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The ninth battle of the Isonzo was the third of three short-lived offensives launched on the Isonzo front in the autumn of 1916. The Italian 2nd and 3rd armies launched attacks east of Gorizia and on the Carso Plateau at 11.10am on 1 November. Some progress was made on the first day of fighting, but persistent wet weather had produced waist deep mud, and the Italian advance was slow at best.
On 3 November Italian troops occupied Volkovniak and Dosso Faiti, but an attempt to turn the Austrian position at Salone on 4 November failed. At that point General Cadorna suspended the offensive.
The Italians had suffered 28,000 casualties in the four days of fighting, while capturing 9,000 Austrian POWs. During the seventh, eighth and ninth battles of the Isonzo the Italians had lost 75,000 men, the Austrians 63,000, of whom 20,000 had been taken prisoner. The Austrians had been pushed back a short distance from Gorizia and the Italian foothold on the Carso expanded slightly, but the Italians had once again failed to achieve any significant progress.
Caporetto and the Isonzo Campaign, The Italian Front 1915-1918, John Macdonald with Zeljko Cimprié. An excellent study of the First World War on the Italian front, focusing on the twelve battles of the Isonzo, one of the most costly campaigns of the entire war. A good background to the campaign is followed by useful accounts of each of the battles, something quite difficult to find. [read full review]
