Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 June 1918 — DEFEAT OF ENEMY ON PIAVE IS COMPLETE [ARTICLE]

DEFEAT OF ENEMY ON PIAVE IS COMPLETE

Austrian War Office Concedes Evaluation el Montello , Hatoau. ITALIAN CAVALRY WORK HAVOC -]■ » Losses of Invaders Reported Enormous, Official Statement from Rome Claiming 43,000 I*risoner9 Alone. Vienna, June 24. —(Via London.) -—The war office announces today the evacuation of Montello and the right bank of the Piave river by the Austrian troops. Capture Great Amount of War Booty Washington, June 24. —Austrian lossee in the retreat across the Piave included an “appalling number’’ of troops killed, more than 40,000 made prisoner and an enormous amount of war booty, said the report from General Diaz, the Italian commander, which wai cabled from Rouse tonight to the Italian embassy. “Yesterday we obtained a great victory,” said General Diaz’s message. "Owing to the extreme pressure of our troops and the continuous fire of the artillery and airplanes, the enemy, after having desperately clung for eight days at the cost of appalling losses to the Vight bank of the Piave on the night of the 23rd began to retreat to the left bank under our terrific fire.”

Hopes Shattered. The defeat of the Austrian armies on the western bank of the Piave river is complete. Admission is made by the Austrian war office that the troops of Emporer Charles have been forced to evacuate the Montello patleau over which they had hot>ed to press their way and gain the Venetian plains and “some sectors” of the positions they attained last week on the bank of the river between the plateau and the point where the stream empties into the Adriatic. Bad weather and the rising of the Piave under the heavy rainfalls are assigned as the reasons for the withdrawal of the Austrians. But the Rome war office asserts that it wan the impetuous attacks of the Julians that brought about the failure of an operation which was

started with the intention of crushing the armies of General Diaz and [forcing the Italians, like the Rus|sans, to accept a Teutonic allied ■ peace. 17. S. Airmen in Battle. 1 AU along the river the Italians have pressed back the invaders of [their territory until only small units [remain on the western bank and across the stream King Victor Emanuel's men are keeping well cn the heels of the retreating enemy j who is fleeing in disorder. Again the cavalry has been thrown into the fighting and is sorely harassing .the enemy, while machine gfins from the ground and from aircraft, some of the latter operated by American aviators, are forking havoc among the fleeing Austrian 1 columns. Discrepancy Noted. The losses to the enemy are described as enormous both in men killed, wounded or made prisoner. ’An official statement from Rome to 'the Italian embassy at Washington [asserts that the Austrians have lost ■ 47,0f1t) men in prisoners alone. The "Italian war office communications i * mentions only 40,000_ Austrians as having been captured but it is problable that this communication antedated that sent to the embassy and that the captives in the hands of . the Italians greatly exceeded this figure. j The probability that this is true :is enhanced bv the fact that the ■ river was swollen out of bounds and most of the few bridges that (had not been carried away by f freshet had been shot to pieces by ■ the Italian guns, compelling the ! enemy either to surrender or take this chances Of being able to swim the turbulent stream.

Abandon Guns. So hurried was the retrograde movement of the Austrians at some points that they did not take time even, to attempt to save their guns and stores, great quantities of which are now in Italian hands. As yet there has been no sign that the enemy purposes again to renew at an early date another offensive in the mountain region, notwithstanding the fact that reports emanating from Switzerland have said that he was bringing up large reinforcements and great quantities of supplies along the [front behind the lines from the Swiss border to the upper reaches of the Piave. On the front in France and in Flanders the operations continue of a minor character. The Italians again have defeatedkthe Germans near Bligny in. ? the Marne sector, m flirting heavy casualties on them and taking a number of prisoners.