4. Start of offensive

 

The offensive was carefully prepared and secured on the material side. Below tried to leave nothing to chance and received important news about Italian positions.

The mountain terrain between Bovec (Plezzo, Flitsch) and Tolmin, which was defended by the Italian 2nd Army, was chosen to carry out these intentions. Caporetto, a few kilometers behind the Soca's queue, was the natural link of the queue on both wings - at Bovec and Tolmin. The German 14th Army Otty von Below, reinforced by the Austro-Hungarian divisions, has gradually moved to the embassies between the two towns. The four groups (from the north) Krauss, Stein, Berrer, Scotti formed this 14th army. On the right side was the Austro-Hungarian 10th Army, and on the left (in the middle and south sections of the Saxon Front), there were two Sachs army, to which the only single army had been divided.

On October 24, around 2 am, an allied offensive was launched by deploying gas in the Bovce basin alongside Soča in the misty weather, which was to the benefit of a fast-paced attacker. Six hours later, heavy artillery was added, which gradually increased. There was still a fog in the valleys, the snow blizzard drifting over the ridges. Upon completion of the artillery preparation, the Krauss group set off at Bovce on the right wing of the 14th Army. Already at around ten o'clock, "The Striking Front of the 22nd Rifle Division, the 26th Rifle Regiment, in cooperation with the Battalion of the 3rd Rifle Regiment, broke the first Italian line at the eastern edge of Bovce at about 10 am." In the evening it was without a special fight in the hands of the second and third Italian divisions, and the 43rd Shooter Brigade went to the village of Saga. Although the other parts of the church (for example, at Rombon) did not succeed, the path to the west was open.

 

Source:

 

FUČÍK, J.: Soča (Isonzo) 1917, Prague-Litomyšl 1999.

FUČÍK, J. / PAVLÍK, M.: Sočská fronta 1915-1917, Prague 2008.

ŠEDIVÝ, I.: Češi, české země a Velká válka 1914-1918, Prague 2001.

 

Battle - German assault troops with MG 08/15 

Source: 

https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitva_u_Caporetta#/media/Soubor:Plotone_d'assalto_tedesco_con_MG0815.jpg