The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915-1919
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- Author：Mark Thompson
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Summary
The Western Front dominates our memories of the First World War。 Yet a million and half men died in North East Italy in a war that need never have happened， when Italy declared war on the Habsburg Empire in May 1915。 Led by General Luigi Cadorna， the most ruthless of all the Great War commanders， waves of Italian conscripts were sent charging up the limestone hills north of Trieste to be massacred by troops fighting to save their homelands。 This is a great， tragic military history of a war that gave birth to fascism。 Mussolini fought in these trenches， but so did many of the greatest modernist writers in Italian and German - Ungaretti， Gadda， Musil， Hemingway。 It is through these accounts that Mark Thompson， with great skill and empathy， brings to life this forgotten conflict。
Reviews
Peter Fox
，
This book could have been a lot better。 There are no end of books on the Western Front and this is the first one I've read on the Italian front。 The main things you learn are that the Italian high command was stunningly incompetent。 Their troops were appallingly equipped， callously treated and suffered from a brutal， not to say murderous disciplinary code。 Structurally， the chapters are odd， with some devoted to the war， but a lot concerning things very much at a tangent。 There are chapters on p This book could have been a lot better。 There are no end of books on the Western Front and this is the first one I've read on the Italian front。 The main things you learn are that the Italian high command was stunningly incompetent。 Their troops were appallingly equipped， callously treated and suffered from a brutal， not to say murderous disciplinary code。 Structurally， the chapters are odd， with some devoted to the war， but a lot concerning things very much at a tangent。 There are chapters on poets and other extraneous subjects， but not a lot is devoted to logistics， war industry or the actual movement of armies。 Also， there weren't many maps and the ones that are included were disappointing。 Frustratingly the prose doesn't go into a lot of detail when it comes to the campaigns and individual battles。 It feels more anecdotal then carefully analysed history。 This book is better than no book on the subject， but it leaves a lot out that you would wish to know。 。。。more
Dropbear123
，
First book I’ve read about Italy in WW1。 The military details and movements were fairly easy to follow and not a slog， however as there were 12 battles on the Isonzo river （the main front） these battles started to blend together as ‘lots of deaths， little gain’。 Some chapters I really liked such as the chapter on discipline in the Italian Army， the Alps front with mountain warfare and the chapter on battle at Caporetto （the 12th Isonzo battle）。 Only chapter I skipped was about the poetry of the First book I’ve read about Italy in WW1。 The military details and movements were fairly easy to follow and not a slog， however as there were 12 battles on the Isonzo river （the main front） these battles started to blend together as ‘lots of deaths， little gain’。 Some chapters I really liked such as the chapter on discipline in the Italian Army， the Alps front with mountain warfare and the chapter on battle at Caporetto （the 12th Isonzo battle）。 Only chapter I skipped was about the poetry of the Italian soldiers as I’m not interested in that sort of thing。 Overall I really liked the book and would recommend if interested in WW1。 4。5 out of 5 stars。 。。。more
Mark Morgan
，
Always interested to hear about different theatres of war and the Italians have been neglected somewhat。 They were arguably a better fighting force in the First World War than Second and took part in bitter fighting up in the mountains！
Andreas
，
I bought this book truly not knowing anything about that part of the Great War and with many fixed opinions about what happened， who fought who and the quality of the soldiers on both sides。 The book changed all of that and just that made it worth reading。 The book describes the motivations of Italy to join the War on the side of the Allies in 1915 after it became clear that Germany's Schlieffen plan had failed。 Italy claimed certain parts of the Austrian Empire to be sacred Italian ground and w I bought this book truly not knowing anything about that part of the Great War and with many fixed opinions about what happened， who fought who and the quality of the soldiers on both sides。 The book changed all of that and just that made it worth reading。 The book describes the motivations of Italy to join the War on the side of the Allies in 1915 after it became clear that Germany's Schlieffen plan had failed。 Italy claimed certain parts of the Austrian Empire to be sacred Italian ground and wanted these "unredeemed" parts to be integrated into Italy。 The book showed that these War goals were incomprehensible for most of the common Italian soldier throughout and after the War。 In many of these regions only a small minority of the population was actually Italian。Throughout the War the Italian troops were sacrificed in senseless uphill frontal attacks and casualty rates of 60 - 70 % were almost normal during these offenses。 They were poorly equipped and poorly fed and still kept attacking again and again laying witness for the bravery of these soldiers。The same bravery could be observed with the Austrian-Hungarian troops who kept on going to the very end though practically starving and dying of lack of food and various diseases。 This is even more astounding as these troops were a mixture of Germans， Poles， Czechs， Bosnians， Serbs to name just a few。Overall a great book， with lots of background information about the political environment in Italy and Austria - Hungary and why the new map of Europe in that region turned out the way it did after the War。 。。。more
Honza Prchal
，
