Italy's response

The Isonzo river - red line shows
limits of Italian advance in 1916 

Notwithstanding the Austrian surge and attempted breakthrough from the Trentino salient in May (Blog 3/5/2016), Italy had been busy organising and planning further actions in her series of battles on the river Isonzo through 1916. The River Isonzo at that time marked the Italian Austrian border for 60+ miles from the mountains to the Adriatic. Its lower reaches guarded the passage across a large limestone plateau, the Carso - an opening to the Adriatic Sea and the north west of the Balkan Peninsula. The first four Isonzo Battles in 1915 consisted of Italian assaults, directed by the C-in-C Cadorna, all lasting 2-3 weeks before exhaustion and high losses led to western front style trench warfare. The fifth battle in March 1916 was part of the Allies deal to support Joffre with simultaneous advances to take the pressure off Verdun. The Italian forces were barely ready to go again, and the winter weather was still dreadful. The battle, such as it was lasted for an indeterminate week. Shortly after this Cadorna became aware of Austrian activity in the Trentino and further actions further south on the Isonzo front were put on hold.

Since Cadorna’s announcement on June 3^rd that the Austrian invasion had been rebuffed, the Austrians had not given up entirely in their efforts to break out of their Trentino salient towards the main communication lines to Venice and the Isonzo front (see Blog 3/5/16). Throughout June, determined Italian counter-attacks attempted to defeat both the dreadful conditions and the Austrian flanks. On 16^th June, Cadorna’s right flank, comprising the elite Alpini troops drove in the north east side of the salient and advanced towards the strategically important town of Asiago. By this time the Austrians were feeling the reverberations of Brusilov’s assault far to the north, and some of their reserves had to be diverted to shore up positions there. Cadorna’s forces entered Asiago on 27^th June, and in the next two days won back 50% of the ground they had lost over the preceding two months. The Austrians withdrew further to advantageous defensive positions. These represented some gains from their starting point on 14^th May, but Conrad’s strategy had failed completely – and at the cost of weakening his Russian front defences, now being shattered by Brusilov’s generals. The Austrians, already enfeebled were now in a parlous state.

For the Italians, their successful rebuttal of the invasion had the opposite effect. Public opinion was galvanized, and the support for the war increased. Before being so rudely interrupted, Cadorna’s staff had been preparing their own plans for yet another attack along the River Isonzo front. Already there had been five major battles for the contested river and coastal plains, which were the only lowland links between the Italian and Balkan peninsulas.

On this occasion Cadorna planned to push for control of Gorizia (Gorz), where the centre of his front was now held up, and also for the high ground of Mon San Michele, a few miles to the south. Victories here could create a gap wide enough to push south eastwards towards the Adriatic port of Trieste – territory they had long coveted.

Planning for the attack had begun in early 1916, with movement of heavy artillery to the area. Even as fighting continued in the Trentino in late June, Cadorna was moving resources eastwards in readiness. In mid June, a successful raid on Monfalcone, much nearer to the coast had captured enemy trenches and 500 prisoners. It was here that Cadorna planned a diversionary attack to be launched before his main assault between Sabotino and San Michele.

Italian Cavalry entering Gorizia on 9th August.
Despite heavy bombardment of the lines, the
town was not reduced to rubble like so
many others.

By the end of July preparations were completed. On 1^st August Cadorna unleashed a bombardment from Sabotino to the sea. This was the most concerted bombardment of the war to date on the Italian front, and it shocked the complacent and poorly prepared Austrian commander Boroevic, who assumed his colleagues in Trentino had crippled Italian capabilities. On 4^th August, the feint against Monfalcone was launched, and Boroevic duly obliged by sending reserves from Gorizia to defend it (unsuccessfully). Then two days later Cadorna made his main attack on Gorizia. It was late in the afternoon after a renewed bombardment. Within 48 hours the Italians attained their main objectives the town of Gorizia and the heights of San Michele, inflicting 80,000 Austrian casualties along the main battlefront, and taking 12,000 prisoners. At this euphoric moment Cadorna could scent an even greater victory with a further advance eastwards across the Carso plateau towards Trieste. On the 10^th, he began his push, but the high ground along his route was well defended and hampered his progress. After a further week of halting advances Cadorna decided to hold what he had, and consolidated his positions east of Gorizia. The sixth battle of the Isonzo had petered out like the previous five, but this time significant gains had been made (see map). The Italians were uplifted again and the Austrians suffered another crushing below to their morale and self-respect.

Both sides experienced major political consequences. Italy to date had only declared war on Austria and Turkey, and still remained officially at peace with Germany. Emboldened by military success and incensed by Germany’s hostile response to any of their initiatives, the Italian King authorized his government to declare war on Germany on 27^th August. One month later Cadorna regrouped his forces for a further push across the Carso plateau – the seventh battle of the Isonzo, but this lasted only 3 days, with some minor gains. The arrival of winter terminated what had been a pretty good 1916 campaign for Italy.

Emperor Charles I
Mission Impossible

Austria lurched from her military nightmare to a constitutional crisis when, November 21^st 1916, Francis Joseph died. Aged 85 years, he had been Emperor for 68 years – longer than Victoria’s reign, or even our present Queen Elizabeth II. Most of the Empire’s population had known only him as their sovereign, and his death took away their remaining pillar of stability. His only possible successor was 30 years old Archduke Charles Francis Joseph, son of the younger brother of the assassinated Franz Ferdinand. Charles was well meaning, and held some liberal views, but he inherited an impossible position and he and his Empire were trapped together in a journey to the end of the line.