Battle of Vittorio Veneto

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Battle of Vittorio Veneto
Part of the First World War
Battle of Vittorio Veneto
Date 23 October-3 November 1918 Location Vittorio Veneto, Italy Result Decisive Italian victory
Combatants
Italy United Kingdom France United States	Austria-Hungary
Commanders
Armando Diaz, Lord Cavan	Svetozar Boroevic von Bojna
Strength
57 divisions 51 Italian , 3 UK 2 French , 1 US[1] 7,700 guns	52 divisions 6,030 guns
Casualties
38,000 dead or wounded	30,000 dead or wounded 300,000 captured

Italian Front
1st Isonzo – 2nd Isonzo – 3rd Isonzo – 4th Isonzo – 5th Isonzo – Asiago – 6th Isonzo – 7th Isonzo – 8th Isonzo – 9th Isonzo – 10th Isonzo – Ortigara – 11th Isonzo – Caporetto – Piave River – Vittorio Veneto

The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto, during the Italian Campaign of World War I. The Italian victory determined the collapse of Austro-Hungarian Army and the end on the First World War on the Italian Front.

Some Italians see Vittorio Veneto as the final cumulation of the Risorgimento nationalist movement, in which Italy was unified and achieved its present borders.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Background 2 The battle 3 Conclusion 4 Result 5 Footnotes

[edit] Background

During the Battle of Caporetto, 24 October to 9 November 1917, near Kobarid, in what is now Slovenia, the Italian Army lost over 300,000 men and was forced to withdraw, causing the replacement of the Italian Supreme General Luigi Cadorna with the General Armando Diaz. Diaz reorganized the troops, blocked the enemy advance and stabilized the front-line around the Piave River.

[edit] The battle

On the 23 October 1918, the Italian Army supported by their Allied troops launched the offensive.

After crossing the Piave River, the Italian Army took Vittorio ("Veneto" was added to the name only in 1923) and advanced in the direction of Trento, threatening to block the retreat of Austrian forces.

[edit] Conclusion

From 28 October onwards, Austria-Hungary sought to negotiate a truce while the Italians hesitated, advancing in the mean time, reaching Trento, Udine and landing in Trieste. It took several days of diplomacy under controversial circumstances until the Austrian-Italian Armistice of Villa Giusti was signed 3 November near Padova to take effect 24 hours later. Due to misunderstandings, many Austrian forces did stop fighting too soon, while the Italians pushed hard to advance as far north as possible to regain territory lost early in the war, and to conquer as much Austrian territory as possible. In the process, many Austrians on their way home were taken prisoners.

[edit] Result

The battle determined the end of the First World War on the Italian front. The surrender of their primary ally made the continuation of the war for Germany impossible as an additional front in the south could have been opened.

[edit] Footnotes