{ "slug": "custoza-1866", "title": "Battle of Custoza (1866)", "status": "draft", "era": "1850–1900", "date_text": "24 June 1866", "start": "1866-06-24", "end": "1866-06-24", "war": "Austro-Italian War", "cdb90_war": "AUSTRO-ITALIAN WAR", "place": { "name": "Custoza and the Sommacampagna heights, south-west of Verona, Veneto, Italy", "lat": 45.3789, "lon": 10.7958, "wikidata": "Q48163" }, "lede": "On 24 June 1866 Archduke Albrecht's smaller Austrian army met La Marmora's Italians head-on south-west of Verona and drove them back across the Mincio. The Italians, with the larger army, never recovered the initiative, and Venetia went to Italy only through the Prussian victory at Königgrätz.", "result": "Austrian victory; the Italians retreated behind the Mincio", "result_cdb90": "attacker loss", "belligerents": [ { "role": "attacker", "name": "Italian Army of the Mincio", "commanders": [ "Alfonso La Marmora", "Giovanni Durando", "Enrico Morozzo Della Rocca", "King Victor Emmanuel II (present)" ], "strength": { "value": 120000, "low": 50000, "high": 120000, "source": "s1" }, "casualties": { "value": 7391, "low": 7391, "high": 8147, "source": "s1" } }, { "role": "defender", "name": "Austrian South Army", "commanders": [ "Archduke Albrecht", "Gabriel von Rodich", "Joseph von Maroicic", "Ernst von Hartung", "Friedrich von Rupprecht", "Ludwig von Pulz" ], "strength": { "value": 75000, "low": 70000, "high": 75000, "source": "s1" }, "casualties": { "value": 5650, "low": 5650, "high": 7956, "source": "s1" } } ], "sections": { "background": "In June 1866 Prussia went to war with Austria over the leadership of Germany. Italy, allied with Prussia by a secret accord, joined in to annex Venetia, which was still Austrian, and its offensive was meant to pull Austrian troops away from the Prussian front. Italy declared war on 19 June but took until 23 June to field its forces. They were divided in two: the Army of the Mincio under La Marmora, about 120,000 on paper with King Victor Emmanuel II present, and the Army of the Po under Enrico Cialdini, aimed at Mantua. The Italians had roughly twice as many men as the Austrian defenders. One account describes the newly unified army as poorly trained and led, with bitter rivalries among its officers.\n\nArchduke Albrecht's South Army, about 75,000 strong, had good intelligence. He concentrated his main force near the Quadrilatero fortresses to blunt La Marmora's thrust, sent a token force to watch Cialdini, and moved west from Verona to strike the Italians in the flank and rear. Cialdini mistook the Austrians in front of him for the main effort and held his ground; La Marmora did not coordinate with him. On the morning of 24 June La Marmora shifted his front towards the very heights the Austrians meant to use, near Custoza and Sommacampagna, and his columns ran straight into them near Villafranca di Verona. It was a meeting engagement, so CDB90's coding of the Italians as attackers should be read that way.", "forces": "The Austrian South Army had three corps: V under Rodich, VII under Maroicic and IX under Hartung, with a reserve division under Rupprecht of two weak brigades and a cavalry division under Pulz. The brigades were named for their commanders (Moering, Piret, Scudier, Töply, Welsersheimb, Böck, Kirchsberg and Weckbecker). Albrecht had about 70,000 to 75,000 men.\n\nThe Italian Army of the Mincio had eleven divisions in three corps, of which two actually fought. Durando's I Corps had the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th Divisions, and Della Rocca's III Corps the 7th, 8th, 9th and 16th plus a cavalry division. II Corps (6th, 10th and 19th Divisions) did not engage. Italian figures range from about 50,000 involved to 120,000 available, and some sources put the Italian army at double the Austrian.\n\nThe divisional commanders who appear in the accounts include Cerale, Sirtori, Brignone, Cugia, Govone, Pianell and Bixio, and the heir to the throne, Prince Umberto, commanded a division at Villafranca. Prince Amadeo, the king's younger son, was wounded in a counterattack. One account says the Italian army was poorly trained and equipped, with rivalries among its officers, and that La Marmora left almost two divisions and his reserve artillery to besiege the fortresses; I have found no source for the quality of the infantry weapons on either side.", "course": "**Morning: collision (about 06:00–10:00).