I really enjoyed this book， which could have used quite a bit of editing but has solid promise and is nearly the only game in town on this subject in English， though it focuses far too much on literary and cultural currents to the detriments of drawing clear conclusions about the conduct of the war， rather than the war's effect on Italian society。Before Facebook fragged my interface with Goodreads early in 2020， I had a well regarded review of the book on this page， where I wrote that it seems t I really enjoyed this book， which could have used quite a bit of editing but has solid promise and is nearly the only game in town on this subject in English， though it focuses far too much on literary and cultural currents to the detriments of drawing clear conclusions about the conduct of the war， rather than the war's effect on Italian society。Before Facebook fragged my interface with Goodreads early in 2020， I had a well regarded review of the book on this page， where I wrote that it seems to have been written by a promising graduate student who was also one of the nicer sorts of Guardian readers， as he was sympathetic to Italian Catholicism as a religious， cultural and political phenomenon in the face of the more pro-war monarchy and most progressive opinion， including the talented organizers who left Marxist Socialism to begin other movements， most prominently fascism。 I gained a number of friends on this site with this review， including actual authors who appreciate how hard writing something like this can be （it's certainly better than my baccalaureate work in history）， and， frankly， I miss them， so here I am， with a poor excuse for a review perhaps a decade after reading this work。For area specialists， I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Paschalis
，
elibrary
Mac
，
Buy， Borrow， Bust: Bust。Starts strong with good prose and direction but quickly loses itself by getting bogged down in unwelcomed details。 Entire chapters and sections devoted to various poets were enough to break the rhythm and distract from the central purpose of the book。I would also have liked to hear more about other fronts and life as a front line soldier more。
Jamie
，
Italy did not enter World War I for any noble reasons: not for national honor nor justice， not even to honor treaty obligations – in fact， they broke their treaty with Germany and Austria to join the Allies。 Italy entered the war purely for territorial gains， and joined the side which made them the best offer。 They knew that they would be despised by both enemies and allies for their mercenary position， but were willing to do so to gain possessions around the Adriatic， and for future considerati Italy did not enter World War I for any noble reasons: not for national honor nor justice， not even to honor treaty obligations – in fact， they broke their treaty with Germany and Austria to join the Allies。 Italy entered the war purely for territorial gains， and joined the side which made them the best offer。 They knew that they would be despised by both enemies and allies for their mercenary position， but were willing to do so to gain possessions around the Adriatic， and for future considerations in Africa if other European countries expanded their holdings there。 The Italian people did not even want war， with the Church and two-thirds of the population against it。 The nationalist press， however， was clamoring for a chance to reclaim lands which they held to have been historically Italian， and the country entered the war because the prime minister and foreign minister made secret agreements to join the Allies， which were then approved by a timid king and feckless parliament。 With such a dubious start Italy committed itself to war， resulting in almost 400，00 dead and a million wounded。Until the Battle of Caporetto resulted in his dismissal at the insistence of the British and French， the commander in chief was Field Marshall Luigi Cadorna。 Judged solely by his military record Cadorna would be remembered as yet another mediocre Great War general。 He was a slow learner， and， like so many others， was committed to the concept of frontal attack， which he thought was sure to succeed so long as it was pressed with élan。 Italy entered the war in May 1915， and should have recognized the futility of frontal assault after the earlier slaughters on the the Eastern and Western fronts。 Cadorno， however， saw these debacles as proof that frontal assaults would be successful if pressed with sufficient zeal。He was not completely inept， however， and as the war progressed he demonstrated an ability to coordinate artillery and place reserves where they could support local breakthroughs。 What he is most remembered for today is not his generalship but for the callous brutality with which he treated his soldiers。 No other army routinely punished entire units by ‘decimation’， executing randomly selected men。 Only the Italian government treated its captured soldiers as cowards or defectors， blocking the delivery of food and clothing from home。 Over 100，000 of the 600，000 Italian prisoners of war died in captivity - a rate nine times worse than for Habsburg captives in Italy。 Statistically， it was more dangerous for the infantry to be taken prisoner than to stay alive on the front line。 Like Joffre he made a wholesale purge of senior officers after his first poorly planned offensives failed to produce the desired results， and like Joffre the purpose was to deflect blame from his own performance and onto the officers tasked with carrying out his impossible orders。 Unlike Joffre he continued this for as long as he held command。 What he did do was start a rolling purge of the officer corps that continued throughout his tenure; by October 1917， Cadorna had dismissed 217 generals， 255 colonels and 355 battalion commanders。 This ungentlemanly harshness shocked the career officers， who became more frightened of being ‘torpedoed’ than of carrying out absurd orders or sacrificing their men’s lives pointlessly。 The government helped him create and sustain a cult of personality in which Italian citizens were told that he was the most brilliant general of the age， and in his letters he compared himself favorably to Napoleon。 