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Show ! J" fi l i H Cadorna's Men Smash the Austrian Line on a Three-Mile Front on the Carso and Advance at Some Points Two Miles Toward Trieste. TWELVE HUNDRED PRISONERS TAKEN Several Guns, Two Trench Mortars and Seven Machine Guns Captured; Germans Penetrate the French Line in the Champagne, Cham-pagne, but Are Driven Out. PAEIS, May 27, 10:35 p. m. Germans in Champagne today penetrated pene-trated the French line during heavy attacks, but later lost the ground gained in a counter-attack by the French troops, tho war office announced an-nounced tonight. By International News Service. LONDON, iiay 27. A mocking, crushing crush-ing answer was that which Italy's Gortzia and Carso armies today gave the Vienna, war office.. "The battle already is decided in our favor," said yesterday's official statement from Austria's capital. What General Cadorna's armies have since done "was summed up in today's bulletin from the Rome war office. They have smashed solidly aiiead on a three-mile three-mile front on the Carso, advancing at some points two miles toward Trieste, from which they are now less than ten miles. At the same time they stormed Austrian Aus-trian positions in the Plava sector, registering regis-tering substantial progress. Twelve hundred prisoners have been taken by them since yesterday and the booty is large. Field Battery Taken. At one point the atta.ck netted them a field battery of ten guns and ammunition. ammuni-tion. On the Gorizia front they took one gun, two trench mortars and seven machine guns. Forty-four officers are among the prisoners. At one place the Italian storming columns col-umns suffered a slight reverse, wnich is admitted by the war office. This was at Castagnavtzza, some three miles northeast north-east of Jamiano. Casta gnavizza forms the northern tip of the semi -circle that is being gradually ehoved southward in 1 the direction of Trieste. Italian troops j reached and even passed this town, but I so murderous was the Austrian gunfire that closed in Bon the invaders from all sides that Cadorna's men were "compelled "com-pelled to evacuate ground." They stuck tenaciously to the town's western boundary, however. The lower half of the semi-circle was swung a considerable distance eastward. Cut Railroad Line. This is on the southern part of the Carso plateau. Here the Italians crossed the Important railroad running along the coast from Monfalcone to the famous watering wa-tering place, Duino. An extension of this railroad runs straight to Trieste. Almost due north of Duino lies San Giovanni, Gio-vanni, half way between the sea resort and Medeazza. Near San Giovanni the Italians crossed the railway and then pushed straight through to tho outskirts of Medeazza. The mathematical precision with which the present offensive is being carried oti is causing amazement and admiration among entente military critics. One of the important defense positions wrested from tho Austrlans in this latest advance is Hill H.i, southwest of Medeazza.. Far to the north on the Plava front Cadorna's infantry "brilliantly carried," in the words of the Rome war office, the heights at the head of the Palliova valley, val-ley, thus linking up the Italian positions on Monte. Cucco with those on the dominating domi-nating Hill 363. GERMANS UNABLE TO DRIVE FRENCH FROM PLATEAU FROM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, GRAND HEADQUARTERS OF THE FRENCH ARMIES IN FRANCE, May 27 (afternoon). (after-noon). German troops ni:ide another futile fu-tile effort in the course of the night to (Continued on Page Three.),"; ITALIAN ARMIES RUSHING FORWARD (Continued from Page One.) regain a footing on the Chomin-des-Dames, in the vicinity of the Moulin de Laffaux, the loss of which they feel acutely. The French, however, bit into the position eo hard that the Germans were unable to shake them off anywhere, notwithstanding the fury of their assaults. as-saults. All along from the Moulin de Laffaux past Hurtebise farm to Craonne, which are the three most prominent positions on the Ohemin-des-Dames, the. artillery In both cam pa thundered throughout tho night. The correspondent watched the bombardment from a dominating spot whence he could look over . the entire crest. Everywnere the French occupy the crest of the plateau and continually make further small advances and maintain main-tain their pressure. The amount of territory gained In these minor actions, which always are minutely prepared and generally successful, suc-cessful, appears small when looking at the map, but the tactical strategic advantages ad-vantages cannot be estimated on that basts. The real definite results of the present fighting may first become, apparent ap-parent weeks afterwards. What is known now is that the French can see and can effectively bombard the German big gun batteries in the valley and on the plateau beyond. The German positions in this valley are precarious, although the Teutons Teu-tons still hold the western end, from which they can enfilade the low -lying ground and render the task of the attackers at-tackers difficult. Craonne itself now Is scarcely recognizable recog-nizable as a town. Nothing remains but a heap of stones and bricks, while all afront on the sharp slopes toward the crest the ground is as badly holed as that around Verdun. The capture of this place was a feat of the highest military mili-tary darinpr, in the face of strong: positions po-sitions armed with dozens of machine guns, but ns one of the French commanders com-manders said to the correspondent: "Our men marched forward as If going to the theater." One hundred and fifty Frenchmen captured cap-tured the flame number of prisoners, besides be-sides inflicting awful losses on the German Ger-man defenders. The sides of the plateau, which were assaulted and -taken later by the French, wer? bored with tunnels leading to the, other side of the hill. These tunnels now are so many' graves, in which lie hundreds of German hodies. The ends of the tunnels have since been bricked up, making permanent sepul-chers. sepul-chers. Italians Smash Through. ROME, May 27, via London, 4:40 p. m. Italian troops yesterday smashed through the Austro-Hungarian positions between Jamiano and the Gulf of Triest, passing the Monfalcone-Duino railway northeast of San Giovanni and establishing establish-ing themselves within a few hundred yards of the village of Medeazza. North of Plava the Italians carried the heights at the head of the Palliova valley, thus joining their Mont Cucco lines with those on hill 3ti3. Eleven guns were captured and more than 1200 Austro-Hungarians were taken prisoners. These victories were announced today by the Italian war department. German Attack Repulsed. LONDON, May 17, 12:30 p. in. British troops in the Lens sector of the battle front in France last night repulsed a German attack east of Loos, the British war office announced today. On the southern end of the British line Field Marshal Haig's forces carried out a successful suc-cessful raid northwest of St. Quentin. Germans Claim Victory. BERLIN. May 27, via London. 4:15 p. m. Five successive attempts mode yesterday by the French to capture the German positions in the quarries south of Fargny, on the front of the German crown prince, failed under heavy losses, the German war office announced today. British reconnoitcring detachments on the Arras front were repulsed several times southwest of Acheville and preparations of British forces to attack north of Monchy wre taken under the Gernan artillery fire. Fifteen British and French airplanes, the statement adds, were shot down yesterday on the western front. Intense Artillery Duel. PARTS, May 27. On the Aisne and Champagne battle fronts last night the duel between the French and tier man heavy guns greatly increased In intensity, the French war department announced today. French troops in the former region re-gion repulsed a German attack north of Laffaux mill. During the day French airplanes dropped three and one -half; tons of explosives on Gorman military works, causing a number of conflagrations. conflagra-tions. American Casualties. OTTAWA, May 27. The following Americans are included In a list of overseas over-seas casualties issued here tonight: Killed -V. J. Curtis. Pioneer. Ore. Wounded C. 1-2. Hee es. Eagle Rock, Cal.; J. Kellcy, Portland, Ore. |