The First Battle of the Isonzo Clcomes to an end (1915)
On 7 July 1915, the First Battle of the Isonzo drew to a close, marking the end of the opening clash in what would become one of the longest and bloodiest series of battles on the Italian Front during the First World War. Though limited in territorial gains, the battle set the tone for a brutal campaign defined by attrition, difficult terrain, and repeated, costly offensives along the Isonzo River. Italy enters the war Italy entered the First World War in May 1915 on the side of the Entente Powers, declaring war on Austria-Hungary after months of diplomatic maneuvering. Italian leaders hoped that intervention would allow them to seize long-coveted territories—such as Trentino, South Tyrol, Istria, and parts of Dalmatia—from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The primary route to these ambitions lay along the Isonzo River (today the Soča River), which flowed from the Julian Alps to the Adriatic Sea. The Italian high command, led by General Luigi Cadorna, believed that...