The Defeat of Austria as Seen by the Seventh Division.
By the Rev. E. C. Crosse. (H. F. W. Deane and Sons. 7s. 6d. net.) —This interesting book, well furnished with maps and photo- graphs, gives the first detailed account of the crossing of the Piave by the Seventh Division in October, 1918, which heralded the final overthrow of the Austrian armies in Italy. Mr. Crosse, the senior chaplain of the Division, describes very clearly and fully this difficult and hazardous enterprise. The 2nd Honour. able Artillery Company and the 1st Royal Welsh Fusiliers, passing the flooded river in pontoons late on October 23rd, 1918, made a night attack on the Austrian garrison on the island of Papadopoli and occupied half the island. They clung to their shallow trenches under heavy shell-fire for two days, beat off a fierce counter-attack by Magyar storm-troops, and then, with the help of the 2nd Warwickshires, took the remainder of the island. On October 27th the Division crossed the eastern branch of the river under fire, stormed the strong concrete defences on the river-bank, and drove the Austrians back for two miles, capturing a number of fortified farms. Mr. Crosse says that the feat would have been impossible in face of a really determined enemy, but even irresolute troops might have held the river had not the attack been delivered with amazing skill and vigour. When the Division had made good the passage, the enemy offered little further resistance. The Italian armies to the north and south were making such rapid progress that the Austrians saw that the game was up. Mr. Crosse wisely contents himself with narrating the actions of his own Division, and has thus made a really valuable contribution to the history of the war. It is pleasant to know that the Seventh Division, hardened by its terrible experiences at Passchendaele, had comparatively small losses in its last offensive in Italy.
Previous page
