Battle of the Piave River

Second Battle of the Piave River
Part of the Italian Front (World War I)
Map of the Second Battle of the Piave River
Date 15–23 June 1918 Location Piave, Italy 45°49′50″N 12°12′34″E / 45.83056°N 12.20944°E / 45.83056; 12.20944Coordinates: 45°49′50″N 12°12′34″E / 45.83056°N 12.20944°E / 45.83056; 12.20944 Result Decisive Italian victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Italy French Third Republic United Kingdom	Austria-Hungary
Commanders and leaders
Armando Diaz	Arthur Arz von Straußenburg Conrad von Hötzendorf
Strength
58 divisions: 51 Italian Divisions 6 French Divisions 5 British divisions	57 divisions
Casualties and losses
87,000: 8,396 dead 30,603 wounded 48,182 captured	118,000: 11,643 dead 80,852 wounded 25,547 captured

The Second Battle of the Piave River, fought between 15 and 23 June 1918, was a decisive victory for the Italian Army during World War I. The Central Powers failure was, as the Allies had anticipated, decisive. Its full significance was not appreciated in Italy, but Erich Ludendorff, on hearing the news, have reported to say 'had the sensation of defeat for the first time'. It could be considered, in fact, as the beginning of the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

With the exit of Russia from the war in 1917, Austria-Hungary was now able to devote significant forces to the Italian Front and to receive reinforcements from their German allies. The Austro-Hungarian emperor Karl had reached an agreement with the Germans to undertake a new offensive against Italy, a move supported by both the chief of the general staff Arthur Arz von Straußenburg and the commander of the South Tyrolean Army Group Conrad von Hötzendorf. In the autumn of 1917, the Germans and Austrians had defeated the Italians at the Battle of Caporetto, who fell back to the Piave. After Caporetto the Italians were reinforced by six French infantry divisions and five British infantry divisions as well as sizeable air contingents.

Italy's defeat at Caporetto led to General Luigi Cadorna's dismissal and General Armando Diaz replaced him as Chief of staff of the Italian Army. Diaz set up a strong defense line along the Piave. Up until this point in the war, the Italian army had been fighting alone against the Central Powers; with the defeat at Caporetto, France and Britain sent small reinforcements on the Italian front. These, besides accounting for less than a tenth of the Italian forces in theater, had however to be redirected for the major part to the Western Front as soon as the German Spring Offensive began in March 1918.

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