Page 99 - The Secret War in the Italian front in WWI (1915-1918)

CHAPTER FIVE

ranks. Others who were unfit or unable for this service went back to their country of origin
as sick persons and were tasked to disseminate defeatist ideas among soldiers and middle-
class persons in Italy. In Austrian military circles, rumours went around that Caporetto costs
700,000,000 crowns to Austria, spent for espionage and defeatism .
45
The capture of a member of the Austro-
Hungarian intelligence service, Johan
Kreutz, permitted knowing the activities
and organization of enemy forward
patrols, designated to fraternize with
Italian soldiers to cause them to desert or
persuade them to mutiny. “Two days after
the capture, he told a fiduciary that his
regiment had played such an important
part in the fraternization action along
the Russian front, so that the Emperor,
in addressing the regiment during his
last review, had said: ‘You wise guys
of the 9 Schutzen go on!’. The Kreutz
th
regiment on our front had the same task.
This group, including 5 people, used the
pretext of exchanging objects and food
with Italian soldiers as a first step to incite
the birth of ‘a new Russia’ in Italy” .
46
Moreover, the Austrian repeatedly sent
“against our posts squads wearing Italian
uniforms and badges to deceive our
troops” . After Caporetto, surveillance
47
over isolated military personnel in the
rear lines and in the territorial zone was
also strengthened, following the arrest 5.6 Cover of German illustrated news magazine aiming
of various enemy agents wearing Italian to show the good treatment of prisoners and to encourage
uniforms . Italian soldiers to surrender and desert
48
In addition to enemy actions, the
Intelligence Service had to fight against the activism of the anti-war Italian parties and their

45 Intelligence Service, Circular letter no.10197, 13 July 1918, AUSSME, Series F-3.
46 Supreme Headquarters - Operations Office, Letter no.5586, 28 February 1918, AUSSME, F-2, env.179. For a documented
episodes of fraternization see Basilio di Marino - Filippo Cappellano, L’arma della fraternizzazione nella grande in Studi
storico-militari 2007, SME, Roma, 2009.
47 Supreme Headquarters - Situation Office, War Bulletins and Missions Abroad, Letter no.19667, 13 September 1917, Abuso
di uniformi italiane da parte del nemico (Misuse of Italian Uniforms by the Enemy), AUSSME, Series E-2.
st
48 Is has been ascertained that during the retreat of Caporetto and in the 1 Battle of Piave River, the enemy intelligence service
used agents disguised as Italian officers. Some of them were shot on the spot. See: Situation, War Bulletins and Missions
Abroad Office, Circular letters no. 93 of 1 January 1918, Infiltrazione di militari nemici nelle nostre file (Infiltration of Enemy
Servicemen in our Ranks) and no.542 of 7 January 1918, Predisposizioni nemiche per mescolare, al momento opportuno,
fra le nostre truppe, ufficiali austro-tedeschi travestiti (Enemy provisions to infiltrate among our troops, at the right time,
Austro-German Officers in Disguise) and telegram no.120665 of the Ministry of War of 20 December 1917, communicating
“the new arrest in the territorial zone of enemy servicemen wearing the uniform of Italian officers”.

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