Battle of Caporetto

Battle of Caporetto
Part of the Italian front (World War I)

Battle of Caporetto and Italian retreat
Date24 October – 19 November 1917
Location46°12′52″N 13°38′33″E / 46.21444°N 13.64250°E / 46.21444; 13.64250
Result Central Powers victory
Territorial
changes
Central Powers advance 150 kilometres (93 mi) to the Piave River
Belligerents
 Austria-Hungary
 Germany
 Italy
Commanders and leaders
German Empire Otto von Below
Austria-Hungary Svetozar Boroević
Austria-Hungary Arthur Arz von Straußenburg
Kingdom of Italy Luigi Cadorna
Kingdom of Italy Luigi Capello
Units involved
German EmpireAustria-Hungary 14th Army
Austria-Hungary 5th Army
Kingdom of Italy 2nd Army
Strength
353,000 soldiers, 2518 artillery pieces [1] 257,400 soldiers, 1342 artillery pieces [1]
Casualties and losses
70,000

13,000 dead
30,000 wounded
265,000–275,000 captured


300,000 stragglers
50,000 deserters
3,152 artillery pieces
1,712 mortars
3,000 machine guns
300,000 rifles

The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, the Battle of Kobarid or the Battle of Karfreit) took place on the Italian front of World War I.

The battle was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central Powers and took place from 24th of October to 19th of November 1917, near the town of Kobarid (now in north-western Slovenia, then part of the Austrian Littoral), also was near the river Isonzo. The battle was named after the Italian name of the town (also known as Karfreit in German).

Austro-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 a demonstration of the effectiveness of the use of stormtroopers and the infiltration tactics developed in part by Oskar von Hutier. The use of poison gas by the Germans also played a key role in the collapse of the Italian Second Army.[3]

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 Prime Minister Paolo Boselli collapsed.[4]

  1. ^ a b Caporetto Silvestri 2006, p. 117 ISBN 978-8817107112
  2. ^ "Quella massa di profughi che lasciò il Nordest, dopo Caporetto – Il Piccolo". 13 June 2006.
  3. ^ Seth, Ronald (1965). Caporetto: The Scapegoat Battle. Macdonald. p. 147
  4. ^ Gooch 2014, pp. 245–246.

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