Italian Campaign (World War I)
The Italian campaign was a series of battles fought between Austria-Hungary and Italy in the mountains of northern Italy between 1915 and 1918.
Italy did not fight for the Triple Alliance, despite promises to Germany and Austria-Hungary, in 1914, when World War I started. In 1915, Italy joined the Triple Entente to take part of Austria-Hungary. Italian irredentism wanted the province of Trento (Trentino), the port of Trieste and the province of Bolzano-Bozen (Alto Adige/Südtirol), Istria, and Dalmatia.
Italy had hoped to begin the war with a surprise attack to act quickly and capture several Austrian-held cities. However, the war in Italy soon turned to trench warfare, which was similar to that of the Western Front.
Italian Campaign (World War I) Media
- Anti-Italian WW1 leaflet (23 May 1915).jpg
Anti-Italian leaflet distributed by the Austro-Hungarian government, mocking Italy's entry in the war by describing it as the day "Italy died".
- Ausheben von Schützengräben a.d. Isonzofront (BildID 15606941).jpg
The digging of trenches on the Isonzo front by Austro-Hungarian soldiers
- The Italian Army during the First World War Q53420.jpg
Italian infantry soldier in full marching order; standard Italian Mod. 1909 uniform (used by line Infantery, Bersaglieri, Alpini and Carabinieri), infanterist cap (berretto) and standard Carcano M91 rifle.
- 35cm cannons of Ersatz Monarch-class battleships in the Italian front in 1916.jpg
Austro-Hungarian 350 mm L/45 M. 16 naval guns
- Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1970-073-25, Isonzo-Schlacht, Trainkolonne am Moistroka-Pass.jpg
The Austro-Hungarian supply line over the Vršič pass, October 1917
- Monte pasubio strada delle 52 gallerie imbocco di una galleria.JPG
A mine gallery in the ice at Pasubio
- Monte San Gabriele (Skabrijel), lövészárok, háttérben a Monte Santo. Fortepan 52341.jpg
Trenches at the mount Škabrijel in 1917
- Battle of Caporetto.jpg
- 1917 ortler vorgipfelstellung 3850 m highest trench in history of first world war.jpg
Austro-Hungarian trench in Ortler Alps, 1917
- Battle of Vittorio Veneto.jpg
The Italian front in 1918 and the Battle of Vittorio Veneto
References
- ↑ Presumed dead by 1921
- ↑ ca. 300,000 alone during Caporetto 24 October – 19 November 1917
- ↑ Exact figures missing in von Horstenau's work for the year 1916 are provided for August in Wilfried Thanner, Analyse des Stellungskrieges am Isonzo von 1915-1917, p. 301 link text and for the time period 15 May - 31 July 1916, from k.u.k. official reports, in Gianni Pieropan, 1916. Le montagne scottano, Tamari editori, Bologna, 1968, p. 214.
- ↑ 150,812 soldiers and 4,538 officers killed in action.
- ↑ How many of the 175,041 missing were presumed dead by 1921 is not determined. Overall 341,601 Austro-Hungarian soldiers and officers were missing and presumed dead by 1921, an unknown share of that falls onto the Italian Front.
- ↑ ca. 380.000 alone during Vittorio Veneto 24 October – 4 November 1918
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- ↑ Mortara 1925, pp. 28–29 link text
- ↑ "War Losses (Italy) | International Encyclopedia of the First World War (WW1)".
- ↑ Statistics of the Military Effort of the British Empire During the Great War 1914–1920, The War Office, p. 744.
- ↑ Glaise von Horstenau 1932, pp. BeiL. IV. V. VII. link text
- ↑ "War Losses (Austria-Hungary) | International Encyclopedia of the First World War (WW1)".
- ↑ Tortato, Alessandro: La Prigionia di Guerra in Italia, 1914–1919, Milan 2004, pp. 49–50. Does not include 18,049 who died. Includes 89,760 recruited into various units and sent back to fight the AH army, and 12,238 who were freed.