Defeat at Caporetto Flashcards
What did the Austrian army launch in 1916?
In 1916, the Austrian army launched the Strafexpedition
What is a Strafexpedition?
A Strafexpedition is a major offensive in the Trentine salient
Why did they launch the Strafexpedition?
They launched it in order to open a path that would allow it to attack Verona and Bologna
What impact did the Strafexpedition have on the Italian army?
Although the Italian army was able to regroup and halt the Austrian attack, it had a severe impact on the army and public morale
Who was Antonio Salandra criticised by? What Salandra do?
Antonio Salandra was criticised by both military command and parliament and was forced to resign
Who was Antonio Salandra replaced by?
Antonio Salandra was replaced by 78-year-old Paolo Boselli
What impact did Paolo Boselli have on the Italian army?
He had no impact on the Italian army as Italy’s military efforts hardly improved
How did the situation reach its lowest point? On what date?
The situation reached its lowest point with Italy’s humiliating defeat by the Austro-Hungarian forced at the Battle of Caporetto in October 1917
Where did the battle take place? On what date? Why?
The battle took place around the town of Caporetto on 24th October 1917, Austrian forced attacked the Italian front line
What saw the Italian army dissolve in the face of the Austrian forced?
Poor leadership and low morale saw the Italian army dissolve in the face of Austrian forces
What took place?
A humiliating and chaotic retreat took place
What had been an initial victory for the Austrians turned quickly…
into a rout as Italian soldiers streamed down the mountains, many without weapons
[Retreat] What had there been reports of?
There had been reports of looting, violence between Italian troops and celebrations by some troops who thought the war was now over
[Retreat] How many soldiers lost contact with their regiments?
Over 200K soldiers lost contact with their regiments
[Retreat] What was lost?
Large quantities of military arms were lost as was the majority of the Veneto region
What were the actions of the Italian troops described as? How did this contrast with 2 months before?
The actions of Italian troops in the face of the Austrian offense was an embarrassment to the Italian leadership, who only 2 months before had been claiming that the war had finally brought about patriotic unity in Italy
What did one Italian senator do? Why? What was his name?
One Italian senator, Leopoldo Franchetti, was so overwhelmed by the nature of defeat that he committed suicide
How many Italians were killed?
10K Italians were killed
How many were wounded?
30K Italians were wounded
How many were taken prisoner?
300K Italians were taken prisoner
How many vanished? Where did they go (in most cases)?
400K vanished, in most cases using the chaos to head back to their homes in Italy
What did the defeat reveal?
The defeat revealed the poor state of the army
What did the defeat prompt?
The defeat prompted some significant anger and debate within Italy
What had the original Austrian victory been? What was it now?
While the original Austrian victory had been due to tactical reasons, the nature of the retreat afterwards was accentuated by poor morale
What the defeat of Caporetto a turning point for?
The defeat at Caporetto was a turning point for the Italian nation
What disappeared? What was Italy fighting for now?
Thoughts of an easy victory that would allow Italy to take Trente and Trieste disappeared; now Italy was fighting for its survival
What did Caporetto reignite?
Caporetto ignited the divisions that had surfaced during the arguments on intervention in 1914 and 1915
What was blamed for Italy’s poor military performance?
The fact that a majority of Italy’s parliament still backed Giolitti and weren’t completely behind the war was to blame for Italy’s poor performance
What were there calls for?
There were calls for a revolution from many nationalists
What did some nationalists call for?
Some nationalists even went as far as to call for Giolitti and other ‘neutral’ politicians to be put on trial for treason
What happened following Caporetto?
Following Caporetto, Paolo Boselli resigned
Who replaced Paolo Boselli?
Paolo Boselli was replaced by the younger and more dynamic Vittorio Orlando
Who was removed?
Luigi Cadorna was removed
What was reorganised? Under who?
The Italian army was reorganised under a new commander, General Diaz
What was raised/increased?
Rations for the soldiers were raised and annual leave was increased
What was there a greater focus on? How?
There was a greater focus on boosting soldier morale through lectures and trench newspapers
What promises were made?
Promises of land reform for the peasant conscripts were made
What was established in December 1917?
In December 1917, an organisation to look after the welfare of the soldiers and their families was established
What was General Diaz much more of?
General Diaz was much more of a cautious commander
What did General Diaz focus on? What did he avoid?
He focused on holding the Italian line at Piave and avoiding the needless sacrifice of soldiers in suicidal offensives
What happened with the casualty rates under General Diaz? GIve an example
Casualty rates fell considerably, from 520K in 1917 to 143K in 1918
