Second Battle of the Isonzo

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Second Battle of the Isonzo
Part of the Italian Front
(World War I)
WWI - Second Battle of the Isonzo - 20th Cavalleggeri di Roma Cavalry Regiment position in the Carso.jpg
Cavalry Regiment "Cavalleggeri di Roma" (20th) soldiers during the Second Battle of the Isonzo
Date18 July – 3 August 1915
Location
Soča river, northwest Slovenia
Result Italian tactical victory
Belligerents
Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg  Italy Flag of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918).svg  Austria-Hungary
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg Luigi Cadorna (Chief of Staff of the Italian Army)
Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg Pietro Frugoni (Commander of Second Army)
Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia (Commander of Third Army)
Flag of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918).svg Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf (Chief of the General Staff)
Flag of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918).svg Archduke Eugen of Austria-Teschen (Commander of Southwest Front)
Flag of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918).svg Svetozar Boroević von Bojna (Commander of Fifth Army)
Flag of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918).svg Colonel Richter (Commander of Richter Group)
Strength
250,000 [1] 78,000 [1]
Casualties and losses
41,800 losses [1] 46,600 losses [1]

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.

Contents

Overview

After the failure of the First Battle of the Isonzo, two weeks earlier, Luigi Cadorna, commander-in-chief of the Italian forces, decided for a new thrust against the Austro-Hungarian lines with heavier artillery support.

The overall plans of the Italian offensive were barely changed by the outcomes of the previous fight, besides the role of general Frugoni's Second Army, which this time had, on paper, to carry out only demonstrative attacks all over his front. The major role, assigned to the Duke of Aosta's Third Army, was to conquer Monte San Michele (Debela griža) and Mount Cosich (Košnik), cutting the enemy line and opening the way to Gorizia.

General Cadorna's tactics were to advance his troops in a frontal assault against the Austro-Hungarian line, overcome the enemy's barbed-wire fences, and take the trenches, after a heavy artillery bombardment. The insufficiency of war materiel – from rifles, to artillery shells, to shears to cut barbed wire – nullified the Italians' numerical superiority.

The battle

Repulsed Italian attack against the Austro-Hungarian positions on the Doberdo plateau (German illustration) Repulsed Italian attack against the Austro-Hungarian positions on the Doberdo plateau.png
Repulsed Italian attack against the Austro-Hungarian positions on the Doberdo plateau (German illustration)

The Karst Plateau was the site of an exhausting series of hand-to-hand fights involving the Italian Second and Third Armies, with severe casualties on both sides. Bayonets, swords, knives, and various scrap metal and debris were all used in the melee fights. The Austro-Hungarian 20th Honvéd Infantry Division lost two-thirds of its effective strength and was routed due to a combination of the successive Italian Army attacks and the unfavorable terrain.

On 25 July the Italians occupied the Cappuccio Wood, a position west of Mount San Michele, which was not very steep but dominated quite a large area including the Austro-Hungarian bridgehead of Gorizia from the South. Mount San Michele was briefly held by Italian forces, but was recaptured during a desperate counterattack by Colonel Richter, who commanded a group of elite regiments.[ further explanation needed ]

In the northern section of the front, the Julian Alps, the Italians managed to overrun Mount Batognica over Kobarid (Caporetto), which would have an important strategic value in future battles.

The battle wore down when both sides ran out of ammunition. The total casualties during the three-week battle were about 91,000 men, of which 43,000 Italians and 48,000  Austro-Hungarians.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bihl, Wolfdieter (2010). Der Erste Weltkrieg 1914-1918: Chronik, Daten, Fakten. Vienna.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Further reading

45°51′48″N13°31′41″E / 45.86333°N 13.52806°E / 45.86333; 13.52806