Fighting on the Lavarone plateau (1915-1916)

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Lusern plant after the fighting. View of the traditional battery and the front ditch (left)
Italian Front (1915-1918)

The fighting on the plateau of Lavarone was the first military conflict that took place during the First World War between Italy and Austria-Hungary, just west of the then state and today's provincial border between Trentino and Vicenza in Trentino, which at the time still belonged to Tyrol and thus to Austria . From May 23, 1915, the Italian army tried to break through the Austro-Hungarian fortress bar built on the Folgaria plateau and to advance into the Valsugana and Lake Caldonazzo to Trento . The fighting on the Folgaria plateau ended with the start of the Austro-Hungarian South Tyrol offensive in June 1916 and the associated front shift to the southeast.

Geographical and strategic situation

After Veneto came to Italy in 1866, South Tyrol and Trentino formed a bastion-like projection on the border between Austria and Italy that reached far south. In the southeast of Trentino there are several populated plateaus between the Adige and Brenta . The plateaus around Lavarone and Folgaria are still in the Trentino and thus belonged to Austria until 1919, while the plateau of the seven municipalities to the southeast belongs to Veneto and thus to Italy since 1866. In the literature, the term “plateau of the seven municipalities” is sometimes inaccurately extended to the area around Lavarone and Folgaria. The Alps end at the south-eastern edge of the plateau of the seven municipalities and merge into the Veneto lowlands. Venice and the coast of the Adriatic are only 100 km as the crow flies from the former border. The plateau of Folgaria and Lavarone could serve as a collection area for an Austrian offensive to the southeast, as it actually happened in 1916 with the South Tyrol offensive. Such an advance to Venice would have cut off Veneto and Friuli and the Italian armies operating there from the rest of Italy. This gave rise to a particular strategic importance for the Folgaria and Lavarone plateaus. Between 1907 and 1913 Austria fortified the plateaus with seven fortifications against Italy, which in turn built several forts.

Attacked fortifications and bases in the Lafraun / Lavarone section

overview

The plateau of Lavarone and the south-west adjoining plateau around Folgaria formed an area populated only by small villages, which was a Cimbrian-language island in which a form of Bavarian was spoken. It is a heavily forested mountainous country, criss-crossed by deep gorges, which is delimited in the north by a mountain range and in the south and east meets the plateau of the seven municipalities (Italian: "Altopiano dei Sette Comuni"). The highest peaks of this chain are (from the west) the Cornetto (2060 m), the Monte Cimone (1525 m), Pizzo di Levico (1908 m), the Cima Mandriolo (2049 m) and the Cima Làrici (2083 m), the latter was already on Italian territory.

The front ran here from the start of the war in May 1915 until the Austro-Hungarian offensive in 1916 from Novaledo in Valsugana to the south via the Pizzo di Levico with the Posten Vezzena plant , the Malga Marcai di Sotto below the Verle plant , over the Passo Vezzena (located here a customs station of the Guardia di Finanza ), the Malga Basson di Sopra with the large field fortifications base Basson, and then turn sharply west at the Lusern plant . The front then ran to the west near the village of Lusern , crossed the Valle Rio Torro, past the Gschwent plant , across the Val d'Astico with the important road from Arsiero to Vigolo Vattaro and Rovereto to the Sebastiano plant . There the front line turned south again, reached the Sommo intermediate plant and led south to the Serrada plant , which sits here on a slope 1240 m above the Valle Terragnola and forms the end of the chain of fortifications. Naturally, the fortifications were not exactly on the borderline, but at different distances behind it. This ranged from around 200 meters at the Gschwent plant to three kilometers before the Vezzena post, where the border ran exactly on the Cima Mandriolo . The apron was abandoned.

The works were manned by detachments from the Imperial and Royal Landess Rifle Regiment "Bozen" No. II , the 2nd company of the fortress artillery battalion 1 and the 1st – 4th. Company of the fortress artillery battalion 8.

All works were fought with artillery, while infantry attacks were carried out only against Vezzena, Verle and Lusern as well as against the Basson base. This was also the main focus of the fighting.

