Page 266 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

THE SECRET WAR ON THE ITALIAN FRONT IN WWI (1915 – 1918)

12.1 Deployment of Italian radio-telegraphic stations in June 1917 (ISCAG Archive)

Italian Army in the Eleventh Battle”, that is when Boroevic said the Penkala did not provide any
intelligence .
5
The very prudent use of radios by the Italians along the Isonzo front and perhaps the wish of
General Boroevic’ armies to communicate by radio within their sector of operations rather than
listening to enemy dispatches in vain, seemed to justify the above-mentioned disagreement.
Soon after the conquering of the Plateau, the Italians expanded their radio network to serve the
units deployed on the occupied areas, adding a new station on the Monte Santo in service of the
‘Udine’ and ‘Forlì’ Brigades and of the 2 Corps’ observation post .
nd
6

5 Ibid., p. 24. The cases mentioned were four, but the last one refers, in general, to the cryptographic material utilized on the
Tyrol front. The other two cases refer to the Italian planning for the Third Battle of the Isonzo (first half of October 1915) and
the movements of the 4 Corps on 8-9 September 1917.
th
6 Chief Inspector, STM, Relazione tecnica sul Servizio radiotelegrafico dell’Esercito operante durante la Guerra Italo -
Austriaca, 1915 -1918 (Technical Report on the Army Radio Telegraphic service in the War between Italy and Austria, 1915-
1918), p. 5, ISCAG, Coll. 22. In about three months after June 1917, the number of the Italian radio-telegraphic stations
roughly doubled. There were: 4 fixed stations, 46 field stations with transmitting power equal of above 1,5 KW, twenty-five
500W stations transportable by pack animals, eight 300W stations from S.F.R., forty-two 200W stations in coffers and 76
stations of power less than 200W.

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