ITALIAN THEATRE.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16359, 2 November 1918, Page 10

ITALIAN THEATRE.

WHOLE FRONT ADVANCING. 55,000 PRISONERS AND 100 GUNS . CAPTURED. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) NEW YORK, October 31. The whole Italian front is advancing. It* is reported that fifteen Austrian divisions on the Brenta-Piave front have been cut off and surrounded. The Allies in Italy have captured 55,000 prisoners and 100 guns. LONDON, October 31. The entire Italian front is ablaze. All the Italian armies are in action. ROME, October 31. In a week's offensive the Italians Ixavo taken 20,000 prisoners and liberated two hundred villages and seven hundred square kilometres of territory. ITALIAN OFFICIAL REPORT. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Beater's Telegrams..! LONDON,'October 31. An Italian communique reports: — Eastward of the Piave wc continue to advance rapidiy, sweeping away tho enemy, who vainly attempts to stem our march. The heads of our columns have ■ reached Serravalle, Orsago, Gajarine, and Oderzo. Our cavalry has been launched on the plains, and some squadrons have entered Sacile. Our i'hird' Army is brilliantly overcoming strong resistance between the Piave and tho Monticano, opening into Pont© di Piave, which was carried after a very fierce action. We occupied Asiago, taking thousands of prisoners. Many captured guns are still uncounted. Vv'e liberated numerous Italian war prisoners, whom the enemy had heavily worked in the lines of communication. BRITISH-ITALIAN OFFICIAL REPORT. ! LONDON, October 31. A British and Italian official report states:—Our advance continues. The Third Army has crossed the Piave togthe southward. The Tenth Army, which is with the Eighth and Twelfth Armies, advanced rapidly. The Eighth Army occupied Vitt~rio. Aerodromes at Mansue and Pordenono and dumps at Sacil-3 are in flames. Ten thousand hostile infantry were attacked from the air near Sacile and scattered in all directions. The British, under General PenneUa, commander of the Twelfth Italian Corps, have entered Asiago. The Tenth Army continued to advance all day long. British cavalry, co-operating with Italian cavalry., reached the western outskirts of Sacile. Tho Fourteenth British Corps reached the Livenza at Hrancenigo. The Eleventh Italian Corps occupied Oderzo. We have advanced practically the entire length of the objective set by General Diaz in October. The infantry's enorgy and determination are beyond all pr.- ise. Despite lack of food and sleep, and the constant fighting, the Thirty-seventh Italian Division and the Seventh and Twenty-third British Divisions advanced without relief to their final objectives. The British operating in Asiago Plateau entered Camporovere and captured the heights of Monteeantz. The Tenth Army took over 12,000 prisoners. Hie British-Italian air force did excellent work. The roads are littered with killed, wounded, and debris. As a result of the J attacks eight enemy machines' were destroyed.

AUSTRIA EVACUATING OCCUPIED TERRITORY. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Renter's ' relezrama.) IX)NDON, October 31. An Austro-Hungarian ofßcial message states: — Oil the Venetian plain the English and Italian's thrust further forward anc& appreciably extended their gains at the places where they had broken through northward and southward of Montello. Taking into account our resolve, which we have often expressed, to conclude an armistice and peace, ending the struggle of nations, our troops fighting an Italian soil will evacuate the occupied region. 15 AUSTRIAN DIVISIONS IN DANGER. (Renter's ielflgramß.) (Received November 2nd, 12.35 a.m.) VANCOUVER. October 31. The Italian Embassy at Washington reports that fifteen Austrian divisions, between the mouth of the Brenta and the Piave are in grave danger. A crisis is impending. j The territory reconquered by the j Allies yesterday amounts to over a thousand square kilometres. The fighting front now extends over 150 kilometres. <. OFFENSIVE PROGRESSING. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Aiaociatioa.) (Received November Ist, 7.45 p.m.) ROME, October 31. The offensive on the Trentino front is progressing, while on the Lower. Piave the Third Army has advanced rapidly, and reached the Livenza river at Frangrigo. , Tho capture of Mount Cosin dominates the Piave from the foothills. The Italians also control all the openings in the mountains and valleys to the Venetian plains. Over, a hundred towns and villages have been liberated. The enemy in the Conegliano .sector is burning the villages, and perpetrating general destruction of every kind. The enemy's only line of defence is the Tagliamento. The retreat is becoming disordered at several points. AUSTRIA'S EXCUSE FOR, THE DEFEAT.

("Tic Times.") (Received November Ist, 7.4-5 p.m.) HOME, October 31.

A semi-official message, commenting upon tho Austrian official bulletin, that the*, troops are being withdrawn according to tho artoistico terms, says:—"The announcement is rather lato, as the Austrian Army is in full general retreat. It has been defeated, in fierce battles, in which it has lost thousands of killed and wounded, also 30,000 prisoners."