The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-11-02
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munitions and supply departments are
alert, but the submarine campaign and
ship shortage which have failed to
cripple France and Britain, have re.
duced Italy's munitions supplies far
below the danger line. The Italian of.
fensive of the early summer consumed
most of her reserve munitions. Italy
has neither coal nor iron and must get
both by sea. For five months the 1tal-
ian military commission in Washing:
ton has been struggling for American
wheat, steel and coal. -rr
That the Italian army is hampered
by a serious shortage of shells in the
face of the big German offensive is
freely admitted by Italian officers in
the United States. Captain, Count Lu-
cerna de C~ampeglioni, who arrived
here, only recently, says the whole
thing hangs on Munitions, munitions,
munitions" paraphrasing Premier
Lloyd Georges "ships, ships, ships"
with real Latin intensity.
The count, attached to the Italian
military mission, says there is no rea-
son to mince words about something
the Germans knew all about when
they decided to launch their attack.
""Then they know about the condi-
lions in the Italian army?' l asked.
Certainly, German spies are on ev.
cry street corner in Italy, or in Eu-
rope for that matter. We have done
our best to catch them, but where one
is caught, others take his place"
The count says the German often
sive has been expected for some time
in fact, it has been inevitable evel
since the Russian army's disorganiza
ton in July. y
The frstsblow was expected on the
Bainsizza plateau, where it fell. The
next stroke on the upper 1sonzo was
not so clearly anticipated when the
count left Italy, because the complete
decentralization of Russia and the safe
'ty with which German a withdraw
troops from the eastern front was no.
then s. apparent.
Asked whether the railroad facili.
ties between France and Italy would
allow the transfer of French, British
and American troops to stem a Ger
man offensive on the Italian front, the
count said the railroads were avail.
able, but that there was no need o!
allied infantry.
Italy has plenty Of men-also plenty
of cannon-but not enough shells. Tn
transfer of British and French batter
les to the Italian front, which has beer
going on for some time, is due to the
lack not of Italian cannon or artillery.
men, but of shells.
Britain and France have consider
able reserve stocks Of shells and their
supply is being kept up, but their
shells will not fit the Italian cannon
To use the allied shells on the Italian
front requires allied cannon to fire
them and allied artillerymen to handle
the guns.
The Italian shell shortage made It
self felt long before the end of the
recent Italian offensive, and the pres
ence of 10 British batteries on the
lower Isonzo at that time, with a large
number of French batteries above
Gorizza, was due solely to the neces
sity of using allied ammunition.
That Italy will stop the German
drive, just IS she stopped the
German ''strafe expedition from
the Trentino early last year. is
Count Lucerna's confident predic-
ton. He says that the German
accounts of prisoners taken are al