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Ninth Battle of the Isonzo | |||||||
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Part of the Italian Front (World War I) | |||||||
Italian infantry after leaving the trenches on the eve of the battle | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Kingdom of Italy | Austria-Hungary German Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Luigi Cadorna | Svetozar Boroević | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
225 battalions 1,400 artillery pieces | 150 battalions 800 artillery pieces | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
4,785 killed 19,922 wounded 9,217 missing or captured | 2,382 killed 12,028 wounded 8,119 missing or captured |
The Ninth Battle of the Isonzo was an Italian offensive against Austria-Hungary in the course World War I. Including a triumvirate of battles launched after the Italians' successful seizure of Gorizia in August 1916 to extend their bridgehead to the left of the town, it ended in further failure for the Italian Chief of Staff Luigi Cadorna.
The battle started with an attack on Vrtojba and the northern and central areas of the Karst Plateau. [1] [ self-published source ] With the ninth battle fought from 1–4 November 1916 the combined casualty total from the three linked battles proved sufficiently heavy to ensure that each attack was of short duration (each less than a week). The Italians suffered 75,000 casualties and the Austro-Hungarians 63,000.
As always along the Soča (Isonzo), the Austro-Hungarian Army's command of the mountainous terrain provided a formidable natural barrier to the Italians' attempts to achieve a breakthrough. Cadorna had intended to ensure such a breakthrough in the wake of the capture of Gorizia during the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo, but instead the war of attrition gathered pace.
Neither side could particularly afford the casualties suffered but the Austro-Hungarians in particular were finding their defensive lines increasingly stretched. Realising this they continued to call upon their German ally to provide military assistance within the sector. When the Germans finally assented (sensing the potential collapse of the Austro-Hungarian position) and constructed a combined force in time for the Twelfth Battle of Isonzo, the results were dramatic.
However, with the ninth battle called off in failure on 4 November 1916 and the Italians undeniably weakened by continual offensive operations throughout the year - 1916 had seen five Isonzo operations on top of four undertaken the year before - a lengthy break was taken for the winter.
Operations renewed afresh with the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo on 12 May 1917.
Soča or Isonzo is a 138-kilometre (86 mi) long river that flows through western Slovenia and northeastern Italy.
The Battle of Caporetto took place on the Italian front of World War I.
Marshal of Italy Luigi Cadorna, was an Italian general, Marshal of Italy and Count, most famous for being the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army from 1914 until 1917 during World War I. Commanding the Italian army on the Italian front, he acquired a reputation for rigid discipline and the harsh treatment of his troops. Cadorna launched multiple offensives across the Isonzo front during which the Italian army made gradual gains, notably capturing Gorizia after containing the Strafexpedition, but suffered heavy casualties. Following a major defeat at the Battle of Caporetto in late 1917, he was relieved as Chief of Staff.
The Sixth Battle of the Isonzo, better known as the Battle of Gorizia, was the most successful Italian offensive along the Soča River during World War I.
The First Battle of the Isonzo was fought between the armies of Italy and Austria-Hungary on the northeastern Italian Front in World War I, between 23 June and 7 July 1915.
The Second Battle of the Isonzo was fought between the armies of the Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary in the Italian Front in World War I, between 18 July and 3 August 1915.
The Third Battle of the Isonzo was fought from 18 October through 4 November 1915 between the armies of Italy and Austria-Hungary.
The Battle of Doberdò took place near Doberdò del Lago in August 1916 between armies of Kingdom of Italy and Austria-Hungary. The Austro-Hungarian army was primarily made up of regiments filled with Hungarians and Slovenians. The battle was a part of the sixth battle of the Isonzo, and occurred in a strategic area of westernmost edge of the Karst Plateau. Italians had already conquered the lowland area surrounding Monfalcone and Ronchi, and attempted to push over the Karst Plateau to seize control of the major road that linked the city of Trieste and its port with Gorizia. After fierce combat, and sustained heavy casualties, Italian forces forced Austro-Hungarian forces to retreat and captured Gorizia.
The Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo was a World War I battle fought by the Italian and Austro-Hungarian Armies on the Italian Front between 18 August and 12 September 1917.
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.
The Fourth Battle of the Isonzo was fought between the armies of Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front in World War I, between 10 November and 2 December 1915.
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 Fifth Battle of the Isonzo was fought from March 9–15, 1916 between the armies of the Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary. The Italians had decided to launch another offensive on the Soča River.
The Seventh Battle of the Isonzo was fought from September 14–17, 1916 between the armies of the Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary. It followed the Italian successes during the Trentino Offensive and the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo in the spring of 1916.
The Eighth Battle of the Isonzo was fought October 10–12, 1916 between Italy and Austria-Hungary.
The Tenth Battle of the Isonzo was an Italian offensive against Austria-Hungary during World War I.
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 following events occurred in Italy in the year 1916.
Events from the year 1917 in Italy.
The Battle of Hill 383 was a military engagement between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy on the Italian front of World War I, lasting from June 1915 to July 1917. The battle took place on a hill later called Mount Prižnica, located near the town of Plave in present Slovenia. The Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies clashed for two years in an attempt to occupy it; the bloodiest clash occurred on 17 June 1915 when General Luigi Cadorna wanted to offer king Victor Emmanuel III a conquest which he could witness in person. This "demonstration" caused the death of over 8,000 men who were massacred in a frontal attack against Austrian machine guns. The fighting was continuing for the next two years, until Mount Prižnica was took by Italians during the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo.