New-York tribune., 1918-07-21

When the Italians
Occupied Bcrat
What the Italians did beginning
on the morning Of July 6 and con
tinuing for four days was this
They advanced their left flank, the
western end Of the line, along the
level sea plain, aided by the fire Of
British monitors over the coasr.
They forced the lower reaches and
the mouth of the Vojusa River anJ
then threw cavalry forward very
rapidly to the north, turning all this
end of the Malcastra ridge. They
were right behind the mountain by
Sunday night.
Meanwhile, at the other end Of
the ridge, which is rather more than
twenty miles long, they fought their
way up the Berat road, and this right
or eastern wing kept so we'll to the
timetable that it got around the
eastern end of the Malcastra range
at just the same time that the left
wing got around the western end.
The whole Of the enemy's main pos;
ton was therefore turned within
torty-eight hours and he was COM
PEELED to fall back. He appears to
have made some stand on the line of
Rerat-Kireri, which is parallel to
and just north Of the mountain
range which he had lost, and in the
tangled mountain country to tn"
east, all the way up to Lake Ochida
the French were exercising consiG-
cradle pressure. On Monday it was
clear the enemy could no longer hold
the Berat line and he fell back still
further to the northward; the Ital-
ians occupied Berat, and at the end
of the fourth day had completely
liberated Valona from all menace.
The enemy's line now stands almost
due east and west from the middle of
the western shore of Lake Ochrida,
and its nearest point is good
forty miles from Valona Bay.
Whether the operation is prelimi
nary to a further movement we do
not know, but even regarded by it.
self it has had the effect of render
ing secure for the first time in two
years the precarious hold of our al
les upon their main Adriatic har-
Dor.
Only one other operation of i'm
portance Is indicated in recent dis
patches-the minor but interesting
one on July 10 which recovered all
the crest Of the ridge above the
Avre up to and over which the en-
emy advanced in his great attacl:
on April 4. The Germans were
checked, it will be remembered, in
their effort to reach the Amiens
Paris railway, and the French re-
NAMED on the summit Of the ridg
above the Avre, which covers this
railway by few miles. They lost
the edge Of the high ground and
therefore the observation posts that
it afforded over the enemy's posi-
tions.
This attack of July 10, though
yielding only 500 prisoners, was es-
pecially valuable in regaining these
observation posts.
Sending Troops
To Murman Coast
OF the policy now made public
by the Allied governments of send
ing troops to the northern Russian
coast we know and can say very
little beyond what the bare dis
patches tell us. But it is obvious
that such moves may be intended to
secure the only ice-free port tina.
Russia possesses there on the ex-
treme edge of Finland, a port united
with Petrograd by single line Of
railway, which was rapidly built
during the war. If the enemy, usin .
his alliance with the Firms. had oc-
cupied this point he could have made
it a submarine base, usable all the
year round, and it is, in the firsr
place, to prevent this that the occu-
patton of the port has been under
taken.
So long as the harbor is held the
enemy will gain no benefit, even
were he to reach and cut the raj;
way uniting the Murman coast with
the capital, move which was un.
toubtedly his intention a couple O..
weeks ago. His only real advan.
tage would be found in an operation
against the coast itself.
1t should be noted that before ths
Allies sent troops here the local
population had already risen against
the anarchist committee which wa,
governing this place, had defeate
Its forces and restored somethjng
like order. There is a tendency to
such a reaction against the Bolshe