BRITISH IN ITALY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14593, 1 May 1918, Page 3

BRITISH IN ITALY.

FEATURES OF NEW SECTOR TAKES

OVER BY OUR MEN.

(G. Ward Price.) BRITISH FRONT, ITALY, Feb. 25. The new sector which- lias been taken over by British troops: to \tbo right of Xervesa, along the Piaye (south-east of the Montello height), is separated from enemy territory by an even greater hreadth of river-bed than that which lies m front of the Montello. So wide is it, m fact, that ns you look at the Piave's course from the new British line it seems 130 more than a. great desert expanse of, shinglevbroken here and there by patches of low scrub, the various streams into' jvhich, the river splits being hiddan from view anioiig the multitude of islands and sandbank's through which they flow. Although this 2000-yards-broad expanse of dry w^ste is at present almost empty, it seems that m the spring, when the snows melt on the mountains a few miles to the north, the Piave swells and! spi'eads unt'l it fills the whoir of its allotted course, for , on either 'side ran two great parallel grass dykes 20ft high. and. faced m places with ston;, which are to hold back the spring fioods'v.and prevent them from drowning' thejUflat plain behind. These high^banks 1 are a curious feature of [the position, for they prevent direct observation of what is going on m the lines on either side except from a balloon or aeroplane, and ro clear-cut and regular" is the edge of the dykes that the black pin-points which represent the heads of th© Austrian gentries on the opposite shore can be seen easily with glasses. The sight frequently draws from our own look-out posts a burst of Lewis gunfire, although it is not very dangerous at a range of 1900 to 2000 ' yards. Tn the' day ; time the only fighting that is done is by the gunners,, who, .disturb th? quiescent Austrian with constant counterbattery work. • '

When night falls, the infantry get busiei 1 . There is a perfect maze of islands m the Piavs bed to be explored, identified, and named on the map. So little parties go out each nijyht, \radino; in' the gold stream, scrambling up th« crunching gravel, searching for land banks noted from our dyke during the day. Ttie Austrian is much lass active, but he does send patrols down to occupy one or two of the islands after dark, and occasionally these have firod on our men and then immediately \made off at the best speed into the darkness. x