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Show OFFICIAL ROMAN REPORT ADMITS SLIGHT RETREAT ROME, Dec. 5. Enemy forces have bo-gun bo-gun an attack on the Italian lines on the Asiago plateau, the war office announced today. The only gains achieved In the attack at-tack were some position?, the loss of which has not impaired the Italian defensive defen-sive line. The Kalians withdrew from some of the more advanced positions of their lines between Monte Tondarecar and SJonte Badenecchc, northeast of Asiago. On the Asiago plateau the enemy, a rter having increased his forces which suffered severely in previous combats, has begun an attack on our positions. The first assault, launched - yesterday, was firmly held up by us and the only advantage obtained by t he A us fro-Germans at the price of heavy losses was the gain of some positions, po-sitions, the loss of which has not weakened the firmness of our resistance. resist-ance. . Preceded by a destructive bombardment, bombard-ment, continued most violently for several hours and accompanied by heavy bursts of barrage fire, the enemy made a double attack on the strong point of Melette. The first at tack, from the northwest, north-west, wa arrested by our barrage and finally broken nn in the afternoon on a section of Monte Sisemol and the southwestern slopes of Melette di Gailio. where, in violent hand to band fighting, the enemy was decisively repulsed" w i th hea vy losses and left some hundred prisoners. The second attack, from the northeast, north-east, was brought forward with larger forces and greater tenacity between MontR Tonda reear and Monte Bade-neeche. Bade-neeche. Here. after exceedingly fierce f igh' ing. the occitpat ion of some trenches which the enmy was able to effect, counseled us to withdraw with-draw some of the more advanced position of our line. At Zenson, on the Piave. as a greater great-er movement had been noted, one of our storming parties well supoortil by arulleiy. which destroyed, five small bridges thrown across the river at this point by the enemy, attacked the enemy at the bend of the river, inflicting losses on him and bringing back prisoners and machine guns. , |