The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-28

hausted by the war, and quiet settled down along the lines from the gates of the Carpathians to the Baltic. Stories were heard of frateruization of German
 and Russian troops, but assurances came from Petrograd that Russia would stand
 true to her allies.
 FALL OFFENSIVE IN ITALY
 The German and Austrian high com
 ulands had no illusions as to further Russian beiIigency. There came to the allies reports that the central empires were taking the pick of their force froTa the Russian front and concentrating them for a drive against some part of the line in the western theatre. Then came intimations that the blow was aimed against Italy.
 The storm broke at Caporetto on October zs, and almost imm ediately the whole Italian line was thrown into disorder. Pouring through the passes, where in some instances disaffected Italian troops held positions. the Ger mans and Austrians made progress which from the first was alarming. By wise geDeralship, the Italian line was withdrawn from the lsonzo- Ii paused at the Tagliamento and then retired further until it rested on the Piave almost within sight of the l domes of Venice. Here the Italian army reformed it's columns, consolir dated it's positions by withdrawing from the Rhaetian mountains to the Asiago plateau and, assisted by the l French achievements, brought to that ! battlefront, stood at bay
 RUSSIAN COLLAPSE Events in the meanwhile had been ! moving swiftly in Russia On Novein- Der 1. while the offensive against It. ' T A l~r Kar ensky then the Russian premier, an l nouuced that Russia was worn out by | the war and that the allies must shoul- | der the burden thenceforward. | Seven days later Kerensky was de- posed by the bolshevfki The fall and 1 flight of Kerensky was the signal for l Germany and Austria to enter into l peace negotiations with Russia On 1 Novern Der go the bolsheviki announced
 that Russia was out of the war and ! proposed that all the allies join in l negotiations for armistice. l Russian and German representatives l met at Brest Litovsk on December 22 1 and terms of peace were exchanged. No progress was made with the negotia-
 tions, and the conference was broken up on January II. In the meantime a
 new republic had sprung from the side
 of Russia. It was Ukraine, territory
 extending along the Rumania and Ga lacian frontier from the Black Sea northward to Cholm. in ancient Poland 1 With this republic the central empires
 made peace late in January.
 The failure of the ooIsh cvtk author ities to reach any aSeessssnt with the T Germans resulted in the renewal ot I hostilities on February IS, and tte T German armies moved forward once 4 more.
 l BREST-LTTOVSK TREATY II This brought about a renewal of the a peace negotiations, and at Brest- ! Litovsk the bolshoviki were given te T understand that Germany would rec
 ognize- the kingdom of Poland, the re
 public of Ukraine, the independence oi I Finland and the separate governmental \ status of I.,thuania, Esthonia and Li
 vonia- Turkey. an ally of the cen ,1 tral powers, was given a great are; ii to the east of the Black sea- including the regions of Batum, Kars and Fri ' van
 With the announcem of the ffnn Y signing of the treaty between the bol ,1 sh eviki and Germany, the allies gay -I up hope that Russia would remain il '1 the conflict. and at once they began s to strengthen their lines against tn I coming of the great German offensiv sI by which Berlin and Vienna hoped |; 'li force the entente nations to mak -l peace.
 s' RUMANIA CAPTTULATES
 With the greater part of her terri Il tory occupied by the Germans, AUS II trians and Bulgarians. with her gov U erument driven from Bucharest [ , Jassy and with the Russian bolshe '- ,, l openly hostile toward her Ru. 't found herself in critical situa |. V :,
 Rumanian troops during February an
 March advanced into Bessarabia par
 of the new republic of Ukraine, bu they were hemmed in by the enem , forces and obliged to withdraw. A } last, on May 6. Rumania signed a trea , ty of peace with the central powers By this treaty Dumania lost tha ? province of Dobrudja, onthe south sid of the Danube, which she had receive ! after the Balkan war, and agreed t ! rectification of her western frontie : Economic concessions also were mad ! under pressure from the Teutonic al 1iance.
 a PEACE TENTATIVES
 The period betwe cen December 1, 191' and March l. 1918, may be called th period of peace tentatives It is tru