ENEMY’S STRENGTH “GREATLY EXAGGERATED."

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10120, 30 October 1917, Page 5

ENEMY’S STRENGTH “GREATLY EXAGGERATED."

Australian-New Zealand Cable Association LOWDON, Oct. 28. It is authoritatively report'd that the number of enmity troops w.ho have recently arrived on. the Italian front has been greatly exaggerated. As far as is 1 tuown. only five German divisions are on the Isonzo front, whereof only throe have been definitely identified by the Italians ob participating in the attack. Possibly anot her German division has arrived, but it is- not engaged in thfi attack. Two out of the five abovementioned divisions came from; the western front, where they had sulDerecl heavily at the hands of the British, anil were replaced by two divisions from Russia. The German strength on the west front is therefore not dim finished. Indeed, it has boon increased by two divisions since the Ist of August. Tin; remainder of the (Herman reinforcements on the Italian fronf have been transformed from Russia and Romania. Regarding the Austrian reinforcements, only two Austrian divisions are known to have arrived on the Italian front last month. _ but possibly two others havej recently arrived, though not yet identified*. The total reinforcements therefore known to have arrived cm the Italian front amount to only seven vfivisions, and the cnemcr’s success is entirely .due to the presence of from three to live German divisions, tv ho attacked the Plezao-Tolmino front.