HOLDING LIKE A BOCK

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4898, 18 June 1918, Page 5

HOLDING LIKE A BOCK

ITALY’S DEFENCES AGAINST AUSTRIAN

BLOUS

Austria’s. Most. Ambitious ' War Effort . GRAPHIC. STORY OF Mi© OFFENSIVE British Play a Glorious Part

(United Press Assoc Australian and N.Z. Gable Association LONDON, June 16. :

tiatiou —-Copyright;. ) ENEMY’S PREPARATIONS ANTICIPATED.

A British-Italian official message states: —A pocket on the British front was cleared on the enemy during the night and early this morning, and we are now re-established on our original front lines. We took 350 prisoners. Early on the loth, when an attach was launched, invaluable assistance to onr infantiv and artillery was immediately provided by the Italians on the left, which was largely responsible for the bringing of the Austrian infiltration to an immediate halt.

BATTLE RAGES FOR DAYS. ALLIES’ VIGOROUS COUNTERATTACKS. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association (Received June 17, 10.30 p.ra.) LONDON, June 16. An Italian communique states:— A great battle has been in progress since Saturday. The artillery preparation was exceptionally intense, and the enemy’s masses of infantry began an expected offensive against the eastern sector of the Asiago Plaj teau aiid in Brenta Valley and Mount Grappa. He ialso "attempted to force the passage of the Piave and carried out heavy local actions along the remainder of the front. Our I own and the Allied barrage anticipated the enemy’s preparation with a deadly counter bombardment and his infantry sustained. an onslaught in advance of the defensive area. I The enemy attacked most intensely on a 150 kilometres front. In the initial rush they occupied a few Lout line positions in the Monte Divalbella and Asolone areas also at the head of the Mont Solaro salient. Some of the enemy crossed the Piave at Nerves and in the Fagaremusile areas.

Heavy fighting continues at many -places along the Piave, the eastern end of the Monte Bello heights, and astride the valley of the Brenta. M. Marcel Huibin says: The Austrian offensive is an important military event, synchronising with the difficultes of the moment in Austria’s internal situation. German opinion was recently at white .heat against Austria, which was most bitterly stigmatised and charged with inactivity when Hindenburg was seeking a decision. Count Buriah seemed to have been soundly rated and rushed back to Vienna and obtained approval 01 an attack. . " The Italian losses in artillery have been made up- The army generally is in good condition. . Reuter’s correspondent at British headquarters in Italy says:- Tim attack on Saturday on the British position on the Asiago Plateau was made by a division of Austro-Ger-man and some Bosnian troops. The enemy’s objective apparently was to reach the line of hills about the plateau and Cima de Pointe, four kilometres behind tho front. They reached the front line, but have made little progress since. An attack on the right was completely repulsed, but succeeded at first in gaining a few hundred yards near the left centres. , , ' “to . , The country is full of hidden folds and lends itself to attack by small isolated detachments. The preliminary bombardment was of the heaviest, -but the enemy sparinglv used gas shells. Marshal Conrod commands the Northern Mounted groups, and Gen- , eral Bowevitch the South plain j croup of attackers. i Australian and N.Z- Cable Association ; (Received June 17, 7.30 p-m.) j PARIS, June 15. | The Austrian armies are divided ■ into two groups —a mountain group . under Marshal Conrad, comprising * Krobatin’s, Yon Schendtenstul’s ; and Krauss’s armies and the group In the plains under Bowevitch, com- , prising Kirschbaclx’s, Jurm s and j Henrique’s armies. - j

We energetically counter-attacked all along the front and succeeded in holding back the powerful pressure and regained a good portion of tho positions which had been temporarily yielded, although isolated detachments with great valor continued to retain some at all costs. The violence of the struggle did not diminish during the night, we firmly holding the front on the Asiago Plateau, We completely re-occupied the original positions in the Asolone and Solaroito salient, pressing most closely the enemy who crossed the Piave. We took prisoner three thousand, including eighty-nine officers. Our own and Allied airmen are taking a strong part in the battle, bombarding the crossings of the Piave and machine gunning the enemy masses. We downed tliirty-one aeroplanes. ENEMY’S EVASIVE STORY. Admiralty—Per Wireless Press. (Received! June 17, 10.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 16. Austrian official: We broke the enemy’s lines on the plateau of Seven Conxmxuies and also crossed th e Piave. The prisoners hitherto taken number 10,000_ Italians and Anglo-French and considerable guns.

Australian aod N.Z. Cwbl*- Association (Received June 17. 10 p.m.) ROME. June 16. The Austrian offensive was no surprise to the Italian command, who knew the enemy’s bombardment had been timed to begin at three in the morning of the 15th and where it would be most intense. Therefore the Italian batteries -opened a concentrated fire at midnight in the zone of Seven Communes on the Asiago Plateau and Brenta and between Asiago and Monte Grappa. The batteries violently bombarded the enemy’s front lines and gun emplacements and their immediate rear while the Austrians were making their final preparations for the attack. The bombardment lasted twenty minutes and was resumed thirtyfive minutes before the opening of the Austrian bombardment. Australian and N.Z. Gable Association. (Received June 17, 10.30 p.m.) MILAN, June 16. The Corriere Della Sera’s correspondent at Headquarters states that the offensive is the greatest and tbo most ambitious effort Austria-Hun-gary has attempted in any theatre of the war. The enemy had an enormous array of artillery, a thousand guns being concentrated against one Italian army in the Trentino and 1500 on the Asiago sector from Astico to Brenta. The enemy’s chief aim is to overwhelm the defences in the narrow Frenzola Valley, securing a break through to Erenta Valley and enabing him to debouch in Vlastmga. This is practically a resumption or the offensive foiled in May. 1916, and again last winter. . Prince Conrad, who has fcwxce tailed is directing the third attempt on this sector with greater strength m men and material- ... ■ Australian and N.Z. G»M« Aasncatmn (Received June 17 10.30 p.m ) LONDON. June 16. Mr Warner Allen, ' writing from the Italian front, states that the Austrian offensive had a less propitious beginning than any m the history of this war. Two divisions attacked the British and one had a heavy loss and, finally, under he pretence r of gaining ground, dug trenches in No Mans Band. .They could have done this without attamr as we were quite willing to hai e them fully exposed to Pur The other division was rushed up an wr ries and attacked on a narrow front the attackers coming on in many waves. All were repulsed and ret red in confusion, wherein the artillciy did great execution. i The British were thus able to send a message to their Italian comrades that the left wing had been attacked but the front was holding Jibe a^ Australian and N.Z "able^Association (Received June 17, 7.50 P-m.) (Receive ROME, June 16. Baron Orlando ‘ (Italian* -.Minister for War) is optimistic regarding the battle. The Italians Unhlinc the Austrians and frequently counter-attacking, prisonenng thousands of the enemy.