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Show GREATEST ALUED DISASTER ; OF YEAR TAKES PLACE ON ! FRDNTHELD if ITALIANS Collapse of Russia Released Teuton Troops for Use Against Italy in Great Austro-German ! Drive; French and British Send Aid. Barring Russian defeats in Galicia and ;il other points, and the Russian Bol-shevikl Bol-shevikl revolt with its policy of sep- -uatc peace, the greatest disaster to the ' ?gs of the year 1917 took place on the A laiian front. Several hundred thousand prisoners taken, several thousand guns captured and vast gains in territory made Ity the Germans, together with t lie complete com-plete smashing of the Italian Trieste offensive, of-fensive, is the result of the great Austro-Gcrnian Austro-Gcrnian drive, which began in the latter part of October. After desperate efforts the Italians, reinforced re-inforced by British and French, have managed, to stop the great Teutonic offensive. of-fensive. But only after Italian morale had been seriously threatened and Italy had come perilously close to being: meted oni t lie fate of Serbia and Rumania, A nst ro-Gorman troops swarmed across the Kalian frontier, threatening the Italian line with repeated flanking movement;?, move-ment;?, and endangering the historic city of Venice, "Queen of the Adriatic." The great Austro-Gerinan drive camo at the close of a hrilliant Italian of fen-hive fen-hive aimed against Trieste. So threatening threat-ening did the Italian advance become t hat the Austi ians were reported evacuating evacu-ating Ti ieste. The Russian collapse, however, permitted the removal of large forces to the I talian front, and the offensive of-fensive against Italy was begun, possibly to bolster up public feeling at home and sirengt hen the morale of the Teutonic peoples, and possibly with the expectation expecta-tion of eliminating Italy once and for all as a serious factor in the war. I From the first of the year until the j middle of Hay the Italian front saw I little action. The great difficulties of I the mountainous frontier made progress of General Cadorna 'a troops slow. The Italians had seen some of the most d if- ficult fighting of the war. Vast mining j opera tlons had to be undertaken and tremendous peaks conquered. However, about the middle of May saw the beginning begin-ning of an Italian offensive in tho Julian A his, which shortly after prew into a general offensive. Then came the Italian successes on the Carso plateau, which by i the parly part of June had netted nearly I 100,000 prisoners. August .19 saw the start of anot her big Italian offensive, during I which period lite safety of Trieste was 5 threatened. j The Italian offensive on the Isonzo ) Jf JMuie to a halt Rbout the early part of ictober. A brief lull in operations came, ")n followed, however, by the Austro-German Austro-German offensive, which resulted In the Italian debacle. This disaster brought about the fall of the Ttalian cabinet and the removal of General Count Cadorna as ! commander in chief of the Italian armies and the substitution of General Dia a , French and English troops arrived in Italy in time to take part in the last i- stages of the Kalian stand which finally stopped th Teutonic onrush. One of the results of the Italian defeat de-feat has been the development of closer unity among the allies. Premier 1 Joyd 1 George of Kngland and Premier Pain-leve Pain-leve of France in speeches criticised the conduct of the war, and while blaming no one, urged greater unity, calling for a "united front." Political crises resulted ;i from these speeches in both Kngland and France. I.loyd George's cabinet toppled, lnil v. as saved largely through the sup- j enrt understood to have been iriven the ! premier by the United States, Colonel "E. i M. House, at the head of the American I war mission, being then in Bnndon. Pre-i Pre-i niler Painleve. however, failed to procure : a vote of confidence from the French ! chamber of deputies, and Georges Clem-eneeau Clem-eneeau succeeded him, forming a new I cahinet. j Another result of the Italian disaster whr the formation of an Inter-allied committee com-mittee to handle the military problems j) or the western and Italian fronts as one J continuous line. This committee was I composed of General Foeh, chief of the French war ministry staff; General "WI1-i "WI1-i sen of the British general staff, and Gen-j Gen-j 1 oral Gadorna, deposed commander in 1 1 chief of the Italian armies, jj! MAY 16. Italian troops in the Julian Alps drive I 111 forward on n wide front, end Ins: a long Mil period or inactivity in the Italian