Page 379 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

Copertina_2.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/18 17:23 Pagina 1
Copertina_2.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/18 17:23 Pagina 1
Copertina_2.qxp_Layout 1 24/04/18 17:23 Pagina 1

The history of the Italian Army Intelligence Service and
its role during the Great War especially on the eve of
relevant Austro-Hungarian offensives, is still debated.
Many topics also remain to be clarified around the new
source of intelligence implemented by interception
of enemy communications and about the protection
efficiency of own communications’ secrecy, which were
developed on the Italian-Austrian front as well as on the
other theatres of war.
Among the questions worthy of a convincing answer, the
following may be included:
What was the actual contribution made to the Amy
Intelligence by Communication Intelligence compared
to traditional information sources, namely espionage,
interrogations of prisoners and deserters, etc.?
On what ground the Commission of Inquiry on
Caporetto denounced “the great state of inferiority of
our (Italian) military and diplomatic moves” due to the
“improvements achieved by the enemy in its Intelligence
Service”, especially thanks to the “development of the
radiotelegraphic interception supported by a wonderful
cryptographic service”?
And furthermore, could the decisive improvement of
Italian cryptologic performance in the last year of the war
be really attributed to the collaboration with the French
and English allies who arrived in Italy after the Battle of
Caporetto, as claimed by some historical sources?
An in-depth and careful research performed in the Italian
archives unveiled the structures and performance of
the entire intelligence sector of the Italian Army and,
moreover, allowed investigate into the exploitation of
the abovementioned new source of Intelligence. The
analysis of memories written by the protagonists of the
cryptologic struggle operating on both fronts were also
very useful for this last purpose.
Several documents, many of which hitherto unpublished,
helped to create a picture of the events occurred during
the silent, implacable war with no holds barred that the
Italian Army Intelligence Service fought also in the field of
Communication Intelligence. New evidence was gathered
on the work of Luigi Sacco and his “Cryptographic
Units”, whose skills reached levels comparable to those
of the more distinguished opponents and allies at the end
of the conflict.