ynamite. All of the Italian
trenches that I saw showed a very high skill in engineering. Instead
of keeping the earthen walls from crumbling and caving by the use of
the wicker-work revetments so general on the Western Front, the
Italians use a sort of steel trellis which is easily put in place, and
is not readily damaged by shell-fire. Other trenches which I saw
(though not on the Carso, of course) were built of solid concrete with
steel shields for the riflemen cemented into the parapets.

During these weeks of preparation the Italian aviators, observers, and
spies had been busy collecting information concerning the strength of
the Gorizia defenses and the disposition of the Austrian batteries and
troops. By means of thousands of photographs taken from airplanes,
enlarged, and then pieced together, the Italians had as accurate and
detailed a map of the Austrian lines of defense as was possessed by
the Austrian General Staff itself. Thanks to the data thus obtained,
the Italian gunners were able to locate their targets and estimate
their ranges with absolute precision. They knew which building in
Gorizia was the headquarters of the Austrian commander; they had
discovered where his telephone and telegraph stations were located;
and they had spotted his observation posts. Indeed, so highly
developed was the Italian intelligence service that the Austrians were
not able to transfer a battalion or change the position of a battery
without the knowledge of General Cadorna.

Now the Austrians, like the newspaper experts, were convinced that the
Italians had their hands full in the Trentino without courting trouble
on the Isonzo. And if there was to be an attack along the Isonzo
front--which they doubted--they believed that it would almost
certainly develop in the Monfalcone sector, next the sea. And of this
belief the Italians took care not to disabuse them. Here again was
exemplified the vital necessity of having control of the air. If,
during the latter half of July, the Austrian fliers had been able to
get over the Italian lines, they could not have failed to observe the
enormous preparations which were in progress, and when the Italians
advanced, the Austrians would have been ready for them. But the
Italians kept control of the air (during my entire trip on the Italian
front I can recall having seen only one Austrian airplane), the
Austrians had no means of learning what was impending, and were,
therefore, quite unprepar