Battle of Vittorio Veneto

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Battle of Vittorio Veneto
Part of the Italian Front (First World War)
Image:Battle of Vittorio Veneto.jpg Battle of Vittorio Veneto
Date 23 October-3 November, 1918 Location Vittorio Veneto, Italy Result Decisive Allied victory, dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Combatants
Image:Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Italy Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom Image:Flag of France.svg France Image:US flag 48 stars.svg United States	Image:Austria-Hungary flag 1869-1918.svg Austria-Hungary
Commanders
Image:Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Armando Diaz	Image:Austria-Hungary flag 1869-1918.svg Svetozar Boroevic von Bojna
Strength
57 divisions 51 Italian , 3 UK 2 French , 1 US[1] 7,700 guns	52 divisions 6,030 guns
Casualties
38,000 dead or wounded	30,000 dead or wounded 300,000 captured

v • d • e Italian Front
1st Isonzo – 2nd Isonzo – 3rd Isonzo – 4th Isonzo – 5th Isonzo – Asiago – 6th Isonzo – 7th Isonzo – 8th Isonzo – 9th Isonzo – 10th Isonzo – Ortigara – 11th Isonzo – Caporetto – Piave River – Vittorio Veneto

The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto, during the Italian Campaign of World War I. The Italian victory determined the collapse of Austro-Hungarian Army and empire. So as the end on the First World War on the Italian Front.

Some Italians see Vittorio Veneto as the final cumulation of the Risorgimento nationalist movement, in which Italy was unified and achieved its present borders.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Background 2 The battle 3 Conclusion 4 Result 5 Footnotes

[edit] Background

During the Battle of Caporetto, 24 October to 9 November 1917, near Kobarid, in what is now Slovenia, the Italian Army lost over 300,000 men and was forced to withdraw, causing the replacement of the Italian Supreme General Luigi Cadorna with the General Armando Diaz. Diaz reorganized the troops, blocked the enemy advance and stabilized the front-line around the Piave River. The Italian victory in the Battle of the Piave River in June 1918 proved to be the decisive battle on the Italian front.

[edit] The battle

On the 23 October 1918, the Italian Army, led by Armando Diaz, and supported by Allied troops, launched the final offensive.

After crossing the Piave River, the Italian Army took Vittorio ("Veneto" was added to the name only in 1923) and advanced in the direction of Trento, threatening to block the retreat of Austrian forces.

[edit] Conclusion

General Graziani's 12th Italian army made advances, and he was supported on his right by the 8th army. On 30 October 1918 the Austro-Hungarian army was split in two. The result was that Austria-Hungary lost about 30,000 casualties and between 300,000-500,000 prisoners (50,000 by October 31st, 100,000 by November 1st, 428,000 by November 4th). The Italians lost about 38,000 casualties, including 146 French and 274 Britons^[2]

A source for the battle is George M. Trevelyan, Scene's from Italy's War (1919).

[edit] Result

The battle determined the end of the First World War on the Italian front. The surrender of their primary ally made the continuation of the war for Germany impossible as an additional front in the south could have been opened. As well, this defeat marked the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

[edit] Footnotes

Coordinates: 45°57′21″N, 12°20′49″E

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