Military Operations, Macedonia, vol. 2

15–23 June 1918

Second Battle of the Piave River

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In Italy affairs had for some time appeared to be moving to an equally disastrous conjuncture. On the 24th October the Austro-German offensive in the Julian Alps, known as the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, was launched. Once more the German contribution was Ludendorff’s Central Reserve: surely one of the most effectively employed reserves—considering its minute size in proportion to the forces engaged upon the various fronts on which it operated —to be found in military history. The success of the attack exceeded the enemy’s fondest hopes. One Italian Army broke up in complete rout. In less than a fortnight the Austro-German Armies were across the Tagliamento, 40 miles from their starting-point. Their advance con- ’ tinued rapidly to the Piave, which they reached on the 11th November.

RUSSIA AND RUMANIA 39

The British and French General Staffs had at once realized the seriousness of the situation. Three days after the launch of the attack it was decided to despatch to Italy two British and four French divisions. If the action of the Allies had in earlier moments of crisis been wanting in speed and resolution, it was not so in this case. On the urgent representations of the Italian Comando Supremo, the British increased their contingent to five divisions, and on the 10th November placed General Sir Herbert Plumer in command of that force. The detrainment of the two first divisions began at Mantua next day. On the 12th three French divisions moved from Brescia to Vicenza. Mean- while, however, the enemy had outrun his supplies. The Italians had to some extent pulled themselves together, and it was they who stopped the enemy on the Piave actually before the Franco-British troops entered the line at the beginning of December. There were to be more anxious moments, but none so critical as those which had passed, and which had caused General Sir Henry Wilson to write in his diary :—‘‘ I am coming to the opinion that ‘‘we cannot hold the Piave, and that we had better fall ‘“‘back under cover of rear guards. The loss of Venice ‘“‘means the loss of the Adriatic, and a serious threat, “therefore, to Salonika and Egypt, but I am afraid that “‘ is coming.”’

THE INCIDENCE OF MALARIA 95

The corps commander reported to the Army com- mander that in his opinion a Bulgarian offensive had really been planned to coincide with the Battle of the Piave, the Austrian offensive in Italy launched on the 15th June, and that it had been abandoned owing to the insubordination of the troops. He considered that a British offensive at an early date was desirable.