Laws were passed to make criticism of the war treasonous， and Cadorna canceled some leaves to prevent soldiers from telling people at home how badly， how incompetently， the war was being run。 “The more thoughtful the criticism， the graver the consequences。 Simple complaints about officers or rations could lead to six months or a year in prison。 A 25-year-old private got four years for writing that newspaper stories about the valiant troops were full of lies。”Mark Thompson， author of The White War， provides a good summary of how the situation spiraled out of control: The Supreme Command’s conduct of the war from 1915 to 1917 was a classic example of what can go wrong without the scrutiny of a sceptical press。 Servile journalists relayed the lies and misjudgements of the Supreme Command， which welcomed their reports as evidence of its wisdom。 This closed loop encouraged the Command’s arrogance， hatred of criticism， brutal treatment of the troops， and a zero-sum attitude to its relations with government。 As one offensive after another sputtered out with appalling casualties Cadorna continued to believe that the fault lay with the soldiers themselves。 “By blaming these results on the infantry’s lack of fighting spirit， among other factors， he twisted a consequence of his tactics into a cause of their failure。”Readers familiar with World War I will have read the horrific histories of the great battles。 Imagine the Passchendaele battlefield， a quagmire of mud and corpses， tilted upwards 45 degrees， and fought in freezing weather。 Then imagine the battle being fought over and over as the twelve battles along the Isonzo Front succeeded one another。 The Italian soldiers’ morale and resolve were fractured by the conditions and the casualties， but they nevertheless displayed magnificent courage going forward into the maelstrom again and again。Against the Italians were the Austrians， whose armies were primarily engaged against the Russians and so could spare minimal troops for the fight against Italy。 They created positions carved out of the rock and fought tenaciously and well。 However， it was a war of attrition which they could not win。 As time went by fewer and fewer soldiers were available， and the civilian economy and agricultural infrastructure collapsed。 In the end they were starving and what was left of the armies began dissolving into their various nationalities。The Austrian commander in chief was Field Marshall Franz Conrad， another poor performer， the kind of general who sent troops into the high mountains without winter clothing and with no means of supplying them; who lost 100，000 soldiers in the first weeks of the war fighting tiny Serbia， and then， two weeks later， was catastrophically defeated by the Russians in Gallacia， losing another 500，000 men and much of the army’s artillery and logistics train。 Conrad was a poor planner， and like Italy’s Cadorna he always blamed subordinates for his defeats， but he was also an incurable romantic， willing to sacrifice everything， including his country， for glory and honor， and the married woman he desired。 Rationally convinced that Austria was doomed， but unconsciously bent on engineering a conflagration that would let him smash the chains separating him from the woman he loved - what could be more Viennese， more human， banal and apocalyptic？ This kind of behavior sounds absurd to modern readers， but it actually existed。 Frederick Morton’s book Thunder At Twilight: Vienna 1913/1914 does a good job recreating the zeitgeist of the final years of the Austrian empire， and describes Conrad repeatedly badgering the emperor to start wars that he knew the army was not prepared to fight。The Battle of Caporetto came close to collapsing the entire Italian army， but by that point in the war neither the Germans nor the Austrians could spare enough troops to make it decisive。 It was， nevertheless， a stunning， humiliating defeat for the Italians， and caught Cadorna completely unprepared。 “The phrase ‘doing a Cadorna’ became British soldiers’ slang for coming unstuck， perpetrating an utter fuck-up and paying the price。” Anyone who has read Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms can recall the most vivid scene in that book， when the protagonist plunges into a river to escape after he realized the Italians were shooting their own retreating troops。Erwin Rommel's actions at Caporetto， for which he was awarded the Pour le Mérite， are the stuff of legend。 Combining boldness， tactical brilliance， and a poker-player’s ability to bluff when needed， “In little over two days， Rommel and his men。。。covered 18 kilometres of ridge， as the crow flies， involving nearly 3，000 metres of ascent， capturing 150 officers and 9，000 men at a cost of 6 dead and 30 wounded。”In the end the Italians did not win so much as Austria lost， and the war dragged its bloody way to an end。 The Italians got most of what they wanted in terms of territory， but not all of it， and because they did not get everything and more， at every opportunity they screamed that they had been betrayed by France and Britain。 The conduct of the war discredited the country’s democratic institutions， and when Mussolini was able to recast the fighting as a heroic performance， the former soldiers saw him as giving meaning to their suffering and helped put him in power。 Fascism came to Italy in 1922， and would lead to yet another disastrous war。World War I’s Austro-Italian front is often seen as a sideshow to the main event， and there are few books which cover it。 In this one Mark Thompson has done a fine job bringing the people and events to life， including the political and economic systems which supported the troops。 For anyone who might be interested in this part of the war， Thompson’s book is a good place to start。 。。。more
Mike Grant
，
