Everything about The Battle Of Caporetto totally explained
The
Battle of Caporetto (or
Battle of Karfreit as it was known by the
Central Powers; ), took place from
24 October to
9 November 1917, near the present day town of
Kobarid (
Slovenia), on the
Austro-Italian front of
World War I.
Austro-Hungarian forces, reinforced by
German units, were able to break into the
Italian front line and rout the Italian army, which had practically no mobile reserves. The battle was a demonstration of the effectiveness of the use of
stormtroopers and the
infiltration tactics developed in part by
Oskar von Hutier.
Losses
Italian losses were enormous: 11,000 were killed, 20,000 wounded and 275,000 were taken prisoner; also 2,500 guns were captured by the Austrians (though many had been either
spiked or had their firing mechanisms removed by the retreating artillerymen). Austro-Hungarian and German forces advanced more than 100 km in the direction of
Venice, but they were not able to cross the
Piave River, where the Italians (aided by
French,
British and
American allies) established a new defensive line, which was held during the subsequent
Battle of the Piave River and later served as springboard for the
Battle of Vittorio Veneto, where the Austro-Hungarian army was utterly defeated.
The battle led to the conference at
Rapallo and the creation of a
Supreme War Council, with the aim of improving Allied military co-operation and developing a unified strategy.
The bloody aftermath of Caporetto was vividly described by
Ernest Hemingway in his novel
A Farewell to Arms.
Luigi Cadorna was in charge of the Italian forces and was forced to resign after the defeat. He was replaced by
Armando Diaz and
Pietro Badoglio.
This led governments to the realization that fear alone couldn't adequately motivate a modern army. After the defeat at Caporetto, Italian propaganda offices were established and cynically promised land and social justice to soldiers. Italy also accepted a more cautious military strategy from this point on. Just one fifth of the total 650,000 Italian casualties during the war occurred after Caporetto, a marked improvement.
After this battle, the term "Caporetto" gained a particular resonance in Italy. It is used to denote a terrible defeat - the failed
General Strike of 1922 by the
socialists was referred to by Mussolini as the "Caporetto of Italian Socialism".
Rommel
Erwin Rommel added lustre to his military career leading a company of
Württemberg mountain troops during this battle and capturing 3,000 Italians, winning a
Pour le Mérite in process. His genius was shown by capturing Monte Matajur, southwest of Caporetto.
Despite not having slept for 45 hours Rommel didn't stop there, pushing on to take a
garrison held town of
Longarone.
It was said "Rommel always remained the lieutenant, making snap decisions and acting on the spur of the moment."
Further Information
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