FALLS : The battle of Caporetto (fülszöveg)
In the autumn of 1917, Italy, which had chosen to fight alongside Britain and France in World War I, was faced with a strong Austro–German offensive in the mountains of northeast Italy. The preliminary battles along the Isonzo River went to the invaders, who outmaneuvered and outfought the Italians.
Then, in a crucial encounter at the village of Caporetto, the Italians were routed and made a disorganized and demoralized retreat familiar to everyone who has read Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. The eminent British historian Cyril Falls recounts the story of Caporetto and the men who fought there, including a previously unknown German captain whose bold and brilliant tactics launched him on a spectacular career: Erwin Rommel.
The author also analyzes the tangible and intangible factors in the situation that prevented the Austro–Germans from gaining the victory that at one point seemed almost in hand. For, despite Rommel's brilliance and the Central Powers' desperate need for a victory, the Caporetto offensive failed – and failing, became an omen of total defeat the following year.
The battle of Caporetto became necessary, in the words of the German General Ludendorff, "in order to prevent the collapse of Austria–Hungary." In defeat, the inevitable happened. The Habsburg Monarchy moved rapidly to disintegration; and it might be said that, in some sense, the Western world is still feeling the effects of the battle of Caporetto today.
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| KATALÓGUS | TARTALOM |
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