by the Russians during the winter. Another reason may be found in the fact that Germany once more came to Austria's aid, by sending troops and munitions of war to the front in Galicia for the defense of Lemberg. There was much heavy fighting all along the eastern front during the remainder of the year, but the situation was not materially changed.

Before Brusiloff's drive Austria was for a time successful against Italy in the west. We have told how the Italians had undertaken to protect their left or northern flank, while attacking along the Isonzo, by carrying on a difficult campaign to secure the passes through the mountains leading into Austria. This campaign had made slow but continued progress, and the Austrian leaders determined to stop it. They therefore gathered a great force in the Trentino district, about Trent, and in the spring of 1916, as soon as the snow had thawed, descended like a thunderbolt upon the Italian armies. The attack was prepared by intense artillery fire, and at first was very successful. The Italians, taken by surprise, were driven from position after position in the mountains, won at great cost during the previous year, and by June the Austrian armies were almost through the mountainous country and ready to descend upon the Italian plains. Italy was in a panic. A little more success, and her armies along the Isonzo might be attacked in the flank, their lines of com

munication cut, and all of northern Italy conquered by the invaders. But just then the great Russian drive under General Brusiloff began in turn to render affairs critical for Austria. She was forced, just when success seemed within her grasp, to withdraw troops from the Italian front in order to save her armies in Bukowina and Galicia. At the same time the Italians counter-attacked and before long they were making steady progress back to the positions in the mountains from which they had so suddenly been thrown.

A few weeks later, in August, the Italian armies along the Isonzo, which had so long attempted without success to capture the defenses of Gorizia, launched a new attack against that city. Monte San Michele, the key position, was stormed after a terrific bombardment, and taken, and Gorizia fell, with fifteen thousand prisoners and great quantities of stores of all sorts. It was the first real success which had crowned Italy's efforts since her entrance into the war, and her people were jubilant. The advance along the Carso, the rugged plateau leading southward toward Trieste, was continued with renewed vigor, and the outer defenses of the city were placed under bombardment by English monitors, mounting heavy guns, which had come into the Adriatic to assist in the attack. But the Austrians resisted bravely, and the close of the year found the Italians very little nearer Trieste than they had been in August. In

another direction, however, they made more decided progress. The fall of Gorizia opened the way for an attack to the northeast, along the Bainsizza Plateau, in the direction of Laibach. Only the rough country of the Julian Alps barred their way to an advance upon Vienna itself. The prospect of thus carrying the war into Austria was an alluring one, and later on, as the Italians progressed, many of the Allied leaders urged that men and guns be sent to aid the Italians in such an undertaking. But other and most unexpected events, early in 1917, prevented this plan from being carried out.