First Battle of the Isonzo
1915 CE.
Shown on the map at 45.943°, 13.602°.
The First Battle of the Isonzo was fought between the armies of Italy and Austria-Hungary on the northeastern Italian Front in World War I, between 23 June and 7 July 1915. The aim of the Italian Army was to drive the Austrians away from its defensive positions along the Soča (Isonzo) river and surrounding mountains and hopefully capture the port of Trieste. Although the Italians enjoyed a 2:1 numeric superiority, their offensive failed because the Italian commander, Luigi Cadorna, employed frontal assaults after impressive (but short) artillery barrages. The Austro-Hungarians had the advantage of fighting from uphill positions barricaded with barbed wire which were able to easily resist the Italian assault. The Italians had some early successes. They partially took Krn (Monte Nero), took Kolovrat Plateau, and captured highlands around Bovec. However, they were unable to dislodge the Austro-Hungarian troops from the high ground between Tolmin and Soča River. The heaviest fighting occurred around Gorizia (Gorica). In addition to the natural defenses of the river and mountains, bastions were created at Oslavia (Oslavje) and Podgora.
Text from the Wikipedia article First Battle of the Isonzo, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.