Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-05-07
German Defeat in
West Means Revolt
in : tarujng Austria

Permission now having been given
to the London Daily Chronicles war
correspondent in Italy to tell the full
tale of the Austrian raid of April on
Ancona he writes this:
Tho the Austrian admiralty chose to
risk some sixty lives only in the enter
prise the expedition was we'll planned
but badly carried out Its objective
was threefold, to blow up the subma-
rine f1otila in Ancona harbor. to de-
stroy the captured Austrian torpedo
boat Bill lying there and to seize a
naval motor boat squadron.
The invading party left Pola at
O'Clock in the afternoon on board the
torpedo boat So having a motor launch
in tow and escorted by a destroyer.
They headed for the Italian side of the
AGriatic at a speed of sixteen miles on
hour When fifteen miles from land
the invading detachment took their
places in the motor launch whose
engines had been carefully covered to
suppress noise.
Shortly after o'clock in the morn
ing they disembarked at a solitary
spot on shore to find that owing to
big error in their calculations they
were seventeen miles north of Ancona
Formidably armed with bombs, pis-
tolls. and daggers, and carrying % kilos
Of dynamite, they moved in rows four
abreast along a road s1irting the coast
Since all spoke fluent Italian with
Venetian accent and wore uniforms
indistinguishable in the darkness from
that of the Royal Italian Marines. they
a S-rSnioinr minds of
coast guards and sentinels whom they
passed and from whom they inquired
the nearest route to Ancona, it being
taken for granted that they had dis
embarked from a friendly vessel ly-
ing off shore at daybreak.
Having sighted a lonely cottage Of
which the only occupants were one
woman, two small children and big
dog. they decided to seek refuge till
evening. During the interval two cadets
disguised as peasants were sent to
Ancona to buy necessaries and spy
out defenses and the exact position of
vessels in the port. The information
which the spies brought back deter
mined the officers to forego a plan Of
blowing up the Mandracchio sugar
factories, with other items Of their
program, and to concentrate their eff
forts on capturing the motor boat
squadron, in which they could get
away from danger as quickly as pos
sible. At shutdown they buried their
dynamite in the cottage garden, and
at the stroke of midnight they started
toward the town.
Mistaken for naval patrol they ex-
perienced no difficulty in passing the
toll-gates, but once well within the
town they were betrayed by a comrade
who, seeing chance of deserving,
slipped down a pitch dark alley and
| Informed an italian squad of Carabin-
Teri, who at once telephoned an alarm
to headquarters.
Meantime only long narrow pas
sage skirtinS the sugar factory
separated the raiders from corner Of
the harbor. where the motor boats lay
at their moorings. The commanding
officer shouting out in imperative
tones that he had orders to board the
boats, successfully passed the first
sentry but further on a second sentry
being somewhat suspicious, silently
| followed them till one of the party
| turned and plunged dagger into his
| breast, not, however, before he had
| time to give an alarm by firing his
| carbine.
This brought several sailors from a
| torpedo vessel hard by hurrying up,
| while from the opposite direction ten
Carabin!eri appeared on the scene Then
| came swiftly dramatic and isnomini-
Gus ending. Armed to the teeth tho
they were with knives. revolvers, and
| andbombs, the invaders simply threw
Iup their hands in surrender.