The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-06-18
EFFORT To STORM FERTILE PLAINS AND GAIN
ACCESS To FOOD STORES APPEARS FAILURE;
ALLIES TAKE 4,512 PRISONERS FROM ENEMY
Probable That .Hindenburg May Be
Compelled to Rush Picked Troops to
Aid of the Hapsburgs and This Would
Invite Allied Offensive on Both Fronts
in Final Crushing Drive Upon Central
Powers

Beaten to standsl in the mountains, the Austrians
the third day their great drive in Italy flung themselves
with redoubed fury against Pave front They able
at tremendous cost blood only to creep forward
The of their advance Trevlso and Venice While
not vet mastered is we'll held The invaders still on the
bank of the Pave they have taken the crest OF Monno
captured Cao se and have showed their lines forward
west of San Dona di Piave.
Such are pul results three days ncessant assaults
costing mountains of corpses in the greatest military gamble
that carry the Austrian armies by storm into
the fertile plains of northern Italy there to find the
food that becoming and scarce at nome Where ner
and children are crying for bread and peace
Vienna claims thousand additional prisoners on the
frontthe most convincing indication OF failure since
measured by the bold plans of the foe such total tor twenty
ridiculous handful The number OF miles they
advanced be counted the fingers of one hand
And the allies Italy have taken 4512 prisoners including
those captured by British and French forces
AS the situation stands the face OF both Italian and Aus
ran official accounts only miracle can prevent tins gganc
Austrian drive from choking in Austrian blood only SUD
den collapse Italian army morale equal to that OF the Isonzo
could spell real to the drveand that would
indeed miracle for Itays fighting in this battle
with and valor that make the catastrophe of last fall
mockng memory Behind them, this time stands nation
forged into iron unity the anvil of suffering resolved hav
the doom wide open to keep smut
forever.
what hen The around the Hapsburg empire neck
tracts the crash so long forgone conclusion at last
but what of her her still mighty ally who drove her
into this abyss? vista gambethe last
Inconrovertable military logic the logic Of self defense
will dictate that Ludendorf the jig is up
aly-and perhaps that moment already past
tense by now-Germany will rush. MUST rush, every avail
able division her otterng vasa Once Sa
Hoenzoern his pile profit chips to his bad
luck partner.
thinning the front shifting Venetia Of all tho
picked that hold the entry In Paris in Amlens
Calais written in the stars inevitable uncom
promising command of fate
what them There have been huge changes in the face
of the heater 1t is longer trench line from the
Switzerland In four vital sectors has been war in
the open four wedges two of them huge threatening
ones have thrust westward With overwhelming nume
superiority these mighty swords in the sides Of the
allies but with weakened German line with the special shock
rushed distant Venetia these victories of four
great battles long, wide wedges become terrible boom
victor and wonderful in the hands OF the
allies. @s8
That vista terrific concentrated allied counter
offensive with Fochs whom the Prussan minis
called existent in the fore at THE psychological
moment of the war the realization last of the ondest plan
the allied military masters the crushing of the central
pires between two giant steam rollers.
For that the end of the Austrian drive will the be-
ginning of great Italian offensive all along the line in
evabe the end of this drive unless all signs deceive
means also the collapse of the Austrian home front and
probably Austrian army morale irresistible invitations
to an Italian counter push