Eighth Battle of the Isonzo

Battle

The Eighth Battle of the Isonzo lasted just three days, from October 10 to 12, 1916. It was a direct follow-up to the Seventh Battle, which had tried and failed to expand the bridgehead Italy had seized at Gorizia during the Sixth Battle that August. Like the fighting that came before and the Ninth Battle that would follow, this engagement was confined to narrow sections of the front and lasted only a few days. The Italian command referred to such short, sharp assaults as "spallate," meaning shoulder-barges.

After an initial artillery barrage, Italian infantry brigades advanced. By nightfall on the Karst plateau, they had pushed past Austrian positions in some places but were forced to stop under enemy fire. While parts of the Austrian front line were taken, no further gains were possible. On October 11, the battle resumed with both sides launching furious artillery bombardments at the same time as troops clashed on the ground.

The Italians captured more stretches of enemy trenches. On the 12th, the Austrians launched a series of counterattacks to recover lost ground, but each was beaten back with heavy losses, and hundreds of Austrian soldiers were taken prisoner. This ended the battle.

Italian casualties from October 10 to 12 totaled 23,802 soldiers and 782 officers. Austrian losses were higher: 39,800 soldiers and 813 officers. The front line had advanced to within a few kilometers of Trieste.

To shorten their defensive line and concentrate their forces, the Austrians pulled back, abandoning the Gorizia valley. They established a new position on Mount Santo, supported by the Hermada hills. The seemingly endless series of Isonzo offensives continued with the Ninth Battle of the Isonzo, which began on November 1, 1916, the fifth and final Italian attack of the year.