The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-07-04
AUSTRIAN LINES PUSHED BACK
WITH HEAVY LOSS.
800 PRISONERS TAKEN THERE
Secured by the Allies-Austrian
Admit Enormous Losses in
Piaye Campaign.

1
operating with the French detach-
ments captured more than fifteen
hundred Austrian prisoners, including
fifty officers, Rome dispatches to the
Italian Embassy here this afternoon
declared. This victory is in add.
ton to the one reported at Valbella,
where 500 prisoners We're taken.
Italians Hold Peaks
The Italian troops are now in the
| possession of the Peaks of Echell- Col
Del Rosso. and Monte Valbella the
communique said.
Trench troops who cooperated
with the Italians fought brilliantly
and assisted in the capture of large
amounts of booty including large mum
bers of trench mortars, heavy trench
guns, and light and heavy field pieces.
Austrians Taken BY Surprise.
Along the entire line the irresist-
able strokes of the Italian forces COM
pletely surprised the Austrian detach-
! ments. Although unprepared the Aus
trians fought brilliantly. Activities
4
the Piave to Monticello Crest We're
extremely heavy.
Success at vaibella Also.
Rome, July Italian forces sup
| ported by allied troops attacked the
Austro- Hungarian positions on the
Italian mountain front and captured
Monte di Valbella after bitter strug-
gle. The Italian war office announced
that more than 800 Austrians were
taken prisoner.
Strong enemy counter attacks
throughout the day and night were
1, repulsed by the fire of the Italian in
| fantry, artillery and machine guns.
| The text of the statement reads:
"On the Asiago plateau, where our
heroic resistance on June IA crushed
the impetus of preponderant enemy
forces and where in daily acts of BRAY
cry Italian troops have become unit
ed in action and in glory with the
British and French allies, fighting
yesterday began anew
300 Prisoners and Booty.
AT dawn our troops, sustained by
an intense artillery fire and support
ed by sorties resolutely carried out by
their allies, attacked Monte di Val
bella and succeeded, after a bitter
struggle, in wrestling it from the en-
envy During the day and night large
enemy masses were launched to coun-
ter attack and to slaughter, but were
repulsed by our artillery and deci-
mated by our concentrations of ar
tilIery and machine gunfire from air
planes The position carried was
VIGOROUSLY held by US.
TTenty-one enemy officers and 1888
soldiers of other ranks, belonging to
four different divisions were made
prisoner. Cannons, trench mortars
and numerous machine guns were
captured.
Farther east, between the Fren-
zela valley and the Brenta river,
one of our parties took by assault
a well fortified observation point on
the southern slopes of Sasso Rosso,
capturing two officers and thirty-one
men.
ION the remainder of our front our
artillery carried out effective and
harassing bombardments. At Capo
Sile patrol operations brought us
some prisoners. In the Lagarina
and Sugana valleys enemy railway
establishments were bombarded by
our airmen."
Austrian Losses Are Heavy.
Amsterdam, July DIR. Alexander
Wekerle, the Hungarian premier,
caused a sensation in parliament with
a declaration regarding the Austro-
Hungarian losses in the last Italian
offensive, according to a Budapest
dispatch today. The premier said
exciting rumors were being circulat-
ed regarding the losses which were
much exaggerated. The Austro-Hun-
garian armies were withdrawn on the
Piaye front in order to spare lives, he
said, since they must have sustained
great losses had they held that line.
Losses in Two Campaigns.
1.-The number of prisoners taken
was recently stated to be $4,000" the
premier said. Il must, however, cor
rect that statement The truth is
that the Italians have taken 10000.
while $4,000 Italians fell into our
hands In the case Of an offensive
and retreat this figure cannot be
termed excessively high. Much sad
der is the loss we suffered in dead.
wounded and sick; mostly sick. In
the tenth and eleventh Italian offens-
ives we lost 10000 to 100000 men.
Now. however our losses are similar.
about 100000 men.
Il am obliged to record this regret
table circumstance. II is true that
of three bridges thrown across the
Piaye, the uppermost unfortunately
collapsed and then both Of the others
were carried away with II. This fig
ure includes the fallen. the slightly
wounded and those brought back as
lineffectiyes."