| Home > Battle Histories > Italy > The Battle of the Piave, 15 - 24 June 1918 |
The
last attack of the Austro-Hungarian Army
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The
Austro-Hungarian Army found itself with many extra Divisions once the
Russian Army had collapsed, and the peace treaties had been signed
in March 1918. A decisive pincer attack against Italy was decided upon,
from the north (Asiago) and east (Piave). Ludendorff appealed to the
Austrians to take offensive action when it became clear by late April
that his great offensives on the Western Front had failed to bring
about a decision. At Asiago, the plan was to reach the southern edge
of the Asiago woods by the end of the first day; at the same time Monte
Grappa would be captured; then the main thrust would be towards Treviso.
The Austrians had 47 infantry and 8 cavalry Divisions, with 6,800 artillery
weapons. The Allies had 54 infantry, 4 cavalry and 7,500 guns. The
attack was launched on 13 June 1918,
in four areas. An attack in the Tonale Pass against
Italian forces was utterly defeated; two days later came attacks between
the Adige and Monte Grappa, and another along
the River Piave. This page concerns the Piave section. See teh Asiago action here.
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Where
the battle took place
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The
River Piave flows in a generally north-west to south-east direction,
joining th sea to the east of Venice. North-West of Treviso - which
is itself north of Venice, it loops around a hilly area called the
Montello. The river from this point to the sea is very broad, some
800 yards in places, but fast-flowing. South-east of the Montello a
series of islands lies in the river, of which the largest is Papadopoli.
The land on either side is flat, giving those in occupation of the
Montello an excellent observation advantage.
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British
Order of Battle
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Numbers
45 and 66 squadrons of the Royal Air Force assisted in bombing Austrian
attempts to construct bridges near the Montello, but no British Army
units took part in the ground fighting.
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What
happened
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On the first day, the attacking Austrian units managed to gain a foothold on the west bank, but they failed to follow up on the second day. Small gains were subsequently made, but the Austrians eventually withdrew after Italian counter-attack. |
Casualties
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The
Italians lost 84,000 men in this action; the Austrians 69,000.
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Summary
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The
outcome of the failed Austrian offensive was disastrous. Desertion
rose alarmingly, and Field-Marshal Conrad von Hotzendorff lost his
job.
The Austro-Hungarian army, never remotely up to the German standard,
became severely weakened. It was unlikely to withstand a serious
Allied blow - which next came in this same sector on the River
Piave.
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 Forward
to the Allied advance across the Piave, in October 1918's Battle
of Vittorio Veneto |