Survivors of it. IR 115 from Basson

Opposite on the Italian side were the Forte Campolongo and the group of works Monte Verena with the Forte Monte Verena and the batteries "Costa del Civello" (kuk target number Z 34) as well as "Spelonca della Neve" (kuk target number Z 32) and " Bosco Arzari “(kuk target number Z 22). These fortified positions were all about 500 m higher than the Austrian ones and were also equipped with guns of much larger caliber, although those of the forts also had longer tubes. Theoretically, this shifted the balance due to the stationary artillery in favor of the Italians, especially since the Austrians - even if they had three more guns - with their short 10-cm howitzers partially made the Italian forts (e.g. the Verle factory) could not achieve. In practice, long before the declaration of war, the Italian leadership began massaging mobile artillery in and around the Val d'Assa.

Listing of the Italian artillery on the plateau of the seven municipalities 1915/16
Field artillery
piece Gun type caliber Location
2 "G" cannons 120 mm Tagliata Val d'Assa
2 Coastal howitzers "M79 C" 280mm L / 9 Monte Toraro (Battery No. 535)
2 Coastal howitzers "M79 C" 280mm L / 9 Forcella Malon (Battery No. 534)
4th "B" cannons 87 mm Valperaga
2 Coastal howitzers "M79 C" 280mm L / 9 Costa del Civello
4th "G" cannons 149mm L / 36 Casara Mandirielle
4th "G" cannons L36 149 mm Malga Campo Poselara
2 Coastal howitzers "M79 A" 280mm L / 12 Spelonca della Neve (Battery No. 556)
2 Coastal howitzers "M79 C" 280mm L / 9 Bosco Arzari (Battery No. 555)
2 "B" cannons 87 mm Baitle
4th mortar 210 mm Porta di Manazzo (Battery No. 543)
2 "B" cannons 87 mm Casara Campo Mandriola
4th "B" cannons 87 mm Mosciach
4th "B" cannons 87 mm Monte Gutenate
1 Coastal howitzer 305mm L / 17 Porta di Manazzo (Battery No. 147)
1 Coastal howitzer 305mm L / 17 Valle Sparavieri (Battery No. 145)
2 Coastal howitzers "M79 C" 280mm L / 9 On the works road to Forte Campomolon (Battery No. 533)
4th Howitzers 149 mm On the works road to Forte Campomolon (next to battery No. 533)
2 "G" cannons in fortress mounts 149mm L / 36 south below the Campomolon plant
(battery no. 519)
Fortress artillery
3 "G" cannons in the turret 149 mm Forte Casa Ratti
6th "A" cannons in the turret 149 mm Forte Punta Corbin
4th "S" cannons in the turret 149mm L / 36 Forte Campolongo
4th "S" cannons in the turret 149mm L / 36 Forte Monte Verena

  • 280 mm coastal howitzer "M79 A"

  • 280 mm coastal howitzer "M79 C"

  • 149 mm field cannon "G"

  • 305 mm coastal howitzer

Problems of the Italian artillery

Although the hit rate through the good observation posts of the Italians was up to 74 percent much higher than, for example, in the fortress battles in Belgium, there were problems with the effectiveness. The guns were not very effective at first as the Italian artillery had major problems with the ammunition used for the first four weeks. Due to the unstable trajectory, there were many ricochets and ricochets , which naturally resulted in reduced impact force . Sometimes the explosion effect was too weak, sometimes the delay detonators failed . This could only be stopped from mid-June.

The 149 mm caliber of the fortress guns had no effect on the concrete coverings. These cannons were then used increasingly for interference, for example on the infantry lines, the rear positions, the approach routes and repair work.

Beginning of the fighting

After four days of preparatory fire by the Italian artillery against the Austro-Hungarian tank works in the Fogaria and Lavarone area, the first attacks with the 63rd Company of the Bassano Alpine Battalion against the Vezzena post began on the night of 29-30 May in order to find out the strength of the defenders. However, they could be turned away. This was followed by an assault by the 62nd, 74th and 94th companies of the same battalion, which was repulsed with heavy losses for the attackers, although there were no continuously occupied trenches. With this company, the Italians succeeded in conquering the important base on the Levespitze (1857 m). Thereafter it remained with smaller skirmishes until August, with the exception of an Austrian attack on June 16, with which the front should be cleaned up somewhat.

