Battle Of Caporetto

The Battle of Caporetto, also known as the 12th Battle of the Isonzo, saw Austro-Hungarian and German forces surprise Italian soldiers in northern Isonzo and break through their fortifications. Following Italy's defeat, Luigi Cadorna was fired as Chief of Staff, and the government was replaced. After the 11th battle of the Isonzo, led by Cadorna, exhausted Austrian and Hungarian allies faced collapse in Gorizia, their leader Arz Von Straussenberg sought assistance from the German Third Supreme Command, led by Paul Von Hindenbrug, and Erich Ludendorff, to mount a combined offensive. When Cadorna learnt of German involvement through deserters and aerial observation in mid-September 1917, he halted his own offensive and took a defensive position. Under the command of Otto vob Below, six German divisions augmented the Third Supreme's nine Austrian army divisions.

For the coordinated onslaught, the Germans chose a 25-kilometer-long line in front of Caporetta, north of Gorizia along the Isonzo, as their chosen site of the attack. The Italian commander Luigi Capello was told to create a defensive line, but instead massed his soldiers to attack Von Below's army on the southern flank, east of Gorizia. The combined Austrian, Hungarian, and German forces struck and surprised the Italians at Tolmino at 2 a.m. on October 24, 1917. The attack immediately through the Italian Second Army's defenses. The German, Austrian, and Hungarian forces had advanced 25 kilometers, broke the Italian lines with grenades and flamethrowers, and used infiltration tactics by the end of the day. Below, attacks on the River Tagliamento put the majority of Italian forces in jeopardy, prompting Capello to urge a withdrawal, which was overruled by Cadorna. Cadorna forced the majority of the Italian forces to cross the river, which took four days and ended on October 30, 1917. The Austrian, Hungarian, and German supplies had begun to run out, and they were unable to mount a new onslaught. As a result, Cadorna ordered the withdrawal of Italian soldiers to the Piave River. The Italians lost 300,000 people, 90 percent of them were prisoners. As a result, Cadorna was fired and replaced with Marshal Armando Diaz. In place of incumbent Paolo Boselli, a new Prime Minister, Vittorio Orlando, was sworn in.

When: 1917