t hell he-ll 1 1 ater of war. Ill MAY 23. Ill Italian armies start a general offensive I jl from Goi'llz to the sea. 1! may 24- I Jill Italians deliver powerful blow against j III A u.strian lines on t he Carso plateau, i j breaking i 1 trough and taking more thun J jjjl '-''iKMi prisoners. lilt h MAY 25. Italian offensive on the Carso plateau III! continues. Total of Id. 2 1.1 prisoners is ill I recorded. Severn important mountain ill peaks arc captured. ) MAY 29. ill Italians report that their offensive. planned as a drive on the city of Trieste, 111 has netted to date Til.PSl prisoners. AUGIUST 19. j Italians bruin another big offensive on j' t lie Isnu7.ii, n t tack ins; on a t hirty -seven j mile i i out. I ' AUGUST 22. II Italians announce more than 33.000 i III pi isnnei s have been taken on the isonzo j Mil imnl. I I AUGUST 25. j The creat Austrian stronghold of Monte l Se nto on tho Isonzo front is taken by l t he Italians. I AUGUST 26. II Tialhms dtive on in offensive .asainst II AUGUST 28. In Austiians reported evacuating Trieste j as the Uali.ui offensive continues. I OCTOBER 24. U list ro -German armies, heavily re- int'nr. ed. bfcin an offensive on a twenty- t ce-niile front on the Italian line north j of ihul.ta. claiming success in peue-l peue-l Haling tli" 1 tallan posit ions at many points. OCTOBER 25. I 1 11 e ported in London tho trmn ns n re l i nsinjr t wen tv full divisions, or :il!0.000 j men. In the offensive against the Italians on the son tront. OCTOBER 26. I vfeat of the Italians on t lie Isonr.o ! hv the Austro-Geruians bennies a rout. I Germans are reported to have captured toorc ih.in :tii,(Me risoners and "iin trims I ef all calibers. The northern win:; of the see end 1 tali a n a rmy is reported Meeinc in a panic. The Italians are evacuating the Iainsizza plateau. I OCTOBER 27. i Italian retreat continues. Hetlin reports re-ports nici prisoners taken and more Mian ."itMi anus captured. No such defeat '';is heen tviuU red tlie allies since the 1 ierniati drive Into Kussia in 1:1 1 fi. under g; -Jaine commander now directum op-V op-V tions au.unst the Italians. Field Mar-.A Mar-.A v on Mackensen. OCTOBER 28. Austro-t ',erm:i us continue a.Iva nrr into 1 t.iiy, capturing the city ot Goriiz and reporting the capture of more than 100.- j "00 Italians and 700 guns. Announced : that Bngiand and France are rushing re- i in forcemeats to the aid of the Italians. OCTOBER 29. Italians flee over a sixty-five-mile front. The entire Italian position is 1 menaced and a retirement of the whole line is expected. OCTOBER 30. Germans continue triumphant offensive against Italy, capturing the extremely Important railway center of Udinc. OCTOBER 31 Berlin announced Germans now hold thousands of square miles of Italian territory, ter-ritory, and have captured 120, UOu prisoners prison-ers and 1000 guns. NOVEMBER 2. Italian forces under General Cadorna make a stand on the west bank of the Tagliamento river. NOVEMBER 5. Austro-German troops in great force cross the Tagliamento river, threatening to cut in half the Italian line. NOVEMBER 6. The Italians aha ndon the Tagliamento . line and their positions in the Carnic and ! Dolomite Alps, and commence retreat to ! the Piave river line, twenty-five miles from the Tagliamento. NOVEMBER 7. Germans continue advance into Italy, pushing the Italians back ten miles to the Livenza river. NOVEMBER 8. Austro-German forces pursue retreating retreat-ing Italians and cross the Livenza river, reporting the capture of 17,000 additional Italian prisoners. NOVEMBER 9. General Count Cadorna Is removed as Italian commander in chief, being replaced re-placed by General Diaz. An inter-allied committee is formed to handle the forces of the allies on the western and Italian fronts, consisting of General Foch, chief of staff of the French war ministry; General Gen-eral Wilson of the British general staff and General Cadorna. NOVEMBER 10. Italians, with French and British reinforcements, re-inforcements, make a stand on the new line of the Plave river. NOVEMBER 12. The German attack against the Italian Plave line begins. NOVEMBER 13. Germans menace city of Venice, advancing ad-vancing over the Venetian plains. NOVEMBER 17. Italians hold their positions on the Piave, repulsing all German attacks. NOVEMBER 19. Gabriele d'Annunzio, noted Italian poet, writer and playwright, serving as aviator in the army, falls to return from aerial attack over Austro-German lines and Is "believed to be dead. ' NOVEMBER 22. Italians report t hat after two days' battle they are still holding Piave line at all points. |
