ENEMY REORGANISING AFTER HIS DEFEAT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 145, 19 June 1918, Page 5

ENEMY REORGANISING AFTER HIS DEFEAT.

FIERCE ENDEAVOUR AGAINST HINGE OF THE LINE.

;.,,.«—• i-v -- r "=""- LONDON, June IS. from British in states: —The

j An official report headquarters Italy . artillery battle has died down. The enemy is reorganising after his severe defeat. Captured maps show that the enemy's objectives were most ambitious, including the capture of Mount Pau, four miles south-west of Asiago, and Cima di Route. Our prisoners now number 716. Our booty includes four Jtnouniain guns, 43 machine-guns, and seven - flame-throwers. Considering the severity of the bombardment and the intensity of the fighting our casualties were exceedingly light. Our airmen on Saturday and Sunday dropped over 300 bombs and fired over 25,000 rounds" on troops and transport attempting to cross the Piave.

■;. An Italian official report states: —Following Saturday's heavy losses the enemy on Sunday limited his action to hindering with intense fire our own and the Allied counter-offensive. The latter, however, was able to gain

partial successes and rectify the line at several points. The battle proceeded ■with extreme violence along the Piave. The enemy, heedless of losses, continued his powerful pressure in order to extend his occupation of the Montecello ridge and thereby open, the way to the plains. AA"e strongly engaged the enemy on the line, of Ciano-Montello Crest-StAjidroa, holding pur positions on the river between St. Androa and Fossalto. We are also effectively opposing the advance before the bends of St. Dona di Piave. AVe and the Allies have now taken 4500 prisoners, including 201 by the French. _Forty-four aeroplanes were brought down in two days.

»' An Italian semi-official report states: —Seventy-one of Austria's ninetytwo mobilised divisions have already been identified, constituting the whole of Austria-Hungary's efficient troops. The enemy is employing all available artillery and aircraft. No fewer than 7500 guns are in action. Three AustroHungarian armies are engaged, namely, von Schentschensmel's army between the Astico plateau and the Piave, the Archduke Joseph's at Montello, and von AVurm's on the Lower Piave. Thousands of bodies cover the ground in the mountain sector, and corpses are becoming heaped ,-along the Piave. The gains after two days are very slight, -compared with the objectives assigned for the first day. Captured orders texged the necessity oi capturing the fortified area, with a view to reaching 'the Italian supplies. They also provided instructions for the armv living on the country's resources and for personal pillage. (A. and N.Z. and Ecuter.)

Renter's correspondent with the British army in Italy interviewed a high British officer, who expressed himself in every way satisfied with the result •of the Austrian "attack against the British Our airmen on the Piave broke up at least seven bridges and fired 25,000 rounds at a low altitude. (Reutcr.) Diplomatic dispatches from Italy state that the Austrian plan was to .shatter the Italian defences in the Brenta region, capture Bassano, and simultaneously to cross the Piave and capture the railway junction at Treviso, :'ihu6 trapping the Allies between a giant pair of pisccxa.— iA. 3v rl S 7 Cable. 1