El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-06-29
AUSTRIA IS JARED, NOT BROKEN;
DON'T EXPECT AN ENEMY COLLAPSE

TOR once nature has been on the side of the entente
allies It has long been axiom in Europe that il
the allies started offensive IN France OF Belgium, the
weather turned bad and did much as the enemy TO
hinder their progress while sunny days and dry ground
always favored the enemys drives And when the AustIo-
Germans struck the Italian army On the lsonzo and started
their march to Venice, the fine weather prevailed
although the season well advanced and It was
time, when the Iag1aento line was reached Tor Alpine
prevent the onward sweep Of the invaders The
SHOWS did until considerable time after the
Italians reached the line Of the Piave and were engng
to it desperately However, Venice was not taken BY
But now nature has aided the Italians and their allies
on Pave line Let it be said parenhecay here that
there is intent TO give nature undue credit minimize
the splendid fighting Of the Italian army aided by British
and French contngents and By squadron Of American
army avlators Their guns, bombs and oayonets we're the
solid wall On which the Of Austrian attack broke
and disspated But nature was powerful ally aiding
the entente by hemming in the enemy in the rear.
The Austrian commanders field marshals Boroevic and
vo1 Hoezeudorf had planned their offensive carefully and
their striking force, comprising fully SO percent Of the
Austrian electives had been thoroughly rehearsed in the
battle plan The attack begun virtually all along the
line in der to keep the allied resistance decenrazed and
what deemed the proper Tine the full force Of the
enemy blow concentrated in the lowlyug from
Moute0 TO the The Pizve crossed but the first
forces driven back again. They TecTOssed and BY
hard, steady pressure the Ausans were able gradually
to put a large number Of men the western bank.
Pressing forward their number constantly augmented the
Italians were abe 10 capture tne Monteuo plateau and
other strong positions IN its vicinity notwithstanding the
energetic defence Of the Italians
Just how critical was the situation last week. the
American people do not yet realize. There is just one
allied line under the unified command plan. This single
line reaches from the North the Adrac Had the
Ausrians been able to break through at MOnteo, ex
tending their gains to Venice not only the Italian army
would have been outanzed, but the enemy would have
been behind the whole allied line This what the
enemy planned, great turning movement which, starting
in with Italy have forced the crumping Of the
whole front In this desperate endeavor than 600
AusJrlans were pressing forward urged on BY Berlin
Austria to break through and start the rolling up
process putting Italy out Of the way and exposing the
line in France TO rear attack By way Of the
~ IN
into the Brsh-Amercan armies to prevent dis
patch Of large forces southwark to sfen Italy and pre-
vent this debace.
That was the situation last week The Austriaus were
held everywhere but in the lowands and there they
making slow progress by means Of tremendous pressure
against desperate resistance.
Then nature interviewed Torential rains fell in the
mountains and the Piave to flood gage like magic
It kept rising yellow pillows Of water boiled Of the
Alpine defes poured into the rose IS feet
ordinary flood marks OF "A bridges thrown across
the Pave by the Austrian engineers all but two were de-
stroyed by last Friday. Here Austrian amy on
the west side Of the Pave cut off in the from supplies
and other essential support On Thursday, Friday and
Saturday, scanty supplies Of food being sent across
the rVer IN all available Austrian aIplanes These were
combatted BY Italian and American souadrous and many
Of them were sent down in flames. Italian long range
guns IN the meantime bonbarded endlessy the two re-
naming bridges and kept up hot fire all along the river
enemy engineers toied to put other bridges the
flood An American squadron bombed one OF the two
bridges, putting It partially out Of use.
The Austrian high command recognized the position
uuenabs under the circumstances From their viewpoint
there every to believe the allies would mass
their forces this sector and either wipe out the Austrsns
the west bank by frontal attack by working the
pncers IN flank attacks the north and south So on
Saturday night the enemy began Withdrawing the east
bank hoping TO evacuate gradually without attracting at
teuon to the real nature Of the until most Of
the command had been withdrawn
But early Sunday morning Gen Diaz somehow got
wind Of the evacuation and the activity Of the italians
Immediately became amazing and superb They had been
missing OF course, as the enemy expected they
opened up with everything they had artillery infantry
cavalry and air forces The artillery did most Il put
baage Of shells all along the Pave leaving to the in