OCR Text |
Show HEWS REVIEW OF : THE PAST WEEK i .... ." .:: :. ; Austria's Great Offensive In . North Italy Proves to Be an Utter Failure. STOPPED WITH HUGE LOSSES Revolt Spreading Fast In . the Dual . Kingdom Powerful German A ' tack on Reims Completely -' Repulsed Draft Age Llnv ; It to Be Extended. By EDWARD W. PICKARD. Austria's record of never winning when she goes into battle unaided by the Germans was magnificently bus talned last week. Starting the long heralded offensive with nearly aU the forces at his command. Field Marshal von Borevlc made a desperate effort to force his way across the Plave and down into the Venetian plains, with Treviso, Bassano and then Verona as his objectives. His men were given postcard maps with the route and schedule marked, and were urged to do their utmost In order that they might get the plentiful food in the "promised land." Approximately a -million Austrian soldi era assailed the Italian lines from Asia go to the Add-, Add-, atla-but King Victor Emmanuel's eplendld army was everywhere ready to meet them. At the western or mountain end the enemy made no progress at all, being mowed down In masses that fairly blocked the roadways road-ways and passes. All attacks on the Aslngo plateau, which is of great 1 4 portance because of Its easy ap proaches from the Austrian side, were beaten off by the British under Lord Cavan, and the enemy's attempts on Monte Grappa were no more successful. suc-cessful. It was between these points, down the Brenta and Frenzela valleys, val-leys, that the Austrians hoped to push the west point of a placer's movement move-ment that should flank Treviso and the entire line to the coast The high land at Montello was the scene of most sanguinary fighting and the enemy made some headway there, for a day or two, but gained little save a shocking casualty list Further east, at various points, the Austrians were able to force crossings of the Plave by means of bridges constructed construct-ed under cover of gas and smoke helling, but after getting across the troops found themselves In traps from which they could not escape with their Uvea, for the batteries of tho allies on the higher ground had them at their mercy? Only near the extreme eastern enill of the, tyne, bo tween the Zonson 'VSSpVna the AdrTa-j stlc, did Borevic's forces acWevejniiy. thing that resembled tncceSf. There4 ! they pushedhr enough ootJb the Plave & reach the Fossalta canal, and Vienna clatmrd this was crossed. Here the, enemy was about ten mjlee from Venice, but the resistance of the Italians was so determined that no anxiety was felt for that city's safety. Before tbe week closed the enemy la that region had been driven back. Most of the Don ooo b rid res were wpt .away by the swollen Ptavt la a word, the great Austrian offensive, offen-sive, up to the close of tbe week, wis1 an absolute failure and was admitted to be such by captured officers and by some of the Vienna newspapers. The Italian army, never In better condition than now, fought with the utmost gallantry and spirit end was ably aided by the British and French contingents. Mention must be made, too, of the Americans, for an esca drills of American aviators, trained in Italy, went to the front and gave notable help In driving the Austrian aviators from the air. Defeat in Italy may mean absolute disaster to the Austro-HungarlHn empire, em-pire, for Its heterogeneous peoples already al-ready are beginning to rebel against the rule that has brought them to tbe verge of starvation, has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands f their men, and has given them nothing noth-ing hut false promises of victory. In many parts of the empire the distressed dis-tressed people sre rising against the authorities, and In Vienna itself on Wednesday a great and hungry mob looted shops, stoned the residence of the premier and even attacked the Hofburg palace, in protest ugalnst the reduction of the bread ration. The food controller Is helpless, admitting , that the empire's whent Is exhausted and thut the grain supplies from Kou- 1 mania are small und of inferior qunl- i Ity. In Lemhurg, Budapest and i Prague also there were serious food i riots, and all through the empire signs were plentiful that the people were reudy to revolt If they were not Riven a speedy pence and bread, i It would appear that the time Is t shout ripe for the long predicted up- ( rising of the oppressed nationalities ( of AuKtro-Hungary the Bohemians, J the xmi them Slavs und the Poles. The t Gcrnuins expect Hnd fear this event, a and of course would step In to sup- 1 pies It by force of tiniis. But even t If It were not wholly successful It o would create a diversion In the midst p f "MltM EuropH" that would do Ij much to hasten the final victory of I the allied nations over Germany. ' t; ' k Only one operutlon of moment took place on the western front last week, " This was a powerful assault on thai ' Milled troops gunrdlnj; Reims, del!; H 4 erefl by tne army bT Tne cToffiTprlhce", About 40,000 Germans took part In tbe attack, which was preceded by a terrific bombardment The enemy charged from the village of Vrtgny, southwest of Helms, and all around the loop to La Pompelle, the fortified stronghold on the east. The struggle was violent In the extreme, but thf Germans were everywhere repulstu with very heavy losses. Only In the I SHiepry wood southeast of the city I did the enemy gain a foothold, and prompt counter-attacks by the French threw him hack from that to his old positions. A grent many Geniisn prisoners were token. Tlley said they had been ordered to take Reims at any cost. , The fact thnt the attack was not renewed by the crown prince was taken to Indicate the exhaustion of his troops. Military experts In France believe, another battle will be begun soon by the Germans, possibly on the road to Calnis. or between Montdklier and Chateau Thierry across the Oise and Aisne to the Mnrne. If they select the latter sector the Americans wilf again le in the thick of the fighting. Those buys did not have a great deal to do last week, though they carried out Home successful raids and repulsed re-pulsed every one made ngnlnst their lines. From the south side of the Mnrne they sent several patrols across the river in boats, In each Instance killing numbers of the enemy and bringing back prisoners. Moreover, I not a single German patrol has ever been permitted toross the Marne to ' the American side. j |