ITALY'S MIGHT

North Otago Times, Volume CVI, Issue 13968, 28 August 1917, Page 5

ITALY'S MIGHT

ON THE EVE OF SENSATIONAL VICTORIES ' CONFIDENT FORECASTS OF WAR ' ... CORRESPONDENTS. V " AUSTRIA'S POWERFUL DEFENCES CRUMBLING. RUSSIAN CONFERENCE MEETS I MOSCOW. M. KERENSKY'S FEARLESS CHALLENGE TO FORCES OF DISORDER. ■ / ' TERRIFIC FIGHTING ON THE WEST. . 0 ALLIED' SUCCESSES AT LENS AND VERDUN. PRO-GERMAN IDEAS OF BRITISH ■ SOCIALISTS. • MONARCHY'S LAST TRIAL IN GREECE, v. . \ ' r ' * i (P« O.ble — Preii Agtoeiation — U.*.- .^'J.J . ITALY'S SMASHING BLOW' ON THE ' . t CARSO. t i~ VICTORY ON SENSATIONAL SOALE IMMINENT. CONFIDENT OPINION OF WAR CORESPONDENTS. (Renter':; Telegrams). Received August 2-1, at 9.15 p.m. ' - ROME, August 27. "War correspondents state that a victory on a sensational scale is imminent. The capture of Monte Santo terminated the Austrian bombardment of Gorizia, which has lasted a year. (Australian and Renter). ( Received August 27, at-'lO.lO p.m. LONDON, August 26. . A wireless Austrian official message says: We took up a new . line at Baiu.sizza, and shelled the enemy positions in several sectors. Our prisoners now total 250 officers and 8000 men. The British and French aviators arc everywhere superior. 'Since the 18th we brought down twelve aeroplanes. . .

AUSTRIAN USES ON A WIDE FRONT CRUMBLING. TERRIFIC EFFECT OF ANGLO-ITALIAN ARTILLERY. (Australian and New Zealand Cable Association.) ROME, August 26. The Austrian lines for sixty kilometres are crumbling, and the Italians are marching to definite objectives. It is estimated that fully 100,000 Austrians have already been put out of action. The Idea Nazionale says that the population of Trieste have' become frantic over the Carso battle, and at the sound of the bombardment frantically rebelled. The soldiers fired on the crowds, and killed hundreds. ; ' - * (Australian and New Zealand Cable Association.) LONDON, August 26. The Italians have'captured fresh positions all along the front, and thciAiistrians have abandoned others, fearing envelopment. ("The Times" Service.) LONDON, August 26. Mr Percival Gibbon, correspondent of The Times, says that the Austrians were badly disorganised by the violence of the ft;pntal attack and in trying to stave off a paralysing blow at Ilermadl Hill. British guns assisted in reducing the formidable lines at Solo and Castagnavizza, where the machine guns bristled every six yards. A whole page would be insufficient to catalogue the'ltalian booty. Selowas tenaciously'contested, the' Grenadiers dropping with fatigue after the three-days' battle. Tltcy bombed'their way - through stone heaps, formerly the houses of Solo. The defenders were mostly Hungarians, who. suffered terrible slaughter, the.corpses lying thickly in the streets and poisoning "the air. The High Commissioner reports: LONDON; August 26 (5.20 p.m.). An Italian official message says: After % capture of Monte Santo we arc now continuing our advance towards the eastern • bordcyjf Bainislla Plateau, hotly pursuing the enemy, who is making tf violent resistance!

