The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-06-19
ITALIANS stop
AuSTRIANS ON
PAVE RIVER
Allied Armies InfIict Heavy Losses
on Enemy and Regain
Ground.
MORE PRISONERS ARE taken
Foe Using EearIy 100000 Men in
Great BattIe-Rome Says Thou
sands of Austrian Corpses
Are Strewed Along
Battlefield.

London, June 19.-In the crucial bat
tie along the Piave river, the Italian
armies have stemmed the Austrian
rush in this sector
At all other points along the 100
mile front OF attack they either had
launched counter-offensives or had
fought the invaders to standstill.
The Austrians are known to have
thrown three-fOurths of their entire
army. or approximately 1.OOO,OOO men,
into the battle line.
The Austrian losses are described as
terrific.
An official Italian statement says
thousands of Austrian corpses are
strewn along the Piave battlefield.
Checked and chagrined by the re-
pulse of the Austrians, Won linden
burg has ordered the Austrians to
throw their last reserve into the bat
tie along the Piave, according to late
dispatches.
Piave Vital Point.
1t Is along this line, held By Italian,
French and British troops, that the
final fate of Emperor Karl's ambitious
attempt to put Italy out of the war
will be decided. All signs are favor
able to the allies.
The Austrian pincers are not closing
upon Italy with the precision of last
October. The upper jaw, in the Vene-
tian Alps, is stalled under the resist
ance of the British, French and Ital-
ian forces, and the neither one, on the
Pfave, seems to lack the force neces-
sary to bring success.
In the Alps the Austrians have been
unable further to advance their lines
since their initial onslaught last week.
Allies Regain Ground
Everywhere from the Asiago plateau
sector eastward to the Piave river all
their attacks have quickly been re-
pulsed by the allied troops who, in
their turn, have regained lost terrain,
inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy
and taken a considerable number OF
prisoners.
A fierce battle is raging along the
Piave from the mountain passes
through which it wends it's way
southwark to the Adriatic. The storm
centers are the Montello plateau, the
region Of the famous ZensOn loop, and
the marsh country around Capo Sile,
some twenty miles east Of Venice.
The Italian war Office Announces that
the enemy everywhere is being held
along the Piave.
On the crucial sector of the Mon
tello plateau, which bars the way from
the northeast to the Venetian plains,
the Italians have strengthened their
positions on the northern edge of the
plateau and repulsed two enemy at
tempts to advance on the northern
border.
Thousands Are Killed.
Likewise to the south, near Mase-
rada and Candelu, attempts by the
Austrians to effect new crossings Of
the Piave were frustrated with heavy
losses.
Losses, which are described as
frightful, have been inflicted upon the
Austrians in the areas where the prin-
cipal fighting has taken place.
In the mountainous country where
the British have been holding their
positions solfdly thousands of the
enemy have perished, while they have
paid heavily for every foot they have
advanced along the Piave.
From Vienna comes variant re-
port. It does not cOncede to the allies
any gains of ground In the mountain
region, saying that all their counter
attacks were repulsed.
Concerning the fighting along the
Piave it asserts that the Austrians
have gained ground at numerous points
and that the battle is following its in
tended course.
Consolidation Of the gains on the
Montelfo plateau and progress on the
southern wing, which runs from Fos-
salta to MeStre, are claimed.
The Vienna statement asserts Gen
eral Won Wuren's army has advanced
to the Fossalta canal, about three
miles west Of the Piave. This canal.
which is five miles long, runs parallel
to the river on the Campo Sile region.
Foe Claims 10000 Prisoners.
In addition, the Austrian war office
says the number of prisoners taken in
the fighting has increased to 10000
and that 12O guns, In addition to mine
throwers, machine guns and war ma
ferial, have been captured.
Unofficial adylces are to the effect