American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-06-21
TEUTONIC ALLIES CHECKED
ALL ALONG THE LINE.
Austrians Stopped in Italy and Ger
man Drive at Rheims Blocked at
Outset-Air Battles Result in Fa-
vOr of the Allies.

NOT OF the AllleSs
The Teutonic allies apparently have
lost their spirit of do-or-die. Their
attacks everywhere lately have lacked
the tenaciousness of days gone by.
Instead of ploughing through allied
lines with stubborn Indifference to
casualties so long as an objective was
gained, they now waver and then halt
in the face of the artillery and rifle
fire of the men barring their way, with
the points they were trying to gain
still far beyond their reach.
Ambitious attempts by the troops
of the central powers in the past few
weeks have proven this The opening
of a gateway to Paris through the
western front, running from Mont
didier to the Marne, failed completely;
the offensive on the Italian battle line
launched by the Austrians seemingly
has failed miserably in the mountain
regions, and apparently has almost
been stopped along the Piave, while
a stroke started by the Germans
against Rheims broke down in its in
ception without the enemy taking a
yard of territory.
And in these various attempted en-
terprises the high commands of the
German and Austro-H Hungarian armies
have seen their men literally worn
down until battlefelds have been
clogged with dead or wounded as rec
ompense to the allied troops for the
small bits of terrain they yielded.
The Austrian offensive in the Ital-
ian theater is still in progress along
the Piave river. but in the mountain
region after the sharp reaction by the
Italians, British and French troops,
who in counter attacks pushed back
the invader from the points he had
reached in his initial rush, the enemy
evidently is fearful of again trying
out the mettle of the defenders.
On the Piave numerous attempts
have been made by the Austrians to
gain further bridge-heads on the wes-
tern bank of the stream but the Ital-
ians everywhere are holding them with
their gunfire and also doing sanguin-
airy execution within the ranks of the
enemy across the river with bombs
and machine gun fire.
Apparently the enemy sees his only
hope of success in enlarging his gains
across the Piave, having been given
a disastrous check in the mountains
from west of Asiago to the Piave.
In the mountains the Austrians
have been generally on the defensive
since they we're checked and then
thrown back over the terrain gained
Saturday on the first day of the Of
fensive. The French and British
around Asiago are under a heavy enc
my bombardment and the French
Tuesday repulsed a strong local
Austrian effort Along the Val Su-
gamma and against the bastion of
Monte Grappa, the enemy holds fur
ther attacks in allegiance.
Along the nearly 30-mile Piave line
the situation has not improved great
ly from an allied viewpoint. although
the Austrians have been defeated at
most points in efforts to enlarge theiI
gains. Where and in what force the
enemy has crossed the river and how
far he has progressed into the Vene-
ton plain are not outlined clearly but
apparently the Italians have given
most ground on the north and around
Montello and on the south of Cape
Sile.
Italians Capture 5000.
More than 5000 men have been taker
by the Italians since the offensive
began, and many guns and severa
hundred machine guns have been cap
tured. That intensive air fighting als'
has taken place is shown by the fac
that so enemy planes have been sho
down. Only two of the allied ma
chimes have failed to return to thei
base.
The attacks of the Germans nea
Rheims resulted disastrously for them
Hardly had they left their trenche
after one of the most terrific bonn
bardments with shells of all calibre
including gas projectiles, ever exper
fenced on the western front whel
nearly 10000 men we're faced by tn
reinforced French armies and LITERAL
cut to pieces and forced to fall bac
precipitately. Only at one point, to tn
east of Rheims. did the enemy succee
in penetrating the French line. Her
they were elected almost immediatel!