Carso, Battles of the

In World War I, four major battles 1916-17 between Italian forces attempting to seize Trieste, and Austrian forces trying to stop them. The Carso is a limestone plateau lying north of the Adriatic, formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and, after 1919, part of Yugoslavia.

The first battle took place September 1916 and resulted in the Italians gaining some ground before being stopped by a concentration of Austrian heavy artillery and bad weather.

The second battle occurred October 1916, when the Italian general Luigi Cadorna resumed his attack and made a steady advance, repulsed Austrian counterattacks, and established a new line before the onset of a severe winter stopped further movement.

The third battle broke out May 1917 when the Italians drove the Austrians from their trench lines and advanced until they were halted by a shortage of ammunition. The Austrians launched a powerful artillery bombardment in preparation for a counterattack 1 June 1917. They met with only limited success and the battle died out. Cadorna had gained a great deal of territory, 16,500 prisoners, and a quantity of guns and stores.

The fourth battle took place September 1917: the Italians had been gradually creeping forward throughout the summer and were preparing a major attack on San Gabriele, but the Austrians discovered this and mounted a spoiling attack 4 September. The battle lines swayed back and forth but eventually the Austrians prevailed and drove the Italians back.