Second Battle of the Piave River

Battle of the Piave River
Part of the Italian Front (World War I)
Map of the Second Battle of the Piave River
Date 15–24 June 1918 Location Piave, Italy 45°49′50″N 12°12′34″E / 45.83056°N 12.20944°E / 45.83056; 12.20944 Result Italian victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Italy  France  United Kingdom  United States	Austria-Hungary
Commanders and leaders
Armando Diaz Duke of Aosta Gaetano Giardino Pietro Badoglio	Arthur Arz von Straußenburg Conrad von Hötzendorf Svetozar Boroević
Strength
57 divisions:[1] 900,000 in 52 divisions ~40,000 in 3 divisions 25,000 in 2 divisions Total: 965,000 5,650 guns 1,570 mortars 676 aircraft	58 divisions:[1] 946,000 6,833 artillery pieces
Casualties and losses
87,181:[2] 8,396 dead 30,603 wounded 48,182 captured	118,042:[2] 11,643 dead 80,852 wounded 25,547 captured

The Second Battle of the Piave River (or Battle of the Solstice), fought between 15 and 23 June 1918, was a decisive victory^[3][4] for the Italian Army against the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I, as Italy was part of the Allied Forces, while Austria-Hungary was part of the Central Powers. Though the battle proved to be a decisive blow to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and by extension the Central Powers, its full significance was not initially appreciated in Italy. Yet Erich Ludendorff, on hearing the news, is reported to have said he 'had the sensation of defeat for the first time'.^[5] It would later become clear that the battle was in fact the beginning of the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.^[6]