When another large-scale artillery attack began on August 15, the projectile of one of two 30.5 cm coastal howitzers that had been set up in the meantime penetrated the armored armor of a cannon dome at the Verle plant, and another detonated in one of the ready rooms in the days after. A casemate was broken through at the Lusern plant and at the Vezzena post one of the projectiles went straight through the plant without exploding due to a fuse failure and fell into the Val Sugana after breaking through the rear wall. In the course of this massive bombardment, the Italians did everything that could be of use. Mountain guns fired from the edge of the Marcairücken forest at a distance of only 300 m on the notches of the Verle plant, but without achieving any notable success. The tank works Campolongo and Verena could no longer intervene in the fighting because they had been knocked out by Austrian 30.5 cm mortars in June . During the period of this attack, the Verle plant alone was receiving around 350 30.5 cm shells, 500 28 cm shells, 1200 shells 21 cm and an uncounted number of 14.9 cm field guns a day 7.5 cm mountain gun grenades hit.

Infantry attacks

One such mortar from Mortar Battery No. 12 destroyed Ft. Verena and Campolongo.

After several days of barrage, Italian infantry attacks began on August 21, 1915 in the evening against the Monte Durer south of the Folgaria plateau by the 2nd Bersaglier regiment, but they were repulsed. At around 10:00 p.m. on August 24th, there was another attack, this time by the Ivrea Brigade (IR 161 and IR 162) and Treviso (IR 115 and IR 116) reinforced by the Bassano and Val Brenta alpine battalions , which was also repulsed. On August 25th at 4:00 am, the Treviso Brigade attacked again with the "115 Infantry Regiment" at its head, focusing on the advanced Basson base. This and the adjacent areas were defended by a company of Tyrolean state riflemen , the Upper Austrian volunteer young riflemen , stand riflemen from Kitzbühel and Schwaz , the Standschützen Battalion in Sterzing and the Standschützen Battalion Meran I. After the Italians had attacked four times in vain and had only conquered a small front part of the trench in the end, they were at the end of their power, as the flank fire of the machine guns from the Vezzena post condemned any further attack attempts to failure from the outset. The barrage of the Austrians no longer allowed a retreat, so that the section commander , Colonel Otto Freiherr Ellison von Nidlef , was only armed with a pistol and with a handful of men behind him, about 400 Italian soldiers including the commander of the IR 115 Colonello Riveri to take prisoner, for which he was awarded the highest military distinction of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, the Knight's Cross of the Military Maria Theresa Order . Colonel Riveri was later returned to Italy via Switzerland, but died a few months later as a result of his injuries. The losses of the Austrian defenders amounted to about 150 dead and about 300 wounded. The Italians lost around 250 dead and 470 wounded, and 350 men were taken prisoner in Austria, of whom around 110 were wounded. The Italian memorial on Assatalstrasse, on the other hand, records 1048 fallen (caduti) NCOs and men and 43 fallen officers. In total, the Ivrea brigade recorded 240 and the Treviso brigade 1,079 dead, wounded and missing

Rifles of Italian fallen soldiers at Basson

End of the fighting

With the Austrian South Tyrol offensive in June 1916, the front shifted considerably to the southeast, so that the fortifications and the plateau were no longer involved in any fighting. Only at the end of the war was the plateau with the fortifications occupied by British and Italian troops in the course of the retreat and collapse of the Austrian troops in November 1918.

Conclusion

Although the fortifications immediately affected did not correspond to the very latest state of the art of warfare (too weak turret armor, too small artillery), they passed their practical test completely. A breakthrough of Italian infantry over the plateau was prevented (if only with the utmost strength). Upon reaching the city of Trento , the entire area east of Lake Garda would have been cut off like in a sack.

