Evening star., 1918-06-29
AUSTRIA HAD VISION
Of LOOT IN ITALY
Disaster May Be Measured in
Terms of Invaders
Initial Hopes.
DOCUMENT TELLS STORY
BY EDGAR ANsEL uowRER.

DVSOUIIVI u1.6S " VII
BY EDGAR ANSEL NOWRER.
CableGram to The Evening star ana
Chicago Daily News. Copyright. 1918
ITALIAN ARMY HEADQUARTERS.
June 25 (delaye6.-The depth OF the
enemy disaster can be measured only
in terms of his initial presumption.
This offensive was to fill the empty
| Austrian granaries. crush the hated
enemy, rebound to the individual
profit of the soldiers. and, most In
credible. of their families.
The Austrians were expecting
lightning-like victory. proof of which
appears in an unusual document ema-
mating from the commander of the
14th Division Of Austrian Infantry in
the form of memorandum to the
captains for the instructions or the
troops. The first articles are INTENDED
tc warn the soldiers against the pos
sibilities of excesses and to discour-
age desertions, since we read under
article 10, 1.-The Italians treat tnelr
prisoners very badly"
"Must Live on Country"
But such nonsense loses force when
faced with truly prodigious state
ments like the following: "Satiate
yourselves certainly, but do not
wear yourselves out, for we must as
far as possible live on the country.
Article % reads textually:
Where it is necessary appropriate
for your personal use uniforms and
linen found on the spot; remove 1tal-
ian insignia from the uniforms found.
but do not on this account throw
away your own uniform and linen.
Once taken off, make bundle OF
them, for we badly need uniforms.
lenen and shoes. Consequently behave
we'll, as that rebounds to the advan-
tage Of our families and diminishes
the war cost, and. hence, taxes"
Article "a passes the limit OF the cred
ible, and hence 1 give it in the original
German:
"Jedermann wird mach dem gelunge-
men offensive auf grund der bestim-
mungen zu operationen des kisa (abbre-
Walton for Kaiserliche Isonzo armee)
lebens mittel damn textilen leder und
seife fur sich und Seine angehorigen
zum mach haus nehmen bekommen."
Translated the paragraph reads:
Every one, after the success OF the
rangements made for the operation of
the imperial Isonzo army, will receive
provisions, and in addition clothes,
leather and soap, for himself and his
family to take home with him"
Instructed to Steal.
The Austro-Hungarian soldiers were
thus instructed to steal clothing. leather
and soap for themselves. their friends
and their families. This is an order Of
(which any army but that of the central
empires would be ashamed, but when
the Teuton thinks OF winning his ma
ture emerges raw and unashamed.
Yesterday the roads were alive with
traffic of all kinds. Hundreds Of mobil-
lied civilians with red armbands were
already busy filling shell holes and put
ting down new material. This opera
ton is performed admirably with meth
DDS of Edenic simplicity. Literally thou
! sands of peasants, mostly barefooted
! small tin cans on the end Of elongated
broomsticks and pour the contents on
the macadam. Sometimes the operation
takes two girls. one to stand in the
ditch and fill and the other to pour.
These girls wear blue aprons, and espe-
cially in the region of Mestre are uni
formly well grown and beautiful. A
group Of them Is one Of the most pleas
ing sights the war scene offers, but as
one draws nearer the lines the girls dis
appear. Roads have not yet been re-
paired and are simply reduced to chaos,
Make Terrible Onslaught.
Losson was the center of the Italian
defense. Here on the 21st the Aus
trians made their last desperate drive
in the hope of breaking the lines
north of Losson. The lines yielded
and the Austrians pushed forward. A
battalion of Bersaglieri cyclists
among the finest troops in the army,
being picked for their strength, en-
durance. superb physique and better
morale-was stationed here. When the
men found themselves cut off they
drew their knives and charged. They
were one against four but their on
slaught was SO terrible that they
road, opened communications with a
battalion of infantry. reached 1T, and
together the two battalions drove
back the Austrians consisting of
nearly four regiments.
The fighting was intense. The
weapons were almost exclusively ma
chine guns. grenades and knives. The
Austrians were led by a picked bat
talon. nearly third of whom were
killed or captured. It was found
afterward that these men had been
decorated for valor.
The Italians cleared the Losson
stronghold and re-established the
lines.
Just beyond Losson is Capo Dargine.
on the Fossetta canal. This was the
Austrian center of resistance and was
repeatedly retaken and lost again by
the Italians. Capo Dargine lies on
the Porte-Grandf-Fos road. 1t
was the farthest point one could reach
with shells. At Losson one began to
find corpses and Capo Dargine was
full Of them. although hundreds had
already been picked up or dumped
under lime
Great Number Of Unburied Dead.
The village of Groce, almost on the
Piave. was literally a cemetery OF
unburied dead. A regiment was pass
ing through. but at noon yesterday In
Groce the unburied dead outnumbered
the living. The stencil was frightful
Some bodies. instead Of swelling, had
begun to dry. which I am told Is q
sign Of undernourishmen
Leaving my car at Groce, went for
| ward afoot along the railroad. and
| then just beyond looked into the
waters of the Piave. sparkling in the
sun. Two hours before, at a nearby
spot, q single unarmed officer cap
tured twenty-five Austrians wander
| ing alone. He suddenly saw a body
| of men behind him and thought HIM
self lost but he etepped into the un-