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46-495: Kobarid is known for the 1917 Battle of Caporetto , where the Italian retreat was documented by Ernest Hemingway in his novel A Farewell to Arms . The battle is well documented in the museum in the centre of Kobarid. The museum won a Council of Europe award in 1993. Kobarid was attested in written sources as Kauoretum in 1184 (and as de Cavoreto in 1258, Caboret in 1291, and de Chiavoretto in 1343). The Slovenian name

92-584: A Communist state. Kobarid was the site of a mass grave from the Second World War. The Cemetery Mass Grave ( Slovene : Grobišče na pokopališču ) was in the town cemetery, right of the entrance, between the first and second rows of graves. It contained the remains of 11 German soldiers that fell at Kolovrat in April 1945. Unlike most mass graves in Slovenia, the graves were well maintained during

138-506: A dense cloud of poison gas . Knowing that their gas masks could protect them only for two hours or less, the defenders fled, but 500–600 were killed. Other parts of the valley were bombed with gas from common grenades. Then the front was quiet until 06:00, when all the Italian wire and trenches to be attacked were bombarded by mortars. At 06:41, 2,200 guns opened fire, many targeting the valley road along which reserves were advancing to plug

184-468: A shock" and "triggered a search for scapegoats," culminating in a 1919 Italian military commission that investigated the causes of the debacle. At Rapallo, a Supreme War Council was created to improve Allied military co-operation and develop a common strategy. Luigi Cadorna was forced to resign after the defeat, a final straw according to the Prime Minister, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando . Cadorna

230-596: A vast amount of stores and equipment. In contrast, the Austro-Hungarians and Germans sustained around 70,000 casualties. The last push of Austro-Hungarian and German forces was met and defeated by Italian forces at the First Battle of Monte Grappa : they had advanced more than 100 km (62 mi) in the direction of Venice , but they were not able to cross the Piave River. Up to this point

276-652: Is derived from *Koboridъ , borrowed from Old Friulian *Kaborệdu . The original Romance form of the name, *Cap(o)rētum , is probably derived from Latin caper 'goat' and refers to a place where there are goats. The town is known as Cjaurêt in Friulian, Karfreit in German, and Caporetto in Italian. The municipality is the westernmost in Slovenia, situated in the Julian Alps in the Upper Soča (Isonzo) Valley, at

322-893: The Eastern Front to the Isonzo Sector. Erich Ludendorff was opposed to this but was overruled. Later, in September three experts from the Imperial General Staff , led by the chemist Otto Hahn , went to the Isonzo front to find a site suitable for a gas attack. They proposed attacking the quiet Caporetto sector, where a good road ran west through a mountain valley to the Venetian Plain . The Germans also sent Lieutenant General Konrad Krafft von Dellmensingen , an expert in mountain warfare, to reconnoitre

368-590: The Italian front line and rout the Italian forces opposing them. The battle was a demonstration of the effectiveness of the use of stormtroopers and the infiltration tactics developed in part by Oskar von Hutier . The use of poison gas by the Germans also played a key role in the collapse of the Italian Second Army . The rest of the Italian Army retreated 150 kilometres (93 mi) to

414-594: The Piave River ; its effective strength declined from 1,800,000 troops down to 1,000,000 and the government of Prime Minister Paolo Boselli collapsed. Throughout the spring and summer of 1917, the Italians had launched numerous offensives on the Austro-Hungarian Lines in the Isonzo Sector, with the 11th Battle of the Isonzo being the most successful in pushing back the Austro-Hungarians. After

460-807: The Slovene-speaking territories of Carniola and Lower Styria . From 1754 Kobarid belonged to the newly established Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca , a Habsburg crown land which later formed the Austrian Littoral together with the March of Istria and the Imperial Free City of Trieste . With the exception of a brief period between 1809 and 1813, when it was included under the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy , Kobarid remained under Austrian rule until 1918. In

506-654: The Supreme War Council . Opera Nazionale Combattenti , an Italian charitable organization, was set up in December 1917 in the immediate aftermath of the battle, to provide assistance to veterans of the First World War ; it was closed in 1977. After the battle, the term "Caporetto" gained a particular resonance in Italy. It is used to denote a terrible defeat – the failed General Strike of 1922 by

