New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-29
Conquer Village of San
Giovanni in New
Advance
23,825 Austrians
Taken Prisoner
Vienna Claims Capture of
$4,000 Men in Foes
Offensive
DAYS DEVELOPMENTS


Timavo River and carry lines to within a
mile and a quarter Of Dunno, on road to
Trieste. Take nine 6-inch guns. Prisoners
now total 23,825. Ausirians claim 1900
prisoners.
British ac,ivite, fore,hsdow renewed Of
fensiye.
French repel German attacks in Cham
pasne. Germans claim $50 French prison.
eD.
Heavy firing by Russians on Austrian
lines reported by Vienna.
London, May 28.-The Italian effort
to turn the Austrian left flank and
clear the way to Trieste was continued
with success yesterday on the South
ern Carso. Cadorna's troops stormed
the village of San Giovanni, crossed
the Timavo River and established
themselves within a mile and quarter
of Duino, their chief obstacle to a
coastal advance upon the great Aus
trian seaport. They also increased
their captures of heavy artillery by
nine 6-inch guns.
The Austrian official statements OF
to-day and yesterday are framed with
the evident purpose Of reassuring the
public. They concedc losses only in
the most general terms, deny that the
Italians have won any advantage OF
importance" and emphasize that the
Austrian lines are still unbroken.
That Cadorna has not won his vic
tories without sacrifices is indicated
by the assertion by Vienna that l3,Ooo
prisoners have been taken since the
Italian offensive began, including 25O
officers and 1000 men captured on the
tarso Plateau. The number Of Aus
trisn prisoners taken by King Victor's
troops in the eighteen days Of battle
now totals 23,s25.
The Strategic Situation
The strategic situation created by
the Italian success north OF Dunno Is
significant. Duino is on the Adriatic
coast at point where the broken prom
ontories Of the Carso jut almost into
the sea, though there is narrow strip
Of shore which the Italians hope to
cross, thus debouchng upon a broader
lowland pathway which continues be-
yond Sistiana end permits an easier
approach to the cliffs running down to
/ Trieste.
Duino is guarded on the north by
Mount Quercata, a beetling height
which the Austrians have fortified as
the bastion Of their left flank. Any
attempt to storm the mountain is
doomed to almost certain failure, and
| il is apparent that Cadorna is trying
/ to turn its iefences by working south
ward. The capture of San Giovanni
was an important step in that direc-
ton.
San Giovanni Is the village at which
the Timava River bursts from the rock
and flows into the Gulf Of Psnzano
mile and half away. The Timavo is
really the Reka, which cuts into the
northern Carso between deep rock
porpes at Divaca, and then plunges un-
der the maze of limestone and volcanic
rock composing the plateau above, un-
iii it emerges at San Giovanni The
extraordinary course Of this strean, ne
! cessitated by the conformation OF the
ground, illustrates as well as anything
else the difficulty Of the territory,
Scared with abrupt crags and bored
with erottos and caves, over which the
! Italians are fighting.
Threat Against Duino
The Third Army probably will not
try to force a way directly east from
Wedeazza. which lies at the foot Of
Mount Ouercato, but will pursue the
/ advantage gained in crossing the
Timavo. Duino will not prove an easy
CAPTURE, but the threat against 1t IS
now direct and imminent.
Additional trenches were captured
Yesterday by Cadorna's forces east and
southeast of Jamiano, but fighting on
{ the rest of the front appreciably SLACK,
ened, perhaps because OF the pad
weather. However, there was snarp
Austrian thrust against the Italian
! i;res at Hill 1876. south Of Grazinga,
which penetrated the advance trenches,
but was thrown back in a counter
thrust. leaving 156 prisoners behind.
Austrian assaults on the Vodice, north
of Gorizia, also failed.
An example Of the intensity OF tne
fighting on the Carso Is iound IN tne
Austrian account Of three Honyed regl-
mcnts. which, within forty-eight hours.
repulsed seventeen attacks ana seaied
a height three times.