The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-22
with the Italian Armies During the Great Retre

BY ETHEL (BTitish Red Cross, Nurse, with the It: My last story of the Italian retire ment brought us to Udine. where we enjoyed comparative safety for some days. Now propose to take up the story where the retreat ended and the vigorous counter-thrusts agains. the pursuing enemy began on the Pi- ave, which is really the last strong line between the Huns and the fine old city of Venice on which their GOV etous and lustful eyes are now turned We women see more of the actual hostilities in this part of the world than on the Western Front. Most of the events I am about to describe have seen with my own eyes from the window of building within sight of the field of battle. It is used as a sort of field dressing station, and there we attend to the wounded who trudge back from the firing line. The hospital is well within range of the enemy's guns, and they not infre- quently send shells our way For oth- CT parts of my narrative I have tc thank Italian and British officers and men who have been good. enough tc try to entertain me with stories ot what they have seen in the track o1 the retreating army.
 That the enemy are not now des- polling Venice is due to the fine stand of the Italian infantry on the Piave line. There are stories told that vii rank with any in the storied past.
 I saw pass along the road to the rear a ragged band of about two hun dred men. They were pinched witf cold and looked famished. Theil soaked and ragged clothes clung tC their limbs in a way that must have added to the misery of their march Some of them were wounded. Al limped painfully along with the air o1 men who had their courage and pow CTS of physical endurance taxed to the utmost limits. They were the surviv' ors of three battalions that just three days before I had seen move up tt the line of the Piave. They had or ders to hold on at all costs, and iron their grim, set faces, and the flashing of their eyes, knew that they woult make good if it were in the power o men to make good in that fight.
 Desperate Fighting at River Crossin;
 The three battalions had stood ul against as many divisions, and tough on with the courage of lions, throw ing back each attack, and playing hay oc with the massed ranks of the foe Only at one point did the enemy sue ceed in forcing the crossing of tn Piave. By concentrated gun-fire the had succeeded in isolating the weakes point of the Italian attachments, en closing it in a circle of shell-fire. The they had lined up their frail wall O humanity to withstand the onrush o the foe. The carnage was fearful be yond words.
 The Italians had no thought of re treating. Above the din of fight ros the strains of Re d'Italia," the ma tional hymn of our Ally, and that wa the death song of the band of heroe!
 The enemy crowded more troops O the narrow front. A tempest of but lets rained on tho devoted Italian he roes. One by one they fell, but it wa not until the last man had gone dow that the enemy were able to thro7 their pontoons across at this point an begin the crossing of men and gum By that time the Italian troops to tn right and left had moved and wer taking hand in the fight. In spite ( the odds against them they charge the foe with the bayonet. From tn overhanging hills our British gunner were soon busy, and the enemy engir eers engaged on the pontoon construt tion we're galled unmercifully | ceaseless fire
 On our side of the river enen masses were forming for a dead thrust, that would turn the Italia flank and leave Venice at their me cy. Into this mass the Italian infal try now charged. The odds again them were terrible. Not less than eigl to one, I am told, fought, and eve greater at times.
 The Italians fought on with u courage of heroes and charged u Huns again and again. The most de rperate fight of all was on the vers of the river itself. The Italians dasl ed at the first of the enemy to eros Desperate hand-to-hand fighting o, ened, and by the waters edge u foe struggled fiercely, the Italia1 striving to throw their enemies baC into the river and the enemy strivi1 with equally desperate determinatit to make good their footing. In u thick of the fight more men we brought across, swelling the ranks
 the enemy but the Italian infant hung on like leeches, and night f, with the foes within a few yards
 each other on the banks of the rive
 In the morning the fight was rene7 ed on a greater scale than ever. ( rising ground just across the river t enemy brought up a light gun al started to shell the weary Italian That gun was marked down by O British gunners, and in few minut shells were bursting all around it. T gun was moved nearer to the riv' Just as they started to move it a ( rect hit was registered by the Britt gunners, and the enemy gun and tea were lifted right into the air, conf back to earth as nothing more tan ible than collection of fragments
 horses, human beings. and gun met
 The Italians decided on one last ( fort to win back the crossing of t