River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-11-21


of communication from Metz and
threatened the capture Of all his
forces left in France.
'When Russia's vast man-power
gets into action Germany will be
crushed as under a steam roller said
everyone in 1914, and for time this
prediction babe fair to be realized.
The Russians invaded East Prussia
and were making fine progress there
and in Poland, which was kept up,
with some reversos, until early in
1915, when Won Hindenburg admins
tered to them succession of terrific
defeats. These were not due SO much
to the military supremacy of the Ger
mans as to the shameful betrayal of
the Russian armies by corrupt officials
who left them almost destitute Of
arms and supplies. From that time
on Russia's main successes were won
against the Austrians and were tenn
porary. Decentralization steadily
spread through the cars dominion,
fostered by German agents, and the
outcome was the deposition of Mich
olas and his dynasty and the estab-
lishment of a confused semblance OF
government by the soviets Of the sol
diers, workers and peasants-a condi-
ton that remains to be cleared up,
though the power of the boIsheviki is
rapidly waning.
italy, Once Defeated, Triumphs.
Italy, declaring that the terms Of
the Triple Alliance had been violated
by Austria entered the war on the
side of the allies on May %, 1915.
Turkey had gone in with Germany be-
fore the war was three months old,
and Bulgaria cast her lot with the
Teutons in October, 1915. The for
tunes Of the Italians were spectacular
They won over the Austrians for
long time and invaded the regions of
Italia Irridenta along the Adriatic,
threatening Trieste. Then subtle
Teuton propaganda, coupled with de-
featist work at home, brought disaster
on them. Helped by German divisions,
the Austrians made tremendous
drive and forced the Italians back to
the Piave river line. There the con-
test stood for many months, until the
middle Of June, 1918, when under Gen.
eral DiaZ, the Italians not only stop
ped another offensive, but turned it
into a great defeat and rout which
eliminated in the surrender Of Aus
tria. This was FASTENED by the fall
ing to pieces of the AustrO-Hungarian
empire, the states of which were es-
tablishing their independence, follow
ing the lead of the CzechO-SlOvakS.
Turkey, with the aid of Germans,
administered to Great Britain two set
backs that were rather humiliating.
The first was at the Dardanelles,
which the British tried to force, first
with navy alone, then with land and
sea forces. Both attempts were disas-
trous failures. The other defeat by
the Turks was in Mesopotamia, where
General Townshend and his army
were. captured at Kut-el-Amara. Both
these reverses were more than COM
pensated for by the later conquest OF
Mesopotamia and the Holy Land and
the consequent surrender of Turkey.
AS for Bulgaria, she was beaten
largely by the regenerated Serbian
army, which had great assistance from
the French, Greeks and British. Ser
bia had been wholly overrun in the
first few months Of the war, but her
spirit never died out and in the late
summer Of 1918 she not only resuined
her own, but forced Bulgaria to her
knees.
Roumania kept out of the conflict
for some time and then Joined the al
lies, though they would have prefer
red-that she remain neutral. She in
yaded Pennsylvania and at first
threatened to give Austria great
deal of trouble, but Germany came to
it's ally's aid, Russia collapsed and
Roumania was forced to give up.
Warfare in the Air.
The most picturesque side Of the
great conflict has been the war in the
air. IT was quickly seen that the air
plane would play big part In the
war, and every belligerent nation soon
had powerful air fleets. The machines
were enlarged and improved beyond
all imagining, and from mere obser-
walton planes became fighting ana
bombing machines of vast Importance.
Except. for observation purposes, the
lighter than air craft were utilized
only by Germany. She pinned her
faith to the great dirigible Zeppelins,
but these on the whole proved dis
NAL failure. True to her savage pol
icy, Germany waged unrestricted war
from the air as on land and sea. Her
Zeppelins and planes repeatedly at
tackled London, Paris and innumerable
other unfortifed cities and towns and
her airmen made a practice of bomb
ing Red Cross hospitals.
Long before the war closed the
allies had established their supremacy
in the air, and equal to the best OF
their flyers were the gallant Ameri-
cans who entered that branch Of the
service.
1870. ROYALTY of fho war xyac the