Fifth Battle of the Isonzo

Background

The winter lull gave Italian commander Luigi Cadorna time to regroup, adding eight new divisions to the front for a fifth attempt to cross the Soča river. This offensive was not a carefully planned campaign. Instead, it was a diversion, ordered to pull Central Powers forces away from the Eastern Front and Verdun, following the December 1915 Chantilly Conference agreement among the Allies.

The battle

The fifth battle along the Isonzo River began on March 11 with two days of shelling, focusing on the middle stretch between Tolmin and Monte San Michele. Italian forces failed to capture Podgora Hill from Dalmatian defenders. However, they did succeed in scaling and seizing Sabotin from the Austrians, a move carefully prepared since the previous winter. This was the only meaningful Italian gain; attacks at Mount Mrzli, Tolmin, and the hamlet of San Martino all failed.

Snow and fog in the southern sector forced the Italians to halt their offensive after one week, with roughly 4,000 total casualties. The diversionary attacks ordered by General Cadorna for the 2nd and 3rd Armies were less costly than earlier battles. Around Gorizia and other front sections, small-scale skirmishes between platoons dragged on past March 30, with no decisive outcome. Cadorna had requested that Russia keep Austro-Hungarian forces pinned on the Eastern Front, allowing him to shift his troops toward Trentino while ending the offensive.

Did You Know?

• A Croatian newspaper stated that the offensive had 'ended in the same kind of success as the first four.'
• Cadorna concluded that he would need more heavy artillery, and planned a sixth offensive after resupply promises from Italy's allies.