> The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought from 24 October to 3 November 1918 (with an armistice taking effect 24 hours later) near Vittorio Veneto on the Italian Front during World War I. After having severely defeated Austro-Hungarian troops during the defensive Battle of the Piave River, the Italian army launches a great counter-offensive: the Italian victory marked the end of the war on the Italian Front, secured the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and contributed to the end of the First World War just one week later.
Erich Ludendorff, german chief of staff, wrote about the battle:
> In Vittorio Veneto, Austria did not lose a battle, but lose the war and itself, dragging Germany in its fall.
The War took the best, the youngest and the brightest from both Italy and the Empire: Italy counted 2.150.00 casualties, Austria-Hungary 2.300.000. The brutality of the conflict is highlighted in the diary of an Austrian soldier:
> Up here, winter began at the end of September, not in silence and peace, but with the fearful din of war. The enemy did not even give a last rest to its own dead, hundreds of whom had remained in front of our reticulations after bloody attacks, and whom we had buried on the spot; the grenades of the large calibers upset the ground night and day, reopening the trenches.
Today Austria and Italy live in peace, the 420km of border being an opportunity for both countries rather than a point of contention, solutions to disputes being found via diplomatic work (see Alto Adige/Südtirol) rather than violence. We should remember the soldier who fought bravely on both sides (despite having mostly disastrous commanders) and always be grateful that the most heat we are going to see in our lives is at a football match at the European Championship.
*Pic: a De Stefano 305 mm Italian howitzer, captured by the Austrians probably in 1917.*
>De Stefano 305 mm Italian howitzer
What an ugly and disfigured piece of weaponry…I love it!
Why that muzzle is down ?
Waiting for the Austrian comments.
> the Italian victory […] secured the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
So, What a battle !
As a kid I thought that the military parades all around Italy in this day were for my birthday
too bad the wrong side lost
luigi cadorna: NOOOOOOOOO let me have one more battle at the isonzo, i was gonna beat them this time
The dissolution of their Empire was the just and right prize for what they did to Venice after Napoleon.
Legend says that 86th Battle of the Isonzo is still going on.
A horrible, horrible decision for the Italians to fight on the side of the Entente. What was the problem with the italian monarchy?
11 comments
From wiki:
> The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought from 24 October to 3 November 1918 (with an armistice taking effect 24 hours later) near Vittorio Veneto on the Italian Front during World War I. After having severely defeated Austro-Hungarian troops during the defensive Battle of the Piave River, the Italian army launches a great counter-offensive: the Italian victory marked the end of the war on the Italian Front, secured the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and contributed to the end of the First World War just one week later.
Erich Ludendorff, german chief of staff, wrote about the battle:
> In Vittorio Veneto, Austria did not lose a battle, but lose the war and itself, dragging Germany in its fall.
The War took the best, the youngest and the brightest from both Italy and the Empire: Italy counted 2.150.00 casualties, Austria-Hungary 2.300.000. The brutality of the conflict is highlighted in the diary of an Austrian soldier:
> Up here, winter began at the end of September, not in silence and peace, but with the fearful din of war. The enemy did not even give a last rest to its own dead, hundreds of whom had remained in front of our reticulations after bloody attacks, and whom we had buried on the spot; the grenades of the large calibers upset the ground night and day, reopening the trenches.
Today Austria and Italy live in peace, the 420km of border being an opportunity for both countries rather than a point of contention, solutions to disputes being found via diplomatic work (see Alto Adige/Südtirol) rather than violence. We should remember the soldier who fought bravely on both sides (despite having mostly disastrous commanders) and always be grateful that the most heat we are going to see in our lives is at a football match at the European Championship.
*Pic: a De Stefano 305 mm Italian howitzer, captured by the Austrians probably in 1917.*
>De Stefano 305 mm Italian howitzer
What an ugly and disfigured piece of weaponry…I love it!
Why that muzzle is down ?
Waiting for the Austrian comments.
> the Italian victory […] secured the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
So, What a battle !
As a kid I thought that the military parades all around Italy in this day were for my birthday
too bad the wrong side lost
luigi cadorna: NOOOOOOOOO let me have one more battle at the isonzo, i was gonna beat them this time
The dissolution of their Empire was the just and right prize for what they did to Venice after Napoleon.
Legend says that 86th Battle of the Isonzo is still going on.
A horrible, horrible decision for the Italians to fight on the side of the Entente. What was the problem with the italian monarchy?