Knowing that their gas masks could protect them only for two hours or less, the defenders fled, though 500–600 were still killed. At 02:00, in the northern area of the battle (near Bovec/Plezzo) 894 metal tubes similar to Livens Projectors ( Gaswurfminen), dug into a reverse slope, were triggered electrically to simultaneously fire canisters containing 600 ml (21 imp fl oz 20 US fl oz) of chlorine- arsenic agent and diphosgene, smothering the Italian trenches in a dense cloud of poison gas. Provisional Italian trenches along the Piave Riverįoul weather, as well as lack of readiness in some of the Austro-Hungarian divisions and in particular of their artillery, delayed the attack for two days but on 24 October there was no wind and the front was misted over. The buildup of German and Austro-Hungarian military forces in the region was noticed by the Italian air reconnaissance. Meanwhile, Svetozar's Austro-Hungarian army would attack the eastern end of the salient and a stretch of ground near the Adriatic shore. The German and Austro-Hungarian battle plan was to use Otto von Below's German divisions, which would be guided by Konrad Krafft to attack a part of the Julian Alps which was near the northeastern corner of the Venetian salient. The Italians inadvertently helped by providing weather information over their radio. Lieutenant Colonel Georg Wetzell, Ludendorff's strategic adviser, advised Ludendorff to use the German divisions to attack a weakpoint in the Italian line. The German divisions were Ludendorff's general reserve.
In addition, a new 14th Army was formed with nine Austrian and six to eight German divisions, which were commanded by the German Otto von Below. The Austro-Hungarian Army Group Boroević, commanded by Svetozar Boroević, was prepared for the offensive. The Germans also sent Lieutenant General Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen, an expert in mountain warfare to reconnoitre the ground. They proposed attacking the quiet Caporetto sector, where a good road ran west through a mountain valley to the Venetian Plain. Later, in September three experts from the Imperial General Staff, led by the chemist Otto Hahn, went to the Isonzo front to find a site suitable for a gas attack. Erich Ludendorff was opposed to this but was overruled. In August 1917 Paul von Hindenburg and Arz von Straussenberg decided to send troops from the Eastern Front to the Isonzo Sector. So, he wrote to Kaiser Wilhelm II and requested that German forces be deployed to Italy. After the Italian success in the 11th Battle of the Isonzo, Emperor Karl knew a breakthrough was going to happen at any moment, as both the Austro-Hungarians and Italians were exhausted, and running out of men to sustain the war. Throughout the spring and summer of 1917, the Italians had launched numerous offensives on the Austro-Hungarian Lines in the Isonzo Sector, with the 11th Battle of the Isonzo being the most successful in pushing back the Austro-Hungarians. The Soča (Isonzo) River, location of the initial attacks at Kobarid (Caporetto) The rest of the Italian Army retreated 150 kilometres (93 mi) to the Piave River, its effective strength declined from 1,800,000 troops down to 1,000,000 and the government of Paolo Boselli collapsed. The use of poison gas by the Germans also played a key role in the collapse of the Italian Second Army. The battle was a demonstration of the effectiveness of the use of stormtroopers and the infiltration tactics developed in part by Oskar von Hutier. The battle was named after the Italian name of the town (also known as Karfreit in German).Īustro-Hungarian forces, reinforced by German units, were able to break into the Italian front line and rout the Italian forces opposing them. The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central Powers and took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid (now in north-western Slovenia, then part of the Austrian Littoral). 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. 2nd Piave River ( Taking of the Col Moschin).
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