Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo
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The Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo was a
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
battle fought by the Italian and
Austro-Hungarian 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 ...
Armies on the Italian Front between 18 August and 12 September 1917.


Background

On the Soča (Isonzo) River,
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 Cador ...
, the Italian Chief of Staff, concentrated three quarters of his troops: 600 battalions (52 divisions) with 5,200 guns.


Battle

The attack was carried forth from a front from
Tolmin Tolmin (; it, Tolmino,trilingual name ''Tolmein, Tolmino, Tolmin'' inGemeindelexikon, der im Reichsrate Vertretenen Königreiche und Länder. Bearbeit auf Grund der Ergebnisse der Volkszählung vom 31. Dezember 1900. Herausgegeben von der K.K. ...
(in the upper Isonzo valley) to the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
. The Italians crossed the river at several points on temporary bridges, but the main effort was exerted on the
Banjšice Plateau The Banjšice Plateau ( sl, Banjška planota, also or , it, Altopiano della Bainsizza) is a karst plateau in western Slovenia, in the traditional region of Goriška. It is a widely settled area, distinguished by its history and biodiversity. Geog ...
, whose capture was to further the offensive and break the Austro-Hungarian lines in two segments, isolating the strongholds of Mount Saint Gabriel and Mount
Hermada Monte Ermada, also known as Hermada ( sl, Grmada) is a hill on the Karst Plateau, near the border between the Italian provinces of Trieste and Gorizia. Most of it is located in the municipality of Duino-Aurisina, with its eastern appendages in S ...
. After fierce and deadly fightings, the Italian Second Army, led by General Capello, pushed back Boroević's ''Isonzo Armee'', conquering the Bainsizza and Mount Santo. Other positions were taken by the Duke of Aosta's Third Army. However, Mount Saint Gabriel and Mount Hermada turned out to be impregnable, and the offensive wore out. After the battle, the Austro-Hungarians were exhausted, and could not have withstood another attack. So were the Italians, who could not find the resources necessary for another assault, even though it might have been the decisive one. So the final result of the battle was an inconclusive bloodbath. Moreover, the end of the battle left the Italian Second Army (until then the most successful of the Italian Armies) split in two parts across the Soča (Isonzo), a weak point that proved to be decisive in the subsequent
Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Kobarid or the Battle of Karfreit) was a battle on the Italian front of World War I. The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central ...
. To commemorate the participation of the
Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment The Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment (') was a household- lifeguard (bodyguard) regiment of the Bavarian kings from the end of the Napoleonic Wars until the fall of the Wittelsbach monarchy and the subsequent disbanding of the Bavaria ...
,
Georg Fürst Georg may refer to: * ''Georg'' (film), 1997 *Georg (musical), Estonian musical * Georg (given name) * Georg (surname) * , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker See also * George (disambiguation) George may refer to: People * George (given name) * ...
wrote the March "Isonzo-Marsch". The Italians fired 5.5 million artillery shells during the battle, including poison gas shells. Faldella, Emilio: La grande guerra, vol. I, Milan 1978, pp. 274.


See also

* First Battle of the Isonzo – 23 June–7 July 1915 * Second Battle of the Isonzo – 18 July–3 August 1915 * Third Battle of the Isonzo – 18 October–3 November 1915 *
Fourth Battle of the Isonzo The Fourth Battle of the Isonzo was fought between the armies of Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front in World War I, between 10 November and 2 December 1915. Overview In contrast to the previous three Battles o ...
– 10 November–2 December 1915 *
Fifth Battle of the Isonzo The Fifth Battle of the Isonzo was fought from March 9–15, 1916 between the armies of the Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary. The Italians had decided to launch another offensive on the Soča (Isonzo) River. Background After four ...
– 9–17 March 1916 * Sixth Battle of the Isonzo – 6–17 August 1916 *
Seventh Battle of the Isonzo The Seventh Battle of the Isonzo was fought from September 14–17, 1916 between the armies of the Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary. It followed the Italian successes during the Trentino Offensive and the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo ...
– 14–17 September 1916 * Eighth Battle of the Isonzo – 10–12 October 1916 *
Ninth Battle of the Isonzo The Ninth Battle of the Isonzo was an Italian offensive against Austria-Hungary in the course World War I. Including a triumvirate of battles launched after the Italians' successful seizure of Gorizia in August 1916 to extend their bridgehead t ...
– 1–4 November 1916 * Tenth Battle of the Isonzo – 12 May–8 June 1917 * Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo – 24 October–7 November 1917 also known as the Battle of Caporetto


References


Further reading

*


External links


Eleventh Battle of the IsonzoThe 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

Pro Hereditate - extensive site
{{coord, 45.8000, N, 13.5333, E, source:wikidata, display=title Isonzo 11 Isonzo 11 Isonzo 11 Isonzo 11 Isonzo 11 the Isonzo 1917 in Italy 1917 in Austria-Hungary August 1917 events September 1917 events Military operations of World War I involving chemical weapons World War I crimes by the Allies Italian war crimes