Author: Jauko

Second Battle of the Isonzo (18 July - 3 August 1915) After the failure of the First Battle of the Isonzo, two weeks earlier, Luigi Cadorna, commander-in-chief of the Italian forces, decided for a new thrust against the enemy lines with a heavier artillery support. The overall plans of the Italian offensive were barely changed by the outcomes of the previous fight, besides the role of general Frugoni' Second Army, which this time had, on paper, to carry out only demonstrative attacks all over his front. The major role was assigned to the Duke of Savoy's Third Army, that must conquer Mount San Michele and Mount Cosich, cutting the enemy line and opening the way to Gorizia. General Cadorna's tactics were as simple as they were harsh: after a heavy…

Third Battle of the Isonzo (18 October - 3 November 1915) After roughly two and a half months of reprieve to recuperate from the casualties incurred from frontal assaults from the First and Second Battle of the Isonzo, Luigi Cadorna, Italian commander-in-chief, understood that artillery played a fundamental role on the front and brought the total number to 1,200 pieces. The main objectives were to take the Austro-Hungarian bridgeheads at Bovec (Plezzo in Italian) and Tolmin, if possible the town of Gorizia. Cadorna's tactic, of deploying his forces evenly along the entire Soča (Isonzo), proved indecisive. The Austro-Hungarians took advantage of the relatively small areas of attack to concentrate their firepower on those areas. Battle Thanks to extensive artillery barrages, the Italians were able to advance to Plave (Plava in…

Fourth Battle of the Isonzo (10 November - 2 December 1915) In contrast to the other three Battles of the Isonzo (June, July and October), this offensive lasted a short amount of time, and is sometimes considered a continuation of the previous offensive. Most of the clash concentrated in the direction of Gorizia and on the Kras Plateau, though the push was distributed on the whole Isonzo front. The 2nd Italian Army, aiming to Gorizia, was able to capture the hilly area around Oslavia and San Floriano del Collio overlooking the Soča (Isonzo) and the town of Gorizia. The Third Army, covering the rest of the front up to the sea, launched a series of large and bloody attacks which brought no significative gain. Mount Sei Busi, already the scene…

Fifth Battle of the Isonzo (9 - 17 March 1916) After four attempts to cross the Soča (Isonzo) river and invade Austro-Hungarian territory, Luigi Cadorna, the Italian commander-in-chief, organized a strong new offensive following the winter lull in fighting which had allowed the Italian High Command to regroup and organize 8 new divisions for the front. However, it was an offensive launched not after detailed strategic planning, but rather as a distraction to shift the Central Powers away from the Eastern Front and from Verdun, where the greatest bloodshed of the war was occurring. The attack was a result of the allied Chantilly Conference of December 1915. The battle The attacks ordered by Cadorna for the 2nd and 3rd Italian armies as "demonstrations" against the enemy, proved to be less…

Sixth Battle of the Isonzo (6 - 17 August 1916) Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf had reduced the Austro-Hungarian forces along the Soča (Isonzo) front to reinforce his Trentino Offensive. Italian Chief-of-Staff Luigi Cadorna made good use of railroads to quickly shift troops from Trentino back to the Isonzo line for an offensive against the weakened Austro-Hungarian defenses. Battle On 6 August the offensive was launched against Gorizia. The offensive was concentrated in two zones: the hilly area west of the Soča (Isonzo) river near Gorizia the westernmost edge of the Karst Plateau near Doberdò del Lago. In the Battle of Doberdò, the Italians managed to conquer the main transport road leading from the coast town of Duino to Gorizia, thus securing their advance to Gorizia from the south. The Austro-Hungarian…

Seventh Battle of the Isonzo (14 - 17 September 1916) A short, sharp encounter fought from 14-17 September 1916, the Seventh Battle of the Isonzo saw Italian Chief of Staff Luigi Cadorna shift his focus from broad-based diversionary attacks to tightly focused initiatives directed at single targets. This latest Isonzo battle saw the Italian Third Army, with a large amount of artillery, attack on the Carso toward Nova Vas. Following the a successful first day, Nova Vas was assaulted on the second day with substantial artillery bombardments on German bunkers. Within minutes of the Italians ceasing fire, the Austro-Hungarian forces surrendered. Nevertheless Cadorna's continued offensives along the Soča (Isonzo) did succeed in wearing away at Austro-Hungarian resources, both in terms of manpower and in crucial artillery availability. As each battle…

Eighth Battle of the Isonzo (10 - 12 October 1916) The Eighth Battle of the Isonzo, fought briefly from 10–12 October 1916, was essentially a continuation of attempts made during the Seventh Battle of the Isonzo (14–17 September 1916) to extend the bridgehead established at Gorizia during the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo in August 1916. Italian Chief of Staff Luigi Cadorna was determined to continue Italian attacks to the left of the town, a policy that continued during the following (ninth) battle - with an equal lack of success. As with the earlier, Seventh, attack, heavy Italian casualties required that the short, sharp concentrated initiative be called off pending the army's recuperation. The seemingly interminable Isonzo onslaught was next renewed with the Ninth Battle of the Isonzo on 1…