The First Battle of the Isonzo was fought between the Armies of
Italy and
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...
on the northeastern
Italian Front in
World War I, between 23 June and 7 July 1915.
The aim of the Italian Army was to drive the Austrians away from its defensive positions along the Isonzo and
Soča
The Soča ( in Slovene) or Isonzo ( in Italian; other names fur, Lusinç, german: Sontig, la, Aesontius or ') is a long river that flows through western Slovenia () and northeastern Italy ().
An Alpine river in character, its source lies ...
rivers and on the nearby mountains and hopefully capture the port of Trieste.
Although the Italians enjoyed a 2:1 numeric superiority, their offensive failed because the Italian commander,
Luigi Cadorna
Marshal of Italy Luigi Cadorna, (4 September 1850 – 21 December 1928) was an Italian general, Marshal of Italy and Count most famous for being the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army from 1914-1917 of World War I.
Early career
Luigi Cado ...
, employed
frontal assault
The military tactic of frontal assault is a direct, full-force attack on the front line of an enemy force, rather than to the flanks or rear of the enemy. It allows for a quick and decisive victory, but at the cost of subjecting the attackers to ...
s after impressive (but short)
artillery barrages. The Austro-Hungarians had the advantage of fighting from uphill positions barricaded with barbed wire which were able to easily resist the Italian assault.
The Italians had some early successes. They partially took Monte Nero (Monte Krn), took Monte Colowrat, and captured the heights around Plezzo. However, they were unable to dislodge the Austro-Hungarian troops from the high ground between Tolmino and the Isonzo, which would later form a launching off point for the
Caporetto Offensive. The heaviest fighting occurred around
Gorizia
Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gorit ...
. In addition to the natural defenses of the river and mountains, bastions were created at Oslavia and
Podgora. The fighting at Gorizia consisted of street-by-street urban combat interspersed with artillery fire. Italian troops, such as the Italian Re and Casale Brigades, were able to advance as far as the suburbs but could get no further and were driven back. They made small footholds at Sagrado and Redipuglia on the
Karst Plateau
The Karst Plateau or the Karst region ( sl, Kras, it, Carso), also locally called Karst, is a karst plateau region extending across the border of southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy.
It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills s ...
south of Gorizia but were unable to do much else.
On the Austrian-Hungarian side two commanders distinguished themselves: Major General Géza Lukachich von Somorja, commander of the 5th Mountain Brigade, who retook Redipuglia, and Major General Novak von Arienti who retook Hill 383 (overlooking Plave) with his 1st Mountain Brigade.
Early in July the commander of the Austro-Hungarian Fifth Army, General
Svetozar Boroević
Svetozar Boroević von Bojna (or Borojević) (13 December 1856 – 23 May 1920) was an Austro-Hungarian field marshal who was described as one of the finest defensive strategists of the First World War. He commanded Austro-Hungarian forces i ...
, received two reinforcement
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
s, which put an end to the Italian efforts at breaking through the Austro-Hungarian lines.
The final Italian gains were minimal: in the northern sector, they conquered the heights over
Bovec (Mount
Kanin); in the southern sector, they conquered the westernmost ridges of the Kras plateau near
Fogliano Redipuglia
Fogliano Redipuglia ( Bisiacco: ; fur, Foian Redipulie; sl, Foljan-Sredipolje, german: Radepollach) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about southwest of Gorizia ...
and
Monfalcone
Monfalcone (; Bisiacco: ; fur, Monfalcon; sl, Tržič; archaic german: Falkenberg) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Gorizia in Friuli Venezia Giulia, northern Italy, located on the Gulf of Trieste. Monfalcone means 'falcon mountain' ...
.
Involved units
See also
*
History of Austria
The history of Austria covers the history of Austria and its predecessor states. In the late Iron Age Austria was occupied by people of the Hallstatt Celtic culture (c. 800 BC), they first organized as a Celtic kingdom referred to by the Romans ...
*
Italy in World War I
References
* Österreichisches Staatsarchiv/Kriegsarchiv Wien
*L'esercito italiano nella grande guerra (1915–1918) Volume I - IV / Roma: Ministerio della Guerra - Ufficio Storico, 1929–1974
*Ministero della Guerra Stato Maggiore centrale - Ufficio Storico. ''Guerra Italo-Austriaca 1915-18. Le medaglie d'Oro''. Volume secondo - 1916. Roma: 1923
*''Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg 1914-1918'' Band II Verlag der Militärwissenschftlichen Mitteilungen Wien 1931-1933
*Anton Graf Bossi-Fedrigotti: ''Kaiserjäger - Ruhm und Ende''. Stocker Verlag, Graz 1977
*http://www.worldwar1.com/itafront/ison1915.htm
Further reading
*Macdonald, John, and Željko Cimprič. ''Caporetto and the Isonzo Campaign: The Italian Front, 1915-1918''. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military, 2011.
*Page, Thomas Nelson, (1920) "''Italy and the World War''". New York, Charles Scribner's Sons
Full Text Available Online
*
External links
at FirstWorldWar.com
The Walks of Peace in the Soča Region Foundation The Foundation preserves, restores and presents the historical and cultural heritage of the First World War in the area of the Isonzo Front for the study, tourist and educational purposes.
Društvo Soška Fronta (in Slovenian)Pro Hereditate - extensive site (in En/It/Sl)
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Isonzo 01
Isonzo 01
Isonzo 01
Isonzo 01
the Isonzo
1915 in Italy
1915 in Austria-Hungary
June 1915 events
July 1915 events