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Italy at war Flashcards

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1
Q

Where did Italy’s rivalry with Austria date back to?

A

The 1815 Congress of Vienna after the napoleonic wars, which granted several regions in the Italian peninsula to the Austrian Empire

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2
Q

Of the 1.5 million people living in the irredenta territories, what proportion of them were actually Italian-speaking?

A

45%, with the rest being Slovenes, Germans and Croats

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3
Q

Northern Dalmatia was also part of Italian war aims. What proportion of its population were Italian speakers?

A

5%

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4
Q

Which three political figures engineered the Treaty of London?

A
  • British foreign secretary Edward Grey
  • Italian foreign minister Sidney Sonnino
  • French foreign minister Jules Cambon
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5
Q

What was the only place on the Italian front where the Austrians did not hold the high ground?

A

A 30km coastal strip close to where the River Isonzo enters the sea

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6
Q

How many divisions did Cadorna have at his disposal at the start of the war?

A

35, two more than Austria

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7
Q

Which area was the most suitable for Italian military operations?

A

An area to the east along the River Isonzo, so this was where Cadorna decided to concentrate most of his efforts

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8
Q

What was the main problem with the River Isonzo?

A

It was liable to flood if it rained to heavily

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8
Q

What was the main problem with the River Isonzo?

A

It was liable to flood if it rained to heavily

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9
Q

How many battles of the Isonzo were their during the 2.5 year Italian involvement in the war?

A

11

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10
Q

What were the ultimate consequences of the battles of the Isonzo?

A

Horrendous casualties and an advance of no more than 11km

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11
Q

What did the different battles of the Isonzo tend to do?

A

Merge with one another, so historians have given the most significant individual names

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12
Q

What did Cadorna take the bold move of doing at the start of the war?

A

Launched an offensive across the whole front line, with the Italian armies gaining success almost everywhere

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13
Q

What happened when Cadorna renewed his offensive in October?

A

The Austrians were better prepared and able to take advantage of the Italian shortage of shells

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14
Q

How did cadorna respond to the Austrians thwarting his second offensive?

A

He concentrated on a narrower section along the Isonzo

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15
Q

How many battles of the isonzo were fought in 1915?

A

4, resulting in 250,000 casualties and very little gain. Fortunately, severe winter conditions brought the fighting to an end and gave the soldiers some much needed respite

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16
Q

Where had Italian forces been particularly effective at chipping away at Austrian territory?

A

The Trentino

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17
Q

What was the consequence of the Italian forces focusing their attacks on the mountain passes at the Trentino and the valley of the Isonzo River?

A

The Italians stubbornly persisting in their attempts to batter away Italian defences in the firm belief that the edifice would soon collapse, leaving the Italian forces able to reunite the Italian-speaking regions of Austro-Hungarian territory with the motherland

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18
Q

Why were Austria so keen to pluck the Italian thorn from their side?

A

So they could focus on fighting Russia, their main enemy

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19
Q

Describe the first battle of the isonzo on 23rd June 1915?

A
  • Italian forces outnumbered the Austrians three to one but failed to penetrate the strong Austro-Hungarian defensive lines in the highlands of northwestern Gorzia and Gradisca
  • Because the Austrians occupied the highground, the Italians had launch difficult offensives while climbing
  • The Italian forces therefore failed to drive beyond the river, and the battle ended on the 7th July
  • Despite a professional officer corps, the severly undertrained Italian units lacked morale
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20
Q

How did most Italian troops feel about General Cadorna?

A

They deeply disliked him

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21
Q

What prevented progress and frustrated expectations of a Napoleonic breakout?

A

Pre-existing equipment and munitions shortages

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22
Q

What did the Italian armies use for transport?

A

Horses, which sometimes struggled to sufficiently supply the troops in the difficult terrain

