ITALIAN FRONT, IN THE WORLD WAR, 1914 1918. On the outbreak of the World War the Austro-Italian frontier, as delimited after the war of 1866, was about 600 km. in length, four-fifths of it in the mountain zone and a considerable part in the high Alps. To some extent it corresponded with the crest of the mountains, but in several areas it was well to the S. or W. of it, and almost everywhere the summits and the most favourable positions were held by Austria. Commencing at the top of the Stelvio pass, it followed the Alpine ridge to the Tonale, deflected S. to the Adamello group and the lake of Idro, turned E. across the Lago di Garda, S. of Riva, ascended the M. Altis simo of the Baldo group, crossed the Adige S. of Borghetto, turned N.E. along the outer edge of the Asiago plateau, E. along the Cime Portule, Dodici, Undici, crossed the Brenta below Grigno, kept along the ridge of the Cadore mountains, crossed the Cordevole S. of Livinallongo, passed S. of Cortina d'Ampezzo, reaching the Carnia Alps at M. Popera, keeping due E. along the crest to the source of the Pontebba stream, turned S. along Morlasio, M. Canin, M. Maggiore and M. Kolovrat, W. of the Isonzo, followed the Judrio, crossed the Torre below its con fluence with the Natisone, passed E. of Palmanova, and reached the sea between the lagoons of Murano and Grado. It formed two salients—that of the Trentino, driven like a wedge into the heart of the Venetian plain, with a dozen military roads spread ing fan-like from it in all directions, and that of the Friuli ex tending towards the Isonzo ; the former was much more favour able to Austria than the latter was to Italy.
On the Italian side there was a main line of railway from Milan to the Austrian frontier at S. Giorgio di Nogaro, with a line push ing N. from Verona to the Austrian frontier at Borghetto, and another from Mestre N.E. to the frontier at Pontebba, a line parallel to the E. frontier from Udine to Palmanova, and a num ber of branch lines. On the Austrian side there were the main lines from the Brenner to the frontier, from Leoben to Pontebba and from Graz to Trieste and San Giorgio di Nogaro, an inter mediate line along the Pusterthal, another from Kalgenfurt to Gorizia and Monfalcone and various branch lines.
As soon as Italy intervened in the war the Italian troops ef fected a forward push and succeeded in some sectors in secur ing more favourable positions—the Tonale, M. Baldo, Col Santo, Pasubio, Vallarsa and Valsugana sectors of the Alpine front (see TRENTINO), and crossed the upper Isonzo at Caporetto, occupy ing the Monte Nero and Plezzo areas. On the middle and lower
Isonzo the advance was held up by the defences of Gorizia (see IsoNzo and Gomm) and the Carso (q.v.), although the river was eventually crossed at Pieris and other points and Monfalcone occupied. Subsequently, after heavy fighting, the enemy having been able to strengthen the naturally strong Carso positions, the Isonzo line was pushed forward until in Aug. 1916 Gorizia was captured, with a wide area on the Carso to the S. of the town. Further progress on the Carso and at various points E. of the Isonzo was effected in the autumn of 1916 and the first months of 1917, the Bainsizza plateau N.E. of Gorizia being occupied after hard fighting in August.
On the Trentino front the Austrian offensive of May 1916 resulted in the loss by the Italians of several sectors on the Asiago (q.v.) plateau; but the last mountainous diaphragm was held as well as the Pasubio, and an Italian counter-offensive recap tured most of the lost ground. On the other sectors there were few changes. When the Austrians broke through at Caporetto (q.v.) in October 1917 the II. and III. armies fell back on the Piave, the Carnia and Cadore sectors were evacuated and some im portant positions on the Asiago plateau were also lost. The new front was zoo km. shorter than the old. From the Stelvio to Asiago it was unchanged ; in the latter sector it was well to the S. of the old line, and further E. it ran along M. Asolon, M. Grappa (q.v.), Col dell'Orso to the Piave S. of Valdobbiadene, and then followed the Piave (q.v.) to its mouth. Only slight changes were effected, except in the Grappa and Asiago areas where, after desperate fighting in November and December, the Italians fell back still further, until by the end of the year the new line was definitely stabilized. At the battle of the Piave some positions in the Asiago area were lost and the Austrians crossed the Piave at two points, but the Italians counter-attacked and re gained all the lost ground. There were no further changes until the Italian victory of Vittorio Veneto (q.v.), which ended the war on this front (Oct. 23–Nov. 3, 1918).
The strategic outline of the campaign on the Italian front is given s.v. WORLD WAR ; see also the references to separate articles above.
(L. V.)