Misplaced Pages

#775224

44-627: After the disastrous defeat at Caporetto (November 1917) the Italian Army was completely reorganized by Armando Diaz and the new 7th Italian Army was formed under command of Giulio Cesare Tassoni . It participated in the successful Battle of the Piave River (June 1918) and Battle of Vittorio Veneto (October-November 1918). The 7th Army was formed during several periods in World War II but always held in reserve. It saw little action. The 7th Army

88-501: A dense cloud of poison gas . Knowing that their gas masks could protect them only for two hours or less, the defenders fled, but 500–600 were killed. Other parts of the valley were bombed with gas from common grenades. Then the front was quiet until 06:00, when all the Italian wire and trenches to be attacked were bombarded by mortars. At 06:41, 2,200 guns opened fire, many targeting the valley road along which reserves were advancing to plug

132-579: A general staff officer in various units. In 1902 he married Helene Zöhrer in Vienna , Austria-Hungary . They had two sons and one daughter. Through the prewar years, Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen proceeded up the ranks, generally alternating command and general staff assignments, until October 1, 1912, when he became Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Bavarian Army, a position he would hold until

176-577: A museum in the town of Kobarid is dedicated to the Isonzo Battles in general, and the Caporetto Battle in particular. Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen (24 November 1862 – 21 February 1953) was a Bavarian Army general in World War I . He served as Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Bavarian Army before World War I and commanded the elite Alpenkorps ,

220-461: A shock" and "triggered a search for scapegoats," culminating in a 1919 Italian military commission that investigated the causes of the debacle. At Rapallo, a Supreme War Council was created to improve Allied military co-operation and develop a common strategy. Luigi Cadorna was forced to resign after the defeat, a final straw according to the Prime Minister, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando . Cadorna

264-576: A vast amount of stores and equipment. In contrast, the Austro-Hungarians and Germans sustained around 70,000 casualties. The last push of Austro-Hungarian and German forces was met and defeated by Italian forces at the First Battle of Monte Grappa : they had advanced more than 100 km (62 mi) in the direction of Venice , but they were not able to cross the Piave River. Up to this point

308-853: The Eastern Front to the Isonzo Sector. Erich Ludendorff was opposed to this but was overruled. 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. They proposed attacking the quiet Caporetto sector, where a good road ran west through a mountain valley to the Venetian Plain . The Germans also sent Lieutenant General Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen , an expert in mountain warfare, to reconnoitre

352-671: The Imperial German Army's mountain division formed in 1915. Krafft von Dellmensingen was born into a lower-ranking Bavarian noble family in Laufen , Upper Bavaria . His father was a royal notary. Konrad entered the Royal Bavarian Army as an officer candidate in August 1881 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in December 1883. After attending the Bavarian War Academy , he served as

396-500: 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

440-578: The Supreme War Council . Opera Nazionale Combattenti , an Italian charitable organization, was set up in December 1917 in the immediate aftermath of the battle, to provide assistance to veterans of the First World War ; it was closed in 1977. After the 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

484-410: The socialists was referred to by Mussolini as the "Caporetto of Italian Socialism". Many years after the war, Caporetto was still being used to destroy the credibility of the liberal state. The Battle of Caporetto has been the subject of a number of books. British writer and military historian Cyril Falls 's one volume The Battle of Caporetto is an operational and tactical account of the battle as

SECTION 10

#1732847659776

528-577: The 14th Army in Italy was dissolved and the army's staff under Otto von Below took command of the 17th Army, newly formed for the German spring offensive in France. After helping prepare the army for the offensive, Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen was promoted to General der Artillerie and given command of the II Bavarian Army Corps , which he led from April 18, 1918, through the German spring offensive and

572-640: The Austro-German encirclement and retreat to the Tagliamento. Then, on 2 November, after an attack by Captain Emil Redl's 4th Battalion of the 4th Bosnian Infantry Regiment, the 55th Infantry Division (Austria-Hungary) established a bridgehead across the Tagliamento River. About this time, however, the rapid success of the attack caught up with them. The German and Austro-Hungarian supply lines were stretched to

616-639: 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. 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. So, he wrote to Kaiser Wilhelm II and requested that German forces be deployed to Italy. In August 1917 Paul von Hindenburg and Arthur Arz von Straußenburg decided to send troops from

660-654: The Commander's Cross of the Württemberg Military Merit Order , Württemberg's highest military decoration. He then became chief of staff of the 14th Army under Otto von Below , and helped plan the operation that would become the successful Battle of Caporetto . On October 24, 1917, he received the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph , Bavaria's highest military decoration. On February 2, 1918,

704-565: The German and Austro-Hungarian forces. Despite these logistical problems, the initial assault was extremely successful. However, as the area controlled by the combined Central Powers forces expanded, an already limited logistical capacity was overstrained. By the time the attack reached the Piave, the soldiers of the Central Powers were running low on supplies and were feeling the effects of exhaustion. As

