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The Second Battle of the Piave River, fought between 15 and 23 June 1918, was a decisive victory for the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional It ...
Army against the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise o ...
during World War I. Though the battle proved to be a decisive blow to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and by extension the
Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in W ...
, its full significance was not initially appreciated in Italy. Yet
Erich Ludendorff Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (9 April 1865 – 20 December 1937) was a German general, politician and military theorist. He achieved fame during World War I for his central role in the German victories at Liège and Tannenberg in 1914 ...
, 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.


Background

With the exit of Russia from the war in 1917,
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...
was now able to devote significant forces to the Italian Front and to receive reinforcements from their German allies. The Austro-Hungarian emperor
Karl Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austria ...
reached an agreement with the Germans to undertake a new offensive against Italy, a move supported by both the chief of the general staff
Arthur Arz von Straußenburg Generaloberst Arthur Freiherr Arz von Straußenburg ( hu, Báró Artúr Arz de Straussenburg; 16 June 1857 – 1 July 1935) was an Austro-Hungarian colonel general and last Chief of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army. At the outbreak o ...
and the commander of the
South Tyrolean Army Group The South Tyrolean Army Group ( German: ''Heeresgruppe Südtirol'') was an army group of the Austro-Hungarian Army, which operated in South Tyrol against Italy, between 1 March 1917 and the end of World War I. It was also called Army Group Conrad ( ...
Conrad von Hötzendorf Conrad may refer to: People * Conrad (name) Places United States * Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Iowa, a city * Conrad, Montana, a city * Conrad Glacier, Washingto ...
. In the autumn of 1917, the Germans and Austro-Hungarians defeated the Italians at the
Battle of Caporetto The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Kobarid or the Battle of Karfreit) was a battle on the Italian front of World War I. The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Centra ...
. After Caporetto, the Italians fell back to the Piave and were reinforced by six French infantry divisions and five
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
infantry divisions as well as sizeable air contingents.


Prelude

Italy's defeat at Caporetto led to General
Luigi Cadorna Marshal of Italy Luigi Cadorna, (4 September 1850 – 21 December 1928) was an Italian general, Marshal of Italy and Count most famous for being the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army from 1914-1917 of World War I. Early career Luigi Cado ...
's dismissal and General
Armando Diaz Armando Diaz, 1st Duke della Vittoria, (5 December 1861 – 28 February 1928) 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. H ...
's replacement of him as
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
of the Italian Army. Diaz set up a strong defense line along the Piave. Up until this point in the war, the Italian army had been fighting alone against the
Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in W ...
; with the defeat at Caporetto, France and
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
sent reinforcements on the Italian front. These, besides accounting for less than a tenth of the Italian forces in theater, had however to be redirected for the major part to the Western Front as soon as the German spring offensive began in March 1918. The Austro-Hungarian Army had also recently undergone a change in command, and the new Austro-Hungarian Chief of Staff,
Arthur Arz von Straußenburg Generaloberst Arthur Freiherr Arz von Straußenburg ( hu, Báró Artúr Arz de Straussenburg; 16 June 1857 – 1 July 1935) was an Austro-Hungarian colonel general and last Chief of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army. At the outbreak o ...
, wished to finish off the Italians. After Caporetto, the Austro-Hungarian offensive put many Italian cities, including
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
and Verona, under the threat of the Central Powers. Austria-Hungary's army had since then longed to achieve these strategic prizes and force Italy into an armistice. Straußenburg's
army group An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area. An army group is the largest field organization handled b ...
commanders,
Conrad von Hötzendorf Conrad may refer to: People * Conrad (name) Places United States * Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Iowa, a city * Conrad, Montana, a city * Conrad Glacier, Washingto ...
(the former Austro-Hungarian Chief of Staff) and Svetozar Boroević von Bojna, both wished to make a decisive assault against the Italians, but could not agree about the location of the attack. Conrad wanted an attack from the South Tyrolean Alps towards the
Asiago Asiago (; Venetian: ''Axiago'', Cimbrian: ''Slege'', German: ''Schlägen'' ) is a minor township (population roughly 6,500) in the surrounding plateau region (the ''Altopiano di Asiago'' or '' Altopiano dei Sette Comuni'', Asiago plateau) in ...
Plateau and Vicenza. Boroević first favored a defensive action, but then when pressed preferred a frontal attack along the Piave River.Rothenburg 1976, p. 213 Straußenburg himself was in favour of an attack on the western part of the front (the " Giudicarie" sector) leading to
Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label=Eastern Lombard, Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes ...
. Conrad and Boroević had a dislike for each other, and Straußenburg and the emperor, unable to decide between these two strong personalities, divided the army equally between them, reserving only a small part of the forces for a diversionary action on the Giudicarie sector. The preparation of the offensive began in February 1918, after a meeting in
Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...
between the Austro-Hungarian and German high commands. It was strongly recommended by the Germans, as Ludendorff hoped that it could force the increasing American forces in France to be diverted to the Italian front, so Straußenburg modeled the attack after Erich Ludendorff's offensive on the Western Front. The Austro-Hungarians, differently from their previous success at Caporetto and from the subsequent attempts to break through on
Monte Grappa Monte Grappa ( vec, Mónte Grapa) (1,775 m) 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 ...
, did not prepare the attack as a pinpoint one, but as an all-out frontal attack, employing the entire residual strength of their army all along the front. The Austro-Hungarian formations were trained to employ the tactics developed by the Germans on the Western Front for
Operation Michael Operation Michael was a major German military offensive during the First World War that began the German Spring Offensive on 21 March 1918. It was launched from the Hindenburg Line, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin, France. Its goal was t ...
, as Austro-Hungarian officers returning from the Eastern Front were extensively trained alongside their German counterparts. There were also innovations on the Italian side. Analyzing the defeat of Caporetto, the staff of Armando Diaz concluded that the main tactical causes of it were the lack of mobility of Italian units, caught in a too rigid defensive scheme, the too centralized
command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization or en ...
system, and the lack of depth of Italian defences, where too many soldiers were simply stuck on the frontline. The new schemes prepared for the battle led to the abolition of the continuous entrenchment and in the development of a highly mobile defence system, in which even the smaller units were allowed to freely move between previously recognized
strongpoint In military tactics, a strongpoint is a key point in a defensive fighting position which anchors the overall defense line. This may include redoubts, bunkers, pillboxes, trenches or fortresses, alone or in combination; the primary requirement ...
s, independently decide to retreat or counterattack, or directly call the support of the artillery. Moreover, 13 divisions, equipped with 6000 trucks, were organized in a central reserve, ready to be sent where it was needed.


