Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-12-01
joint COUNCIL
TO Save ITALY
Allies Remove Cadorna as
Leader In Field and Sub.
stitute General Diaz.
ANGL0-FRENCH TO RESCUE
Encouragement Made BY Prcmicrs at
Rome-Rctrcat on Piave Contin-
ues, With Austro- Germans in
Flooding Pursuit.

London.-Thc allies have taken a
directing hand in the dcstinics Of It.
ally. Cadorna is no longer generals
Rimo. Three Italian commanders havo
been placed in direct charge of the
operations in the field.
The supreme direction of the cam
paign, however, has been assumed by
"war board" composed of General
Cadorna, General Foch, chief Of STAFF
Of the French war ministry, and Gen
eral Wilson, chief of the British gen
eral staff.
The new heads Of the Italian ar
mics in the field are: First in COM
mand, General Diaz; second in COM
mand, General Badoglio; third in
command, General Grandma.
This Encouragement, decided upon
at conferences in Rome between tho
premiers of England. France and It
ally and some Of the best military
brains of the three countries, comes
ut n moment when the Venetian CAM
paign is approaching its final crisis.
A further retreat, to the Brenta,
would mean the abandonment of Ven
ice.
A dozen bridges were blown up on
the LivenZa to delay the advance Of
the AustroGermans toward the Piavc
The LivenZa is a smaller stream
than the Taglamcnto, and its cross
ing offers fewer difficulties to the in
vading army, but the retiring Italian
army is better organized than it was
on the banks Of the Tagliamento and
&c ,f fn,
Indeed, some of the Italian contin-
gents are animated by such ardor to
fight the enemy that they are losing
contact with the main body and risk
being surrounded by tho Austro-Ger-
mans, who hn~.~ """r"cnd either
er or lower on the river than the
,sltion occupied by the Italians.
Meanwhile the italian retreat has
realty shortened the lighting line.
ducing 1T to scarcely thirty miles i'll
1gth. This favors the conccntra-
III of Italian forces for defense.
"Our troops" reported Cadorna In
his last bulletin as commander in
chief, Continue to arrive and cstab.
lish themselves on the positions
which have been chosen for the re.
sistance."
He added a word Of praise for the
bravery OF the Italian rear guards and
covering units which are impeding tho
Teuton pursuit
Berlin reported the crossing Of tho
LivcnZa and said the Italian rear
guard resistance was being overcome.
, Not Il move had been made up to
date by the Teuton Trentno army.
The Tcuton strategy now appears to
be to keep this army, the greatest
menace to Italy, since it was likely to
dash southwark to take the Italians
force a further retirement.
The names OF the new Italian com
mandcrs are known in every Italian
home. General Diaz won fame in the
Lybian war. General Badoglio com
mandcd a brigade of Bersaglicri, at.
aly's Cossacks," whose heroic valor
is proverbial and who did much to
prevent a cavc-in Of the Italian front
after the IsonZo was forced. General
Grandma was war minister in the
Bosclli cabinet.
Two German attacks, one at Yer.
dun, near Chaume wood, and the 9TH
or in Lorraine, were repulscd with
French war Office announces. sue
ccssful raid was made by the French
into tho German lines in upper Al.
SAGE.