The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-17
srRANGEsT BATTLE IN HISTORY.
Lagoon Fleet, Half Water, Half Land
Battles, Save Venice.
ny HENRY WOOD.

Dec. 1f.-ltaly is WdSlnS inc wal -
the Iagoons to save Venice-the
strangest. half water and half land
conflict the history of war has ever
known.
Centuries ago Attila and his original
Huns reached exactly the same spot
between the Piave and the Slle rivers
that the modern Teutonic Huns nave
reached today.
Fifteen hundred years ago the orig
inal inhabitants in this section fled
from the mainland and on the gultsan
flats of the Iagoons founded the island
colonies which eventually became
Venice.
over the same intervening canals,
marshes, lagoons and lakes by which
Attila and his Huns were checked, the
Italian forces today are checking the
modern day Huns.
Fighting Is without Precedent.
They are checking the enemy by a
highly perfected land and water de-
Tense which, when the conflict is over,
will form one of the most interesting
chapters of the whole history of the
war.
Since November Is, when the Aus
trians in crossing the lower Pave in
their headIong rush to Venice we're
suddenly checked by the Italian Ia
COON defenses. the entire Gulf of Ven
ice with its endless canals and
marshes, with islands disappearing
been the scene of a continuous naval
lagoon battle. It was still progress
ing today.
The fighting is absolutely without
precedent.
The modern Huns are desperately
trying to turn the Italian right wing
by progressing around the northern
limity of the Venetian gulf.
For the purpose of the lagoon battle,
as well as for general defense, the
T. do tod IaA nd
sealed all Adriatic entrances into the
gulf by mine fields. The Venetian
gulf. therefore, was converted into an
isolated sea.
Navigate Secret Channels.
over this land water way the con-
flict is raging bitterly. To fit their
purposes of defense, the Italians have
from the fleetest of motor boats,
armed with machine guns, small can
non and torpedo tubes, to huge, cum
! bersome, flat bottomed British mont
tors, mounting the biggest marine
guns.
All the Italian vessels navigate Sc
cret channels dug in the bottom of
| the shallow lagoOns. Only the Ital-
ian pilots know these coursesN Even
gondolas steering off the channels are
instantly and hopelessly stranded.
Not only, this, but since the muddy
/ flats and marshy islands do not per-
init artillery emplacements, the Ital-
! ians have developed an immense fleet
of floating batteries. The guns range
| from three inch field pieces to the
great fifteen inch monsters Each is
| camouflaged to represent a tiny is
land, garden patch, or a house boat
Impossible to Locate Guns.
| Floating on the glass-like surface of
! the lagoons. the guns fire a few shots
and then change position-making it
| utterly impossible for the enemy to
| locate them.
Try to Cross on POntOons Daily.
The auxiliary service of supplying
| this floating army has been adapted
| to meet the lagoon warfare. NUM-
! ton dumps are on boats, constantly
moved about to prevent the enemy
/ from spotting them. Gondolas and
| supply lorries customary in land war
! fare. Instead of motor ambulances
motor boats carry off dead and
wounded. Hydroplanes replace ordi-
nary fighting aircraft
/ Turnout the whole lagoon front the
army and navy organization is con-
/ centrated and co-ordinated.
Along the northern limit of the
Venetian gulf, where the Austrians,
| having filtered into the Pave delta
and now seek to cross both the Sile
and the Piave, the enemy each night
/ hooks up pontoons at daybreak every
morning one end of a huge pontoon
| structure is anchored to the east bank
of the Piave and the other flung out
| to the strong current, which soon
stretches the makeshift bridge across.
The moment this happens, the enemy
/ infantry madly dashes across Stimuli
taneously the Italian floating batteries
open a terrific fire. Every morning so
far the Austrians have tried the trick
and every morning they have failed
with heavy losses, to effect a crossing.
Thousands of Families MarOoned.
Flooding of the delta maroons
thousands of italian families on islana
/ like patches and likewise cuts off some
Austrian troops. The latter stick
stubbornly to their strongholds, sup
piled by Austrian boats. Day after
day these patches of land are scenes
of fierce hand to hand fighting when
small attachments on either side try
to drive the other off
To CTre Cold in 0pa nav