Literature (according to relevance)

  • Rolf Hentzschel: Fortress war in the high mountains. Athesia, Bozen 2008, ISBN 978-88-8266-516-6 .
  • Rolf Hentzschel: Austrian mountain fortresses in the First World War. Athesia, Bozen 1999, ISBN 88-8266-019-2 .
  • Robert Striffler: From Fort Maso to Porta Manazzo. Book Service South Tyrol Kienesberger, Nuremberg 2004, ISBN 3-923995-24-5 .
  • Erwin Anton Grestenberger: Imperial and Royal fortifications in Tyrol and Carinthia 1860–1918. Verlag Österreich, Vienna 2000, ISBN 3-7046-1558-7 .
  • Otto Ellison von Nidlef : War Diary 1914–1918. Graz 1932.
  • Edmund Glaise-Horstenau (ed.): Austria-Hungary's last war. Vol. 2.1, pp. 512-523, and Vol. 3.2, pp. 379-384 and 454-458.
  • Casimir Hermann Baer (ed.): The war of nations. A chronicle of the events since July 1, 1914. Stuttgart: Hoffmann. Vol. 8, 1916, and Vol. 11: The events on the Italian front, in Italy, on the Turkish theaters of war as well as in Turkey, Persia and Morocco. The battles for Tyrol and Carinthia. 1917. (Uncritical compilation of reports and press reports).
  • Wolfgang Joly: Standschützen. University Press Innsbruck 1998, ISBN 3-7030-0310-3 .
  • Helmut Golowitsch: And when the enemy comes into the country ... Book Service South Tyrol 1985. (Uncritical compilation of mostly subjective primary sources such as excerpts from autobiographical writings, press reports, letters etc.)

Literary processing

  • Fritz Weber: Grenades and Avalanches . Leipzig / Vienna / Berlin 1932, DNB  363018530 (also contained in: Fritz Weber: The end of an army. 1933. and Fritz Weber: The end of the old army. Bergland-Buch, Salzburg / Stuttgart 1959, pp. 9–116.) .
  • Luis Trenker : Rocca Alta fort . The hero struggle of a tank factory. Knaur, Berlin 1937. Further editions Knaur, Berlin 1938, 1949, 1941; Berg, Munich 1977, 1983; European educational community u. a., Stuttgart 1978. (The post-war editions show considerable differences to the older editions.)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ So z. B. from Heinz von Lichem or Walther Schaumann .
  2. ↑ colloquially, both areas are always referred to together: Lavarone / Folgaria plateau
  3. ↑ The work was still called "Cherle" until 1914, see Hentzschel Fortress War, p. 15. It was then renamed to avoid possible confusion with the Verle work.
  4. ^ Organization of the war for the spring of 1915 in: Austria-Hungary's Last War. Volume II, Appendix 14.
  5. ↑ Longer tubes mean higher muzzle velocity, thus greater penetration and greater range.
  6. ↑ a b c Grestenberger p. 95
  7. ↑ At the forts Verena and Campolongo, the original "A" cannons from Armstrong had been replaced by the more powerful "S" cannons from Schneider-Creuzot before the start of the First World War.
  8. ^ Hentzschel: Fortress War . P. 111.
  9. ↑ Hentzschel p. 101
  10. ↑ Hentzschel p. 9
  11. ↑ The Italian alpine companies were numbered consecutively - regardless of which battalion they belonged to.
  12. ↑ Hentzschel p. 97
  13. ↑ Hentzschel p. 151
  14. ↑ Golowitsch p. 102
  15. ↑ Golowitsch p. 107 ff.
  16. ↑ Golowitsch p. 112
  17. ↑ Joly p. 230
  18. ↑ Joly p. 369
  19. ↑ Joly p. 414
  20. ↑ Joly p. 281
  21. ↑ Colonel Ellison's Diary. Graz 1932, p. 44, explains: "I asked the gentlemen of my staff to take their rifles like me, to fill their pockets with ammunition and to accompany me to the Basson." A loss of the rifle or the Use of a pistol is not mentioned there in the following.
  22. ↑ Among them was the platoon leader in the Imperial and Royal Landesschützen Regiment No. III, Franz Pomykahler from Brixen, whose war diary was used as a source.
  23. ↑ The war diary of the "115 ° Reggimento fanteria" names 28 dead, 468 wounded and 572 missing. The latter number goes very well with Ellison's War Diary, which lists 228 Italians killed in action, 246 unwounded, and 108 wounded prisoners.
  24. ↑ Wolfgang Joly: Standschützen. Schlern-Schriften, Innsbruck 1998, p. 231.
  25. ↑ Hentzschel p. 100
  26. ^ Hentzschel: Fortress War . P. 107 f .; Wayne: Atlas for the Great War. West Point military history series, Avery, New York 1986, p. 20.