ITALY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 163, 8 July 1918, Page 5

ITALY

GAINS OH LOWER PIAYE CENTRES OF RESISTAJPDE DESTROYED. J (Australian and N. 24. Cabl3 Association and Heuter ) _ IjON'DOTT, July 5. An Italian official report eays: ;On the lower Piave, having repulsed a violent counter-attack, we destroyed new centres of t'lie enemy s resistance. We considerably extended our occupation south-east of Ghiesanova and northward of 'C&vEizucelierin&j taking 419 prisoners, a battery of six howitzers, and many machine guns. _ . We penetrate ,d enemy positions north-east of Grappa, and repulsed two counter-attacks on Asi ago (Plateau, inflicting severe losses. The British destroyed a post at Canove.

MILITARY AND NAVAL ATTACK

ANOTHER ITALIAN" TRIUMPH.

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.^

LONDON, July 5. Mr W. J't Ifries telegraphs'ltalian warships attacked the coast between Revedoli, on the banks of the old Piave, » and 'Gavrile, in conjunction- "with an attack, by troops ashore. The "vVhole' objective was to drive the enemy from the area between the two Piaycs. The first flotilla headed, for iPola, and detected a force of Austrian destroyers coming south-west. The Aiistrians made off at full spied towards Pol a, and a twenty minutes' running fight _at 2000 yards range ensu'ed, Austrian tTacer shells falling accurately around the pursuers. One of the Italian vessel's funnel was' shelled 1 and the engines injured. The largest Austrian ship was directly hit, andi flames belching from below the bridge, her speeU being reduced. The Italian'flotilla gave up the chase in, order -to protect the other flotilla, which 'was bombarding the coast. Tnis force steamed up and down the coast, firing at the Austrian, shore batteries and encampments. At 6 o'clock auxiliary cruisers towing rafts lay in toward the coast, while the destroyers issued clouds of smoke, masking the movements •of the whole "group of ships. This mock landing produced a wild 1 fire ashore. 'Simultaneously a great attack by; the Italian' army started from Chiesaiv nova to the coast by night, driving the Austrians from most of the ground between the two Piaves. Nearly 20; prisoners 'were taken, mostly Bosnians, who resisted vigorously.

The Italians 1 set fire to the small bridges with, floats which were sent to, them down stream in flames, fed' with petrol. The' Italians, under heavy lire, built ■t ignt canal bridges "on the battlefield, which was seven miies long by two miles deep.

(Published in The Times.)

LONDON, J&ly 5. Mr G. Ward Jfrice says: A curious semi-submerged battle is proceeding as the result of the Italian effort to eject the Austrians from the Piave estuary, which has resolved itself into series of fierce little struggles often han<i-to-hand, on islets, causeways, and dykes. Dead, wounded, and, uninjured alike fall into the dykes, and 1 arc- swallowed pitilessly in the slimy water. The Italians are slowly pushing out the A enemy.

FURTHER JTALIAN GA<KS

FAILURE OF AUSTRIAN ATTACKS. • (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter.) (Rec. July 8, 10.15 a.m.), LONDON-, July ?. An Austrian official -message says:— On the Lower . Piave the pressure is' continuing- firmly. We again broke a stubborn enemy defence. Yesterday we gained more ground, reaching the right bank! of the new Piave, from Grisolera to the river mouth. A violent offensive Attempted by the enemy northward, in the direction of Chichanova, was arrested. . ■ ' Renewed violent-attacks on <sur positions at tPorte di Sulton, north-west-ward of Grappa, failed. ,

DISCONTENT IN AUSTRIA

EMPEROR DRAGOONED BT THE ■* KAISER. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, July SI The Daily Telegraph's Milan correspondent reports that the appointment of Yon Below as commander of the Austrians 1 ha!s caused ' ' discontent in Austria. Lud'endorfF made ! no'secret of the fact that 'Conrad Von Hoetzfendorff, Borovic, and Con Arz were incapable, and the Emperor wascompelled to sign the decree displacing" them. "< f The Muiischeher : Zeitung says that the Emperor Karl yielded after a. dTa r matic war council, «at - "which Luden■dorfF declared that the Piave disaster was due to incompetency,' arid demanded that the Austrian generals be replaced- by Germans. : ' Karl, mortified, to comply, whereupon LudehdorfF produced an autograpfli letter .from the Kaiser insisting upon the change. 1 Karl, to the surprise of the Austriangenerals, signed the decree, and the generals left the room indignantly. None of them went to the station when Ludendorff departed. _ Von Below has a proclamation to the 'Austrian troops saying that the enemy will soon be vanquished' if all do their .duty. ,

AN" AUSTRIAN MESSAGE. (Admiralty per Wireless Press. J / (Rec. July/ 8, 10.40 a.m.) LONDON, July 6: ' An Austrian official message says:— Yesterday the fighting continued at the mouth of the Piave on the southern wing of our positions. The enemy succeeded in pressing us back towards the main body. -

FIVE DAYS STBUCULE

FURTHER ITAELW CAPTURES.

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.} (Rec. July 8, 10.40 a.m.) LOIST'DOiN"', July 7. An Italian official message says: After .a five-days' bitter and uninterrupted struggle the enemy, oh the afternoon of the m Jjily, was completely driven to the left bank of 'the new Piave. We recaptured all the coastal zone, which the enemy occupied since November.' We have captured since 15th June 523 officers, 23,911 men, 63 guns, 1234,* machine guns, and much other material. We also recovered all ai*tillery. and matorial lost in the of - the skruggl®. .

