Italy halted the Austro-Hungarian advance along the Piave River and Monte Grappa, preventing the fall of Venice and stabilizing the Italian front in late 1917.
Key Facts
- Start date
- November 11, 1917
- End date
- December 23, 1917
- Duration
- 42 days days
- Italian chief of staff
- Armando Diaz (replaced Luigi Cadorna)
- Outcome
- Austro-German forces failed to capture Monte Grappa summit
- Strategic objective denied
- City of Venice and the Po plains
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the disastrous Austro-Hungarian autumn offensive of 1917, the Italian Army was in full retreat. General Luigi Cadorna had ordered fortified defenses constructed around Monte Grappa, but was replaced by Armando Diaz, who instructed the Fourth Army to halt the retreat and hold defensive lines between the Roncone and Tomatico mountains.
Between November 11 and December 23, 1917, Austro-Hungarian and German Alpenkorps forces, despite numerical superiority, launched repeated assaults against the Italian positions on Monte Grappa and along the Piave River. Diaz granted local Italian commanders greater tactical flexibility, producing a more elastic and effective defense that repelled every enemy attempt to seize the mountain summit.
The Austro-Hungarian and German forces failed to break through to the Italian plains or capture Venice. The Italian front was stabilized along the Piave River, marking a turning point that halted the momentum gained by the Central Powers after the Battle of Caporetto.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Armando Diaz, Luigi Cadorna.
Side B
2 belligerents