The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-11-02
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LONDON, Nov. 2.-The flooded TagliamentO river
separating him from Gen Won Mackensen's invading
avalanche of Teutons and with reformed and thor
oily aroused army behind him, Gen. Cadoma was on
his prepared line of defense today.
1t appeared that the great battle of the north ltal-
ian front under way.
Here in London the vital issue military observ-
ers it, was whether the loss of the staggering
number of guns and quantities of supplies which the
Berlin official reports have claimed the booty OF
the invaders, would permit the Italians to retain this
line
Cadorna it realized, must have great artillery
strength if he is to hold the Germans back His defeat
at the outset of the invasion due to preponder
ance OF TeutOnc guns. And of this smaller store OF
metal the Berlin statements clai INTO ha vel500 guns.
Loss of men, even the enormous total of 10000,
claimed by Berlin was not considered fatal Italy
has plenty of man power.
The Germans today hold the vital bridgeheads on
the eastern bank of the Tagliamento. 1t suppos
led that Cadorna his army once safely over, had de-
stroyed the bridges themselves but this not GER
tain.
First description of original German assaults by
which Won Mackensen gained the initial impetus for
his great admittedly the most overwhelming
maneuver Of this kind since the started-was re-
ceived here today
The Germans tried new trick. They opened
deuge of shelfre. 1t the greatest concentration
of artillery the Italians had ever undergone. It COW
cred every inch of the front-except certain small
sector The fire did fearful execution everywhere.
At the height Of its intensity when Italians troops
were DenC unQef QugOuCS eVefyWnefe-eVen IN the j
small sector which the Germans withheld thcir
fire-the German attack came.
1t was aimed at the small gap in the Italian line
from which the German fire had been withheld. The
assaultng caught the Italians there under their
dugouts and crouchng in the trenches The defenders
had no idea that an assault was coming, because
both sides of them the usual preparatory artillery fire
was still pounding away and there had been no
change to barrage curtain.
Thus, catching the Italians by surprise, the initial
wave of the German advance penetrated Gen. Ca
dorna's line and started the great sweep forward.
The tremendous German artillery fire continued
without abatement as Cadorna strove to send REIN
forcements to repair this break.
It must have done terrible execution in the ranks
of troops sent up to head of fthe Germans and Austr
ans.
With break made in the line, the rest compar-
|atively easy for the invaders Their prepondelence
lin guns and men and the advantage of thanking at
tack position forced Cadorna to speed his retirement
Rome dispatches indicated that despite his over
whelming initial defeat-a defeat for which he was
hardly bamabe account of the enemy superiority
lin artilery-Cadoma had executed mastery stroke
lin the Italian retirement.
Considering the vast force which the italian COM
mander had to back, his losses have not been e
cessive But what was more encouraging here was
that the spirit and morale of his apparently haa
mot been dimmed by the disaster which overlook
them. <]
on supplying the people with food and uniting ~