Evening star., 1918-06-22
Italian Counter Attacks and
Rising of River Wreck
= Austrian Hopes.
ENEMY DRIVEN BACK
ON MONTELLO PLATEAU
DiaZs Men Make Gains on Lower
PiaYe-Inyaders Concentrate
in Mountain Regions.

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that the Italians are victorious.
Fighting on the Piave line ap-
parently is decreasing as the
Austrian offensive enters upon
its second week. In the noun
tains there has been little activ-
ity for several days, but the
Austrians are reported to be
concentrating large bodies of
men there, presumably for an
other attempt to push southwark
to the Venetian plain.
Wreck Austrian Hopes.
Italian resistance and counter attacks
from Montello to. the mouth Of the
Piave. aided by the sudden rising Of the
river. have played havoc with Austrian
hopes Of capturing Montello and domi-
mating the plain. Slowly the enemy on
the important plateau is being driven
back by the Italians and his efforts at
other points have either been driven
hack or repulsed. The fighting on Mon
tello continues intense.
At the mouth Of the Piave the Italians
havs made gains and it is apparent the
Austrians have been unable to capture
the angle between the old Piave and
the Fossetta canal. which they reached
north Of Cape Sile. West Of San Dona
Di Piave, where the canal leaves the
river, the Italians have driven back the
Austrians. Vienna claims the repulse
q AL attacks. 81,
lrsmisr Froclaifns Victory.
ROME. June 2s.-Ths> battle situa-
tion q unchanged and infantry en-
gaxenents were not resumed during
Friday, says the statement issued last
night to the italian parliament by
Premier Orlando. 1t is now permis-
won, the premier told the deputies
Friday morning. according to the
The Austrians, the premier added.
are now gathering all available men
in certain sections of the mountain
front. Only a small part Of their re-
serves have been drawn, on by the
Italians.
-Aeros Garry Austrian Food.
ROME, June 2I.-Austrian airplaneS
were compelled to carry provisions to
the Austrian troops that succeeded in
crossing the Piave river, and were in
danger Of starving owing to the flood
which carried away their pontoon
bridge between Zenson and Musile, ac-
cording to a dispatch received here by
the Giornale D'Italia-
In spite Of the difficulties that he is
encountertng, Gen. Wurm, the enemy
but all his efforts are vain in the face
Of the resistance presented by the
Italian soldiers.
Austrian Plan Palmer.
The Austrian plan becomes palmer
and palmer" says q semt-ofiicial note
issned today. "The plain is to obtain.
no matter at what price, command of
the Montsllo. whence they can hurl
forward the division accumulated on
the left bank of the Piave.
sAlong the Monteilbuno -SuseEana
railroad the battle ragged all Of yes
terday afternoon and night. A short
ssction Of the track which the Aus
triaus captured was covered with the
bodies Of their dead.
Attacks follow one another me-
thodtcally, but slowly on account Of
the difficult terrain and the contin-
ually changing lines. which prevent
both sides from using their artillery
to the full effect. Tho fine weather is
favorable to aviation operation, and
the Italian airplanes continue to de-
stroy bridges and to direct their ma
chine guns at loY altitude on the
enemy troops.
"a iull that probably Is only mo-
mentary continues In the mountain
zone.
AT present more than forty enemy
divisions are engaged in the battle
line. and Of these thirty already have
suffered heavily"
Counter Offensive Superior.
4 semi-oficial note issued tonight.
concerning the Austrian offensive, says:
soiutely superior to the enemy offensive.
Yesterday In the Montello region and on
ths Treviso-S San Dona di Piave road and
toward the Zenson bend the Italians re-
ducsd by q good half the ground won
By the enemy in his grand attack on the
preceding day.
Statements Of prisoners and the
number OF dead counted on the field
show that the Austrians lost heavily in
the days fighting.
Five Heavy Attacks Fail.
Tho Austro- -Hungarians launched
i've heavy attacks ON the Italian lines
at Losson. to the west Of San Dona di
Piaye. Exhausted by their exception
ally heavy losses, tho attackers were
forced to retire in the face Of the italian
resistance"
The statement issued by the Italian
war once says:
''on 5ths Montello yesterday the pres
sure, OF the enemy continued strongly.
but everywhere he was held by our
troops, whoy counter attacking, reEained
ground. Advances attempted by the
onemy toward the west and south ami
mated the struggle. particularly east OF
the CAss-0hellsr- Bavaria line and in
the vicinity OF the Nervesa station.
Tho Pisa brigade and the 29th and
3eth regiments. advancing with admira
Bile elan. captured 400 prisoners and a
number Of machine guns. They wrested
intsnk from the enemy two Of our bat
zfsrfes Of medium caliber. which were
promptly put into action against the
on1my.
Foe 1epulsed at Candelu.
~on the Ptave the struggle was con-
i 0onageted In some sectors West el
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