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552-478: The breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991, Kobarid became part of independent Slovenia. Battle of Caporetto 13,000 dead 30,000 wounded 265,000–275,000 captured 1916 1917 1918 White War (1915–1918) The Battle of Caporetto (also known as the  Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo , the Battle of Kobarid or the Battle of Karfreit ) took place on the Italian front of World War I . The battle

598-410: The socialists was referred to by Mussolini as the "Caporetto of Italian Socialism". Many years after the war, Caporetto was still being used to destroy the credibility of the liberal state. The Battle of Caporetto has been the subject of a number of books. British writer and military historian Cyril Falls 's one volume The Battle of Caporetto is an operational and tactical account of the battle as

644-666: The Austro-German encirclement and retreat to the Tagliamento. Then, on 2 November, after an attack by Captain Emil Redl's 4th Battalion of the 4th Bosnian Infantry Regiment, the 55th Infantry Division (Austria-Hungary) established a bridgehead across the Tagliamento River. About this time, however, the rapid success of the attack caught up with them. The German and Austro-Hungarian supply lines were stretched to

690-527: The German and Austro-Hungarian forces. Despite these logistical problems, the initial assault was extremely successful. However, as the area controlled by the combined Central Powers forces expanded, an already limited logistical capacity was overstrained. By the time the attack reached the Piave, the soldiers of the Central Powers were running low on supplies and were feeling the effects of exhaustion. As

736-496: The German divisions to attack a weakpoint in the Italian line. The Italians inadvertently helped by providing weather information over their radio. The German and Austro-Hungarian battle plan was to use Otto von Below's German divisions, which would be guided by Konrad Krafft to attack a part of the Julian Alps which was near the northeastern corner of the Venetian salient. Meanwhile, Svetozar's Austro-Hungarian army would attack

782-568: The Italian administration, Kobarid also became an important symbolic place for the Fascist authorities because of its role in World War I. An Italian military ossuary was built on the hill above the town, and Benito Mussolini visited Kobarid in 1938. Immediately after the Italian armistice in September 1943, Kobarid was liberated by a Partisan uprising, and became the center of large liberated area of around 2,500 square kilometers, known as

828-419: The Italian success in the 11th Battle of the Isonzo , Emperor Karl knew a breakthrough was going to happen at any moment, as both the Austro-Hungarians and Italians were exhausted, and running out of men to sustain the war. So, he wrote to Kaiser Wilhelm II and requested that German forces be deployed to Italy. In August 1917 Paul von Hindenburg and Arthur Arz von Straußenburg decided to send troops from

874-417: The Italians began to counter the pressure put on them, the German forces lost momentum and were once again caught up in another round of attrition warfare . Brian R. Sullivan called Caporetto "the greatest defeat in Italian military history." John R. Schindler wrote "By any standard, Twelfth Isonzo [Caporetto] and its aftermath represented an unprecedented catastrophe for Italian arms." The disaster "came as

920-568: The Italians had been left to fight on their own but, after the Battle of Caporetto, Britain and France sent reinforcements to the Italians. They were reinforced by six French infantry divisions and five British infantry divisions as well as sizeable air contingents. However, these troops played no role in stemming the advancing Germans and Austro-Hungarians, because they were deployed on the Mincio River, some 97 kilometres (60 mi) behind

966-848: The Kobarid Republic, administered by the Liberation Front of the Slovenian People . During this period, almost all Italian families that settled in Kobarid during the 25 years of Italian administration left the town. In early November 1943, Nazi German forces took over the town and established their rule until May 1945, when the town was finally liberated by the Yugoslav People's Army . In early June 1945, Kobarid came under joint British–U.S. occupation and placed under Allied temporary military administration until

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1012-660: The Piave, as the British and French strategists did not believe the Piave line could be held. The Piave served as a natural barrier where the Italians could establish a new defensive line, which was held during the subsequent Battle of the Piave River and later served as springboard for the Battle of Vittorio Veneto , where the Austro-Hungarian army was finally defeated after eleven days of resistance. On 5 November, Allied officials came together at Rapallo to form