When one thinks of the First World War， the images conjured are normally of the western front。 Gas， mud， machine guns， no man's land， British， German， and French Troops。 However， there are many fronts of the war that are often overlooked， such as the Serbian， Greek， and East African fronts。 However， Mark Thompson sheds light on an even more overlooked campaign in "The White War"。 The Italian front。 Thompson describes in detail the horror of the fight between Italy and Austria。 It was the western When one thinks of the First World War， the images conjured are normally of the western front。 Gas， mud， machine guns， no man's land， British， German， and French Troops。 However， there are many fronts of the war that are often overlooked， such as the Serbian， Greek， and East African fronts。 However， Mark Thompson sheds light on an even more overlooked campaign in "The White War"。 The Italian front。 Thompson describes in detail the horror of the fight between Italy and Austria。 It was the western front， but worse。 Along with the modern technology， outdated generals， and massive casualties present on all fronts of the first world war。 The Italian front added a spice of， particularly horrid terrain。 The Italian soldiers had to contend with freezing cold， and uncomfortable altitude， while suffering massive casualties in fruitless attacks。 Thompson shows how the Italian command also underequipped their troops， refusing to give them even basic wire cutters and entrenching tools。 But most importantly， we see the effect this front had on the world。 These Trenches housed a man named Benito Mussolini， and like Adolf Hitler， his country's experience in the First World War would shape the fascist dictatorship that he would eventually instill in his country， shaping the politics of the entire 20th century。 。。。more
Winterborn
，
Always interesting to be reminded from time to time， by reading their words， just how for lack of a better term war-crazy Europeans were before two World Wars forever changed their relationship to it。Overall this is an engagingly written history of the Italian Front primarily focusing on events on the Italian rather than Habsburg side of the trenches。 You get a good look at the lead up to the war。 Then the entire run of the conflict and ending with the peace conference and a look ahead at how so Always interesting to be reminded from time to time， by reading their words， just how for lack of a better term war-crazy Europeans were before two World Wars forever changed their relationship to it。Overall this is an engagingly written history of the Italian Front primarily focusing on events on the Italian rather than Habsburg side of the trenches。 You get a good look at the lead up to the war。 Then the entire run of the conflict and ending with the peace conference and a look ahead at how some of the key figures will fit into Fascist Italy。 If you're interested I don't know of a better telling of this story for the layman in English。 。。。more
Gail Goodrick
，
Impressive research into battle strategies， public opinion， political motivation and the realities of battle in an area not suited for 20th century warfare。 After the fact， it seems easy to ask why？
E。 Wood
，
A well-told account of a brutal conflict that pitted soldier against soldier and both against the weather。
mark
，
Gets a bit slow at points， but an amazing tale of a lesser known front of WWI。 Italy's joining the allies was motivated solely by the desire to acquire territory - the Veneto， the South Tyrol and the Eastern Adriatic。 It was amazing to read of the Italian armies use of the old Roman disciplinary tactic of decimation （basically， disciplining a military unit by arbitrarily a few of its members）， and the role of Italian Futurists （D'Annunzio in particular） encouragement of violence and fascism。 Gets a bit slow at points， but an amazing tale of a lesser known front of WWI。 Italy's joining the allies was motivated solely by the desire to acquire territory - the Veneto， the South Tyrol and the Eastern Adriatic。 It was amazing to read of the Italian armies use of the old Roman disciplinary tactic of decimation （basically， disciplining a military unit by arbitrarily a few of its members）， and the role of Italian Futurists （D'Annunzio in particular） encouragement of violence and fascism。 。。。more
J。M。 Hushour
，
Ever wonder why northern Italy is German？"White War" strikes a nice balance between a straightforward military history and the more nuanced political/cultural aspects。 The Italian/Habsburg front was the lamer part of World War I， in some respects。 An analogy might be， this front was to the Great War what "Attack of the Clones" was to "The Empire Strikes Back"， that is， a pathetic shadow of an inimitable event。However， despite that， Thompson pulls a fast one and makes it actually interesting！ Ita Ever wonder why northern Italy is German？"White War" strikes a nice balance between a straightforward military history and the more nuanced political/cultural aspects。 The Italian/Habsburg front was the lamer part of World War I， in some respects。 An analogy might be， this front was to the Great War what "Attack of the Clones" was to "The Empire Strikes Back"， that is， a pathetic shadow of an inimitable event。However， despite that， Thompson pulls a fast one and makes it actually interesting！ Italy， betraying her Central Power allies， waged a stupid and badly-ran war from the Trentino to the environs of Trieste in an attempt to expand her borders into areas that honestly had little-to-nothing to do with Italy。 The Austro-Hungarians， masters of the same insipid imperialism， tried to defend their crumbling interests in the face of rising ethno-nationalisms。 A clusterfuck， politically， all around， the front was essentially used as a diversionary tactic by the Allies and Central Powers。 The Italian forces， commanded by the astonishingly inept Cadorna， managed to fuck up left and right to a point where the Austrian forces were nearly able to pee down into Venice。The war aside， the best bits here are cultural and political。 Thompson does a fine job digging into Italian irredentism and the proto-fascist nationalism， embodied in the idiotic d'Annunzio and the always hilarious Futurists， as well as Italy's laughable claims to large swathes of southern Europe。 。。。more
Bruce Bowman
，
