The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-26
Eight Hundred Thousand Teu-
tons Massed In Attack On
Cadorna's Position
INITIAL REVERSES
LEAVE ROME UNAFRAD
twenty-five German Planes
brought Down in One Nights
Fighting on West Front
Retirement Expected

London. Oct. 25.-Forty Austro-
German 900 men-mosa
OF them seasoned German veterans
from the Russian front. have been
, thrown into the drive on the Isonxo
which began yesterday and continues
In full swing. BY sheer weight Of
numbers and preponderance of guns
they have inflicted heavy initial re-
verses upon the Italians, according to
official admission from Rome, but
| Cadorna's line. while dented and
crushed at some vital points, u mo-
where broken. In two important sao-
tors. on the west slopes OF the "moun.
tain OF Blood'-San Garbriele-and
on the Bainzza plateau, the attack
ers bit granite. Here the Italians even
took several hundred prisoners
But in the Tolmino sector Rome
comedies the Teutons swept Cadorna's
troops back across the Isonzo. On tbs
steep mountain slopes on the west
| bank OF the river, frightful carnaxe IA
| now in progress. The situation on tho
| northern edge of the Bainsizza Plateau
| Is somewhat obscure Rome admits
| that point south of Tolmtno ths
Teutons succeeded in breaking
through the Italian positions.
| Berlin asserts officially that 10000
prisoners already have been taken.
| Unofficial Vienna advices place the
total at 5000.
| Briefly summarized the onlcial
statements at hand indicate that the
1 Teutons hass been successful on their
main front OF attack. between Fitch
and Tolmino Twelve miies). and that
on the Bainsizxa the italians are hold
Ing their own. Military Observers re-
gard 1t as highly probable that 1ha
Teutons win not press the Bainsisza
attacks, relying on the automatic fall
OF the Italian positions there when
progress on the Isonzo between Fitch
and Tolmino threatens to outnank tho
| plateau.
| Tho Teuton forcing Of the river was
/ facilitated materially by their posses
sion of the bridgeheads OF Santa Maria
and Santa Lucia @as
| Every official and unofficial dss.
| patch from Rome breathes absolute
! confidence that the Teuton steam
| roller will be stopped before IL becomes
reilly menacing.
The total of prisoners reported by
/ Berlin includes divisional and brigade
stalls Rich booty also Is claimed.
! French Make New Gains.
| Five hundred additional prisoners
Were taken by the French last night
/
I Singcs Monkey Hill) and Chavignon
! The poilus reached the strongly de-
Tended Rohay farm. The success was
another step toward the plains Of
I Laon, abandonment of which by the
Germans ia now regarded as a matter
| of time and weather.
| Twenty-fv German airp1anes were
/ brought down by French pilots dur
| ing the night This unusual number Of
aerial victories Is explained in some
military quarters as indicating that the
1 Germans have sent up a powerful air
! feet to screen their movements, pos
sibly to hide signs OF new "strate-
gle retreat to the immediate APP
F, proache< of Laon.
Nevertheless French avfatore and
| patrols have noticed such signs and
! the news of a retirement on a wtds
front would surprise no one.
| One front despatch says the Teutens
| are razing villages and 1evellfng every
work of military Importance creating
| a barrenness similar to that left In
tina wake OF their famous Somme re-
treat
| Two bombs were thrown on Nancy
by German flyers last night. There
were no victims
| Violent artillery action prevails On
the Veryiun front.
/ Indications that the new retreat
may tdhc III the entire present 'front.'
I from the North sea to the Swiss hor-
der came in dispatches from the Elan
ders front The town of Menin, on
the famous road OF that name, and
one of the chief detectives Of Sir
Douglas Haig's recent drives. Is being
evacuated by the civilian population.
these reports state.
The British In the last twenty-four
hours continued consolidating their
latest gains and repuised completely 4
German attack south of Houthuist
wood.
OfficiaI announcement came from,
Petrograd today that Kronstadt the
big naval base which protects the
capital. Is being abandoned by its ciy-
ilian population by order OF the war
office. This indicates that Russian
high command expects the Germans
to push their recent success in the Bal
tic and try a naval drive into the xulf
of Finland.
The Petrograd war ONCE today re-
ported the German retirement north
OF the Dwfna front, announced yey-
terday in the Official Berlin report.