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Show ITALIANS SMASHING THE AUSTRIAN LI HURL BACK ENEMY ON VITAL SECTOR OF SNOWBOUND NORTHERN FRONT. Has Suddenly Become a Menacing Foe for War-Weary Austro-H ungarian Masses, and Renew Confidence of the Allied Forces. London. At a moment when the Austriiin "homo front" is on the brink of collapse I lie Italians have deal, a Staggering blow to tin; dual monarchy's n ruiy. J i n front of nearly ten miles between be-tween Ihe Asiago anil the P.renta river, whore a few weeks ago Ihe Teutons were but eight miies from Ihe Venetian Vene-tian plains ami vielory, Ceneral Diaz's noriliern army surged forward on .Ian-nary .Ian-nary 20, through two feet of snow and In a lieree foot-to-foot combat pressed back their opponents, throwing them from important dominating positions. That nirplaiK'S aided materially in tlie lighting is indicated in tin; Italian official comniunicatlon, which asserts tliat during the progress of the battle the enemy lost twelve aircraft. Fifteen hundred prisoners, nmiing them sixty-two officers, were taken. Over night, Ilaly, which was to have been "put out of the war'' before snow fell, lias once more risen to a dominating dominat-ing plane in the allied military calculations. calcu-lations. For the Teutons she lias suddenly sud-denly become the most menacing foe, for if the success is followed up and the Austrians sulTer a large-scale defeat de-feat the effect upon the war-weary Aust m-Hungarlan masses will be incalculable. incal-culable. Moreover, Hlndonhurg faces a new "ultimatum" from the Austrian etaff anil may have to throw Ids ambitious ambi-tious western plans overboard to save the ally. Warm praise is Riven in General Phiz's report for the effective co-operation of the French and British armies. |
