The herald., 1918-03-14

Headquarters Of the Italian Army
Northern Italy.-GOritz is Il symbol.
"On TO GoritZr was the cry OF the
duke of AOsta's soldiers as they
pressed through the little town OF Lu-
cinIcO few months ago, fighting their
way down to the IsonzO river, then
across the western bridge leading 10
the city, when the cry changed to Co
ritz at last!"
Then this was reversed when the
overwhelming invading force OF Aus
trO-GermanS took up this same cry
con TO Goritz!' pressing down from
the north, across the northern bridge
TO the city and ending with "Goritz at
last !"
Thus Goritz has become II symbol or
the huge change which has occurred.
1t was one of the furthest points for
ward on the Italian line. the center OF
vast arc of fighting fSont stretching
from PiozZo, far in the north, down to
the Adriatic at MOntefalcOne, and IL
was the most pOpulous and important
city in the great crescent of territory
which the Italian army had sliced OH
southwestern Austria-some six hun
dred square miles in all. And so Co
ritz was symbolic of that entire region
which has twice changed hands In this
war, and of the furthest advance In
the first Italian campaigns.
I went to Goritz and saw the city
on the eve Of Its agony. 1t was the
last trip made there by anyone outside
the military before the retreat began.
The roar Of the great Austro-German
offensive already had commenced,
though for the moment it was taken
for a spasmOdic renewal of the cannon
ade which had been going on for weeks
Within twenty-fOur hours the enemy
had crossed the IsonzO Is miles further
north, turned the Italian left wing
beaten back the second army under
General CapellO, threatened to envelop
the third army under the duke of Aos
ia, brother of the king of Italy, and put
In execution that gigantic hammer
stroke by which they hoped to finish
Italy and cripple the whole entente.
Roads Left Clear.
My trip was maze by invitation OF
the supreme command, with staff edi
tor from headquarters as escort. AZ
we sped along the road In the big army
automobile l noted there were ne
troops along the road and bordering
fields as one sees approaching Verdur
a
sence of troops in the rear was part OF
the system adopted, 1t was explained
All the reprOvlsioning of the army wa!
done at night and the roads were lief
clear by day most of the time.
Ten miles out we crossed the 1tal
ian-Austrian frontier and entered Aus
tria.
At Commons, an Austrian village oil
the road, the signs above the shop
were all in Italian, showing the ltal
ians were right in the claim that al
this section was racially Italian.
The cannonade began to be hear
for the first time ten miles west of Go
rita low rumble to the north ant
east, with now and then the muffle'
boom of a great gun. Day by day tn
fire was getting heavier, said our es
cort, who knew the ground by heart
and he added that the enemy force
had been increased from 40 battalion
to $50 battaliOns.
As we passed through the town o
k,anico, far-out suburb of Goritz, 1
seen to be half destroyed. AlOn
main street ran rows of battere
hildlngs, with walls half down an
shell holes making ugly gashes. Blu
=, business was going on, men were q
the cafes and women and girls strolle
the street unconcernedly. Now the NJ
tomObile turned up the steep side q
Padgera hill, one of the outer defense
of GoritZ where bloody hand-to-han
fighting occurred. One could see tn
old trench and wire system, now gras
grown. All this hill had been swep
bare by shell fire, but nature had kind
ly obliterated the scars and the hillsid
was again smiling with its verdur,
The sound of firing had now increase
to an enormous roar as we passed PaC
gera hill.
Turning the corner of shattere
wall we saw the Isonzo river lyin
ahead and on the further side GOrit
rising In terraces with the huge battle
ments of the citadel towering on tn
right. The river looked about tn
width of the Potomac at Washington
but with swifter current from tn
mountain feeders. Along the edge o
the river ran rows of shell-torn wall
with gaping windows. This whole Wa
ter front had been torn to pieces, an
yet many of the demolished remnant
of the buildings were occupied an
work along the river wharves was pre-
ceeding.
Old Bridges Replaced.
The IsonZo river was crossed by tn
wooden bridge which Italian engineer
built after all the old bridges had bee
blown m On one side Law the wrpc