St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1918-08-17
Ean Offensive In Italy


came to the Allies reports that tht
Central Empires were taking the picl
! of their force from the Russian from
and concentrating them for a drive
against some part of the line in the
western theatre. Then came intima
ton that the blow was aimed against
Italy.
The storm broke at C~aporetto, or
October 26, and almost Immediately
the whole Italian line was thrown in
to disorder. Pouring through the pass
es, where in some instances disaffect
ed italian troops held positions, the
Germans and Austrians made pro
gress which from the first raj alarm.
ing. BY wise generalship, the Ital.
ian line was withdrawn from the Ison-
20. It paused at the Tagliamento and
then retired further until it rested on
the PiaYe, almost within sight of the
domes of Venice. ere the Italian
army reformed it's columns, consoli-
dated it's positions by withdrawing
from the Rhaoetian mountains to the
Asiago plateau and, assisted by the
French reinforcements brought to that
battlefront, stood at bay.
Russian Collapse
Events in the meanwhile had been
moving swiftly in Russia. On No
vember /, while the offensive against
Italy was under way, Alexander F.
Kerensky, then the Russian premier,
announced that Russia vas worn out
by the wal and that the Allies must
shoulder the burden thenceforward.
Seven days later Kerensky a de-
posed by the Bolsheviki. The fall
and flight of Kerensky was the signal
for Germany and Austria to enter in
to peace negotiations with Russia. On
November 80 the Bolsheviki announc-
ed that Russia was out of the war
and proposed that all the allies join
in negotiations for an armistice.
Russian and German representa-
tives met at Brest LitoVsk on Decem-
= %, and terms of peace were ex-
changed. Nc progress was made with
the negotiations, and the conference
was broken up on January II. In
the meantime, a new republic had
sprung rom the side of Russia. 1t
was Ukraine, a territory extending
along the Rumanian and Galician
frontier from the Black Sea north
ward to Cholm, in ancient Poland.
With this republic, the Central En-
pires made peace late in January.
The failure of the Bolsheyih au-
thorities to reach any agreement with
the Germans resulted in the renewal
of hostilities on February Is, and
the German armies moved forward
once more.
5rest-Litovsk Treaty
This brought about a renewal of the
peace negotiations, and at Brest-
Litovsk the Bolsheviki were given to
understand that Germany would rec
ognize the kingdom of Poland, the
of Ukraine, the independence
81 Finland, and the separate govern
mental status Of Lithuania, Esthonia
and Livonia. Turkey, as an ally of
the Central Empires. was given a
great area to the east of the Black
Sea, including the regions Of Batum,
kars and Erfvan.
With the announcement of the final
Of the treaty between the Boil
.hfyikf and Germany, the Allies gave
Ip hope that Russia would remain IN
he conflict and at once they began
o strengthen their lines against the /
oming Of the great German offensive |
y which Berlin and Vienna hoped to
orce the Entente nations to- make
peace. I
Rumania capftulates
With the greater part Of her terri ]
Dry occupied by the Germans, Aus /
and Bulgarians, with her gov
rnment driven from Bucharest to q
assy and with the Russian Bolshe-
Xxi openly hostile toward her, Ru- b
lania found herself in a critical sit i
alton. Rumanian troops during I
'ebruary and March advanced into q
essarabia, a part of the new repuh.. d
c of Ukraine, but they we're hemmed r
by the enemy forces and Obliged i
J, withdraw. At last. ON May s, r
umania signed a treaty of peace with s
le Central Empires. t
BY this treaty Rumania lost the t,
Of Dobrudja, on the south Il
de OF the Danube, which she had
after the Balkan war, and b
creed to a rectification of her west VI
n frontier. Economic concessions Il
so were made under pressure from A
Teutonic alliance. Ii
Peace Tentatives "
The period between December ], 8
II, and March |. 1918, may be call =
the period OF peace tentatives. It :
true that before the end of the sum fe
or Pope Benedict made an appeal o.
the warning nations to enter into
ace negotiations, the basis for pour
rlers being the restoration of Bel. Sc
nm and Serbia and the return to ii
trmany of her lost colonies. This r