New Britain herald., 1917-11-24
Casualties are Heav] in Fierce Fighting Be|
 tween Italians anl
 AuStrianS .l
RESULT OF STRUGGLE
 IMPORTANT FACTOl

In One Engagement Lasting Thrs
 Quarters of Al Hour the Whn
 Field Is Swept by Artillery Ell
 and the Ground Is Strewn WI
 Dead-Une1celled Bravery shov
 by Men.
 Italian Headquarters in Norttoi Italy, Friday, Nov. 23.-(By tho sociated Press .)-The battle of
 mountains is raging with unexampl Monte Protica and Monte Pernt positions, which they lost last nlg, The losses have been very great,
 the enemy's far exceed those of Italians.
 A high commanding omcor on field has summarized tho fury of \ , present battles by declaring ho co1 not say who to commend for brave as the distinction would require 1 Monte Portica and Monte Por1a A distinctive ribbon for the brave he said, would stretch across the 1t 1 ian front.
 1 On the outcome of the mount1
 battle depends the result of tho emys greatest effort to break thro1I
 the Italian lines to the Venatl
 plains. The recapture of the ItAM
 position on Monte Portica was
 complished by succession of br
 liant charges which dyed the sno3
 red and left the ground piled Vi enemy dead. Monte Portica was Il and won four times, the enemy fif{ ly being thrown back. Although ( ilosses have been terrible, those
 the enemy are by far the greater, Q
 ing to the condition of the fightfI
 field and the desperate heroism the Italian troops
 The battle which had been gra ually gathering force in the last f. days, broke in full fury early yest( day and ragged throughout the dS the night and today. The first bfa was struck at Monte Portica, wh1 dense masses of enemy infantry WI hurled against the Italians. The fig, ing was extremely violent. Fortil was lost, then retaken, then lost aga and then retaken again in such Whilrwind of enthusiasm as seldd has been seen.
 Tho Greatest Blow.
 But the enemy's greatest blow " aimed at the strategic key of Mon n 4~ M . the full force of two divisions, o German, the other Austrian, M hurled in a furious attack on u Italian right wing in an effort to t the wing and cut off the army frc it's line of communication along t Piave. Now came one of the bloo fest struggles of the war, which WOa on all last might and today with a I'll cession of attack and counter-attac What the outcome will be cannot foreseen, but the Italian arms hAj again covered themselves with glo and have snatched victory when was hanging in the balance. Ev( the enemy yields tribute to Italie valor, for prisoners say their for are surprised at the resistance M and disconcerted by the impetuG bravery of the Italian troops.
 A succession of attacks and coNN attacks followed rapidly yester6nS the hills between the Ptave and 1 ta valleys, where the Italians are engaged in rious combat. Brigades and n ments, their numbers diminished the struggle were reformed and r turned to the fight. In one sectfc where there were 30 officers, 27 wo killed or wounded, but the rema1nlx three fought the battle of the thirt
 Mountain batteries had been . cured in mountain emplacements an as the fight ebbed and flowed ovl these positions the Italians not on brought back the guns but even u wheels and the limbers. their prit not permitting a vestige to fall in the enemy's hands.
 The final charge of the day came 2 o'clock in the afternoon. The el emy struck his greatest blow earlld in the day and the fierce attack taste three quarters of an hour, the who field being swept by artillery fire an the ground was streWn with dead.
 It was amid this welter of bodie md debris that the Italian lines wer re- formed and from it they move forward steadily and irresistibly m til the disputed ground was re-take except at one point where the struE gle still goes on. In this last del oerate charge the officers and mo were eager to advance, pre&errinI 1eath to being made prisoners. Tn enemy losses must be very heavy, bt 1e is bringing forward a steady strean )f reserves.
 The first army is sustaining a heAvj