WW1 POSTERS

9. Italian Front

a. Strategic Considerations
b. Initial Operations
c. First Four Battles of the Isonzo
d. Fifth Battle of the Isonzo
e. Austrian Asiago Offensive (May 15-June 17, 1916)
f. Sixth to Eleventh Battles of the Isonzo
g. Battle of Caporetto (Oct. 24-Nov. 12, 1917)
h. Battle of the Piave ( June 15-24, 1918)
i. Battle of Vittorio Veneto (Oct. 24-Nov. 4, 1918)
j. General Commentary

1st Five Battles of the Isonzo

Short Summary:

INITIAL ITALIAN OPERATIONS AND THE BATTLES OF THE ISONZO (May 1915-Sept. 1917).
When Italy entered the war, the Austrians, fully occupied elsewhere, assumed a purely defensive attitude on the Italian front. The Italians immediately launched a general offensive to improve their tactical positions, pending full mobilization. The nature of the terrain along the Italo-Austrian border was such that the only sector in which the Italians could hope for decisive results was the difficult Isonzo River area, to the east. Eleven offensives (First to Eleventh Battles of the Isonzo) were launched against the Austrians during the period June 1915-September 1917. Territorial gains were meager. The net results of these costly battles of attrition were the development of a war weariness in the Italian forces and the wearing down of the Austrians to a state of near collapse.
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First Four Battles of the Isonzo

On June 23, 1915, the Italians began the First Battle of the Isonzo, which lasted until July 7. It was followed in rapid succession by the Second Battle ( July 18-August 3), the Third ( October 18- November 3), and the Fourth (November 10-December 2). These battles were attempts by the Italians to break through the strong Austrian defensive positions from south of Tolmino (Tolmein; now Tolmin) to the sea, the major efforts being made in the Gorizia area and against the Carso Plateau. Lacking heavy artillery, blocked by stubborn defenders in well-prepared positions, and plagued by heavy autumn rains and winter cold, the Italians paid dearly for the small gains they scored. Courage and untold sacrifices had abounded, and the Italian infantry won the admiration of the enemy. In fact, one may read in the Austrian military report on the war: "The front-line official reports are emphatic on the magnificent valor of the Italian infantry and particularly on the conduct of its officers in the field." It should be mentioned that the Italian officers were of the educated classes, while the troops were drawn from the masses of peasants and workers with whom the former had had little contact. The rapport established between these divergent groups by the common struggle and by common sacrifices proved to be one of the greatest revelations of the war.

Fifth Battle of the Isonzo

By the end of 1915, Italian losses had aggregated 66,000 men killed, 190,000 wounded, and 22,500 taken prisoner; Austrian casualties had totaled about 165,000. The Italian Army was close to exhaustion, but the Austrians were fortunately not aware of its state. Meanwhile, Austrian strength on the front had been increased to 22 divisions. During January and February 1916, demands for operations in Albania and rescue work for the Serbs served to accentuate the poor condition of the Italian forces. When the Germans launched their determined attack against Verdun in February, Marshal Joseph Joffre urged Italian diversionary aid by means of an attack on the Isonzo front. Cadorna responded with a hastily prepared offensive: the Fifth Battle of the Isonzo (March 9-17, 1916). Directed to the north and south of Gorizia, the offensive bogged down in fog, rain, and snow, and served only further to exhaust the Italian troops. Cadorna, learning of an impending Austrian attack from the Trentino, halted the offensive and prepared to meet the new threat.