Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo

Battle

The attack extended from Tolmin in the upper Isonzo valley to the Adriatic Sea. Italian forces crossed the river at multiple points using temporary bridges, with the main effort directed at the Banjšice Plateau. Capturing this plateau was intended to split the Austro-Hungarian lines and isolate the strongholds of Mount Saint Gabriel and Mount Hermada. After intense fighting, General Capello's Italian Second Army pushed back Boroević's Isonzo Armee, securing the Banjšice Plateau and Sveta Gora, while the Duke of Aosta's Third Army took other positions.

However, Mount Saint Gabriel and Mount Hermada proved impregnable, and the offensive lost momentum. The battle was a tactical victory for the Italians, who advanced about 10–12 kilometers. The exhausted Austro-Hungarians, unable to sustain another attack, requested German intervention on the Isonzo. The Italians lacked resources for a decisive follow-up assault, and the bloodbath left the Second Army split across the Soča, a weakness exploited at the subsequent Battle of Caporetto.

To commemorate the Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment, Georg Fürst composed the 'Isonzo-Marsch'. The Italians fired 5.5 million artillery shells, including poison gas.