ITALIAN ADVANCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3245, 24 May 1916, Page 18

ITALIAN ADVANCE.

AUSTRIANS PREPARING. ROME, May 16. The Austrians have ordered civilians to evacuate Trent, where they have concentrated 300,000 troops, hearing of a sudden Italian advance. AUSTRIANS CLAIM A SUCCESS. AMSTERDAM, May 17. An Austrian communique states: We captured positions in Southern Tyrol and took as prisoners 65 officers and 2500 men. ROME, May 17. A communique states: The enemy on the Trentino frontier followed up an intense bombardment on the 14th inst. with an attack in masses of infantry between the Adige Valley and Uperastico. After our first resistance, in the course of which we inflicted very serious losses on the enemy, we fell back from our advanced position to our principal lines of defence. The attacks elsewhere, which bore the character of diversions, were everywhere repulsed, particularly that at Monfalcone. 'LONDON, May 17. The Daily Telegraph's Milan correspondent states that the Austrian offensive in Trentino was begun with 3C0,000 men, and was assisted by numerous air raids on open cities. An Austrian communique states: Further positions have been captured, and the number of prisoners increased to 141 officers and 6100 men, and 30 guns. ROME. May 18. A communique states: The enemy at Lagarina Valley launched five violent attacks urjon the slopes north of Zugnatorta. but were d r iven back with enormous losses. The Adige river carried away numerous cornses. A violent concentrated fire of guns of every cnlibre between Terragnola Valley and Aoperastico resulted in our again straightening our front, aban= doming some advance positions. The enemy on Mondav night re= peatedly attemnted an attack on the Asiago sector, but were repulsed with very heavy losses. A vigorous attack in the Sagana Valley was similarly re= pulsed. The fighting in Trentino is confined to a 15-mile front, but Italian military circles agree that the principal Austrian officers are hoping to force a way to the Venetian plain from the salient of Sette Comenei. The Italian advanced posts were only a few yards from Roverto, and were incapable of serious resistance. The new positions are still in Austrian territory, and are believed to be capable of resisting formidable onslaughts. ' ROYAL TRAIN BOMBED. MILAN, May 18. Austrian aeroplanes on Tuesday bombed Venice, and thence, assisted by spies, airraided Mestre at a time when the Italian Princesses were tra= veiling to meet the Queen. Italian aeroplanes, with} star shells, drove off the raiders, who were following the train. The populace accorded the Royalties an ovation on their escape. THE AUSTRIAN OFFENSIVE. LONDON, May 19. The Telegraph's Rome correspondent states that the Austrian offensive extends from Monteperie, west of Lake Gard, to Cimadpdici, east of the lake front, 45 miles, supported by thousands' of guns aiid 40 permanent forts, all of which are in action. The principal points of attack arc in the Ledro Valley at Zuznatorta, below Roverto, and the Sugana Valley. The battle is mostly in Austrian territory. The enemy advances arc made in masses. The battle began on Monday, raged with fury till Wednesday, and then lessened. The Austrian dead were piled feet high. Official: After three days of the most furious bombardment we evacuated Zagnatorta, which is in ruins. We evacuated in a similar manner the line from- Monte Magio to Sagliodaspio, which is in the Upper Astico. In the Sugana Valley tho enemy have everywhere been repulsed.

May 20. The Giornale d'ltalia states that the five days' Austrian offensive cost them heavy losses. They gained cei'tain advanced positions after great artillery preparations, but nowhere displaced the Italians from their principal defensive positions. A continuance of the attacks will be an exhausting bleeding process satisfactory to the Italians themselves. Advices from Switzerland state that the Austrians have denuded Macedonia and portions of the Russian front for the Italian offensive. May 21. A communique states : We repulsed attacks between the Adige and the Terragnolo Valley, and withstood an offensive between the latter and the Upper Astico, and also on the Asiago Plateau. Our air raid caused slight casualties at Cividale and Morano. AUSTRIAN COMMUNIQUE. AMSTERDAM, May 20. An Austrian communique states: Our attacks on the South Tyrolean frontier continue to gain ground. Our forces advancing between Astico and the Lain Valley drove the enemy back along their entire front and captured two armoured redoubts. Since the attack began we have made prisoners of 10,000 men and taken 60 guns and 51 machine guns. An Austrian communique states : We have entered Roncegno, and have captured Sassoalto. We expelled the enemy from Col Santo. Since the outset we have made prisoners of 257 officers and 12,900 men, and have captured 107 guns. IMPORTANCE OF OFFENSIVE. BEARING ON THE BALKANS. PARIS, May 21. Military critics attach great importance to the Austrian offensive in the Trentino. They point out that Germany is providing the money, the munitions, and portion of the men. It is a costly undertaking, but Prussia deires to secure Teutonic domination of the Balkan Peninsula and to reduce Italy as a sea power to the level of a Central European Power, thus increasing the German hold on the country between Hamburg and Constantinople, which would otherwise be insecure. Examination of the Austrian bullets shows that they are of German manufacture, and contain the deadly chemical nitrate of mercury. AUSTRIAN OFFICIAL REPORT. FURTHER SUCCESSES CLAIMED. AMSTERDAM, May 21. An Austrian communique claims further successes in Italy. '' We captured the summit of Armenterra ridge, also the summits Cima di Ilagh and Cima di Nesole, drove out the enemy from Boroola Pass, and occupied Angtri Beni, in Brenta Valley." ROME, May 22. A semiofficial statement has been issued on the Austrians' boast as to definite successes. They made inevit= able progress in the first offensive, but the history of all their offensives shows that they are inevitably followed by long and exhausting checks. All the Austrian attempts were broken, and thev suffered cruel and heavy losses. We regard the development of the pre= sent operations with full confidence. SUFFER HEAVELY. ROME, May 22. A communique states: After a boin= bardment the enemy at hurled three huge masses in an attack. After a desperate engagement they were driven back with enormous losses. An intense artillery action was directed against our lines from Pasubeo to Tcrrasjnolo. There were fierce infantry attacks from Astitno to Brenta, which our troops stubbornly held up, inflicting heavy losses and recapturing a number of small forts. Austria's losses for the first three davs of the battle are estimated at 23,000.