Battles of Monte Grappa (1917–1918) | |||||||
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Part of the Italian Front of the First World War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Austria-Hungary German Empire (1917 only) | Kingdom of Italy Romanian Legion | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Archduke Eugen of Austria (1st) Arz von Straußenburg (2nd and 3rd) | Armando Diaz | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
120,000 | 134,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
21,000 during the first battle, 34,000 during the third battle | 12,000 during the first battle, 17,000 during the third battle |
The Battles of Monte Grappa were a series of three battles which were fought during World War I between the armies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy for control of the Monte Grappa massif, as it covered the left flank of the Italian Piave front.
The first of these battles became the most famous as it brought the Austrian advance to a halt following the Austro-Hungarian fall offensive of 1917. The Italian Chief of the general staff general Luigi Cadorna had ordered to construct fortified defenses on the Monte Grappa summit to make the mountain an impregnable fortress. When the Austro-Hungarian fall offensive of 1917 routed the Italians, the Austrians, with help from the German Army's Alpenkorps failed to take the mountain's summit during the first battle of Monte Grappa from November 11, 1917, to December 23, 1917. Thus, the Italian front along the Piave river was stabilized and, although the Austrians could see Venice from their positions, they would never reach it. Italian casualties totaled 12,000 and Austrian casualties 21,000. [1]
The second battle of Monte Grappa was complementary to the wider Austrian summer offensive of 1918, which was the last offensive operation of the Austro–Hungarian Army in World War I.
The third battle of Monte Grappa started on October 24, 1918, as part of the final Italian offensive of the war, when 9 Italian divisions attacked the Austrian positions on Monte Grappa. The Austrians answered by increasing their forces on the mountain from 9 to 15 divisions and thus committing all remaining reserves. But the worn down Austrian Army began a general retreat on October 28, when Czechoslovakia declared independence from Austria-Hungary.
Monte Grappa appears in Electronic Arts' 2016 first-person shooter video game Battlefield 1 as a multiplayer map. The map is set during the final Italian offensive in the Third Battle of Monte Grappa pitting Austro-Hungarian forces against the Kingdom of Italy. The map is part of the "Iron Walls" operation set during the 1918 Italian offensive. In Single Player, you play as an Arditi named Luca Vincenzo. In Multiplayer, you play either as a regular Italian Army soldier or an Austro-Hungarian, depending on who you choose to side. [2] The map also appears in the game as part of the singleplayer campaign under the name Avanti Savoia It has also appeared in 2022 Multiplayer video game Isonzo (video game) as a playable map.
The Battle of Caporetto took place on the Italian front of World War I.
The Second Battle of the Piave River, fought between 15 and 23 June 1918, was a decisive victory for the Italian Army against the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I, as Italy was part of the Allied Forces, while Austria-Hungary was part of the Central Powers. Though the battle proved to be a decisive blow to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and by extension the Central Powers, its full significance was not initially appreciated in Italy. Yet Erich Ludendorff, on hearing the news, is reported to have said he 'had the sensation of defeat for the first time'. It would later become clear that the battle was in fact the beginning of the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The 1st Army was a Royal Italian Army field army, in World War I, facing Austro-Hungarian and German forces, and in World War II, fighting on the North African front.
The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought from 24 October to 3 November 1918 near Vittorio Veneto on the Italian Front during World War I. After having thoroughly defeated Austro-Hungarian troops during the defensive Battle of the Piave River, the Italian army launched a great counter-offensive: the Italian victory marked the end of the war on the Italian Front, secured the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and contributed to the end of the First World War just one week later. The battle led to the capture of over 5,000 artillery pieces and over 350,000 Austro-Hungarian troops, including 120,000 Germans, 83,000 Czechs and Slovaks, 60,000 South Slavs, 40,000 Poles, several tens of thousands of Romanians and Ukrainians, and 7,000 Austro-Hungarian loyalist Italians and Friulians.
Armando Diaz, 1st Duke della Vittoria, was an Italian general and a Marshal of Italy. He is mostly known for his role as Chief of Staff of the Regio Esercito during World War I from November 1917. He managed to stop the Austro-Hungarian advance along the Piave River in the First Battle of Monte Grappa. In June 1918, he led the Italian forces to a major victory at the Second Battle of the Piave River. A few months later, he achieved a decisive victory in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, which ended the war on the Italian Front. He is celebrated as one of the greatest generals of the war.
Monte Grappa is a mountain of the Venetian Prealps in Veneto, Italy. It lies between the Venetian plain to the south and the central alpine areas to the north. To the west, it is parted from the Asiago upland by the Brenta river, and to the east it is separated from the Cesen-Visentin massif by the Piave river. To the north lie Corlo lake and Feltre valley. In the past, the mountain was called Alpe Madre, and is currently divided among three provinces: Vicenza to the west, Treviso to the south and Belluno to the northeast. It is the highest peak of a small massif, which also includes many other peaks such as Col Moschin, Colle della Berretta, Monte Asolone, Monte Pertica, Prassolan, Monti Solaroli, Fontana Secca, Monte Peurna, Monte Santo, Monte Tomatico, Meatte, Monte Pallon, and Monte Tomba.
Although a member of the Triple Alliance, Italy did not join the Central Powers – Germany and Austria-Hungary – when the war started with Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. In fact, the two Central Powers had taken the offensive while the Triple Alliance was supposed to be a defensive alliance. Moreover the Triple Alliance recognized that both Italy and Austria-Hungary were interested in the Balkans and required both to consult each other before changing the status quo and to provide compensation for whatever advantage in that area: Austria-Hungary did consult Germany but not Italy before issuing the ultimatum to Serbia, and refused any compensation before the end of the war.
