ITALY'S FOUR MILLION

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 59, 3 December 1917, Page 4

ITALY'S FOUR MILLION

ARMIES TREBLED SINCE BEGINNING OF WAR SEIGE GUNS AT GIDDY HEIGHTS

A review of Italy's efforts and her' present position in the war was recent* ly given by General Giardiao, Minister, of War, to Router's representative im Home. .

"It is well to remember," ho said, 1 "that the Austrian enemy has boeu. and is an important element of th& resistance of tho Central Empires. Austria's troops have special gifts.of courage, tenacity, and physical resistance.. In addition, Austria has found ik necessary, owing to our continuous offensive, constantly to augment her, forces on our front, which aro now' certainly more than double what tbejj were at tho beginning of the war. Shfr has on our front 'two-thirds of her best artillery, always supplied with abundance of munitions. Naturally aK this ib and has been to tho advantage of .tho general situation of our Allies.

"With regard to the theatre of war, our front, which measures four hundred and six miles, is about equal to those of the French, English, and Belgian Armies combined, and even if a. large part of this is mountainous, that does not permit of greatly decreasingthe density of the troops in consequent of the outline of the frontier and tho immediate neighbourhood 01 regions of capital importance for us, rendering it absolutely indispensable for us to be everywhere perfectly secure. Indeed, the frontier lino among tho high mountains has required gieuteilabour for the construction of roads, lodgings for the troops, fortifications, etc., and has called for a greater intensification of services than would have boon needed in the plains. "To give an idea of the effort achieved by Italy it must he remembered that she has more than doubled her army corps, her divisions of infantry, with all their accompanying services, has organised , a powerful siege artillery, created special types of artillery, which now number hundreds of batteries ; and, finally, all the other services which ara' necessary to tho lift and action of such a powerful Army, have been organised. As a. whole oui Army since tho beginning of the war has been trebled. Altitudes of over 10,000 ft. have been reached f-ot only by mountain artillery, but also by field guns and even by numerous siogo bstteries, so it will .be obvious what an enormous expenditure of labour is required for tho construction of roads and shelters under such conditions ana for supplying the tens cf thousands of quadrupeds needed, and for t! 6 transport on men's shoulders of ali that is essential in order to live and fight at heights which cannot be reached even by mules.

"For all this admirable effort Italy has mobilised 26 classes, that is to say, over 4,200,000 men, who have l oen almost entirely employed as fighting units to keep up the numbers requires and replace losses. In the last splendid action she succeeded in breaking through the enemy's line in a section of capital stratogio importance despite the Austrians' more favourable position, and thus _ striking a blow the vigour of wliich is proved b,v its repercussion on the entire group of enemy nations. 1 '