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Postcard of a color painting of General Luigi Cadorna, chief of staff of the Italian Army
Reverse:
Generale Luigi Cadorna
Postmarked October 10, 1916

General Luigi Cadorna, chief of staff of the Italian Army

Image text

Reverse:

Postmarked October 10, 1916

Generale Luigi Cadorna

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Wednesday, August 2, 1916

"The divisions that had been transferred to the Trentino were brought back to the Isonzo, along with most of the First Army's artillery, without detection. By early August, over 200,000 men were ready to move against San Michele and Gorizia. The heavy guns were placed in front of Gorizia, shells had never been available in such quantities, and the number of mortars quadrupled over the past year."

Quotation Context

After facing five Italian offensives in one year along the Isonzo River in northeastern Italy, Austro-Hungarian Commander in Chief Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf launched the Asiago Offensive on May 14, 1916 in Trentino, striking behind the Italian armies, hoping to cut them off with a successful drive to the Adriatic Sea. Surprised by the successful attack, General Luigi Cadorna shifted troops from the Isonzo to Trentino, while the government pleaded with the Russians for a relief offensive against Austria-Hungary. Russian General Alexsie Brusilov responded with one of the greatest and most successful offensives of the war, one that threatened to destroy the Austro-Hungarian Army. As Conrad stopped the Asiago campaign to fight the Russian threat, Cadorna redeployed his forces in preparation for the next battle of the Isonzo.

Source

The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915-1919 by Mark Thompson, page 170, copyright © 2008 Mark Thompson, publisher: Basic Books, publication date: 2009

Tags

Isonzo, 1916-08-02, 1916, August, Carso, Carso Plateau, Cadorna, Luigi Cadorna