Battle

General Diaz learned the exact timing of the Austro-Hungarian attack: 3:00 a.m. on 15 June, so at 2:30 a.m., the Italian artillery opened fire all along their front on the crowded enemy trenches, inflicting heavy casualties. In some sectors the
artillery barrage In military usage, a barrage is massed sustained artillery fire (shelling) aimed at a series of points along a line. In addition to attacking any enemy in the kill zone, a barrage intends to suppress enemy movements and deny access across tha ...
had the effect of delaying or stopping the attack, as Austro-Hungarian soldiers began to retreat to their defensive positions, believing they had to face an unexpected Italian attack, but on the greater part of the front the Austro-Hungarians still attacked as planned. Boroević launched the first assault, moving south along the
Adriatic coast The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...
and in the middle course of the Piave River. The Austro-Hungarians were able to cross the Piave and gained a bridgehead wide and deep in the face of Italian heavy resistance, before Boroević was finally stopped and forced to order a retreat. On the subsequent days Boroević renewed the assault, but the artillery barrage destroyed many of the river's bridges; the Austro-Hungarian formations that had crossed the river were unable to receive reinforcement and supplies. To make matters worse, the swollen Piave isolated a great number of units on the west bank of the river, which made them an easy target for the Italian fire. It was reported that a large number of Austro-Hungarian soldiers drowned while trying to reach the east bank. On 19 June, Diaz counterattacked and hit Boroević in the flank, inflicting heavy casualties. In the meantime Conrad attacked along the Italian lines west of Boroević on the Asiago Plateau (on 15 June), with the objective of capturing Vicenza. His forces gained some ground, but came upon stiff resistance from Italian units; 40,000 casualties were added to the Austro-Hungarian total. In the aftermath, Boroević was particularly critical of the behavior of Conrad who, after the complete failure of the first attack, preferred to continue the assaults in the subsequent days but with diminished strength, rather than send reinforcements to the Piave sector. Lacking supplies and facing attacks by armored units, the Austro-Hungarians were ordered to retreat by Emperor Karl, who had taken personal command, on 20 June. By 23 June, the Italians recaptured all lost territory on the southern bank of the Piave and the battle was over.


