Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-12

roma, through Vicenza to Treviso. II
the Austrians could cut this railway
behind the Piave armies. these would
pc in dangerous position. and might
ice and away from the rest Of the Ital-
IAN armies they might. in fact. be
caught in the swamps below Treviso
and east Of Padua and be taken.
Weakness of italian Situation.
This is the weakness of the present
Italian situation. 1t is excessively I'M
likely that the Austrians could force
the Italians out of their present line
along the Piave. which has been FORTH
ned during the winter and is as good a
line as is necessary to have in our CO.
temporary form of warfare. The strong
positions are, on the whole, on the
Italian side of the river; the stream is
something of an obstacle, and Italian
communications behind it are far bet
ter than those of the Austrians for
tor.
Therefore. 1t would seem that il the
Italians are to be evicted from the
Piave position they must be turned out
rather than forced out: evicted by a
threat to their rear rather than by a
drive at their front In a word. the
vital sector is not that behind the
fiave, but that between the Fiave and
the Astico. where the Austrians are
hardly more tran dozen miles from
now mentioned in the dispatches: This
Is tie front on which the Austrians
made their great offensive OF 1914.
which failed BECAUSE Austrian troops
the victorious Russians in Galicia.
Here, too, the Advertisements were
making their supreme effort last SUI
tumn and early winter. when the show
70 F1po md cfo
In this sector the Italian situation
markedly reproduces that OF the
French before Veroun in March and
after March. 1916, although the scale is
east of the Mouse had temporarily
checked the Germans after having to
retire over considerable ground. they
had good positions in their hands, but
they had lost all but the very last
series of gun positions on which they
could hope to base successful de-
Tense of the forts and hills of the sec
tor east of the Mouse.
Literally, the French were fighting with
their backs to the river, and, as the Ger
great slowness. the French were pushed
down hill toward the Mouse. Now. the
Austrians, by their offensives of 1916 and
1917, have arrived almost at the edge OF
the Venetian plain. The Italians are
hanging onto the last of the foothills. II
they are pushed off of these. if the Aus
TRANS get forward for a distance Of less
than ten and hardly more than fve miles
more, either between the Brenta and AS
tico valleys or between the Brenta and
the Pave valleys, then the Austrians will
hold all the high ground overlooking the
plain and the Italians will have to make
a new and very great Encouragement OF
their lines.
Last year. when there was prospect
of such an advance by the Austro- Ger
OF IN n
that the Italians would retire behind the
lines of the Adige; that is. that they
would evacuae everything north and east
Of this river and stand before Verona and
thence behind it to the Adriatic: Such q
Encouragement would have meant, would
still mean, the evacuation of Venice. OF
Padua and of Vicenza, and the practical
loss of all of the province of Venetia.
Italy Built Up Lines in Winter.
The long delay due to winter has given
the Italians a chance 10 prepare interme-
diate lines, recalling the famous switch
lines' of the Hindenburg system III
France. Thus. even should the Austrians
reach the plain behind the Piave line and
between the Piave and the Brenta the
Italians might be expected to draw back
behind the Brenta and hold the from,
from Bassano to the sea behind the
Brenta. This would mean the loss OF
the QSSITuCllOH Ol tCACSp bCNduSS ~
would bring the Austrian artillery near
enough to batter the town to dust. Even
IL it did not surrender it would mean
the destruction of Fadua. just behind the
Brenta, hut 1t would temporarily save
Vicenza A further Austro German adj
vance. if we are to assume German
troops will be again used, would leave
the Italians still able to stand behind
the Bacchiglione. but 1t would mean the
surrender Of Padua.
All these possible retreats would mean
shortening the line and improving the
Italian situation on the military side.
provided no disaster ensued. 1t would
mean the surrender of famous cities.
The moral advantage to the Austrians
would be very great. but the military
vided only territory were gained and
Italian morale endured the loss of ground
d nd cities, as French morale has survived
the similar losses in the French field.
Once behind the Adige, the Italian posi-
ton should be imrregnable,. for all that
natural advantages can supply to make
military defense advantageous are to be
found in this line, and the Italians have
had six months to get ready.
AS it now stands. it would seem that
the Austrians have concentrated strong
forces in the Trentino, bringing them
down by the great military railroad
which goes under the Bremen pass in
a tunnel and follows the historic route
of Teuton invasions of Italy in all past
centuries. Having brought his armies
south by this route, which is always
beyond enemy reach or observation, the
Austrian has arranged them in the sew
eral smaller valleys leading out from
the valley of the Adige to the Venetian
plain like the sticks of fan. He is
patiently intending to attack by the passes
through which the Pave. the Brenta.
and the Astico emerge into the plain.
and he holds all the upper portions of
these valleys. He may also be plan
ming a fourth attack right south upon We
roma by the Adige valley, and possibly
a. fifth along Lago di Garda. but the first
four are bound to be the important at
tacks.
If the Austrian can advance down these