![]() 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 Arthur Arz von Straußenburg 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).Transfer back to Tolmin in the late afternoon. In terms of natural features, the trail’s various viewpoints will give you the chance to take some of the most beautiful photos of your trip, such as the emerald waters of the Soča River and the Kozjak waterfall, which you can explore by following a path replete with footbridges and small bridges. The route will take you to the Italian Charnel House, as well as exploring other aspects of the area’s rich historical heritage from the time of the barbarian migrations, Napoleon’s military passages up to the period during and after the First World War. In order to create a link between the past and the present, you can use the ‘Walk of Peace – Kobarid during WW1’ augmented reality mobile app, where you can find films, archive photographs or three-dimensional models of the places you are visiting. From Mengore, the Walk of Peace takes you the few kilometres back to Tolmin.Īfter leaving the museum, you will walk along the Kobarid Historical Trail, which combines the area’s key historical and natural features. Here, a circular trail leads us through ditches, caves and monuments built over 29 months of war. Next, the trail decends Kolovrat, following a section of the Walk of Peace to the Mengore hill, a heavily fortified area that formed the heart of the Austro-Hungarian defensive line near Tolmin. Another highlight is the view from the summit, which is considered by many to be the most beautiful in the entire Soča Valley. ![]() It was here in 1917 that the unit led by then-young lieutenant Erwin Rommel (the future ‘Desert Fox’) overcame the Italian defence positions and made its way to the Piave River. The whole mountain is a real open-air cross-border museum, full of perfectly preserved and restored tunnels, fortifications and trenches. The Kolovrat and Mengore outdoors museumsĪfter breakfast, a private transfer will take you to Mount Kolovrat, which was a strategic point on the frontline during World War I and today marks the border between Italy and Slovenia.
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