One Son's Father - My Father's Battles, Monte San Michele, World War 1, La Grande Guerra - PART 3

Prelude: The Strafexpedition

On March 19, 1916 the Macerata Brigade was relieved from the front during the Fifth Battle of the Isonzo and returned behind the front lines for rest, training and other work details.  They were encamped at Campolongo (al Torre), Armellino and Aiello del Frulio, until May 8. On May 15 the Austrians attacked in the Trentino area (the Strafexpedition). General Cadorna had to move many troops from the Isonzo (those in reserve and behind the lines) as the attack produced significant Austrian movement and Italian losses. The Italians, however, turned the tide by June 3. 

Moreover, the Russian Brusilov offensive that June would produce the largest Entente victory of the war to date, crippling the Dual Monarchy in part because of Austria's decision to move men to the Italian Trentino front.  Unable to maintain the Italian offensive after having lost 100,000 in the battle, and pressured in the East, the Strafexpedition ran out of steam.  200,000 out of remaining 300,000 Austro-Hungarians would quickly be shuffled to the Eastern Front, leaving the few troops who remained under a withering Italian counterattack.  At the loss of 140,000 troops, including 50,000 prisoners, the Italians rolled back large chunks of the Austrian gains. 

But the Italian hopes for a war of conquest lay in tatters. Popular support for the war cooled. The military emergency also triggered a political crisis in Rome: Prime Minister, Antonio Salandra, resigned and was replaced by Paolo Boselli, who set up a “national government” along the lines of the French Union Sacrée. Cadorna himself feared he would be replaced. Now he needed a clear victory to strengthen his own position and began to plan another Isonzo offensive

Battle of Monte San Michele. GAS

Meanwhile back at the Isonzo, as a new offensive was in the works, the situation was relatively calm. During the spring months, little progress had been made around Gorizia, Monte Sabotino and Monte San Michele. However, as the fighting in Trentino abated, the tempo of operations at the Isonzo intensified.  Beginning in the second week in June Italian patrols grew larger and more aggressive.  On Monte San Michele, the work of weakening the enemy defenses by the 3rd Italian army continued: by now the two front lines were in close contact, and the Italian superiority of armament had been achieved creating an untenable situation for Austro-Hungarians of the 5th army of General Boroevic.  The soldiers of the Italian IX Army Corps had succeeded in advancing up to a few tens of meters from the first Austro-Hungarian line, building new trenches and safe positions for the bomb launchers.

On June 14 the Italian III Army began a limited but powerful raid on the Carso’s southern flank.  After several hours of intense shelling at Monte Sei Busi, two Italian divisions advanced towards the Austrian 106th Militia Division trenches. An intense firefight between the Italian Infantry and the Czech riflemen of the 11th Austrian Militia Regiment erupted for control of the trenches around Hill (Sector) 118.  

The fight dragged on into the first week in July. The Austrians managed to hold their positions (despite losing 1,400 men) in the fighting which lasted three days.  After a few days the Italians continued their heavy harassment in this area.  Again the Austrians held their ground but lost another 4,700 casualties. Italian losses were higher in this minor offensive.

Meanwhile, Boroevic had been preparing for a surprise offensive attack by his troops at Monte San Michele.  Boroevic wanted to retake positions around San Martino and San Michele especially Hill (Sector) 197 believing that these areas were going to be used by the Italians in an effort to seize the

Hill 197 at Monte San Michele

heights at Monte San Michele in anticipation (correctly as it turns out) of another Cadorna offensive.  A division sized offensive was planned for the last week in June.  This was to be similar to smaller skirmishes that had been ongoing in these areas between the major assaults at Isonzo for the past year.  But the planning for this attack was dramatically different because it would include the use of chemical (gas) warfare. Previously in March (and only once) at San Martino del Carso, a small village on the western slopes of Monte San Michele, the Austro-Hungarians had counterattacked with success using tear gas. 

Other than that, neither the Austrians nor Italians had used gas before despite its use on the western front in the prior year by the Germans. Both armies had small units of chemical warfare specialists but they had been sitting idle. Two Sappeurbattaillonen – the 61st and 62nd - provided the nucleus for the new Spezialformationen der k.u.k Sappeurtruppe (Special Sapper Units), in February 1916, Sappeur-Spezial-Battailon, which later reverted to k.u.k. Sappeurbatailon 62nd.

The Austrian idea to use chemicals first arose during November 1915 when the Italians had threatened to break through the Carso, but it was believed to be impracticable. But the chemical specialists had now changed their minds and Boroevic seized upon the idea of their use to give his surprise attack a decided advantage.

In the first week of June the VII Corps readied its assault force from elements of the 17th (aimed at Hill 197) and 20th Divisions (aimed at San Michele).  Although the units were ready on June 10, the operation had to wait for two weeks favorable weather conditions.  The Special Sapper Battalion was ready with over 6,000 canisters in the forward trenches of San Michele Sector. The weather was cleared on June 28 and the order (personally cleared by Emperor Franz Josef) was obtained after mid-night.  By 04:15 the canisters were in place and the release of poison gases – phosgene - were launched at 05:15 of June 29, 1916 from the trenches in the town of San Martino del Carso, preceded by an intense artillery fire.  The attack lasted for over one-half hour as the gas cloud was blown westward over and into the front-line trenches of the 21st and 22nd divisions (mainly belonging to the "Regina" and "Pisa" brigades) of the Italian XI Corps.  

