First Battle of the Isonzo

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First Battle of the Isonzo
Part of the Italian Front (World War I)
Image:Italian Front 1915-1917.jpg Eleven Battles of the Isonzo June 1915 — September 1917
Date June 23—July 7, 1915 Location Isonzo River, northeast Italy from the Monte Krn to the Adria Result Austro-Hungarian victory
Combatants
Image:Flag of Italy (1861-1946).svg Italy	Image:Austria-Hungary-flag-1869-1918-naval-1786-1869-war.svg Austria-Hungary
Commanders
Luigi Cadorna, Emanuele Filiberto General Frugoni	General Svetozar Boroević Major General Géza Lukachich von Somorja Major GeneralNovak von Arienti
Strength
225,000 (18 divisions, 252 battalions, 111 cavalry squadrons, 700 guns)	115,000 (8 divisions, 84 battalions, 13 cavalry squadrons, 356 guns)
Casualties
16,000	10,000

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 First Battle of the Isonzo was fought between Italians and Austro-Hungarians on the Italian Front in World War I, between June 23 and July 7, 1915.

The Italians' aim was to drive the Austrians away from their defensive positions along the Isonzo River and on the nearby mountains.

Although the Italians enjoyed a 2:1 numeric superiority, their offensive failed because the Austrians had the advantage of fighting from uphill positions, and because the Italians attacked after an insufficient artillery barrage, so that their assault was effectively halted by the still-intact enemy barbed-wire fences.

Early in July the Austrian commander, Svetozar Boroević, got two reinforcement divisions, which put an end to the Italian efforts at breaking through the Austrian lines.

The final Italian gains were minimal: the bridgehead at Tolmino, beyond the river, and the heights near Plezzo.

Contents 1 Involved units 2 References 3 See also 4 External references

[edit] Involved units

Austria-Hungary
5th Army
VII Corps	XVI Corps	XV Corps
1st Infantry Division	57th Infantry Division	61st Infantry Division	20th Infantry Division	58th Infantry Division
17th Infantry Division	18th Infantry Division	50th Infantry Division
187th Infantry Brigade	6th Mountain Brigade	16th Mountain Brigade	14th Mountain Brigade	81st Honvéd Infantry Brigade
39th Honvéd Infantry Brigade	2nd Mountain Brigade	12th Mountain Brigade	5th Mountain Brigade	4th Mountain Brigade
10th Mountain Brigade	1st Mountain Brigade	13th Mountain Brigade	7th Mountain Brigade	15th Mountain Brigade
8th Mountain Brigade	3rd Mountain Brigade
Reserve
93rd Infantry Division
Headquarters
VII Corps in Kostanjevica	XVI Corps in Dornberg	XV Corps in Kneža

Italy
2nd Army	3rd Army
VII Corps	X Corps	XI Corps	VI Corps	II Corps
IV Corps
13th Infantry Division	14th Infantry Division	20th Infantry Division	19th Infantry Division	21st Infantry Division
12th Infantry Division	11th Infantry Division	4th Infantry Divsion	3rd Infantry Division	32nd Infantry Division
7th Infantry Division	8th Infantry Division	Bersaglieri Division	Alpini Group A and B	half 29th Infantry Division
Reserve
XIV Corps
half 29th Infantry Division	22nd Infantry Division	28th Infantry Division	30th Infantry Division	23th Infantry Division
27th Infantry Division	33rd Infantry Division	1st Cavalry Division	2nd Cavalry Division	3rd Cavalry Division
Headquarters
2nd Army in Udine	3rd Army in Cervigano

[edit] References

• Österreichisches Staatsarchiv/Kriegsarchiv Wien
• L'esercito italiano nella grande guerra (1915-1918) Volume I - IV / Roma: Ministerio della Guerra - Ufficio Storico, 1929-1974
• Ministero della Guerra Stato Maggiore centrale - Ufficio Storico. Guerra Italo-Austriaca 1915-18. Le medaglie d'Oro. Volume secondo - 1916. Roma: 1923
• Österreich-Ungarns letzter Krieg 1914-1918 Band II Verlag der Militärwissenschftlichen Mitteilungen Wien 1931-1933
• Anton Graf Bossi-Fedrigotti: Kaiserjäger - Ruhm und Ende. Stocker Verlag, Graz 1977

[edit] See also

• Second Battle of the Isonzo - 18 July–3 August, 1915
• Third Battle of the Isonzo - 18 October–3 November, 1915
• Fourth Battle of the Isonzo - 10 November–2 December, 1915
• Fifth Battle of the Isonzo - 9–17 March, 1916
• Sixth Battle of the Isonzo - 6–17 August, 1916
• Seventh Battle of the Isonzo - 14–17 September, 1916
• Eighth Battle of the Isonzo - 10–12 October, 1916
• Ninth Battle of the Isonzo - 1–4 November, 1916
• Tenth Battle of the Isonzo - 12 May–8 June, 1917
• Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo - 19 August–12 September, 1917
• Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo - 24 October–7 November, 1917 also known as the Battle of Caporetto

[edit] External references

• First Battle of the Isonzo, 1915 at FirstWorldWar.com
• Battlefield Maps: Italian Front
• 11 battles at the Isonzo
• The Walks of Peace in the Soča Region Foundation. The Foundation preserves, restores and presents the historical and cultural heritage of the First World War in the area of the Isonzo Front for the study, tourist and educational purposes.
• The Kobarid Museum (in English)
• Društvo Soška Fronta (in Slovenian)
• Pro Hereditate - extensive site (in En/It/Sl)Battles of the Italian Front|Isonzo 01de:Isonzoschlachten

fr:Première bataille de l'Isonzo it:Prima battaglia dell'Isonzo hu:I. isonzói csata ja:第一次イゾンツォの戦い pl:Bitwy nad Isonzo sl:Soška fronta zh:第一次伊松佐河之役