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23
Q

Describe the second battle of the Isonzo on the 18th July 1915

A
  • Italian forces attempted another frontal assualt against the Austrian trench lines, this time with more artillery
  • The Austrians managed to beat back this bloody offensive
  • Concluded in a stalemate due to exhaustion of weaponry on 3rd August
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24
Describe the 3rd battle of the Isonzo on 18th October 1915
- The Italians recuperated and rearmed with 1200 heavy guns - The Austro-Hungarian repulsed the Italian offences again - The battle ended on the 4th November, without any gains having been made
25
Describe the 4th battle of the Isonzo on 10th November 1915
- Both sides suffered more casualties - The Austro-Hungarian forces repulsed this offensive too - The battle ended on the 2nd of December due to an exhaustion of armaments, but occasional skirmishing persisted
26
Describe the 5th battle of the Isonzo on 9th March 1916
- The Italians launched another offensive following the winter lull - Austria-Hungary again repulsed this offensive - The battle concluded on 16th March in poor weather and trench warfare
27
How many battles of the Isonzo occured in 1916?
5
28
What news did Cadorna receive in the spring of 1916?
That the Austrians were amassing their forces in the west in Trentino. Accordingly, he cancelled his own plans and sent troops to reinforce defences there. Once the Austrians had failed to achieve a breakthrough, he reverted back to his original plans
29
What problems were brought on by the second winter of the war?
The rivers in the Isonzo valley flooded, sweeping away bridges and the system of trenches into a morass of clinging mud
30
What were left-wing militants at home determined to do by 1916?
Force their country's withdrawal from the war
31
Aside from the soldiers, who else was suffering from the acute shortages?
Civilians at home
32
How did Cadorna respond to an intelligence report about a major offensive in Trentino?
For a month, he dismissed theses reports, convinced that nothing could happen in the region
33
What happened on May 15 1916 (Trentino Offensive)?
2,000 Austrian artillery guns opened a heavy barrage against the Italian lines, setting the Trentino afire. The Austrian infantry across a 50km front. The Italian wings stood their ground, but the centre yielded, and the Austrians broke through, reaching the Venetian plane
34
How were the Italian forces saved at the Trentino offensive?
The Russians unexpectedly managed to enter Italian soil. Although they were countered by German and Austrian troops, Austria was forced to withdraw half its divisions from Trentino. The offensives could therefore no longer be sustained and the Austrians retired from many of their positions. Italian troops were increased to 400,000 to counter the Austrian positions
35
What happened back in Italy while the Trentino offensive was taking place?
Salandra's cabinet fell, with Boselli becoming the new PM
36
Describe the 6th battle of the Isonzo?
- Launched by the Italians in August - Resulted in greater success than the previous battles - Gained nothing of strategic value but did take Gorizia, boosting Italian spirits
37
Describe the 7th, 8th and 9th battles of the Isonzo
- Took place between 14 September - 4 November - Managed to accomplish little except wearing down the resources of the already exhausted armies of both nations
38
What was the average frequency of offences on the Italian front?
One every three months, higher than on the Western Front
39
What made Italy stand out compared to the armies of France, Britain and Germany?
Discipline was harsher and punishments for infractions were much more severe
40
How much more deadly was the rocky terrain of the Italian Front compared to the soft battlefields of Belgium and France?
Shellfire caused 70% more casualties per round
41
What was the impact of the US entering the war in April 1917?
It boosted the morale of the allies and revived the flagging Italian war effort
42
What came as a blow to the allied powers in 1917?
A bolshevik revolution in Russia forced the country's withdrawal from the war
43
What was the military impact of Russia pulling out of the war?
It released German and Austrian armies from the Eastern Front to fight elsewhere and encouraged elements who thought that a revolution at home might lead to Italy's withdrawal from the war
44
What news did the Italians receive from prisoners and Austrian deserters?
That units of the German army had been sent to reinforce the Austrians
45
What happened in late October 1917?
An Austrian offensive that acted as the final battle of the Isonzo. It became known as the battle of Caporetto
46
What was the human cost of the battle of Caporetto to Italy?
300,000 of their soldiers were taken prisoner and 40,000 were killed or wounded
47
How many heavy guns fell into enemy hands at Caporetto?
3,000
48
What happened to General Cadorna after being held responsible for the humiliation at Caporetto?
He was replaced with General Diaz
49
What were the political repercussions of Caporetto?
Salandra resigned as PM in favour of Orlando
50
Explain how Austrian and German forces came to capture the town of Caporetto
After a five hour artillery bombardment, their forces were immediately successful in advancing across the whole front. They then took the Italians by surprise, outflanked their positions, forced a 20km gap in the Italian lines and captured Caporetto
51
How did Cadorna respond to the capture of Caporetto?
He had no choice but to withdraw his armies and try to reform along defensive lines further down the west along the river Tagliamento
52
Describe the Italian retreat following the capture of Caporetto?
- The retreat was far from orderly as Italians fled in panic - Thousands of soldiers threw away their weapons, deserted and made their way homewards
53
How did Cornwell describe the chaos of the Italian retreat from Caporetto?
400,000 soldiers fled, convinced that, for them, the war was over. They seemed to be in no hurry; as they stopped to eat, drink and pillage
54
What did one observer note about the Italian retreat following Caporetto?
There seemed to be an air of 'tranquil indifference'
55
What did Cadorna do upon realising he couldn't hold a line at Tagliamento?
He was forced to retreat further before establishing order at the river piave on the 9 November
56
What was the only silver lining about Caporetto for the Italians?
The Austrians and Germans did not anticipate being able to advance so quickly. This meant they could not effectively communicate and were left with inadequate supplies. This helped Cadorna, as they could not fully capitalise on the situation.
57
How did the lull in fighting following their retreat from Caporetto help the Italians?
It gave time for the high command to restore order and discipline. It also allowed British and French units to reinforce the line
58
What had the Austrians been looking to do following Caporetto?
They had longed to achieve the strategic prizes of Venice and Verona, and in so doing force Italy into an armistice
59
What forced the Austrians to stop and regroup when attacking Italy after Caporetto?
They advanced too deep and fast and outran their supply lines
60
Who did the Italians call into action in 1917, after having already sustained 600,000 casualties in the war up to that point?
The 99 boys (Regazzi del 99). These were the new class of conscripts born in 1899 who were going to turn 18 in 1917
61
What did the British and French start to do in 1917 to help the Italians?
Bolster the front line. They also provided strategic materials like iron and coal, which Italy had always sorely lacked
62
What did Germany do in the spring of 1918?
Pulled out its troops for an upcoming offensive on the Western Front
63
How did General Diaz manage to inflict major casualties on Austria towards the end of the war?
He learned the exact timing of the upcoming Austrian attack on the 15th of June and so opened artillery fire on the crowded enemy trenches half an hour beforehand
64
How did General Diaz ordering artillery fire at crowded Austrian trenches impact Austria?
- They managed to cross the river Piave but were stopped and forced to retreat - The artillery fire had destroyed many of the river's bridges, meaning the Austrians were unable to receive reinforcement and supplies - 20,000 of their soldiers drowned while trying to reach the east bank - Stiff resistance by Italian units added 40,000 casualties to the Austrian total
65
How many people had Cadorna dismissed in the 19 months leading up to Caporetto?
- 217 generals - 255 colonels - 335 battalion commanders - He ruthlessly dismissed anyone who failed to meet his objectives
66
What was the consequence of Italy's severe disciplinary policy?
It made officers over-cautious
67
What did troops start to be provided with after Caporetto?
Entertainment
68
The arrival of who at Caporetto completely sapped Italian morale?
The Germans, as they had been used as a kind of bogeyman up to that point

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