An adequate introduction to the Italian front in the First World War。 This book's perspective is almost exclusively Italian。 The Austrian perspective is presented as an afterthought， as is the naval war between the two countries。 This is a good first book about this admittedly neglected aspect of WWI， but it mostly serves to highlight the need for a better one。 An adequate introduction to the Italian front in the First World War。 This book's perspective is almost exclusively Italian。 The Austrian perspective is presented as an afterthought， as is the naval war between the two countries。 This is a good first book about this admittedly neglected aspect of WWI， but it mostly serves to highlight the need for a better one。 。。。more
Ozymandias
，
This book was an interesting subject for me since I’ve read many books on the Western Front but never one on the Italian one。 I had a basic idea of it from general histories of the war （plus a bit of Hemingway） but this was for the most part uncharted territory for me。 As such I found the topic fascinating。 Italy had most of the same horrors as the Western Front （a cause no one could explain， costly assaults that achieved nothing， numbing trench warfare， callous generals。。。） but placed in a more This book was an interesting subject for me since I’ve read many books on the Western Front but never one on the Italian one。 I had a basic idea of it from general histories of the war （plus a bit of Hemingway） but this was for the most part uncharted territory for me。 As such I found the topic fascinating。 Italy had most of the same horrors as the Western Front （a cause no one could explain， costly assaults that achieved nothing， numbing trench warfare， callous generals。。。） but placed in a more extreme environment。 The Italians started the war to “rescue” land occupied by Italians happier under Habsburg rule， did nothing but attack the same place （there were no fewer than twelve battles of Isonzo）， failed to equip their men with wirecutters or entrenching tools but expected results anyway， and carried out a reign of terror with summary executions of people selected by lot or for as little a cause as saluting improperly。 It’s like Flanders on steroids。 And the trenches ran up the Alps with the Italian forces on the wrong side， making this a surprisingly beautiful war as well。One thing I did not expect （though perhaps I should have） is the presence of fascists already all over Italy。 I suppose I’d always assumed Italy was a lot like Germany， a number of hypernationalistic and racist elements present but not put together in the right order or with the right level of fanatacism。 But it took Germany over a decade to descend to the level of beasts while in Italy it sprung up right away， and this despite the fact that they’d been on the winning side。 The explanation for this is inescapable， but it had never occurred to me because Italy’s not a focus in most WW1 books: Italy was already full of fascists before the war。 All that they lacked was a man to organize them into a single party。Speaking of， D’Annunzio is one of the most revolting human beings I’ve ever heard of。 His cries for war positively revel in slaughter。 The man had an unhealthy lust for blood and serious psychological issues。Companions， can it be true？ We are fighting with arms， we are waging war， the blood is spurting from the veins of Italy！ We are the last to join this struggle and already the first are meeting with glory 。。。 The slaughter begins， the destruction begins。 One of our people has died at sea， another on land。 All these people， who yesterday thronged in the streets and squares， boldly demanding war， are full of veins， full of blood; and that blood begins to flow 。。。 We have no other value but that of our blood to be shed。 Frankly， I lost most of my sympathy for Italy the second I realized that this man was a national hero and beloved poet。 And other poets are just as bad。 Check out this one by Corrado Govini called War！Burn， burn，set fire to this world until it becomes a sun。Devastate， smash， destroy，Go forth， go forth， oh lovely human flail，be plague， earthquake and hurricane。Make a red springof blood and martyrdombloom from this old earth，and life be like a flame。Long live war！ All Italians weren’t like that of course， but these works were popular and clearly represented a radical statement of beliefs nonetheless within the normal spectrum of thought。 In essence， the Italians were ahead of the curve。 They were fighting their war for explicitly racial and imperialistic ends。 The right to rule over all land ever held by their race sounds a hell of a lot like the Italian and German motives in the sequel。On top of that is the ruling powers， and frankly Italy was better off under the fascists。 At least they focused their energies on making life miserable for people outside Italy。 Pre-fascist Italians had to deal with constant defeats， assaults on Austrian fortifications with no trench-digging tools of their own， endless frontal charges up the same set of unforgiving mountains， poor supplies and resources， winters with 2-8 meters of snow regularly and avalanches， and incompetent and unfeeling generals who explained nothing， didn’t believe in relief， regarded POWs as deserters， executed deserters or quaverers with machine guns， and chose men at random for execution to strike terror into the heart of the survivors。 All-in-all they make the Habsburgs look competent and lovable。It’s no wonder the Italian masses turned to fascism given what the Republic did to them。 Alone among the belligerents the Italians refused to send supplies to their POWs， feeling that they deserved to suffer for betraying their race by not fighting to the death。 They believed summary executions were the best motivation for sagging morale。 Lack of enthusiasm was enough to get you shot。 Failure to remove a pipe before saluting a commanding officer could get you shot。 Spilling your soup could get you shot。 It reads like a bad joke。 And they regularly placed their machine guns behind the trenches， manned by MPs so that anyone falling back could be shot en masse。 