Page 82 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

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

d’Assa, and Vallarsa. The advance of the infantry would
take place after a violent preparation fire by the artillery,
with a large amount of artillery pieces being allegedly
amassed on the Plateaus. [...] Continuous movements of
railroad, of infantry troops and artillery are taking place
everywhere along the entire front of the Corps, from
the Adige to the Brenta” . The offensive preparation
61
was confirmed by air reconnaissance and by reports on
departures of units from the Isonzo front to Trentino.
In April, the Intelligence Office of the Headquarters,
1 Army guessed the almost exact layout of the enemy
st
deployment. The serious threat that was building against
the 1 Army was also perceived by the Intelligence
st
Office of the Supreme Command which, in its Bulletin
no. 2307 on 23 April, considered “the offensive likely
to be carried out shortly on the southern Trentino front,
perhaps in a week or two at the most” . In addition to
62
correctly forecasting the attack zone, the period of the
attack and the consistency of the enemy troops, it was also 4.8 Tullio Marchetti, in charge of the
Intelligence Office of the 1 Army in
st
possible to exclude the participation of German forces Trentino
in the offensive as well as possible contemporaneous
actions on the Isonzo, Carnia or Cadore fronts.
Despite many repeated information on the enemy offensive, the Situation Office remained sceptical
about the extent of the attack . Perhaps it was influenced by Cadorna, who did not believe a
63
large-scale operation was possible at a time when even the Austro-Hungarians knew rumours
about imminent offensive of Russian General Alexei Brussilof on the eastern front . In early
64
May, however, the same Situation Office reported that “Trentino is now the centre of the Austro-
Hungarian military activity. A significant number of forces was removed from the Isonzo river and
the Gail, from the Balkan and Russian theatres, and gathered in Trentino where it seems they were
organised into three armies. According to the informers, this significant, massive force, including
between 12 and 18 divisions, is concentrated in the Valsugana - Val Lagarina sector, to conduct
offensive or simply counteroffensive operations” .
65

th
61 Headquarters, 5 Corps, Letter no. 2410 dated 3 April 1916, AUSSME, Series E-1.
62 A deserting Bohemian Lieutenant, considered reliable, provided detailed information on the Austrian plans at the end of
April: “The offensive against Italy led from Trentino has always been General Conrad’s obsession. Everybody mentioned
and continues to mention it. The deserter believes this will be a large-scale operation consistent with the result the Austrian
Headquarters aims for” (Headquarters 1 Army, Intelligence Office, Memorandum, 28 April 1916, AUSSME, Series E-1).
st
63 Lieutenant Colonel Tellini, Chief of the Situation Office, wrote on 3 April that “Generally speaking and supported by the
telephone interception of enemy communications, we are convinced that the Austro-Hungarian Headquarters cannot carry
out large-magnitude offensive operations and that his activity across our front aims at maintaining the current positions and
perhaps to correct the most forward line” (Supreme Headquarters - Office of Situation and War Operations, Memorandum of
3 April, 1916, Circa le voci di offensiva di grande stile da parte dell’Austria-Ungheria- About the rumors concerning a large
Austro -Hungarian offensive, AUSSME, Series E-2).
64 On 18 April Cadorna notified the General Superintendence that “based on the information gathered so far, the verified
massing of enemy forces near our 1 Army shows operations of any entity are not only possible but likely in the Val Lagarina,
st
Plateaus and Valsugana”.
65 Supreme Headquarters - Office of Situation and War Operations, Situazione generale ed avvenimenti politici militari delle
varie potenze, 1°- 30 aprile 1916 (General situation and military-political events of the various Power 1-30 April 1916),
AUSSME, Series E-2.

80