INVASION OF ITALY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14441, 30 October 1917, Page 3

INVASION OF ITALY.

FIGHT TO A FINISH. ENEMY'S OFFENSIVE ON A v TREMENDOUS SCALE. LEFT WING iSETRATED ON JULIAN FRONT. ENEMY REGAINS GQRIZIA. GERMANS C^AIMOiQ HAVE TAKEN oXpQO PRISONERS. ; -_. r'j.iT. •.. . : ■?}-. y)r Admiralty i Jnterceptsi— Wlr_ .ess Press.) ■* .-v.- !* -LONDON, rOct. 29An ItaUan ''oflicial report ■ says : — The faiMng resistance . of some units forming 'the Second Army, m retiring m cowardice without fighting or sur-j rendering, 'allowed the Arfstro-GermaH^j to penetrate our left wing on the* jJul&tr. •front, and the valiant efforts • 'of troops were unable to prevent the enemy advancing into Italy's sacred soil. We are withdrawing our line according to the plan prepared. All the stores' depots m <the evacuated places were destroyed. The record of so many memorable, battles successfully fought by our brave soldiers: in two artd a half years m sufficient? to assure that the Commander-dn-Chief and the Army to which the country's honor is safely confided know how to fulfil their duty. - (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) i ROME, Oct. 28. War correspondents unanimously opine, that the Austro-German. offensive will mean a fight to a finish, because Germany is determined to seek a political victory over Italy's' stubborn resistance to German pacifist activities. Germany, aiming at disruption of the Entente, planned an offensive on atre-l mendous scale, and ■"-■ troops and transports for weeks have been pouring from the Balkans and Russia, which fronts are now almost' stripped. The armies include some of the finest German troops,,, all -well equipped with artillery and machine-guns. The latest bulletins .indicate that the Italians have not yet stemmed the assaults. ■■*:.-■■■ London military critics admit that the offensive is a grim ordeal for Italy, and it may be necessary to speedily come to, her aid, especially with artillery reinforcements. ..'."... • (Australian and NZ. Cable Association.) I 'Reuter's 'Telegram.) LONDON, Octi 28. It is authoritatively reported that the number of enemy troops which recently arrived on the Italian front is grossly exaggerated. As far as is known, only five German divisions are on the Isonzo front, of which only three have been definitely identified by the Italians as participating m the attack. Possibly another German division has arrived, but is not engaged m the attack. Two out of 'the five above-mentioned divisions, came from the Western front, where they had suffered heavily at the hands of the British, and where they were replaced by two divisions from Russia. The German strength on the West front is therefore undiminished. Indeed, it 'has been increased by two divisions since August. The remainder of the German vein-, forcements on tbe Kalian front w ! ere transferred from Russia and Rumania. Regarding the Austrian reinforcements, only two Austrian divisions are known to have arrived on the Italian front during ?the last month, but possibly two others have recently arrived, though they had not yet been identified. The total reinforcements, therefore, known to liave arrived on the Itidian if rout " amount to- only seven divisions, and the enemy's success is entirely due to the presence of the three to five Geropan divisions, who attacked the Plezzofront.