Battle of Hill 383

Background

Hill 383, also called Poggio Montanari, was chosen as a target, seen as a step toward Mount Kuk, Gorizia, and the Banjšice Plateau. To impress King Victor Emmanuel III, Cadorna invited the monarch to the front and prepared an observatory on Mount Korada. The attack was assigned to the 2nd Army Corps under General Gustavo Reisoli, while defenses were commanded by Major General Guido Novak von Arienti.

Battle

On the evening of June 9, 1915, two battalions of the Ravenna Brigade crossed the Isonzo on a pontoon bridge and began climbing the hill, defended by a single company of 200 Austrian riflemen. The assault was crushed by rifle and machine-gun fire and postponed. On June 10, after a heavy bombardment, the entire Ravenna Brigade of 6000 men assaulted at 9:30 pm but was repelled. The defenders were reinforced by a battalion of Croat and Serb soldiers from Dalmatia.

On June 12, six Italian battalions attacked, reached the slopes, and were caught on open ground by machine guns, retreating toward the river. An Austro-Hungarian armored train from Gorizia then fired on them, leaving over a thousand dead. On June 16, after another costly assault, the Italians captured the summit and raised the Italian flag. Early on June 17, the Austro-Hungarians counter-attacked and retook the hill.

Cadorna then transferred six regiments of veterans, watched by the king and general staff, and declared the hill would be taken at any cost. The subsequent uphill assault against machine-gun nests caused thousands of Italian deaths.

Italian Victory

The Italian army finally occupied the hill during the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo, beginning on 12 May 1917. Despite pre-sighted artillery and machine guns causing heavy casualties, the defenders, outnumbered fifteen to one and having taken 1,521 casualties, could not hold the hill. The Italians achieved victory after twenty-three months of fighting.

Did You Know?

• Remains of the battle are preserved on Prižnica and connected by a walking trail.
• Visible elements include military cemeteries, trenches, a dressing station, and a cabin near a cave used by the Avellino Brigade.
• The hill's metric elevation of 383 meters gave it the name Hill 383.