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Show AUSTRIAN ASSAULTS lie i HEADWAY Invaders Who Crossed the Piave Unable to Retreat on Account of Flood, Which Also Prevents Aid Coming. AMERICAN AIRMEN ENTER THE BATTLE Various Roman Brigades Bri-gades and Regiments Commended for Valor in Arresting the Onslaughts On-slaughts of the Enemy. TJie barrier the Italians and their allies al-lies have raised along the great battle are from the Asiago plateau to the sea remains insuperable to the Austrians. The operations by which the enemy had hoped to press his way from the mountain peaks in the "Alps and across the Piave river to the plains of Yenetia thus far have met with almost signal failure. Where the enemy was able in the mountains to press back slightly the allied defenders of the. front in the first day of their offensive the ground has been regained; where he crossed the Piave river and apparently was threatening threat-ening the plains with invasion he now is being sorely harassed at every point by the Italians. ALLIES GAINING THE UPPER HAND. The battle is not a stalemate. In the mountains the Italians, British and French troops seemingly have the upper hand; along the Piave from the Montello Mon-tello plateau to the mouth of the river east of Venice the Italians, notwithstanding notwith-standing vicious thrusts by the enemy here and there, apparently are gaining the upper hand. Little fighting of moment is in progress in the mountain region, but all along the Piave battles of great violence are in progress with the invaders meeting meet-ing resistance upon which they had not counted and being steadily pressed back toward the western bank of the now turbulent river, which has swept away many of their pontoon bridges in the center of the line, leaving them in a precarious predicament. AUSTRIAN TROOPS MAROONED BY FLOOD. Fresh rains have forced the river well out of its banks and the question of sending Austrian reinforcements to the western side or conveying food and military mili-tary supplies to the men already on the border of the plains has become critical. Hoping to alleviate the situation, the Austrians again have delivered attacks on the Montello plateau, the keystone to the plains, but, like previous thruBts, they met with repulse. Between tho Treviso railroad bridge and the Zenson loop the Italians have pressed back the enemy closer toward the Piave, while at Losson, near the Fossetta canal, the enemy attacks were repulsed. Farther down the stream, a short distance from where it empties into the Adriatic sea, the Italians in a daring assault north of Cortcllazzo pierced the enemy front; took 200 men prisoner and firmly held their ground against a counter-attack. . In the violent air fighting that is in progress all along the front American aviators have joined the allied airmen and are performing daring feats. (Continued on Pae Twelve.) 1! . j (Continued from Page One.) j Anions thi enterprises rarriel out by tlitini has Ufon the bombing of pontoon liriilgos thrown by the enemy across the I'iave. . ' 1 |