1058-673: The area. The nearby Tonocov Grad archaeological site has remains of 5th-century Roman buildings, when the area was located in the forefront of the Claustra Alpium Iuliarum defense system. The settlement was an important base on the Roman road from Forum Iulii (present-day Cividale del Friuli) up to the Predil Pass and the Noricum province. In the 6th century, the area was settled by Slavic tribes , ancestors of

1104-444: The battle in his novel Caporetto . The bloody aftermath of Caporetto was vividly described by Ernest Hemingway in his novel A Farewell to Arms . Curzio Malaparte wrote an excoriation of the battle in his first book, Viva Caporetto , published in 1921. It was censored by the state and suppressed; it was finally published in 1980. The battle also features prominently in the novel Questa storia by Alessandro Baricco . Today,

1150-650: The battle, often bemoaned the demands placed upon his "poorly fed troops". The Allied blockade of the German Empire , which the Kaiserliche Marine had been unable to break, had led to food shortages and widespread malnutrition in Germany and the Central Powers in general. The inadequate provisioning, as well as the grueling night marches preliminary to the Battle of Caporetto, took a toll on

1196-580: The breaking point and unable to launch another attack to isolate a part of the Italian army against the Adriatic. Cadorna was able to retreat further and by 10 November had established a position on the Piave River and Monte Grappa. Even before the battle, Germany was struggling to feed and supply its armies in the field. Erwin Rommel , who as a junior officer won the Pour le Mérite for his accomplishments in

1242-410: The centerpiece of the larger campaign in northeastern Italy. Infanterie greift an ( Infantry Attacks ), an interwar memoir and military handbook written by the future German field marshal Erwin Rommel , features the actions of then lieutenant Rommel and units he led during the battle, providing insight into "stormtrooper" tactics. The Swedish author F.J. Nordstedt (pseud. Christian Braw) wrote about

1288-659: The communist era. The remains were exhumed in 2000 and re-interred in a common grave at Žale Cemetery in Ljubljana . In the 1960s and 1970s, Kobarid emerged as an important tourist center. In addition to the Kobarid Museum, the Napoleon Bridge has also become an important symbol of Kobarid. The bridge is a popular tourist destination that offers views of the mountains around Kobarid and the Soča River. With

1334-509: The confluence with the Nadiža (Natisone) River, close to the border with Italy . In the southwest, the road leads to the neighbouring Italian comune of Pulfero . The area is located in the north of the historic Goriška region, itself part of the larger Slovene Littoral . Kobarid has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Archaeological remains from the Hallstatt period have been found in

1380-421: The crests of the adjoining ridges, Matajur and Kolovrat , laying out their telephone lines as they advanced to maintain contact with their artillery. Specially-trained and equipped stormtrooper units led attacks, making use of the new German model 08/15 Maxim light machine gun , light trench mortars, mountain guns, flamethrowers and hand grenades . The attackers in the valley marched almost unopposed along

1426-406: The eastern end of the salient and a stretch of ground near the Adriatic shore. The buildup of German and Austro-Hungarian military forces in the region was noticed by Italian air reconnaissance. Foul weather, as well as lack of readiness in some of the Austro-Hungarian divisions and in particular of their artillery, delayed the attack for two days but on 24 October there was no wind and the front

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1472-698: The establishment of a final border between Italy and Yugoslavia. The Morgan Line , which divided the Allied military occupation zone from the Yugoslav one, ran just east of the town, along the Soča River. In September 1947, the Paris Peace Treaties gave the town to Yugoslavia . Several hundred inhabitants, especially from the Breginj area, chose emigration to Italy rather than becoming citizens of

1518-421: The excellent road toward Italy, some advanced 25 kilometres (16 mi) on the first day. The Italian army beat back the attackers on either side of the sector where the central column attacked, but von Below's successful central penetration threw the entire Italian army into disarray. Forces had to be moved along the Italian front in an attempt to stem von Below's breakout, but this only weakened other points along

1564-520: The gap. At 08:00 two large mines were detonated under strong points on the heights bordering the valley and the infantry attacked. Soon they penetrated the almost undefended Italian fortifications in the valley, breaching the defensive line of the Italian Second Army between the IV and XXVII Corps. To protect the attackers' flanks, Alpine Troops infiltrated the strong points and batteries along

