May 25, 1916 
. LAND & WATER 
a 10 20 30 40 Siy'pip- 
21 
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II 
GORJZIA 
Mbnfalcone 
TRIESTE' 
Verona. 
I I J- ^■^ ■■T^W^W* 
losses, tlie thing would be so clear that not the stupidest 
panicmonger could shirk the conclusion. Unfortunately 
we Jiave not that statistical evidence to hand, but we 
know roughly on the analogy of all past experience 
the proportion of losses between the offensive and the 
defensive in this trench warfare. We further know what 
is meant by the enemy's established rule for impressing 
us with the results of any of his abortive offensives. He 
always gives as the total number of prisoners taken upon 
the first blow as many men as he can possibly get any of 
his opponents for the moment to believe. Roughly 
speaking the figures given are usually equivalent to, or a 
little superior to, the total losses of all kinds suffered, and 
the object is to depress the opposed command during the 
period of disorder before the line is I'eorganised and exact 
figures of missing, with the presumed proportion of dead, 
wounded and unwounded among them, are obtainable. 
Claims to the capture of heavy guns are nearly always 
accurate, for it is not a matter upon which lying is of any 
use, the opposing command knows perfectly well that it 
has had to abandon such batteries or no. Claims to the 
capture of " guns " in general include every sort of 
trench weapon. Claims to the capture of " field guns " 
specially so named cover, as a rule, the total lo.ss in such 
weapons of the opponents, and include what is destroyed 
with what is still useful material. 
Judged by this test the Austrian claims up to last 
Sunday night when the Italian belt of advanced posts 
was taken and apparently a check received by the enemy 
upon the main positions behind, show something of this 
kind — the Italians have lost we may presume, in dead, 
wounded and prisoners, about the total number of 
prisoners alone claimed by the enemy. One battery 
and probably part of another of big howitzers eraplaced 
far forward for the reply to the Folgaria and other enemy 
batteries has fallen into Austrian hands, and a certain 
unknown number of held pieces with which French 
weapons have been counted. All that is insignihcant. 
The vital point.- are the expense at which this shallow 
belt of territory in the mountains has been acquired and 
the resistance which the enemy will meet with upon the 
main ItaUan positions. With regard to the first point 
we have only analogy to guide us, and may estimate losses 
perhaps two and a half, perhaps three times more numerous 
than those of the defence— for it is clear from the enemy's 
own figures that the Italians held their first line very 
thinly as opposed to the German method which cost the 
enemy so heavily last September. As to the second 
point it belongs to the future. H. Belloc 
long as a declining force can conduct it, postpones the 
dreaded final attack against it which its relatively in- 
creasing enemy designs ; and that is why the Central 
•Empires are condemned to unceasing offensive action so 
long as they have a margin left over the numbers required 
to hold their hues. 
In each particular offensive there is also, of course,, a 
localobject, which would, if it were attained, effect some- 
thing like a decision. It is clearly the intention of the 
.\ustrians to force the two passages of the Adige valley 
and the Val Sugana. They propose to do this by direct 
attack, and by turning the defences of the valleys round 
by carrying the mountain group lying between. 
It will be seen from the map that the two main passages 
carrying both road and rail which lead from Trent (and 
all that lies behind Trent) into the Italian plain, are the 
valley of the Adige, running north and south, with its 
great town at the opening of the plain at Verona, and the 
Val Sugana, that is, the upper course of the River Brenta, 
with its town at the opening of the plain, Bassano. If 
two Austrian columns could debouch from the hills by 
these two avenues, they would be right behind the main 
Italian force on the Isonzo and upon the main communica- 
tions of that force ; upon the Venetian plain, rendering 
the Italian position on the Isonzo impossible and destroy- 
ing the whole plan of campaign of the Italians. 
It is exceedingly late in the day to attempt so grandiose 
a scheme, but failing success in it there yet remain, as we 
have seen certain important results attaching to the 
movement if it can proceed somewhat further unchecked. 
It is being conducted with all that the Austro-Hungarian 
monarchy can gather for the purpose. One Italian un- 
ofhcial estimate puts it as high as 14 divisions. It is not 
that. But it is at any rate, we will presume, not less than 
10. It is supported by long-accumulated masses of heavy 
guns and ammunition. It will inevitably relieve the 
)>ressuro upon tiie Isonzo and bring a counter-reinforce- 
ment for the Italians back upon the Trentino front. It 
will, if it be sufficiently prolonged, at sufficient expense 
Lo the Italians, disturb the plans for the offensive later on. 
We have exactly the same lesson to learn from the 
renewal of the attack on Verdun. It^ costs him a 
tremendous price in men, but it is better to throw 
the men away on the chance, with) luck, of crippling 
the later offensive, than to keep them merely for use in a 
slowly declining war. It is pretty clear by this time 
that even this calculation has gone wrong. The AlUed 
command in the West has evidently decided that the 
losses suffered upon its side are worth the expense en- 
tailed upon the enemy, and leave it perfectly free to 
ittack at its own moment. The really striking thing 
ibout the whole matter, is the refusal of the Alhed com- 
mand to be provoked into a counter-offensive. It is 
the most convincing evidence of what the situation is. 
If we could have, either in the case of Verdun, or in the 
case of the Trentino, an exact table of the comparative 
For the notable frontispiece of its " Five Nations " num- 
ber. Land & Water is indebtcd.to Mr. Bernard Partridge, 
the famous " Punch " cartoonist. We are indebted to the 
Proprietors of " Puncli " for permitting Mr. Partridge tfi 
draw this cartoon for Land & Watek. 
