Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-11-03
Furious Onslaught of AuStro-
Germans Is Preceded by
AifpIane Raids on Head
quarters,
CIVILIANS FLEE WITH
ARMY IN RETREAT
Big Guns Saved Largely Be-
cause Of Clouds Wich Made
Air Operations Difficult, Is
Report.
" sosS,sa Jopss.l SPECIAL LEASED WAC,


Italian Headquarters in Northern
Italy, Thursday, Nov. /, pa m. (by
the Associated Press. 1.-The immensi-
ty of the convulsion through which
the Italian army Is passing, makes in
d,vidual impressions count for little.
Yet, as an eyewitness at the extreme
front up to the day OF retirement and
then as a participant in the retreat
to the new position westward, the cor
respondents experience Is typical OF
those hundreds of persons that the
army removed from tho danger zone.
1t can be stated that we are situat-
| ed with General Cadorna and the gen
eral staff. His sturdy figure was Of
ten seen as he went to and from the
| front where the Duke Of Acosta, COM
mander of the third army, and Gen
| eral Capelle, commander of the Sec
ond army, were in personal charge OF
the wall OF steel that the Italians had
erected inside .stiian territory.
Nearby at that time was the official
station where our dispatches were
rigidly scrutinized, The whole city
was given up to the supreme military
administration with the streets crowd
ed with all ranks of soldiery.
Change Comes suddenly.
This gives glimpse of the scene
which changed with such suddenness
when the crisis came last Friday
night. From that hour the corre-
spondent tried to make frequent notes,
from which the entries should give the
main sequence Of events.
At noon Friday there was a success
sounded by triple gongs, followed by
sirens and bells. The streets were
cleared, the shops We're closed and
business suspended.
The first definite information was
thus given that the Austro-G
had crossed the 1sonzo In a huge Of
fensive. Friday night the gravity of
the situation led TO the consideration
of retirement of the army and the
removal of the headquarters west
ward. The commander of the troops
in this section read to them, with
emotion, General Cadorna's stirring
appeal to the soldiers to stand firm
and all Joined in loyal shouts of Long
live Italy"
Headquarters Removed.
Saturday morning the correspond
ent was summoned at daybreak and
informed that all must leave at once,
as the headquarters had been re-
moved. The railway was given over
to troops, artillery and stores. Private
trains and the telegraph had, been
suspended.
All sorts OF vehicles and horses
were impressed for military require
ments. Throngs of persons were
walking along the roads and the refu-
gees, men, women and children, were
carrying the pitiful remains of their
household goods salvaged in their
flight before the invaders.
The correspondent succeeded in
boarding an automobile of the last
British Red Cross unit to leave. A
final look, at midnight, from the top
of the Red Cross building, found that
the eastern horizon was ablaze with
continual explosions as the Italians
blew up ammunition depots and
bridges to impede the advance of the
enemy and screen their own retire
ment. A fierce bombardment was
punctuated with star shells from
either side while the gunners attempt
ed to discover their opponents posi-
ton.
Road CIoggcd for Miles.
At daylight Sunday the vast traf-
fic of the retiring multitude clogged
the roads for miles. The Red Cross
automobile party expected to make
thirty miles inside Of two hours, but
it developed it would take at least two
days to c,chieve this distance.
The withdrawal of the heavy guns
and the ammunition supplies revealed
a military genius of the highest order,
hut the civilian crowds added to the
difficulty of the huge military remov-
al. A torrentia! rain increased the
hardships of the soldiers and added to
the misery of the women and children
who had walked seemingly endless
miles over the roads and through the
fields, all night
Sunday morning, at a railway cross
ing, steady succession of flat cars as
sisted in the removal of the artillery.
The monster guns were mounted on
do,,y,ia ,,ars with a cnveripc nf hn,,0I.,