Aftermath

After the Austro-Hungarian retreat Diaz was pressed by the allies, particularly by General
Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the World War I, First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First First Battl ...
, to press on and try an assault to break the Austro-Hungarian defences and gain a decisive victory over the Empire. However, the Italian General recognized that the same tactic, that proved so effective on defence, prevented an immediate offence, as the Italian formations at that time were too scattered and mixed up to be effectively coordinated in a decisive assault. Moreover, once the Italian Army crossed the river, they would have to face the same logistic problems as the Austrians. For these reasons, in the subsequent days, only limited actions were fought to gain better start positions for the decisive assault. On the other side, the Battle of the Piave River was the last great military offensive of Austria-Hungary. A clear failure, the operation struck a major blow to the army's morale and cohesion and had political repercussions throughout war-weary Austria-Hungary. The battle signaled the beginning of the end of the imperial-royal army as an effective fighting force and the foretold the internal political collapse of the multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was finished off at the
Battle of Vittorio Veneto The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought from 24 October to 3 November 1918 (with an armistice taking effect 24 hours later) near Vittorio Veneto on the Italian Front during World War I. After having thoroughly defeated Austro-Hungarian troop ...
four months later. The army offered stiff resistance for four days from 24 to 28 October during the Allied offensive but collapsed as word reached the troops of the Empire's disintegration at which point there was little point to continue resisting. The battle also dealt a severe blow to the German Empire strategy, who considered a separate peace with Italy (and exploiting Italian resources in the affluent
Po Valley The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain ( it, Pianura Padana , or ''Val Padana'') is a major geographical feature of Northern Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of including its Venetic ex ...
) as a viable way to concentrate efforts in the western front to finally overcome the Allied forces.
Erich Ludendorff Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (9 April 1865 – 20 December 1937) was a German general, politician and military theorist. He achieved fame during World War I for his central role in the German victories at Liège and Tannenberg in 1914 ...
wrote:
This unsuccessful attack was extremely painful. I could no longer hope that relief on the Western Front might be secured in Italy itself.


Order of battle

Italy (
Armando Diaz Armando Diaz, 1st Duke della Vittoria, (5 December 1861 – 28 February 1928) 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. H ...
) (west to east) * 7th Italian Army (
Giulio Cesare Tassoni Giulio Cesare Tassoni (27 February 1859 – 10 October 1942) was an Italian general and politician. He was the governor of Tripolitania for a few months in 1915, and was a member of the 30th Senate of the Kingdom of Italy. During World War I, Ta ...
) *
1st Italian Army The 1st Army ( it, 1ª Armata) was an 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. World War I During World War I, the 1st Army bore the re ...
(
Guglielmo Pecori Giraldi Marshal Guglielmo Pecori Giraldi, OSSA, OSML, OMS, OCI (18 May 1856 – 15 January 1941) was an Italian noble, general and politician, mostly known for commanding the Italian 1st Army during World War I. Early life Born in Borgo San ...
) * 6th Italian Army ( Luca Montuori) * 4th Italian Army (
Gaetano Giardino Gaetano Giardino (24 January 1864 – 21 November 1935) was an Italian soldier that rose to the rank of Marshal of Italy during World War I.http://www.montegrappa.org/grande_guerra/giardino_gaetano.php a webpage dedicated to Marshal Giardino Lif ...
) * 8th Italian Army (
Enrico Caviglia Enrico Caviglia (4 May 1862 – 22 March 1945) was a distinguished officer in the Italian Army. Victorious on the bloody battlefields of the Great War, he rose in time to the highest rank in his country, Marshal of Italy; he was also a Sena ...
) * 3rd Italian Army (
Duke of Aosta Duke of Aosta ( it, Duca d'Aosta; french: Duc d'Aoste) was a title in the Italian nobility. It was established in the 13th century when Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, made the County of Aosta a duchy. The region was part of the Savoyard sta ...
) * 9th Italian Army ( Paolo Morrone) : in reserve. Austria-Hungary (
Arthur Arz von Straußenburg Generaloberst Arthur Freiherr Arz von Straußenburg ( hu, Báró Artúr Arz de Straussenburg; 16 June 1857 – 1 July 1935) was an Austro-Hungarian colonel general and last Chief of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army. At the outbreak o ...
) (west to east) * Army Group Conrad (or ''Armygroup Tirol'') (
Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf Franz Xaver Josef Conrad von Hötzendorf (after 1919 Franz Conrad; 11 November 1852 – 25 August 1925), sometimes anglicised as Hoetzendorf, was an Austrian general who played a central role in World War I. He served as '' K.u.k. Feldmarschall ...
) ** 10th Army (
Alexander von Krobatin Alexander Freiherr von Krobatin (12 September 1849 – 28 September 1933) was an Austrian field marshal and Imperial and Royal Minister of War for Austria-Hungary between 1912 and 1917 — for most of World War I.Pope, S. & Wheal, E.A.(1995): '' ...
) ** 11th Army ( Viktor Graf von Scheuchenstuel) * Army Group Boroević (
Svetozar Boroević Svetozar Boroević von Bojna (or Borojević) (13 December 1856 – 23 May 1920) was an Austro-Hungarian field marshal who was described as one of the finest defensive strategists of the First World War. He commanded Austro-Hungarian forces i ...
) ** 6th Army ( Archduke Joseph of Austria) ** 5th Army (or ''Isonzo Army'') ( Wenzel Freiherr von Wurm)


