Battles in the Alps: A History of the Italian Front of the First World War

by G. Irving Root

Far removed from the bloody battles of attrition in the rain and mud of northern France, there raged another desperate struggle between two of Europe s strongest yet most underrated powers, the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Austria-Hungary. Here, along a twisting, curving 475-mile-long battle line, fierce fighting was conducted among the lofty peaks and rugged countryside of the continent s most notorious mountain range, replete with all the difficulties of weather and the awesome challenges of movement and supply. Contingents of troops from all of the major warring powers eventually became involved in this war of extremes. Before it was over, two and one-half million casualties had been suffered and the map of Europe had been changed forever. Battles in the Alps chronicles this important theatre of the Great War, and explains in text and in maps the consequences of Italy s entry into hostilities and the changes resultant from its aftermath. Related incidents in the skies over the Front and on the waves of the adjacent Adriatic Sea are also narrated.

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2008

Reviews

[Lucas Hugie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the definitive work on the Italian front of WW1. Root does an excellent job describing all aspects (air, land, sea) of the front and the personalities that impacted it.

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book deals with the "Italian Front"--the often-forgotten war between Austria-Hungary and Italy during WWI. I have to say that the title is thoroughly misleading: The greater part of this book is a detailed description of the 12 battles of the Isonzo, which did indeed comprise the majority of military action on this front, but which did not take place in the Alps. Foolishly, I thought I was going to be reading about the fighting on the Marmolata and Ortler and Adamello glaciers, but the book makes only passing references to these battles and to the Asiago Offensive, all of which really did take place in the Alps.

Nonetheless, this is a thorough treatment of the Isonzo battles that led up to the Battle of Caporetto, a defeat for the Italians that almost resulted in Italy becoming part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which would have altered history dramatically. Root analyzes the politics behind the war with a judicious eye and looks at the morale and living conditions of the troops, including the brutality and negligence of generals on both sides. It took a decade to write this book and even longer to research it, which involved reading reams of old documents in Italian and German.

Altogether a commendable work, even if seriously mistitled.