Arizona republican., 1918-07-02
ITALIANS TAKE
 HIGH POSITIONS
 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Enemy Admits Losses In Mountains North of the
 Venetian Plains and the
 Italians Repulse Counters
(By The Associated Press)

Success has apparently crowned the offensive of the Italians in the moun- tains north of the Venetian plains The attack Saturday has gained heights where the enemy was strongly en- trenched and the fighting still is going on. Vienna admits retirement to prepared positions" which is the ex- pression used ill official statements to mean that an enemy blow has gained | it's ground.
 After three days of struggling. the Italians still are hammering hard at the most powerful and threatening po- sitions of the enemy. They not only have gained ground, but have held it against desperate counter attacks by the Austro Hungarians which were mown down by the artillery fire and completely checked by the Italian in fantry.
 Ousted From High Ground | Detail maps of the area in which the | fighting is going on do not show dis tlncuy some of the places mentioned in the official statements The Vienna ad- l mission that the new Austrian line runs through ''Stemple wood is. there fore, without significance but as the positions held by the Austrians before the Italian attack began were above the forest line, it would seem that the enemy has been busted from the higher ground he formerly held and thus placed at a disadvantage in the fight ing to come.
 Attack Planned With Care
 The Italian attack was seemingly planned with care. On the right flank lot General Diaz' forces is the Brenta river, which affords protection against a flanking attack. On the left there are two deep valleys which also lend them selves to the tactics adopted by the Italians
 The British hospital ship Llandovery Castle, bound. from a Canadian port. for England, has been sunk seventy miles from land without warning by 2 submarine. So far only A of the 252 persons on board have been reported safe. The fate of those missing is un- known
 Germans Claim 191,45 Prisoners i An official German statement claims that 191 ,454 unwounded allied prisoners nave been captured since March 21. Of these 94.s39 were British, S9,099 were French and the rest were Portuguese. l Belgians and Americans. Six allied generals and 6,200 officers are said to have been taken by the Germans. l III france Inefe nave been local at ttacks at various points north of the Marne on the west side of the salient driven into the allied lines by the Ger man offensive that was begun May 25. The French have advanced their line north of the Clignon river once more and have passed the railroad line run ming from Chezy to Vinly.
 French Take S.rone Posts
 Further north the French have taken strong positions along ridges to the east of Villers Cotterets forest.
 There have been no unusual engage ments along the British or American fronts but there is a tenseness along the whole line from Ypres to Reims and even to the east, along the French and American sectors, tl,ere is expec- tation that the breaking of the storm may come. In front of Amiens this feeling is especially marked. There the Germans began a great bombardment but have not yet sent their infantry into action.
 There was. intense activity in aerial fighting on Sunday. The French brought down or put out of action 21 German airplanes while the British shot down 22 and drove ten down out of control