New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-04
Precisely as in Galicia in 1915, the Ger
mans Have Surprised and Broken
Their Enemy's Flank and Thus
Forced Whole Line to
Retreat
By FRANK H. SIMONDS
Author of s"The World War;" "They Shall Not Pass

this line the Italians could stand. IL their
morale is unbroken, it offers admirable
positions and has behind it good commu-
nications, while the Below army, coming
down from the Upper lsonzo front, is
without railroad communications and op-
Grating over difficult country. Before
these lines reach tho reader it will proba-
bly, be clear whether the Italians can stand
at the Tagliamento River or not. II they
can stand there, they will have lost a
great battle, they will have lost thousands
of prisoners, and many guns and al the
fruits Of two years of war; but no grave
peril will be carried to Italy, and the capt
ured Italian territory will be Of relatively
minor Importance.
On the other hand, II the Italians are
unable to stand behind the Tagliamento,
as the Austrians were unable to stand
behind the same river in 1897 during Ma
poleon's great campaign in Venetia, then
there is very grave possibility of the loss
by the Italians of practically all Of the
Venetian province. Not until the Brenta
River Is reached is there another good
line of defence, and a retreat to the Bren-
ia will open to the Germans the important
line that comes down from Pontebba, con-
Meeting beyond the Italian frontier with
various Austrian trunk lines. The main
Austrian forces will have behind them the
railroad from Gorilla TO Venice, while the
German forces win have behind them the
line coming down from Pontebba.
But . second possibility must be recog-
nized here. Going backward now to the
campaign against Rumania last year, it
will be remembered that tho Rumanians
endeavored to make q stand along several
rivers running north and south from the
Transylvanian Alps to tho Danube, COM
parable with tho Tagliamento or the Bren
ia, but they were forced out Of these lines
by the operations Of Mackensen moving
north out Of Bulgaria through the Do
hrudja.
In exactly the same way 1t Is possible
for the Germans and the Austrians to
undertake to turn the italian positions
behind the Tagliamento or the Brenta by a
new thrust coming south out Of tho Tren-
tino, following the great Austrian cam
paign Of 1916, which almost reached the
italian plain near the Asiago Plateau.
Any grave threat from this direction will
unquestionably compel Cadorna to evac-
uate all Of Venetia and to retire behind
the historic lines Of the Mincio and the Pc.
Such a retirement would shorten the Aus
tro-Italian front by moro than two-thirds
and would leave only a narrow gap be-
tween the Pc AID tho end Of tho Trentlne
Alps as an operative front Actually 1t
would restore to the Austrians that POSI-
ton from which they dominated Northern
Italy in the last century. Practically it
would be impossible for Italy thereafter to
turn Austria out Of Venetia, and Austria
could hold the now front with only frac-
ton Of the men that were needed on the
old front.
Military Gains
In other words, II the Austro-Germsn
offensive 10 carried forward, a. it well may
be, as far as the Mincio, not only will the
threat to Austria be eliminated, but the
Austrian front will be tremendously short
ened, thus requiring fewer men and fewer
guns to maintain, and perhaps for the bal
ance of the war the fighting will BE- trans
ferred to Italian territory.
So much for the military aspects Of the
question. We are in the presence Of what
may be one of the great disasters Of the
war. We shall not know as TO this until
the line Of the Taglismento Is forced or
held, but in any event We arc now seeing
ono Of the great defeats Of the war. The
Russian defeat at the Dunajec carried with
II the dislocation of the whole Russian
line, the loss of Galicia and the ultimate
retirement from Poland. 1t carried with
Il also the seeds of the revolution which
removed Russia from the ranks Of the ma
tions fighting Germany.
Internationally German purpose aims
at producing 20 terrific defeat TO Italian
armies a. TO harvest not only great mill