Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-19

-
nanked on the north by the Alps and
on the south by the Adratic General
Cadorna'S offenSives were from the
first directed to pushing out ahead of
this salient in the direction of Trieste,
but he was all the time hammered
by having to watch very closely the
mountain front, where an enemy sue
cess would at once threaten his com.
munications and force the immediate
withdrawal of his battlefront. This is
why the Austrians in May. 1916. at.
tackled on the Asiago front and why
the German success of last October
near Tolmino was so disastrous to
the Italian army and compelled it to
give up at once all the territory II
had gained in three years of hard
fighting.
Mountain Front Most Important
1t is. therefore. to the mountain
front that we look first and most
anXiously when news of an Austrian
attack comes in. In the mountains the
enemy's main attack has been made on
either side of the Brenta. on a front
of twenty miles. extending from the
western edge of Asiago plateau to
Monte Grappa. The object of this at
tack was TO secure the issues to the
plains by way of the Brenta and Asico
Valleys. Had it been successful it
would have forced our allies to fall
back from the Piave. in circumstance
of greatest difficulty, for a distance of
fifty miles across the Brenta. to a
longer and less secure line behind the
AsticO and to abandon Venice, and
Padua to the enemy.
The news which comes in of COM
plete failure of the attack in the noun
tains is, therefore, of the very highest
Importance. and we may rejoice that
the British army in Italy has played
so conspicuous part in the repulse of
the enemy on this vital front.
The Asiago plateau, where our men
have been fighting, consists of an area
of rough. gently rolling downland.
about seven miles ina width by three
in depth, completely encircled by
mountains, and is of great importance,
because it is better provided with ap-
proaches on the Austrian side than any
other area of similar extent on the
mountain front, while the open down.
land naturally allows of much greater
freedom of movement than is possible
among the peaks and precipices
through which the rest of the Alpine
front runs.
Effort There Anticipated
As the Allied line runs along the south
ern edge of the plateau, where it begins
to merge in the last range of mountains
between the enemy and the plains which
begin only six miles behind the front
trenches, and a successful attack would
take the enemy straight into the Astico
Valley, thus turning at one blow the
lines Of both the Piave and the Rrenta.
it was always anticipated that the en-
emy would here make great effort
Lord Cavan and his troops have every
reason to be proud that they should
have been given this post of honor and
have held 1t with complete success,
with the cooperation of the Italian
gunners on their left, to whose timely
assistance the British commander pays
warm tribute.
In the little less vital sectors of the
Brenia Valley and of the mountains of
Asolone and Grappa to the east of it the
Italians have been equally successful
and we have. therefore. good reason
70 believe that the mountain front is
secure.
direct attack across the Piave could
not in any event, yield the Austrians
the prizes they would obtain by sue
cess further to the north
Here the worst that could happen is
successive lines of defense, which cover
their communications directly agains'
attack from the east. The Austria 2
efforts on the Piave appear to have
fallen into two parts The most north
erly Is against the important Montello
ridge. which was occupied and organ
lied for defense by our troops when they
first went into the front line. The sec
ond and southerly attack is against the
lower Piave, on wide front from Ponte
di Piave to Musile. That is, they are
striking along and between two main
lines of railway, leading one to Treviso
and the other to 'Mestre.
Austrian Progress Insignificant
The Austrians have succeeded in
crossing the Piave at the foot of Mon
tello and near both railway lines, but
their progress so far on the right bank
of the river is Insignificant and threat
ems no serious danger.
Altogether the first news from the
battlefield. which is most encouraging