Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-05-24
ONLY TEN MILES
AWAY FROM CHIEF
AUSTRIAN. SEAPORT
Break Through Enemy
Lines and Capture
5000 Prisoners.
RECEIVE VALUABLE AID
FROM BRITISH BATTERIES
Ground Difficult for Military Op-
erations Still to Be Traversed
Before Objective Is Gained.
COMPARATIVE QUIET IN WEST
! German Submarines Sink Two More
Big Steamers. Causing Loss
OF 45S Lives.
COMPARATIVE QUIET IN WEST
German Submarines Sink Two More
Big Steamers. Causing Loss
OF 4JS Lives.
rRy Associated Press. |

On front OF nearly ten miles on
the Carso plateau the italian troops
have smashed the Austrian line hard.
and have taken various positions from
the town of Castagnavizza to the head
OF the Gulf OF Trieste. In their re-
ncwal of their offensive the Italians
received valuable aid from some OF the
nine British batteries that have hauled
their big guns down to the Isonzo
front TO help in the efforts aimed at
the conquest of Trieste. Austria's big
seaport on the .hdriatic.
Not alone were the Italians success
ful in capturing numerous points OF
vantage. but more than 5000 Austrian
prisoners. including officers in excess
OF 800 were taken. The Austrians are ;
declared TO have been taken COM
pletciy by surprise by the sudden on
slauEht OF the Italians. who. to diver,
attention from the southern end of the
Isonzo lino had struck hard blow
to the north. When the Austrians re-
covered from their surprise they
launched heavy counterattacks, but the
Italians tenaciously held their ground.
The new advance of the Italians
brings them appreciably nearer to
Trieste. which, from the lower part
of the line. is less than ten miles away.
The ground travcrscd and yet to he
passed over is difficult for military
operations, and even with other sue
cessful advances, such as the last one,
the objective of the Italians will not
he attained except by fighting of
most desperate nature.
DuELS IN PROGRESS
Comparative quiet still prevails on
the western front in France held by
the British, but farther south around
the bend i'm the line from Scissors
eastward. intensive artillery duels are
in progress between the French and
the Germans being most severe IN the
regions OF Moulin de- Nauclerc, the
California plateau and ChevreuN
on none OF the other fronts has here
been an engagement OF any great i'm
portance.
The eXhortations OF the Russian Min
lister of War. NJ. Kerensky. that the
Russian troops cease their attitude Of
passiveness and go into the fray with
the object OF bringing about the neces
sary defeat Of Germany, evidently are
bearing fruit. The cntiro garrison OF
Sebastopol, Russia's big fortress and
naval station in the Crimea, has re-
qucsted unanimously that il be per-
mitted to so 10 the Riga front and give
battle to the Germans.
German submarines have sent to the
bottom two more big steamships. and
caused the loss Of 45S lives The YES
scis were the British steamer Transyl-
vania, acting AS transport. which
was sunk in the Mediterranean, and
the French steamer SontaG. with pas
scnGcrs from Salonilli for Marseilles.
Under cover OF the clouus. four Ger
man airShtDs. presumably Zeppelins,
have carried out "A bombing raid on the
eastern counties OF England Only one
person was Killed, and the damage
done by the explosives was slight In
the thick weather, the marauders es-
capped unchanged. although British
airmen rose and attempted to engage
them.