Italian Campaign (World War I)
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| Italian Front | |||||||
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| Part of World War I | |||||||
 Italian troops entrenched along the Isonzo river. |
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| Combatants | |||||||
 Italy United Kingdom France |
 Austria-Hungary German Empire |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz |
Conrad von Hötzendorf Svetozar Boroević Otto von Below |
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| Theatres of World War I |
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| European (Balkans – Western Front – Eastern Front – Italian Front) – Middle Eastern (Caucasus – Mesopotamia – Sinai and Palestine – Gallipoli – Aden – Persia) – African (South-West Africa – West Africa – East Africa) – Asian and Pacific (German Samoa and New Guinea – Tsingtao) – Other (Atlantic Ocean – Mediterranean – Naval – Aerial) |
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Italy/Germany and Britain, which was mainly Canada along with their allies in northern Italy between 1943 and 1945. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers she would be able to gain the province of Trentino and the port of Trieste (Italian speaking territories) as well as the territories of South Tyrol, Istria and Dalmatia. Although Italy had hoped to begin the war with a surprise offensive intended to move quickly and capture several Austrian held cities, the war soon bogged down into trench warfare similar to the Western Front.
| Italian Front |
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| 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 |
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[edit] Causes for the campaign
Although Italy was a member of the Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Germany, they did not declare war in August 1914, because their alliance was defensive, while Austria-Hungary was the aggressor. Italy also had a long standing rivalry with Austria-Hungary dating back to the Congress of Vienna in 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars, when several important Italian regions were ceded to Austria. In the early stages of the war Italy was courted by Allied diplomats into joining the war, culminating in the Treaty of London of April 26, 1915 in which Italy renounced her obligations to the Triple Alliance. On May 23, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary.
[edit] The Alpine Front
The Alpine Front (or the Italian front) was an essentially stationary line of defences and trenches running along the border of Austria-Hungary and Italy from 1915 to 1917, dividing the Entente territories to the south of the line versus Central Powers territories to the north of the line.
[edit] Campaigns of 1915-1916
[edit] First battles of Isonzo
Italy's first move in the war was an offensive aimed at capturing the town of Gorizia on the Isonzo river. However, the Italian Army was poorly equipped in artillery, vehicles, and ammunition. At the beginning of the war, Italy had just 600 vehicles to move troops. Horses were still used primarily as transport and failed to move supplies fast enough in the tough terrain of the Alps. Also, the newly appointed Italian commander, Luigi Cadorna, had no combat experience and was highly unpopular amongst his men.
At the beginning of the offensive, Italian forces outnumbered the Austrians 2 to 1 in terms of men, but failed to penetrate their strong defensive lines along the Alps. This was mostly due to the Austrian forces being based on higher ground, and so Italian offensives had to be conducted climbing. Two weeks later, the Italians attempted another frontal assault with more artillery but were beaten back again. Another useless attack was mounted from October 18 to November 4 with 1,200 heavy guns, which again resulted in no gain.
[edit] The Asiago offensive
Following Italy's disastrous offensives, the Austrians began planning a counter-offensive (Strafexpedition) based in Trentino and directed towards the plain across the Altopiano di Asiago. On March 11, 1916 the offensive started with 15 divisions breaking the Italian lines. The local Italian commander had been warned of an impending offensive, but had chosen to conduct local offensives instead of preparing for defense. The result was that the Italians were unprepared for the attack and total defeat was only staved off by quickly transferring reinforcements from other fronts.
[edit] Later battles for the Isonzo
Later in 1916, four more battles along the Isonzo river erupted. The Sixth Battle of the Isonzo was launched in August by the Italians and resulted in a success greater than the previous ones because Austrian lines were depleted due to the Brusilov Offensive. The offensive did not gain anything of strategic value, but managed to take Gorizia which boosted Italian spirits. The Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth battles of the Isonzo (September 14-November 4) managed to accomplish little but to wear down the already exhausted armies of both nations.
[edit] 1917: Germany arrives
Following the minuscule gains of the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo, the Italians directed a two-pronged attack focusing on the Austrian lines north and east of Gorizia. The advance east was easily checked, but Italian forces under Luigi Capello managed to break the Austrian lines and capture the Bainsizza Plateau. The Italians were on the verge of victory, but were forced to withdraw because their supply lines could not keep up with the front-line troops.
After the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo, the Austrians were desperately in need of reinforcements, which they found in the German Army recently rushed in after in July 1917 the Russian offensive ordered by Kerensky (Kerensky Offensive) had failed. The Germans introduced Hutier tactics in the Austrian front and helped their side to work on a new offensive. Meanwhile, the Italian Army was being crippled from within by mutinies and plummeting morale. Soldiers lived in poor conditions and were forced to engage in attack after attack which often yielded to minimal military gain. On October 24, 1917 the Austrians and Germans began the Battle of Caporetto (Italian name for Kobarid) with a huge artillery barrage followed by forces advancing using Hutier tactics, bypassing enemy strongpoints and attacking on the Italian rear. At the end of the first day, the Italians had been forced to retreat 12 miles to the Tagliamento River.
[edit] 1918: The war ends
[edit] Battle of the Piave
Advancing deep and fast, the Austrians had overrun their supply lines and were forced to stop and regroup. The Italians were pushed back to defensive lines near Venice, on the Piave River having suffered 600,000 casualties during the course of the war. In November 1917, British, French and US forces started to bolster the front line, and so, the Austrian offensive was contained. In the spring of 1918, Germany pulled out its troops for use in its upcoming Spring Offensive. The Austrians now began debating on how to finish the war in Italy. There was disagreement amongst Austro-Hungarian generals on how to administer the final offensive. Archduke Joseph August of Austria decided for a two-pronged offensive, where it would prove impossible for the two forces to communicate in the mountains.
The Battle of the Piave River began with a diversionary attack near the Tonale Pass which was easily repulsed. The objectives of the upcoming offensive were betrayed to Italy by Austrian deserters, which allowed the Italians to move two armies directly in the path of the Austrian prongs. The other prong, led by general Svetozar Boroević von Bojna initially experienced success until their supply lines were bombed by air and Italian reinforcements arrived.
[edit] The decisive Battle of Vittorio Veneto
To the disappointment of Italy's allies, no counter-offensive followed the Battle of Piave. The Italian Army had suffered huge losses in the battle, and thus an offensive was considered dangerous. General Armando Diaz waited for more reinforcements to arrive from the Western Front. By October 1918, Italy finally had enough soldiers to mount an offensive. The attack was targeted at Vittorio Veneto, across the Piave. The Austrian soldiers fought viciously but were overwhelmed by the superior numbers of the Allies. The Italians broke through a gap near Sacile, and poured in reinforcements that crushed the Austrian defensive line. On November 3, 300,000 Austrian soldiers surrendered. The Battle of Vittorio Veneto heralded the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Army as an effective fighting force. The battle also triggered the disintegration of Austria-Hungary: during the last week of October declarations were made in Budapest, Prague and Zagreb, proclaiming the independence of their respective parts of the old empire. On October 29 the imperial authorities asked Italy for an armistice, but the Italians continued advancing reaching Trento, Udine and Trieste. On November 3, Austria-Hungary sent a flag of truce to the Italian Commander to ask again for an Armistice and terms of peace. The terms were arranged by telegraph with the Allied Authorities in Paris, were communicated to the Austrian Commander, and were accepted. The Armistice with Austria was signed in the Villa Giusti, near Padua, on November 3, and it was granted to take effect on November 4, at three o’clock in the afternoon. Austria and Hungary signed separate armistices following the overthrow of the Habsburg Monarchy and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