High casualties were a matter of pride。 It meant you deserved the victory you’d undoubtedly achieve。 And somehow the army never felt the need to provide any justification or purpose for their cause。 Imagine hearing angry voices exult you and your sacrifice after years of serving men who were at best indifferent and at worst malicious。All this is fascinating and I can recommend the book for that reason。 That said， it does have its flaws。 I had very little understanding about what， exactly， was going on in these battles。 The book is mainly interested in being a social history and covers the campaigns in a rather vague and anecdotal manner。 There was something off about the social history chapters too。 I found them somewhat alienating and detached。 You don’t really get a feel for what it was like on one of these campaigns。 Instead you just get a litany of suffering。 That was undoubtedly a key element in this war， but it all felt a little too detached。 。。。more
Les
，
The popular British depiction of the First World War is of British Tommies sheltering in the damp and muddy trenches of the Western Front and it is a powerful image。 Less attention is given to British participation in other theatres of that war。 One such is the Austro-Italian front where British troops were sent fairly late in the war to bolster a hard-pressed Italian Army。 Mark Thompson's book references the British contribution but， rightly， it focusses on the hard fighting between the Italian The popular British depiction of the First World War is of British Tommies sheltering in the damp and muddy trenches of the Western Front and it is a powerful image。 Less attention is given to British participation in other theatres of that war。 One such is the Austro-Italian front where British troops were sent fairly late in the war to bolster a hard-pressed Italian Army。 Mark Thompson's book references the British contribution but， rightly， it focusses on the hard fighting between the Italians and Austrians （whose army contained conscripts from many parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire） in some of the worst of terrains for combat。 The battles are well described but Thompson is also good at capturing the mood in the participant countries， particularly Italy。 A good work to inform yourself about one of the First World War's lesser-known aspects。 。。。more
Sotiris Karaiskos
，
The Italian front is certainly the most neglected by the historians parts of the First World War。 This void comes to cover the writer by presenting us all the time history that has evolved there。 It starts with the data on which the decision to join the allied camp was based， with decades of territorial claims being the main cause。 It then passes through all the great battles， with the thousands of victims， that ended up with no result， reaching the Italians' near defeat， eventually ending in th The Italian front is certainly the most neglected by the historians parts of the First World War。 This void comes to cover the writer by presenting us all the time history that has evolved there。 It starts with the data on which the decision to join the allied camp was based， with decades of territorial claims being the main cause。 It then passes through all the great battles， with the thousands of victims， that ended up with no result， reaching the Italians' near defeat， eventually ending in the victory that was due to the collapse of the western front。 Of particular interest is the extensive reference to the Italian philosophy of this war， which became the raw material for the creation of fascism。 A very interesting book through which the reader can be informed about every aspect of this story。 My only objection is that the author does not quite show us the Austrian and German side and that I think is a major omission。 Otherwise， however， I was pleased with what I read。Το ιταλικό μέτωπο είναι σίγουρα το πιο παραμελημένο από τους ιστορικούς κομμάτι του πρώτου Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου。 Αυτό το κενό έρχεται να το καλύψει ο συγγραφέας παρουσιάζοντας μας όλο το χρονικό της ιστορίας που εξελίχθηκε εκεί。 Ξεκινάει από τα δεδομένα πάνω στα οποία βασίστηκε η απόφαση για την ένταξη στο συμμαχικό στρατόπεδο， με τις εδαφικές διεκδικήσεις δεκαετιών να είναι η κύρια αιτία。 Στη συνέχεια περνάει φτάνει σε όλες τις μεγάλες μάχες， με τα χιλιάδες θύματα， που δεν κατέληξαν πουθενά， φτάνοντας την παραλίγο μεγάλη ήττα των Ιταλών， καταλήγοντας τελικά στη νίκη που οφειλόταν στην κατάρρευση του δυτικού μετώπου。 Ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον έχει η εκτεταμένη αναφορά στη φιλοσοφία των Ιταλών για αυτόν το πόλεμο που έγινε η πρώτη ύλη για τη δημιουργία του φασισμού。 Ένα πολύ ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο μέσα από το οποίο ο αναγνώστης μπορεί να ενημερωθεί για κάθε πτυχή αυτής της ιστορίας。 Η μόνη ένσταση που έχω είναι ότι ο συγγραφέας δεν μας δείχνει αρκετά την πλευρά των Αυστριακών και των Γερμανών και αυτό νομίζω ότι είναι μία σημαντική παράλειψη。 Κατά τα άλλα， όμως， έμεινα ικανοποιημένος από αυτά που διάβασα。 。。。more
Jimmy
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Interesting look at the Italian theater of World War I; it goes into a lot of detail concerning the Italian war effort， how the Italian overnment treated its own soldiers and the population in its conquered territories， hot its overnment attempted to ain additional territory after the war。However， it also spends far more space on Italy than Austria-Hungary。 It also strays off topic at times; for example， the author spends an entire chapter on the literary activities of Gabriele D'Annunzro and Mu Interesting look at the Italian theater of World War I; it goes into a lot of detail concerning the Italian war effort， how the Italian overnment treated its own soldiers and the population in its conquered territories， hot its overnment attempted to ain additional territory after the war。However， it also spends far more space on Italy than Austria-Hungary。 It also strays off topic at times; for example， the author spends an entire chapter on the literary activities of Gabriele D'Annunzro and Mussolini。While the book provides a good review of military operations， the coverage of individual battles don't go into a lot of detail and almost all of them lack a map。 。。。more