Italian Soldiers in the aftermath of gas attacks, perhaps a scene witnessed by my father

The Austrian columns, after the launch of the gases, easily penetrated the first Italian lines, finding only corpses or soldiers dazed by the gases, while the soldiers (from the second lines) still conscious were taken by panic and retreated. The 8th brigade of the 20th (Hungarian) division began the attack. Also in this sector thick clouds hit the first and second lines, the shelters and the walkways, extending their effect up to Peteano and Sdraussina. The attack was particularly violent against the troops that held the positions just below the peaks of San Michele; some battalions of the 19th and 20th regiments (Brescia) were almost completely destroyed, while the survivors were overwhelmed by enemy troops. 

The intervention of Colonel Gandolfo, commander of the Italian 10th regiment, was able to stop part of the unorganized and panicked retreat of the affected, while Major General Sailer with the rest of the Brigata Regina, supported by the artillery and the troops deployed in the Bosco Lancia, began the counterattack.  The Hungarian troops began to experience stiff resistance from the rear-stationed Italian infantry who battled with resolve as they realized the use of poisonous gas by the Imperial Army.  In the afternoon, thanks to a sudden change in the direction of the wind that made the gas disperse to the Austrians coming down, and to the tenacious reorganization effort made by the Italian troops, the lost ground had been entirely reconquered.

Bosco Cappuccio where the 121st Infantry of my father was positioned on June 29, 1916

Between June 29 and 30, in the sector of the San Michele-San Martino del Carso front, from the gases and the contemporaneous enemy attack resulted in 100 deaths among the officers and 2,600 deaths among the soldiers; 98 officers and 3,900 troops were seriously poisoned; altogether about 200 officers and 6,500 troops were put out of action. Among the Austrians, the losses amounted to 23 officers and 1,549 soldiers.

On June 29 the 121st Regiment was occupying the trenches near Cappuccio close-by the Regina Brigade.  One of my father’s fellow infantrymen of the 121st Regiment, Pietro Storari wrote in his diary that day:

On June 29, 1916, … the enemy, after a sudden and intense bombardment, attacked with asphyxiating gases on the line held by the Regina Brigade (Monte Cappuccio) and part of the section occupied by the 121st Regg. Infantry. This was accomplished in a moment and immediately the assault began. Given the almost total losses of the men of the Regina Brigade, the enemy managed to temporarily occupy the 121st Monte Cappuccio trench. On the line held by the 121st [the attack] did not succeed because [we were] well equipped with means of defense against the asphyxiating gases. 

In fact immediately, fires were lit with firewood and other specially prepared Nicolaidi equipment [anti-gas devices], succeeding at the same time in dispelling the gas barbarously launched on the morning of June 29th. However, [the unit] immediately had to leave Monte Cappuccio (position taken at the Regina Brigade) and return to the starting position because our artillery was massacred by the barrage. The 9th and 10th Infantry members of the aforementioned Brigade lost almost all those present.

The corpses were mostly greenish from the powerful gas that had suddenly struck them, those that were stunned, among which a Major was barbarously slaughtered with iron maces, one of which I possess, which I keep as a memory of war.

The military trucks continued for two days to transport the corpses to the nearby military cemetery located in Sagrado at the foot of the Monte San Michele. So I passed my 24th birthday in view of death and in the midst of a painful massacre. The attacks continued on both sides but without success.

What happened next is reported in the tragic testimonies of soldiers and officers shocked by the sight of the Italian trenches. Corporal Valentino Righetti (19th Brescia Brigade) said he reached the trench at night thinking it was completely deserted given the total silence surrounding the area. To his surprise, the soldiers were all in their place, but strangely asleep. At dawn the corporal made the gruesome discovery: hundreds of men had died within minutes the previous day.

For a period of time the Austro-Hungarian soldiers in these areas, were in great danger from the revenge minded Italians.  Imperial Army soldiers who surrendered to become prisoners learned to do so in large groups.  If they were part of a small group they were likely to be shot and killed so was the disdain for the troops that had used poison in battle.

Aftermath

Notwithstanding the use of gas in Italy, Cadorna pressed on with a plan to attack in August 1916. The Sixth Battle of the Isonzo also called the Battle of Gorizia grew out of the Italian defense at Asiago in the Strafexpedition. This brought the heretofore lagging Italian spirit to a new high and united to bring the war into Austria.  Cadorno believed that the Imperials were discouraged by their experience in the Trentino and the fact that many troops had been removed to the eastern front to defend against the Brusilov offensive.  The Imperial command would likely not expect a rapid offensive to be launched so soon after the Asiago defense. Moreover, the western front was also bringing pressure to bear on the German allies at Verdun (where the French had turned the German offensive of the spring around) and at the Somme by the British. These actions would keep the Germans from supporting its Austrian ally.  In these beliefs Cadorna would be proven correct.