AUSTRIANS ON MAIN DEFENSIVE LINE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 157, 3 July 1916, Page 6

AUSTRIANS ON MAIN DEFENSIVE LINE.

ITALIANS GRADUALLY EXTENDING THEIR OFFENSIVE. ~~~"~~~ ( COUNTER-ATTACK BEGUN BY NEWLY-FORMED ARMY. j ROME, July ■_. j i The Italians, between the Adigc and the Brcnta. have now reached the r main line of resistance, where the enemy is strongly entrenchec' and sup- J ported by numerous batteries and machine-guns. The Italian offensive is also I being extended to other, positions on the front. A communique states:—"The advance has been continued on the whole of the Posina line. We reached the summit of Mount MaJo. driving out the remainder of the enemy. We are now in contact with the enemy on the Sette Comuni Plateau. We repulsed counter-attacks in the Monfalcone sector, on the Isonzo front, and extended our positions on Hill 70." The newspaper "Corriere della Sera" states that Oneral Cadorna formed an entirely new army behind the Italian line in the Trentino. in order to break the Austrian offensive, (ieneral Cadorna anticipated an Austrian attack, but couid not believe that the enemy would commit the colossal ' 1 blunder of greatly weakening the Russian front when the Russian offensive ! was about to commence. General Cadorna judged the extent of the Austrian , attack, and chose a lin» to which the Italians fell back with minimum losses. l Then he addressed his troops, saying:—"Remember here you mv.st defend the soil of the Fatherland _:id the honour of the army. These positions mu't be defended to the death." '.leneral 'Cadorna then conceived the idea of forming a new army. Six hours later troops from all parts of the front began to march to a given point. The railways worked splendidly, surpassing their estimated potentiality by 25 per cent. Half a million men. 100.000 horseß. and 15.000 carts were transported ivith lightning speed towards the Vicenza Plain, and the army was ready for battle within twelve days. Meantime the defensive organisations had bren completed, and the '• Austrians definitely checked. General Cadorna on June 2 gave the new army ' the order to make a counter-offensive. Roads, bridges, and light railways had j ! been specially built, and an artificial lake constructed as a watering base for j the troops.