748-544: The German divisions to attack a weakpoint in the Italian line. The Italians inadvertently helped by providing weather information over their radio. The German and Austro-Hungarian battle plan was to use Otto von Below's German divisions, which would be guided by Konrad Krafft to attack a part of the Julian Alps which was near the northeastern corner of the Venetian salient. Meanwhile, Svetozar's Austro-Hungarian army would attack

792-618: The Germans also played a key role in the collapse of the Italian Second Army . 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. Throughout the spring and summer of 1917, the Italians had launched numerous offensives on

836-615: 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 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid (now in north-western Slovenia , then part of the Austrian Littoral ), and near the river Isonzo. The battle was named after

880-417: The Italians began to counter the pressure put on them, the German forces lost momentum and were once again caught up in another round of attrition warfare . Brian R. Sullivan called Caporetto "the greatest defeat in Italian military history." John R. Schindler wrote "By any standard, Twelfth Isonzo [Caporetto] and its aftermath represented an unprecedented catastrophe for Italian arms." The disaster "came as

924-558: The Italians had been left to fight on their own but, after the Battle of Caporetto, Britain and France sent reinforcements to the Italians. They were reinforced by six French infantry divisions and five British infantry divisions as well as sizeable air contingents. However, these troops played no role in stemming the advancing Germans and Austro-Hungarians, because they were deployed on the Mincio River, some 97 kilometres (60 mi) behind

SECTION 20

#1732847659776

968-587: The Piave, as the British and French strategists did not believe the Piave line could be held. The Piave served as a natural barrier where the Italians could establish 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 finally defeated after eleven days of resistance. On 5 November, Allied officials came together at Rapallo to form

1012-643: The army in December 1918. He was active in monarchist circles after the war seeking a return of the Bavarian monarchy. He also participated in the 1920s in the preparation of the official history of the Bavarian Army in the war: in 1926 and 1928, he edited a 2-volume account of the Battle of Caporetto, Der Durchbruch am Isonzo (The Breakthrough on the Isonzo). In 1937, a barracks complex in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

1056-444: The battle in his novel Caporetto . The bloody aftermath of Caporetto was vividly described by Ernest Hemingway in his novel A Farewell to Arms . Curzio Malaparte wrote an excoriation of the battle in his first book, Viva Caporetto , published in 1921. It was censored by the state and suppressed; it was finally published in 1980. The battle also features prominently in the novel Questa storia by Alessandro Baricco . Today,

1100-567: The battle, often bemoaned the demands placed upon his "poorly fed troops". The Allied blockade of the German Empire , which the Kaiserliche Marine had been unable to break, had led to food shortages and widespread malnutrition in Germany and the Central Powers in general. The inadequate provisioning, as well as the grueling night marches preliminary to the Battle of Caporetto, took a toll on

1144-567: The breaking point and unable to launch another attack to isolate a part of the Italian army against the Adriatic. Cadorna was able to retreat further and by 10 November had established a position on the Piave River and Monte Grappa. Even before the battle, Germany was struggling to feed and supply its armies in the field. Erwin Rommel , who as a junior officer won the Pour le Mérite for his accomplishments in

1188-410: The centerpiece of the larger campaign in northeastern Italy. Infanterie greift an ( Infantry Attacks ), an interwar memoir and military handbook written by the future German field marshal Erwin Rommel , features the actions of then lieutenant Rommel and units he led during the battle, providing insight into "stormtrooper" tactics. The Swedish author F.J. Nordstedt (pseud. Christian Braw) wrote about

1232-421: The crests of the adjoining ridges, Matajur and Kolovrat , laying out their telephone lines as they advanced to maintain contact with their artillery. Specially-trained and equipped stormtrooper units led attacks, making use of the new German model 08/15 Maxim light machine gun , light trench mortars, mountain guns, flamethrowers and hand grenades . The attackers in the valley marched almost unopposed along

1276-501: The defensive battles that followed to the war's end. During the very last days of the war, in November 1918, Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen was commander of those Bavarian border troops which were sent to Tyrol after the Armistice of Villa Giusti , which was signed on 3 November 1918 and took effect on 4 November. The terms of the armistice allowed allied troops to march through Austria with

1320-674: The division until the end of February 1917, through fighting on the Italian Front , at Verdun , and in the invasions of Serbia and Romania (see Battle of Sălătrucu ). He received the Pour le Mérite , Prussia's highest military honor, on September 13, 1916, and oak leaves to the Pour le Mérite on December 11, 1916, as well as honors from Bavaria, other German states, and their Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman allies. On March 1, 1917, Krafft von Dellmensingen became chief of staff of Army Group Duke Albrecht of Württemberg , where he served until September 9, 1917. On September 11, 1917, he received

1364-406: The eastern end of the salient and a stretch of ground near the Adriatic shore. The buildup of German and Austro-Hungarian military forces in the region was noticed by Italian air reconnaissance. Foul weather, as well as lack of readiness in some of the Austro-Hungarian divisions and in particular of their artillery, delayed the attack for two days but on 24 October there was no wind and the front