TREATIES PASSED. BY THE REICHSTAG. (Rec. July 8, 9.5 a.m.) AMSTERDAM, July 6. , The 'Reichstag; passed the Roumania and other treaties, . the Independent Socialists voting against them. GERMAN SOCIALIST PARTY. CRITICISM OF THE GOVERNMENT. {Rec. July 8,. 9.5-a.m.) \ AMSTERDAM, July 6. The Socialist Vorwaerts supplements the Reichstag reports, states that Scheideman demanded _ that the Government recognise Belgium a right to independence. Ledebour said the military party from the outset aimedi at world domination. The policy of annexaion in the East had endangered the world's future peace. He criticised the treatment <>i the population of the Ukraine' and in Finland, and pointed; out that the Government, promised to punish .Roumaanaii torturers. Socialists expected German torturers in Livonia to be similarly punished. TRAIN ROBBERIES. IN GERMAN REAR AREAS. (Rec. July 8, 9.5 a.m.) LONDONy July 6. , The United Press says train robberies by armed bandits and Have become,so common in the rear areas, according to a captured ment, that at least one army be- n obliged to arm its trainmen, sometin. with light machine guns, and give them police authority with orders to shojt soldiers or bandits on the spot. SHORT Ol* PETROL!

GERMAN AVIATORS DESERT. {Rec. July 8, 12.55 p-ni.) . CXJ'PEiNHI^EN 1 , July 6. Nenvay ; It is reported from Northern Ncruay that Ozecho-Sloyak troops S,ompletel? dfeated 3000 and Germans near Kondalo. GERMAN SUBMARINES. GERMAN . AVAHMNISTEB COX" fident. (Rec. July 8, 9-5 a.m.} • KERNE, July 5. _ In the Reichstag debate on tli« . estimates Admiraf von : ed that tre submarine weapoit AWs n creasing in strength. H* ■ the figures quoted by the AngJoT\ < ministers were untrue.. Enemy tonnage was constantly decreasing, owing to sinkings, while .in tonnage were increasing. Gerlnan siibSSS lTke the eGrman armieb, would secure victory. DESTRUCTION OF SUBMARINES- ! IN EXCESS OF CONSTRUCTION . (Hec. July 8, 9.5 a.m.)"_ . PARIS, Jflly 6. Mr Tarbein, m a speech,-.declartew that the Allies had' destroyed- lieaitf* . two-thirds of the German four yerti* output of submarines, which "wtire n«.*' oeing sunk faster than they -wem b« in£ built. ' . SUPREME WAp COUNCIL. | CONGRATULATIONS TO ITALY. ,Australian and N.Z. 'Cable Association and Reuter.)* " ! LONDON, July 5.' The Press Bureau-. slates ;■ that th» Supreme War Council : at dt& scvcnth session earnestly congratulate, th-j Italian army and people on' their memorable defeat of the Austin-Hungarian army* It Regarded this victory at the critical period of th 6 war as an invaluable contribution towards, the eventual sucbess of the Allied cau^e., /" ' A feature of the session was the presence' at the third, meeting' of Sir Robert " Borden, Messrs -Hughes,; Massey, Lloyd and other Ministers of the British Overseas Dominions, whom Mr 1 ■ Lloyd George presented. ' • 1 On behalf of the Council," M. Clem- ' euceau 'and Signqr 'Orlando tendered to those representatives the thanks of 'the .Alliedi nations for the very "great sorj vices tendered on tlie battlefield .'liy. title Dominions.' troops. ... I The 'Council considered all aspects \ of the war situation jointly with General Foch and othfer military- advisers, and came to important decisions \vith [ regard thereto. '

INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMEN. TARY CONFERENCE? DELEGATES AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. • (Reuter's Telegrams.; LOiNiDON, July 5. The , King, at Buckingham Palace ad» dressed £the delegates to the Interallied Conference, and:' emphasised that the; Allied _unity of action commercially was proving one of. th® main features of our strength. He this action would be as powerful- in prom6tittfc .the happiness and -prosperity of ,the. Allied, peoples as it had proved in defeating the schemes of our enemies. (May-the Entente of Commerce be the guide and forerunner of that universal . peacc_ to which wo all look foi*ward with/patient confidence as to the tx'iiunph of our arms. ' . : ' ■ ' 1

1 CRITICAL STAGE OF THE WAR. ISSXJB OF THE CAiMjPAIGK IN- ' THREE MONTHS. ' •• -.t (Beater's ; Telegrams.) , . imODOiN', July 6. Speaking at the Government dinnelr to the International Commercial C*n- ( ferance, Mr Bonar Law said, in r'cfov- | ence- to the coming bloXv, that it would -s, not be less dangerous because of the time takeii in the preparations. ' The Allied high cominand was confident as regards the : result. The fateful hour bf the war had arrived. Tf threo jnontnsi . hence the enemy had gained, ho stratagic objectives then their campaign would have failed, and he , hoped it. would be a decisive failure. , The Government had not lost hope as' regards p Russia. Germany was already learn? ing that ahe wag not getting Whivt' sjie , 1 ; anticipated from Russia. , As the economic question, the Allied' governments were' practically agreed ,-with' the views of the Commercial Conference }i that tha Alliance would, after the war, contipuo to stand, together in order • to.. repair the ravages ,of the war. There , was no immediate hope of peace, which / wag obtainable only through victory.'