1610-483: The ground. The Austro-Hungarian Army Group Boroević , commanded by Svetozar Boroević , was prepared for the offensive. In addition, a new 14th Army was formed with nine Austrian and six to eight German divisions, which were commanded by the German Otto von Below . The German divisions were Ludendorff's general reserve. Lieutenant Colonel Georg Wetzell , Ludendorff's strategic adviser, advised Ludendorff to use

1656-469: The line and invited further attacks. At this point, the entire Italian position was threatened. The Italian 2nd Army commander Luigi Capello was bedridden with fever. Recognizing that his forces were ill-prepared for this attack and were being routed, Capello requested permission to withdraw to the Tagliamento River. Cadorna , who believed the Italian force could regroup and hold out, denied

1702-652: The mid-19th century, the town became an important centre of the Slovene national revival. At the outset of World War I, the area saw one of the first victims of the conflict, Countess Lucy Christalnigg , killed by Landsturmer guards while she was on a mission for the Red Cross . During the war, the whole area was the theatre of the Battles of the Isonzo , fought between the Kingdom of Italy and Austria-Hungary . The town

1748-797: The modern Slovenes . When Kobarid was first mentioned in 1184, it was part of the Patria del Friuli ruled by the Patriarchs of Aquileia . While the estates in the west were gradually conquered by the Republic of Venice until 1420, Kobarid together with Tolmin County and the possessions of the Counts of Gorizia was incorporated in the Inner Austrian territories of the Habsburg monarchy , like

1794-404: The national rejuvenation that had been spurred by invasion and defeat. Italian losses were enormous: 13,000 were killed, 30,000 wounded and 265,000–275,000 were taken prisoner. Morale was so low among the Italian troops, mainly due to Cadorna's harsh disciplinary regime, that most of these surrendered willingly. 3,152 artillery pieces, 3,000 machine guns and 1,712 mortars were lost, along with

1840-452: The request. Finally, on 30 October 1917, Cadorna ordered the majority of the Italian force to retreat to the other side of the Tagliamento. It took the Italians four full days to cross the river, and by this time the German and Austro-Hungarian armies were on their heels, ambushing the defenders whenever they could. These ambushes would become known as the Battle of Pozzuolo . Eventually, the retreating Italian soldiers were able to break through

1886-543: Was abolished and annexed to the Province of Udine . Between 1922 and 1943, Kobarid was submitted to a policy of violent Fascist Italianization and many locals emigrated to the neighbouring Kingdom of Yugoslavia . The town became one of the crucial centres of recruitment and activity of the militant anti-fascist organization TIGR , which carried out an underground fight against the Italian Fascist regime. During

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1932-531: Was almost completely destroyed between 1915 and 1917. After the end of the war in 1918, Kobarid was occupied by the Italian Army, and upon the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye it was officially annexed to Italy and incorporated into the Julian March region. Kobarid was a comune of the Province of Gorizia (as Caporetto), except during the period between 1924 and 1927, when the Province of Gorizia

1978-477: Was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Central Powers and took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid (now in north-western Slovenia , then part of the Austrian Littoral ), and near the river Isonzo. The battle was named after the Italian name of the town (also known as Karfreit in German). Austro-Hungarian forces, reinforced by German units, were able to break into

2024-403: Was known to have maintained poor relations with the other generals on his staff and by the start of the battle, had sacked 217 generals, 255 colonels and 355 battalion commanders. In addition, he was detested by his troops as being too harsh. Cadorna had been directing the battle some 30 kilometres (19 mi) behind the front and retreated another 160 km (99 mi) to Padua . Cadorna

2070-403: Was misted over. At 02:00, in the northern area of the battle (near Bovec /Plezzo) 894 metal tubes similar to Livens Projectors ( Gaswurfminen ), dug into a reverse slope, were triggered electrically to simultaneously fire canisters containing 600 ml (21 imp fl oz; 20 US fl oz) of chlorine - arsenic agent and diphosgene , smothering the Italian trenches in

2116-472: Was replaced by Armando Diaz and Pietro Badoglio , who commanded one of the corps easily overwhelmed by the Germans in the early stages of the battle, but escaped from all charges during the commission hearings. Italian propaganda offices were established, promising land and social justice to soldiers. Italy also accepted a more cautious military strategy from this point on. Diaz concentrated his efforts on rebuilding his shattered forces while taking advantage of

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