** Fighting began about 06:00 near Oliosi and Santa Lucia, where Cerale's and Sirtori's divisions met superior Austrian forces. At about 07:00 elements of the 13th Uhlans under Pulz charged without waiting for orders. The English Wikipedia says they hit Durando's I Corps and the Warfare History Network account says they struck Govone's division near Villafranca; either way the charge was beaten off, but it caused panic in the Italian rear and Della Rocca, losing his nerve, kept his other divisions static, so three divisions were tied down. At Villafranca, Bixio's and Prince Umberto's divisions repulsed the Austrian cavalry. Cerale's division was driven from Oliosi and fled towards the Mincio. Sirtori's counterattack on Monte Vento failed by about 08:00. Brignone's division took Belvedere Hill by about 08:30, driving back Hartung's IX Corps, and Hartung then attacked Monte Croce from about 09:00. A relief attempt led by Prince Amadeo failed and he was severely wounded; Brignone was forced off the hill.\n\n**Midday: the Italian chance (10:30–13:00).** Italian sources say Cugia's troops retook the hills about 10:30. La Marmora, shaken by Amadeo's wounding, ordered Cugia and Govone up the heights, which pushed the Austrian Böck and Scudier brigades out of Custoza; Scudier's brigade was badly mauled and left the field. Pianell is said to have counterattacked about 11:00, taking about 600 prisoners near Monzambano, and Govone's division retook the Custoza heights about 11:30. But La Marmora had also ordered Della Rocca to hold firm at Villafranca, so two divisions and the cavalry sat idle despite the king's urging. About 13:00 La Marmora, fearing for his bridges over the Mincio, decided the battle was lost and ordered a retreat, unaware that Govone's troops held Belvedere Hill.\n\n**Afternoon: the Austrian recovery (14:00–17:00).** About 14:00 Rodich attacked Monte Vento and Santa Lucia. Sirtori's already weakened division fell back and opened a hole in the Italian line, and Maroicic committed the Austrian reserve brigades without orders. Santa Lucia and Monte Vento fell about 15:00. Hartung retook Monte Torre and captured six guns. Govone was cut off in Custoza, shelled for nearly three hours by about 40 Austrian guns, and Maroicic drove the Italians out of the village at about 17:00. Bixio held Villafranca until 21:30, and by late afternoon the Italians were recrossing the Mincio.\n\nThe narrative combines three accounts that differ on who took which hill and when; the hours are approximate.", "aftermath": "The Italians fell back behind the Mincio, destroyed their bridges and retreated towards the Oglio. Casualties were roughly 7,400 to 8,100 Italian and 5,650 to 7,950 Austrian, with Italy's losses heavy in captured and missing. Cialdini abandoned his Po crossing and withdrew. Albrecht did not pursue; he judged his troops exhausted and his cavalry badly mauled, and moved his headquarters back to Verona on 26 June. One reading holds that this wasted a chance to destroy the Army of the Mincio.\n\nThe result was not strategically decisive. After Königgrätz on 3 July the Austrians moved one corps from the South Army to protect Vienna, and Cialdini occupied several Venetian and Friulian towns between 11 and 22 July. The Italian navy lost at Lissa on 20 July, while Garibaldi's volunteers won at Bezzecca on 21 July. Austria agreed an armistice with Prussia at Nikolsburg on 26 July and ceded Venetia to Italy through French mediation.\n\nThe defeat ended La Marmora's military and political career. An ossuary on Belvedere Hill, built in 1879, commemorates the dead, and Luchino Visconti's film Senso (1954) recreates scenes from the Italian side.", "wargaming": "Custoza is a meeting engagement on rolling hills, with both sides arriving piecemeal. At brigade level (a stand per regiment) it fits a normal table, since the effective forces were about 50,000 Italians and 70,000 to 75,000 Austrians. A smaller game could take the fight for Custoza village and Belvedere Hill or the Villafranca cavalry action.\n\nThe key terrain is the ridge line of Monte Croce, Monte Vento, Santa Lucia and Custoza; whoever holds the heights dominates the rest. The interest is in command friction: the Austrian cavalry attack and Maroicic's commitment of the reserve were both made without orders, and the Italians had two divisions and cavalry held idle at Villafranca while La Marmora, by one account, was effectively paralysed. Players can be given an Italian army that must decide whether to hold or push, and an Austrian army whose subordinates may act on their own.\n\nThe what-ifs are Della Rocca's reserves released at midday, La Marmora not ordering a retreat at 13:00 when Govone held Belvedere, and Albrecht pursuing on 25 June. Italian numbers and the quality of the Italian leaders are disputed, so balance carefully and flag which Italian order of battle you use." }, "images": [ { "file": "File:Custozza1866.jpg", "kind": "painting", "caption": "The charge of the 13th Austrian Uhlan Regiment at Custoza.", "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Custozza1866.