In popular culture

* Today, to the Italian public two mottos recall the battle: those written as graffiti upon broken walls of destroyed rural houses: "''E' meglio vivere un giorno da leone che cent'anni da pecora''" (" tis better to live one single day as a lion than a hundred years as a sheep") and "''Tutti eroi! O il Piave o tutti accoppati''" ("Everyone a hero! Either (we hold) the Piave, or let all of us get killed"). The two pieces of wall are preserved in the military shrine of Fagarè della Battaglia, a
frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...
of San Biagio di Callalta. * The Battle is also known as the "Battle of the Solstice" so-called by the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, shortly thereafter. On 9 August 1918, D'Annunzio conducted his
Flight over Vienna The Flight over Vienna was an air raid during World War I undertaken by Italian poet and nationalist Gabriele D'Annunzio on . With 11 Ansaldo SVA aircraft from his team, the 87ma ''squadriglia'' (squadron) called ''La Serenissima'' (Venice) a ...
with 11 Ansaldo airplanes throwing thousands of leaflets from the sky, praising the Italian victory. * In the shelling and firefights that occurred in July and August after the battle, an 18-year-old American ambulance driver named
Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...
was wounded there on July 8. Hemingway was knocked unconscious during an Austrian mortar attack. Fragments of the shell entered his lower extremities. Two Italian soldiers standing with Hemingway were killed. In the 1932 film adaptation of Hemingway’s novel A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry (
Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...
) is wounded in the leg at this Battle. * The battle is described in Andrew Krivak's novel, " The Sojourn". * The battle is mentioned in the
André Aciman André Aciman (; born 2 January 1951) is an Italian-American writer. Born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, he is currently a distinguished professor at the Graduate Center of City University of New York, where he teaches the history of literar ...
's novel and film '' Call Me by Your Name''. The scene in the film takes place overlooking a memorial to the victims of the battle. The memorial is located in the city of Pandino. In the film however, it is said that 170,000 people died in that battle of Piave. *
Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
mentioned in June 2022, in an interview with Jesuit European cultural journal editors, that one of his two grandfathers participated in "an experience on the Piave River", during World War I, presumably referring to either the first or second Piave River Battle.


See also

* "
La Leggenda del Piave "La Leggenda del Piave" ( en, The Legend of Piave), also known as "La Canzone del Piave" ( en, The Song of Piave), is an Italian patriotic song written by E. A. Mario after the Battle of the Piave River in June 1918. In September 1943 the future ...
", a patriotic song written by E. A. Mario after the battle. * Pietro Micheletti, Italian military commander fighting in the battle * Attilio Deffenu, Italian journalist and soldier who died in the battle


Citations


References

* * Tucker, Spencer ''The Great War: 1914–18'' (1998)
The Battle of the Piave River, 1918


{{DEFAULTSORT:Piave River Conflicts in 1918 Battles of the Italian Front Battles of World War I involving Austria-Hungary Battles of World War I involving Italy Military history of Italy during World War I 1918 in Italy June 1918 events