of the other belligerents. A conservative estimate
places their total casualty list between the last week in May and the
first of August, 1915, at 25,000. The Austrians in the same period on
the same front lost about 15,000 dead, 50,000 wounded and 15,000
prisoners. The slight Italian losses compared with their enemy's is
remarkable in view of the fact that they were almost constantly on the
offensive. By far the greater portion of the casualties were suffered
in the east, during the two assaults on the defenses of Gorizia.

Measuring the territory gained during these two months and comparing
it with the concessions offered by Austria as the price of Italy's
neutrality--on this basis the Italians had no cause to regret their
decision. On the Venetian Plain by the lower Isonzo a few thousand men
in two days with comparatively small loss conquered all the territory
which the Italian nation had been offered for keeping out of war. This
conquered territory, however, was far less than the prize the Italian
King and his Cabinet set before the eyes of the people when they
declared war.

PART X--THE DARDANELLES AND TURKEY

CHAPTER LXX

BEGINNING OF OPERATIONS

During the month of January, 1915, the British and French naval
authorities came to a decision to attempt a naval attack upon the
Dardanelles. It was decided, too, to lose no time in the matter, but
to push the campaign with all speed. Undoubtedly, behind this decision
there were many political factors of a grave kind because, on the face
of it, there were many reasons why the attack should have been delayed
until fine weather. Once having come to a decision, no time was lost.
The Island of Tenedos was seized, and under an agreement with
Venizelos, the Greek Premier, the island of Lemnos was occupied. In
the latter the large harbor of Mudros offered an ideal naval and
military base for operations against the Dardanelles, overcoming one
of the chief original handicaps of the allied command, distance of
base from scene of operations. Lemnos was less than fifty miles from
the tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula, while Tenedos was but twenty-two
miles away, lying close to the Turkish coast. At these two depots a
considerable Anglo-French naval squadron was rapidly collected. They
came from all parts of the world.

The elimination of the German commerce raiders from the high seas, and
the obvious intentions of the main German and Austrian fleets to avoid
a gen