ITALY'S POWERFUL OFFENSIVE IN TRENTINO.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 141, 14 June 1917, Page 5

ITALY'S POWERFUL OFFENSIVE IN TRENTINO.

THOUSANDS OF AUSTRIANS DESTROYED BY BOMBARDMENT I.ONDOX, June 13. The Italians have opened a substantial new offensive in the Trentino. Mount Ortigara was stormed, despite, its elaborate defensive system, and thousands of Austrians were crushed beneath the weight of the Italian bombardment. Signollo Pass was taken at the point of the bayonet, although it was fortified with concrete armoured works. General Cadornas newest stroke is on a narrow front between Asiago and the Brenta River. A Rome correspondent states that important develop ,ments are expected. The battle ia still raging. An Austrian communique claims that the assaults collapsed after heavy losses, the Italians being ejected on Sunday evening from the positions taken during the morning. Cadorna"s stroke in the Trentino is the fourth blow he has delivered against the Austrians this year. The first was his preat bombardment of the "whole Isonzo front from Tolmino to the sea, culminating in an attack on the northern half of the sector, which gained for him a number of valuable positions and completely disarranged the euemy's plans. This was followed by a sudden swing to the south and an advance along the Carso, the enemy being "pushed back from Castagnunzza to the soa. At the same time this offensive compelled the enemy to relieve the pressure on the Isonzo to attack in the Trentino. Here the Austrians were unable to achieve any definite results, and the third Italian blow came last week with a counter-move in the Trentino. This has been followed up by another blow a "little to the northward of the first from Asiago, on the plateau of the same name, which has been the scene of much bitter fighting, to the Brenta, which flows through the Val and reaches the sea near Yen ice. Italy wa? tied down last year to a great extent by lack of artillery and munitions. Her early successes, when ohe first entered the war, were due not only to the dash of her troops, but also to surprise, for there is no doubt that the Austrians, long and carefully-made as had been their preparations, were not ready when Cadorna forced his way at several point 3 across the Isonzo. Then followed that very long period of small and often very hard-won advances, during which unidentifiable Trentino mountain peaks were continually won, but often lost again, and Gorizia. always about to fall, persisted in not falling. That was the period during which Britain and France were learning the art of modern trench warfare, elaborating the new tactics of assault, and at the same time straining every nerve in the effort to produce the enormous quantities of munitions required for the successful conduct of a modern offensive. And Britain had at the same time the colossal job of training her new armies. All these things now, however, have been done, and Italy is beginning to feel the benefit of Britain's solution of the munitions problem. She must have felt it at the taking of Gorizia, and in her subsequent advances on the Carso, and in her present efforts she is feeling it in a twofold way. For not only is she firing quantities of British-made shells out of British-built guns, but the British minncrs have now so increased in numbers and in skill that it has been possible to lend Cadorna a number of batteries to help him to blast the Austrians put of the rockbound trenches and mountain fortresses.