Is from achieving these detectives and
how formidahlr n" Italian positions ar"
PACKED .ur by rcJur"nated ARM.
thoroughly rcnrganIzed. and r"-cGuIppcd.
and who's" spirit was shown by III"
counter attack which r"capturcd III"
great !Asol0rr positions. immediately
after the. r"rairiug "f tn" Asoione
heights tn" correspondent found it pos
sihlo Ia proceed |" vantage point
slightly south md west OF GrRpra and
almost du" south Of Asnlonc. which 1t
the tim was hcinE viri"uSiy bnnihardcd
with shrlpm"l Ivy the enemy who had
lost it . few hours before. Had tho
enemy h"rn all" I" held il and con-
uuer Monte ru$ton. between 1T and
Mont" Grarpa. which latter is III"
cnrmys objective. as the completely
this key position would have been seri-
ously mennc"d.
Their rebuff At this important rnin'.
however. keeps tho Au~;r"-t;"rml II
forces not only at n c"nSideruhl" di+-
tame" from the Tl"In they arc seeking.
hu; makes Jh"tr progress toward II rX-
trrrncly difficult now that tho weather
Conditions. unfnvorahl" for several days,
arc rapidly increasing in severity.
y single day spent with tho Italian
forces In tins rr"un,niu s"rtirn serves
TO show 'couvinr:nEly what II slup"ndous
task tn" .AWStrn-;;' ruI.u Invaders have.
Will" German shrapm"l WIS .viri"uSi''
pcppcrinr tho lost A%"l"'" heights.
countless light and heavy Italian bat
tories. Tr"mh!nc and. 'l"ttlnG th''
twu adjoining mountains. wcr" hammer
Ing tho enemy INCREASINGLY. Every pain
In ~" mountain sill" disCnrE"d troops
WORKING under tho S"-rallcd rotation sys-
tom nv which tho. enemy men in tn"
FIRST lines. alter serving thor" Tor some
DAYS. fall back into the reserve. being
relieved by reserves ani then gradually
working :hcir way forward To thr FIRST
line gain
\, many points lay piles nf ammuni-
li"n nvd Tho way bore and there was al
mos, lmr,:;,..:ihlc by reason "r tho ha'-
tories That were making th"i" nsC"nl
mora slowly with th"ir hors" power than
the automobiles. Masses of troops lny
waiting In r"Ii"v" tho hrSt line nGht-
rrs irrn!,% obviously cheerful. wc!l-f"d
md confident t:,ai tho f"cnmGn"St Of 4
crrnl part =: u" AS"irur position h1i
brought IL 81. HpHI halt tho AHStro-ti"--
man progress Toward tho plain.
'rh" concentrations OH III" A"iaCn nla-
.trau md nl"nE tn" lNs'cr Pave. whil"
lrr,?ls Numerically lest important than
those IN the f"apra region. nT" Id
,n!;tcdlv for ;hc *"mN riI"E'nS". accord
ing tn the adn.iseiuU. ~ prisoners. Win"
say The c":lhiiion "f li"'.r troops Is ter.
rIhic and ;h"y must. III all costs. S"Cu""
u lin" "n ~" rlriu and control ;h''
Rrruia and Ii:v" valleys 50 that they
Will not haze 90 ::iiurc the winter IN
IN" mountains.
"Wr must S"r'ir. these things Mt what
eyer rrC" and sacrifice" may b" ncr"S-
%ary'' were :hc words IN which 1nH
Austrian Summed w III" .'Itta;t"n. TIL"
prisoners. virtually without exception.
prrGtrt tha; III" end "f this Year will
leo marked ~ furious hattl"s which "rl!
last II fortnight.