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Show Italians and Allies Oat-flank Oat-flank Fifteen Austrian Divisions. CRISIS IS NEAR j i Enemy Losses Described as Appalling Territory Terri-tory Liberated. i JvfAltlNGTbN, Ocrst-iTteen j Austrian divisions, operating between the Brenta and the Plave oh the Italian Ital-ian front, have bad their retreat cut off through the capture of the mountain moun-tain pass of Vadal by Italian and Allied Al-lied troops. Official wireless dispatches from Rome today say the advantage Is being be-ing pressed to the utmost and that a crisis is hear. Enemy losses are described de-scribed as appalling. Occupation of the valley of Quero by the Italian army corps operating north of Valdobdiadende threatens Feltre and exposes tho Austrians In the Grappa region to a flanking movement move-ment which It Is said will compel immediate im-mediate retirement. The Third Italian army on the lower low-er Piave is reported advancing steadily stead-ily in the face of desperate enemy resistance. re-sistance. In all more than one thousand square kilometers of Italian" territory was reconquered yesterday and apparently appar-ently the whole front is being driven northward. The dispatches flatly deny de-ny the Austrian claim that territory across the Piave is being evacuated voluntarily. Vienna Statement False. "Yesterday's Austrian bulletin," says an official wireless message, "states that the Austrian army is voluntarily vol-untarily evacuating territory across the Piave. This Austrian statement is absolutely false. The Austrian army ihas offered and Is still offering a formidable for-midable resistance and it has been only since the Austrian line was broken brok-en and the enemy was obliged to retire re-tire in disorder that the ground has been given up. "The fighting is proceeding with great bitterness, the Austrians beinjk everywhere on the rotreat. The enemy is offering a tenacious resistance in the mountain section and across the Piave between Monticano and tho Li-vonza. Li-vonza. "Tho English army troops and the French division which represent the allied contingent across the Piave, are fighting heroically side by side with tho Italians. The front is now extending extend-ing for about 150 kilometers. "Fifteen divisions trapped by the fall of tho Vadal pass what is left In that region of thirty-seven Austrians Aus-trians divisions there on October 24." nn |