7th Army (Italy) - Misplaced Pages Continue

1408-421: The excellent road toward Italy, some advanced 25 kilometres (16 mi) on the first day. The Italian army beat back the attackers on either side of the sector where the central column attacked, but von Below's successful central penetration threw the entire Italian army into disarray. Forces had to be moved along the Italian front in an attempt to stem von Below's breakout, but this only weakened other points along

1452-508: The gap. At 08:00 two large mines were detonated under strong points on the heights bordering the valley and the infantry attacked. Soon they penetrated the almost undefended Italian fortifications in the valley, breaching the defensive line of the Italian Second Army between the IV and XXVII Corps. To protect the attackers' flanks, Alpine Troops infiltrated the strong points and batteries along

1496-477: The ground. The Austro-Hungarian Army Group Boroević , commanded by Svetozar Boroević , was prepared for the offensive. In addition, a new 14th Army was formed with nine Austrian and six to eight German divisions, which were commanded by the German Otto von Below . The German divisions were Ludendorff's general reserve. Lieutenant Colonel Georg Wetzell , Ludendorff's strategic adviser, advised Ludendorff to use

1540-611: The implication of a possible attack on Germany from the south. The Bavarians - now against protests from Austrian authorities - occupied some places south of the Brennerpass , like Franzensfeste or Gossensass , and a bridge south of Brixen was blown up. When Italian troops arrived, however, and due to the overthrow of the monarchy in Bavaria by Kurt Eisner , the Bavarians retreated without combat. Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen retired from

1584-461: The line and invited further attacks. At this point, the entire Italian position was threatened. The Italian 2nd Army commander Luigi Capello was bedridden with fever. Recognizing that his forces were ill-prepared for this attack and were being routed, Capello requested permission to withdraw to the Tagliamento River. Cadorna , who believed the Italian force could regroup and hold out, denied

1628-563: The mobilization for war in August 1914. On mobilization in 1914, Generalmajor Krafft von Dellmensingen became chief of the general staff of the German 6th Army, and served with that command in the Battle of the Frontiers and the Race to the Sea . On May 27, 1915, shortly after his promotion to Generalleutnant , he took command of the newly formed Alpenkorps , a provisional mountain division. He would lead

1672-404: The national rejuvenation that had been spurred by invasion and defeat. Italian losses were enormous: 13,000 were killed, 30,000 wounded and 265,000–275,000 were taken prisoner. Morale was so low among the Italian troops, mainly due to Cadorna's harsh disciplinary regime, that most of these surrendered willingly. 3,152 artillery pieces, 3,000 machine guns and 1,712 mortars were lost, along with

1716-452: The request. Finally, on 30 October 1917, Cadorna ordered the majority of the Italian force to retreat to the other side of the Tagliamento. It took the Italians four full days to cross the river, and by this time the German and Austro-Hungarian armies were on their heels, ambushing the defenders whenever they could. These ambushes would become known as the Battle of Pozzuolo . Eventually, the retreating Italian soldiers were able to break through

1760-687: Was first formed between September and December 1939, and later between June and October 1940, in reserve for the Italian invasion of France . In September 1941 it was again formed, to defend Southern Italy (Apulia, Campania, Lazio and Calabria). In September 1943, after the Armistice of Cassibile , they offered little resistance to the Allied invasion of Italy and surrendered to the Germans. Commanders were Battle of Caporetto 13,000 dead 30,000 wounded 265,000–275,000 captured 1916 1917 1918 White War (1915–1918) The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the  Twelfth Battle of

1804-403: Was known to have maintained poor relations with the other generals on his staff and by the start of the battle, had sacked 217 generals, 255 colonels and 355 battalion commanders. In addition, he was detested by his troops as being too harsh. Cadorna had been directing the battle some 30 kilometres (19 mi) behind the front and retreated another 160 km (99 mi) to Padua . Cadorna

7th Army (Italy) - Misplaced Pages Continue

1848-403: Was misted over. At 02:00, in the northern area of the battle (near Bovec /Plezzo) 894 metal tubes similar to Livens Projectors ( Gaswurfminen ), dug into a reverse slope, were triggered electrically to simultaneously fire canisters containing 600 ml (21 imp fl oz; 20 US fl oz) of chlorine - arsenic agent and diphosgene , smothering the Italian trenches in

1892-707: Was named the "Krafft-von-Dellmensingen-Kaserne". In 1945, the Kaserne was taken over by the United States Army. The program of denazification was launched after the end of the Second World War; the name “Krafft-von-Dellmensingen-Kaserne” was deleted. On 9 July 1975 this decision was reversed; the barracks were named after Dellmensingen again. Today this building houses part of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. The name "Krafft-von-Dellmensingen-Kaserne"

1936-472: Was replaced by Armando Diaz and Pietro Badoglio , who commanded one of the corps easily overwhelmed by the Germans in the early stages of the battle, but escaped from all charges during the commission hearings. Italian propaganda offices were established, promising land and social justice to soldiers. Italy also accepted a more cautious military strategy from this point on. Diaz concentrated his efforts on rebuilding his shattered forces while taking advantage of

#775224