■ ■ <-. >».,«■ ,. , ut . i •• v -■ - «■ ■■ -. ,i v " >h - ": t jodjt land, Serial, and. naval attack; ; V ITALIANS USING MEW SEA MONSTERS, v i ./ SHELLS OF LARGEST CALIBRE DROPPING' INTO' * - "'' " TRIESTE. .--- Ousraliau and Now Zealand Cable AsBOoIatlon.) Received August.2B, at 2 a.m. ' .\. . • _ ' WASHINGTON, August 27. v An official despatch from Rome describes the battle in which British monitors and Italian naval forces, aircraft and land forces are jointly attacking Hcrmada. ' , The Italians are using a secret naval device, described as the'. largest, afloat, mounting guns of the largest calibre yet known and using a new type of shells, which are now being dropped in the city. ■ of Trieste. '; The Austrian warships raised steam, but feared to come out and face the new monster. . ..■-.,, DASHING ITALIANS BREAK THREE ENEMY LINES. TWENTY-THREE-THOUSAND PRISONERS TAKEN. , ('Australian ana new Zealand Cable Associate, and Renter.)' LONDON, August 26. An Italian official report summarises the action northward of Gorizia, from the']9th inst, as follows: The Second Army threw - fourteen bridges across the Isonzo. They then crossed to the attack of Bauisizza Plateau, directing themselves towards the Jelenita ' front. They.broke three enemy lines, eventually capturing Monte Santo, and are'now advancing to the eastern border of Bainsizza,/ pursuing the enemy. The Italian captures-total COO officers, 23,000 men, 75 guns, and much booty. The villages of Korito and'Selo, between which the Italians have captured pos ! lions, form portion of the left wing of the Austrian defensive line o\i the j Cm so Plateau, covering the road to Trieste. The Austrian left rests on Mount ' Ilci'inmln, two miles north of the Adriatic. This bib is over 1000 ft high and to the south overlooks both the road and railway leading to Trieste, as well as the iioastnl town of Dnino. To the north it commands the road skirting the southern slopes of the t'arso. After passing over the southern side of the summit of the plateau near the villages of Solo, Versic, and Korito, it takes a slight bond to tiie north-east opposite the latter village., A little farther north if skirts the western side of Kostanievica, near the middle of the plateau, and passes on in p. northerly direction, descending the northern slopes of the plateau near (he north-caslom side of Mount Faili. Away to the north it Merges into a network of strong defensive positions eastward of the Vertoibim Ti'ivor. The position, therefore/is supported on (he left by llflinit Itennadn, and on the right by the strong defensive positions eastward of the Yerioibizwi, while the village of Kostanievica lias been converted into a strong point of support near the centre. This is the main defensive line which now faces the Italians, The prisoners taken by the Italians during their present offensive number 23,0(10. During the last offensive in the I alter portion of May and the first few months of June (he Italians took -3,000 prisoners, and during the last five months of •l!)]fi they took '12,000. The C'arso Plateau is not a thickly-populated area, and villages are comparativerly iow and far between. Its conquest entails the storming of purely rvlilicb'i, but particularly strong, defensive lines. The number of these i..'f. ;..-i\v K;i!v>iHj!(vc.<;sa:iiy limited, as the Austrinns have had to hew them !:,: °- •' ■ ,_ ' ; •' •* .'fs•■;,■'■.'« i':ei:i with renerete,, r Little cover is afforded v ' '*'■ ; "l''" ! '■■■'"■' '."> over Hie para pet in (his region, ajid unless ,: ' p v"7r''".. i -,~'. !'in'-"d : L l"i'*, proved particnlnrly effective, the olinnoM... of I'-, ;i ,,.-„;|. ),„■„,. t., n i ;( ,„; w ; (i| \ my} . n]| . ( ; ]i(l siik , n| . |-] lo -ntlackors, :; " '•>' »" "'l'"''* wiiall. Thai tin! present' attack penetrated well into the euen'yjs defensive positions is shown by the number of prisoners taken.

rSOLVING RUSSIA'S INTERNAL PROBLEMS GOHFEEESOS AIMS AT £lO DECISIVE OBJECT. FRANK DISCUSSION OF POLITICAL SITUATION INTENDED. | i (Australian and New Zealand Cabio Assoclition.) ■ PETHOGRAi), August 26.. Tlio Provisional Government Las decided that the Moscow Conference cannot have a decisive import, its object being merely ' to acquaint the representatives of the people with the Government's views on the political situation. M. KEEBNSKY OPENS MOSCOW CONFERENCE. ) L"_i . ... I RUSSIANS-CONVINCED MUST DROP "WILD-CAT" SCHEMES. REPORTED FAILURE OF GERMANY'S EASTERN OFFENSIVE. (Hcutcr's Tuegrams.) PETROGRAD, August 26. ' The Moscow Conference was opened with a speech by M. : Kercnsky. • A preliminary conference of all parties passed a resolution demanding that the new Government should free itself of "wild-' cat" schemes, and not be subordinate to committees. The Maximalists have provoked a partial strike. Many factories, and trams'are idle, and restaurants' and hotels are closed. ' ■ ' ' LONDON, August 20. : The.Moscow correspondent of The Times says that the Maximalists tried to wreck Gendral Korniloff 's train.. ("The Times'' Service.) ■ PETROGRAD, August .26, ' The militia,-who w,crc substituted for the police since the revolution have resigned in a body because they were refused increased pay. A fire destroyed the ■ Okhta quarter, when 120 persons were killed and injured.. ' • (Australian anil \ r cw Zealand Cable Association and Renter.) LONDON, August 26. ■'■ ■ A wireless Russian-official message says: The enemy offensives in the direction oPYladimir-Volhynsky, and also-to the south-west-of the Sercth, failed. AVe repulsed attacks in the direction of. Kordy Vasarhely, norrli-east of Soveju.' We made further progress •'cii the Caucasus front. .- - ~'.. V