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original", "thumb": "https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Custozza1866.jpg/960px-Custozza1866.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail", "page": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Custozza1866.jpg", "licence": "Public domain", "licence_url": "", "artist": "Juliusz Kossak", "credit": "Kazimierz Olszański: Juliusz Kossak , Ossolineum 1988", "width": 1692 }, { "file": "File:Giovanni Fattori 019.jpg", "kind": "painting", "caption": "Prince Amadeo wounded at Custoza, by Giovanni Fattori (1870).", "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Giovanni_Fattori_019.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original", "thumb": "https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Giovanni_Fattori_019.jpg/960px-Giovanni_Fattori_019.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail", "page": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giovanni_Fattori_019.jpg", "licence": "Public domain", "licence_url": "", "artist": "Giovanni Fattori", "credit": "The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN : 3936122202 .", "width": 2048 }, { "file": "File:Karte der Schlacht bei Custozza.jpg", "kind": "map", "caption": "Map of the battle of Custoza.", "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Karte_der_Schlacht_bei_Custozza.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original", "thumb": "https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Karte_der_Schlacht_bei_Custozza.jpg/960px-Karte_der_Schlacht_bei_Custozza.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail", "page": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karte_der_Schlacht_bei_Custozza.jpg", "licence": "Public domain", "licence_url": "", "artist": "", "credit": "This file is from the Mechanical Curator collection , a set of over 1 million images scanned from out-of-copyright books and released to Flickr Commons by the British Library in London, England. View image on Flickr View all images from book View catalogue entry for book .", "width": 2157 }, { "file": "File:Alfonso La Marmora 1861.jpg", "kind": "portrait", "caption": "Alfonso La Marmora, commander of the Italian Army of the Mincio.", "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Alfonso_La_Marmora_1861.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original", "thumb": "https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/Alfonso_La_Marmora_1861.jpg/960px-Alfonso_La_Marmora_1861.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail", "page": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alfonso_La_Marmora_1861.jpg", "licence": "Public domain", "licence_url": "", "artist": "Original uploader was User:Alex brollo", "credit": "Il Parlamento del Regno d'Italia , 1861 ( File:Calani - Il Parlamento del Regno d'Italia, vol. 2.pdf )", "width": 1053 }, { "file": "File:Albrecht Austria Teschen 1817 1895 marshal.jpg", "kind": "portrait", "caption": "Archduke Albrecht, commander of the Austrian South Army.", "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Albrecht_Austria_Teschen_1817_1895_marshal.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original", "thumb": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Albrecht_Austria_Teschen_1817_1895_marshal.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled", "page": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albrecht_Austria_Teschen_1817_1895_marshal.jpg", "licence": "Public domain", "licence_url": "", "artist": "Unidentified photographer", "credit": "[1]", "width": 340 } ], "sources": [ { "id": "s1", "title": "Battle of Custoza (1866) (Wikipedia)", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Custoza_(1866)", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "s2", "title": "Battaglia di Custoza (1866) (Italian Wikipedia)", "url": "https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battaglia_di_Custoza_(1866)", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "s3", "title": "Battle of Custoza (Italy on This Day, 24 June 2018)", "url": "https://www.italyonthisday.com/2018/06/battle-of-custoza.html", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "s5", "title": "R. Heege, Battle of Custoza (Warfare History Network)", "url": "https://warhistory.org/article/battle-of-custoza", "kind": "web" }, { "id": "s4", "title": "G. Wawro, The Austro-Prussian War (Oxford University Press, 2007)", "url": null, "kind": "book" } ], "cdb90": [ 170 ], "order": 132, "url": "https://battles.georgewyrd.com/custoza-1866/", "oob": [], "oob_lwtv": [], "scenarios": [], "orbat": null, "orbat_lwtv": null, "reading": { "prose": [], "history": [], "fiction": [], "poetry": [] }, "reading_lwtv": { "prose": [], "poetry": [] }, "photos": [], "photos_kind": "photographs", "newspapers": null }