Richard Laznik
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Great book about this personally relevant part of the war。 Not a well known front in the English speaking world。 Also shows a few early hints of how Italy moved towards Fascism。
Bill
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This is a very engaging survey of an aspect of the first world war that has neglected by historians in the last half century。 What emerges is a narrative describing an utterly unnecessary war waged with the grossest incompetence and knavery by Italy。 When the war started， Italy was allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary， but a coterie of politicians and jingoists maneuvered a weak government into turning on Austria in an effort to take some territory and cities that had some Italian population。 This is a very engaging survey of an aspect of the first world war that has neglected by historians in the last half century。 What emerges is a narrative describing an utterly unnecessary war waged with the grossest incompetence and knavery by Italy。 When the war started， Italy was allied with Germany and Austria-Hungary， but a coterie of politicians and jingoists maneuvered a weak government into turning on Austria in an effort to take some territory and cities that had some Italian population。This area principally centered around Trieste， but to take Trieste the territory north， mostly a mountainous region also had to be taken。 Starting in 1915， the Italians launched at least ten major offensives which gained very little at very great cost。 The White War mainly presents the Italian side of this campaign， and offers interesting insights into the effect of a corrupt press， and an army whose generals showed more brutality toward their own troops than the they did to the enemy。The last campaign of the war was a huge defeat for Italy and is usually known by the area where the Austrians， with a lot of help from German troops， broke through the Italian defenses: Caporetto。 Thompson includes some observations that Ernest Hemingway offered in A Farewell to Arms。 I have to say that my appreciation for what Hemingway wrote in the early chapters of that novel were much enhanced by this history of that battle and all the pointless and futile carnage that preceded it。 。。。more
Philip C。
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This Book fills an important gap in any Great War Generalist's book shelf。 I was elated to see an extended account of a much misunderstood theatre of the Great War。 For most， the Italian Front has remained in the realm of Ernest Hemingway， and not the subject of sustained study。 The author， I think， does a respectable job placing the Italian front in the broader political context of Italian history both pre war， which shaped Italy's Grand Strategy， and post war， in which the promise of Trasformi This Book fills an important gap in any Great War Generalist's book shelf。 I was elated to see an extended account of a much misunderstood theatre of the Great War。 For most， the Italian Front has remained in the realm of Ernest Hemingway， and not the subject of sustained study。 The author， I think， does a respectable job placing the Italian front in the broader political context of Italian history both pre war， which shaped Italy's Grand Strategy， and post war， in which the promise of Trasformismo was used by conflicting forces to further short term political ends at the expense of any sustained change in Italian society。 The Army was badly trained， and under equipped when Italy entered the War。 The author uses the conflict to show the fault lines in Italian society ， and how these fault lines were exploited by Mussolini to gain power。 。。。more
Tim
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A long but readable account of the Italian campaigns against Austria-Hungary in World War I。 The author provides a good description the Italian politicians and generals， as well as views of the soldiers and the nation; the motivations of these characters are the chief focus of the story。 It is not a perfect book but it is a very good account of a new subject for me。
Jim
，
A good account of Italy's disastrous war， followed by a qualified victory， and then an ultimately dubious peace against its Austrian neighbor。 Nicely ties in Italy's long-seething desire for national expansion with the emergence of Italian Fascism in the post-WWI/pre-WWII period。 A good account of Italy's disastrous war， followed by a qualified victory， and then an ultimately dubious peace against its Austrian neighbor。 Nicely ties in Italy's long-seething desire for national expansion with the emergence of Italian Fascism in the post-WWI/pre-WWII period。 。。。more
Valerie
，
This was a fantastic read。 This wasn't just about Italy's tragic role in its attempt to conquer territories that it thought it deserved （even though they were not historically Italian）。 It was also an excellent account of how the first world war unfolded。 All of these alliances had multiple countries competing against each other。 Mark Thompson's arguments and use of sources were sound。 I also enjoyed the chapter on Italian poetry and how its own poets tried to convince their own citizens that wa This was a fantastic read。 This wasn't just about Italy's tragic role in its attempt to conquer territories that it thought it deserved （even though they were not historically Italian）。 It was also an excellent account of how the first world war unfolded。 All of these alliances had multiple countries competing against each other。 Mark Thompson's arguments and use of sources were sound。 I also enjoyed the chapter on Italian poetry and how its own poets tried to convince their own citizens that was was required。 Unfortunately， war is never is as glorious in reality as it seems on paper。 Italians paid a heavy price for their naivete and greed。 But they were also burned by the greediness of their allies。 As the saying goes， who needs enemies with friends like these？！ This is a much needed addition to the history of World War I。 。。。more
