Battle of San Matteo

The Battle of San Matteo was fought in the late summer of 1918 on Punta San Matteo (3,678 m) during World War I. It was regarded as the highest battle in history until surpassed in 1999 by the Kargil Conflict at 5,600 m. Austro-Hungarian troops had fortified the peak with small artillery pieces, shelling the road to the Gavia Pass.

On August 13, 1918, Alpini mountain troops of the 308th Company, Battalion "Monte Ortler", took the position in a surprise attack. The Austro-Hungarians launched Operation "Gemse" on September 3, 1918, retaking the peak in what became the last Austro-Hungarian victory of the war. The Alpini captured San Matteo for the final time on November 3, 1918, after the Armistice of Villa Giusti had been concluded.