The book VICTORY at any cost. Altopiano dei Sette Comuni 1917 1918

The book VICTORY at any cost. Altopiano dei Sette Comuni 1917-1918. The battles of three mountains. By Paolo Vardhan with photos from the Archivio Storico Dal Molin

• Title Victory at all costs
• Subtitle Altopiano dei Sette Comuni 1917-1918. The battles of three mountains
• 250 Pages
• Cover price € 22,00
• Publishing House Itinera Projects
• Author (s) Paul Volpato (Author)
• Publication Date 2009
• ISBN 10 8888542272
• ISBN 13 978-8888542272
• Buy direct online
  Buy Now

Strange fate that of three mountains on the outskirts of Asiago. From a symbol of rebirth of an army, if not an entire nation, settlement of resorts and marble quarries; outclassed in thecollective imagination by other far more imposing peaks, where the Eagles flight already is an indication of greatness and Majesty above.

It seems must retrieve the history an entire year of fighting on three mountains, the Beautiful Valley, the Col del Rosso, the Col d Echele, few kilometres away from built-up areas and on which it was fought in late 1917 and 1918 as a whole just as bloody and the Grappa, near or on the Piave.

❧❧❧❧

It is also true that the s. fixes wrong mainly remembering what is one of the fundamental steps for the Royal Army after Caporetto, battle of January 1918, an event which is often mentioned in official historiography in the moment you follow major events, summary for a quick read, the entire conflict, but in some ways this is the second battle fought in the subsequent June have never been thorough in their internaldynamics.

❧❧❧❧

Instead thedual reconquest of Monte Val Bella, Col del Rosso and Col of Echele carries with it some food for very interesting analysis, as well as the first test of moral recovery of Italian troops after the defeat of Caporetto, even applying a renewed technical-military doctrine of the Italian army, especially in its victorious outcome of the first offensive against theaustro-Hungarian armyin turn reduce stress following the success of the breakthrough of the Isonzo front.

And if we're going to look at the map, we realize how much importance had even strategically the possession of these mountains: a few kilometers separated the divisions of Conrad by Bassano from one side and from Marostica , in a nutshell by descent on the Plains from the mountains of the seven Communes, always aim yet never achieved.

Is in some ways a situation very similar to that of 1916, with the aggravating circumstance of the unknown of an army behind not granting more assured of a solid grip, but that it was undergoing a profound and extensive reorganization.

❧❧❧❧

Thefirst battle of three mountains also marks the watershed between the old design to conduct the war del Jan. Cadorna with the new address by the new military Chief of staff of the Italian Army, Gen. Diaz. In fact, it can be said that the first battle of three mountains is one of the few offensive actions of 1918, which features a limited number of troops in a short stretch of front.

Cease the powerful offensive pushes of Cadornaby, who saw committed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and that caused such losses as to be ultimately unbearable, the new strategy ofthe Supreme Command put the army in a waiting situation, dictated by objective needs as well as reconstruction, broken down by departments very serious losses with the austro-German offensive, even by a new warning about troop is no longer regarded as men's tankbut as the Union of minds that, properly prepared and motivated, could become an effective operational tool and convinced of its role.

❧❧❧❧

The"battle of the three mountains" entry of the right in the history and traditions of the Sassari Brigade and Corps of Bersaglieri, but on three hills also arditi alpini , and infantry brigades of less celebrated contributed by their actions to pounce once again in the headlines and official bulletins of thePlateau and his army.

In all cases, were not easy fighting, if ever you can define war actions, but attacks and counterattacks by both sides were often conducted with the force of desperation, almost always with particular zeal, no holds barred, often even without that nineteenth-century knightly's residual memory.

❧❧❧❧

And the pages of this book maybe will help enforce less distractedly down these summits to profile those who addressed their gaze from streets and buildings where today, to our good fortune, peace reigns.