Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-06-24
FAILURE AND DEFEAT

The first phase of t.:e Austrian Of
fensive has ended in failure-in de-
feat The culiainatiuL Of Mflt was
intended 10 be the crushing of ltalI
between the jaws OF the Austrian
pincers is the rout OF the invader
themselves.
With their backs TO the swollen
Tiave river, the Austrians for sew
eral days pest had been tryrg TO
ward off the Vicious Counter-altacts
Of the Italians and save rhe situ1-
ton Now the; are endeaVorin- ani
SIN under great p:t sure to tu'd .
steam and reach safety on it, east"
trn bank.
From the .drntclln plateau T. the
Airiatic sea ,he ca my is in atrcal
ALI eady his ,',sses are estimated at
$4,000 men and the chances of his
escape without further heavy casual.
ties and men made prisoners seem
remote.
Large numbers of the poNtoo1
bridges the Austrians threw across
he Pave nave been swept away by
the new torrential stream and all Of
the sectors Of the 33-mle front
where they gained edges Of the We
netian plain they are being sote'r
harrassed by the fire of the Italian
guns and rifles and by the mach,n"
gun fire and bombs of the allied avi;.-
tors. who have done such notabi"
execution since the attempted drive
was started.
| Monster preparations had be"I
made by the Austrians for what vas
t. be the death-blow 10 King Victor
Emanuels men. Thousands upCr
thousands of men. many of them
brought from the Russian and Ru-
manian fronts, and guns and stores IN
tremendous quantities had been PSI
celled among the various COMMAND
! ers, for the drive over barile area
of virtually 100 miles. running f"9m
the Asiago plateau to The Five ~
| err and then following that stream to
| the sea.
Undouptedly the Austrian high COM
mand had built largely for success on
, the belief that the Italian morale had
! been shattered when last year theit
great pincers closed in upon the Italian
| front and forced back the line in
great sem-circle from the Julian Alps
to the Pave and from the mountains
in the north almost to the plains of
| Nenit.a.
Such a belief however. was entirely
! erroneous. From the first onslaught
| the enemy met a rejuTenated army
which fought him with the greatest
sallantry. never ceding an inche o:
ground unless it was dearly paid for
/ a ding the Italians in the mountains
We're British and French amies. who
also fought nobly and everywhere de-
! feated the enemy. Territory taken in
the mountains was almost as quickly
regained and the enemy held in check.
Along the Pave, especially on the
Montello plateau, the gateway to the
Venetian plains from the northeast.
| and at several points forther south
where the Austrians succeeded in cross
| in the river. the Italians everywhere
imposed such strength against the en-
, envy that he was unable to enlarge hi J
! gains and they, with redoubled efforts.
| forced him to commence the retrograds
, movement which has developed into dis
ordered fight
Large numbers OF the enemy have
! been reported recently as coming up
] behind the northern line in the noun
tain region and it is not improbable
that shortly the second phase of thu
battle Will begin. Complete confidence
, is felt in the Italian and other allied
! commands, however, that the enemy
! will meet foenen of superior quality
and that his efforts will go for naught.
! On the battle fronts in France AMI
Flanders the Germans are holding their
men to the trenches except for small
attacks here and there. There is no in.
! dication that for the present II is their
intention to launch another big often
! sive Both the British and French have
carried out successfully minor opera
tons and repulsed all the enemy's ma
| neuvers near Bigny. In the Marine re-
gion the Germans succeeded In gainin,
a footing In a trench. but an Italian
contingent Immediately elected them.
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