Charles van Buren
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Military and political history， March 24， 2016This review is from: The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915-1919 （Kindle Edition）This is a well written and interesting account of the Italian front in World War One， an obscure subject to most Americans。 The author brings home the hardships of life and combat on this front which were appalling。 Also appalling was the quality of the national leadership and command on both sides， with that of the Italians being far the worse。 The Ital Military and political history， March 24， 2016This review is from: The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915-1919 （Kindle Edition）This is a well written and interesting account of the Italian front in World War One， an obscure subject to most Americans。 The author brings home the hardships of life and combat on this front which were appalling。 Also appalling was the quality of the national leadership and command on both sides， with that of the Italians being far the worse。 The Italians performed so poorly in World War One that when Churchill， facing WW2， was told that to fight Germany was to also fight the Italians he said words to the effect that it was only fair， the British had them last time。The military and political situations are well described but with a little left wing bias。 The Italian disasters leading to the rise of Mussolini and the fascists are a part of the story of WW2 as well as WW1。The story of Erwin Rommel's exploits on this front are placed in the larger context of the war， making his receipt of the Blue Max more understandable。 All in all， an enjoyable and informative read。 。。。more
Brad
，
One review called this work "a slog。" That is as apt a description as any。 There are few books in English on the Austro-Italian front， despite its major historical significance。 The author here attempts to be exhaustive， but the style and organization of the book ends up being， well， mostly exhausting。 A proper edit and closer focus could have made this work half as long and easily that much better。 Alas， this book is one of so few it will be "the" book on the subject until someone writes the be One review called this work "a slog。" That is as apt a description as any。 There are few books in English on the Austro-Italian front， despite its major historical significance。 The author here attempts to be exhaustive， but the style and organization of the book ends up being， well， mostly exhausting。 A proper edit and closer focus could have made this work half as long and easily that much better。 Alas， this book is one of so few it will be "the" book on the subject until someone writes the better book this might have been。 。。。more
Kenneth
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I almost gave this book three stars for selfish reasons。 Quite a few of the chapters did not strictly talk about the military matters occurring on the Italian Front， but delved into sociological matters using the contemporary literature of the time as a lens。 This makes this book as much of a sociological study into why Italy entered the war， endured the hardships of the war， and emerged as a nascent fascist power after the war as it is a military history。I'll be honest。 I skipped a few of these I almost gave this book three stars for selfish reasons。 Quite a few of the chapters did not strictly talk about the military matters occurring on the Italian Front， but delved into sociological matters using the contemporary literature of the time as a lens。 This makes this book as much of a sociological study into why Italy entered the war， endured the hardships of the war， and emerged as a nascent fascist power after the war as it is a military history。I'll be honest。 I skipped a few of these chapters/discussions。 But not all of them。 And the ones that I did find myself reading， including interviews （circa 2005） with centenarian war veterans， were well worth the read。 So， in my zeal to focus on the strictly military stories， I may have robbed myself of some insights。 So。。。 4 stars。 。。。more
Olivier
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This is a fantastic book about a forgotten front: trenches in the Alps， in some places in everlasting snow。 Absurd battles with the Italians attacking uphill against the Austrians， who can easily massacre them。 The rout of Caporetto followed by a "resurrection"。 This is a brilliant subject。 The book is remarkable and surpasses most of those I have read about WW1。 The quality of its writing， especially， is outstanding。 Thomson does not only tell the history of the battles but also devotes entire This is a fantastic book about a forgotten front: trenches in the Alps， in some places in everlasting snow。 Absurd battles with the Italians attacking uphill against the Austrians， who can easily massacre them。 The rout of Caporetto followed by a "resurrection"。 This is a brilliant subject。 The book is remarkable and surpasses most of those I have read about WW1。 The quality of its writing， especially， is outstanding。 Thomson does not only tell the history of the battles but also devotes entire chapters to the （fiction） literature devoted to this period， giving more depth to his narrative。 He also develops the legacy of the war。 And I can't ceased to be amazed by the breadth of his scholarship on the subject。 His command of Italian archives seems remarkable。 It is noteworthy， and maybe a bit unfortunate， that he mostly takes the perspective of the Italian side。 This is possibly because the Austro Hungarian empire had no future after the war and the consequences of this front are therefore less present in collective memory。 Nevertheless， his portraits of some of the major "Habsburg" actors of the more， such as the brilliant general Borozevic， are gripping。 。。。more
Aalap Chikhalikar
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