Gaetano Giardino was an Italian soldier that rose to the rank of Marshal of Italy and Italian Representative to the Allied War Council during World War I.
Monte Piana is a 2,324-metre (7,625 ft) tall mountain in the Sexten Dolomites and located on the border between the provinces of South Tyrol and Belluno. The smaller Northern summit of the mountain is named Monte Piano (2,305m).
The Battles of the Isonzo were a series of twelve battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I mostly on the territory of present-day Slovenia, and the remainder in Italy along the Isonzo River on the eastern sector of the Italian Front between June 1915 and November 1917.
The First Battle of the Piave River, was fought during World War I between the armies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire supported by the German Empire against the Kingdom of Italy along the Piave river.
The mines on the Italian front during the First World War comprised a series of underground explosive charges of varying sizes, secretly planted between 1916 and 1918 by Austro-Hungarian and Italian tunneling units beneath their enemy's lines along the Italian front in the Dolomite section of the Alps.
The Alpini are a specialised mountain warfare infantry corps of the Italian Army, which distinguished itself in World War I fighting in the Alps against Austro-Hungarian Kaiserjäger and the German Alpenkorps. The Alpini were supported by the Mountain Artillery, which both share the Cappello Alpino as identifying symbol. Below follow tables listing the regiments, battalions and groups, companies and batteries of the Alpini and Mountain Artillery active in World War I.
The military memorial of Monte Grappa is the largest Italian military ossuary of the First World War. It is located on the summit of Monte Grappa between the provinces of Treviso and Vicenza, at 1,776 meters above sea level. Access to the memorial is via the Strada Cadorna, built by the army on the orders of General Luigi Cadorna to bring construction materials for the fortification on Monte Grappa in 1917.
The 45th Infantry Regiment "Reggio" is an active unit of the Italian Army based in Sassari in Sardinia. The unit is named for the city of Reggio Emilia and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. On 1 October 2022, the name, flag and traditions of the regiment were assigned to the Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Sassari" of the Mechanized Brigade "Sassari". On the same day the unit was renamed 45th Command and Tactical Supports Unit "Reggio". On 1 July 1859, during the Second Italian War of Independence, a Volunteer Battalion was formed in Modena. By 29 July, three volunteer battalions had been formed and the three battalions were used to form the 3rd Infantry Regiment. In August 1860, the regiment was assigned, together with the 4th Infantry Regiment, to the newly formed Brigade "Reggio" of the Army of the League of Central Italy. On 1 January 1860, the 3rd Infantry Regiment was renumbered 45th Infantry Regiment, and on 25 March 1860, the regiment joined the Royal Sardinian Army.
The 46th Infantry Regiment "Reggio" is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Palermo. The regiment is named for the city of Reggio Emilia and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. On 8 August 1859, a Volunteer Battalion was formed in Modena, which soon was assigned with two other volunteer battalions to the newly formed 4th Infantry Regiment. The new regiment was assigned, together with the 3rd Infantry Regiment, to the newly formed Brigade "Reggio" of the Army of the League of Central Italy. On 1 January 1860, the 4th Infantry Regiment was renumbered 46th Infantry Regiment, and on 25 March 1860, the regiment joined the Royal Sardinian Army.
The 59th Infantry Regiment "Calabria" is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Cividale. The regiment is named for the region of Calabria and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. The regiment was one of ten infantry regiments formed by the Royal Italian Army on 16 April 1861. In 1866, the regiment participated in the Third Italian War of Independence. During World War I, the regiment fought on the Italian front. During World War II, the regiment was assigned to the 31st Infantry Division "Calabria", which remained on the island of Sardinia throughout the war.
The 60th Infantry Regiment "Calabria" is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Trapani. The regiment is named for the region of Calabria and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. The regiment was one of ten infantry regiments formed by the Royal Italian Army on 16 April 1861. In 1866, the regiment participated in the Third Italian War of Independence and in 1911–12 in the Italo-Turkish War. During World War I, the regiment fought on the Italian front. In 1935-36 the regiment fought in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. During World War II, the regiment was assigned to the 31st Infantry Division "Calabria", which remained on the island of Sardinia throughout the war.
The 41st Infantry Regiment "Modena" is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Gradisca d'Isonzo. The regiment is named for the city of Modena and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. On 7 May 1859, a volunteer unit was formed in Sarzana, which on 16 June was split into two regiments. The two regiment were assigned to the newly formed Brigade "Modena". On 1 January 1860, the two regiments were renumbered 41st Infantry Regiment and 42nd Infantry Regiment, and on 25 March 1860, the regiments joined the Royal Sardinian Army.
The 37th Infantry Regiment "Ravenna" is an inactive unit of the Italian Army last based in Bologna. The regiment is named for the city of Ravenna and part of the Italian Army's infantry arm. On 31 May 1859, two regiments were formed in Arezzo for the Second Italian War of Independence. During the war the two regiments occupied Rimini, where the regiments were assigned to the XI Brigade, which was soon renamed Brigade "Ravenna". On 1 January 1860, the two regiments were renumbered 37th Infantry Regiment and 38th Infantry Regiment, and on 25 March 1860, the regiments joined the Royal Sardinian Army.
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