Italian front 1915-1917 along the Isonzo river - 2021

The front in the Carnic Alps and the northern part of the Julian Alps formed a more peaceful stretch of the Italian front. But in October 1917 the southeastern part of the Julian Alps became a platform for the German-Austrian-Hungarian offensive after a breakthrough at Caporetto¹ and the subsequent advance of Austro-Hungarian troops to Veneto ended fighting in these two stretches of the front.

Immediately after the declaration of war by Italy, the Isonzo front became the scene of major struggles that quickly reached extreme dimensions and intensity.  Austro-Hungarian units were withdrawn from other fronts for this purpose. The first five divsions from the Balkans and three divisions from Galicia had arrived in Zagreb by 5 June 1915. The military headquarters of the 5th Army were established on 27 May and led by Svetozar Boroević von Bojna in Ljubljana, and then later in Postojna.

Italian troops crossing borders

Source:

VRIČAN, J.: Po zapadlých stopách českých vojáků: Z Julských Alp k Jadranu, Olomouc 2008.

Beginning on 24 May 1915, the forward units of the 2nd and 3nd Italian army began its attempts to conquer the border region of the Habsburg monarchy. The Italian artillery launched an attack by concentrating its fire on the railway transport in the Isonzo valley. The Italian infantry attacked the Austro-Hungarian defense along the entire Isonzo river, especially the bridgehead on the west bank at Gorizia². The forming of a continuous Austro-Hungarian defense along the Isonzo river took place in a complicated situation in which the defender had to face from the very beginning the vast numerical superiority of the Italian rivals.

¹ In Slovene Kobarid, in German Karfreit.

² In Slovene Gorica, in German Görz.

Source:

GOOCH, J.: The Italian Army and the First World War, Cambridge 2014.