|
|
|
Great War and Fortresses |
The First World War
(1914 - 1918), also known as the Great War, marked an epoch for the Altopiano di Folgaria, Lavarone and Luserna, starting from a change in its nationality from Austro-Hungarian to Italian.
Notwithstanding the fact that since 1882 Italy and Austria, together with Germany, were linked by the pact of the Triple Alliance, both in The Great War on the plateaux can be summarized in stages: the setting up of military construction sites (1908 - 1915) to build the fortified system (fortresses, roads, trenches, shelters, caverns, observatories, etc.); the exodus of the population following the breakout of war (24 May 1915: over 4000 persons confined mainly in the Mitterndorf, Braunau and Katzenau refugee centres); subsequent military occupation of towns used for behind-the-lines logistic preparation; the actual conflict (1915 to May 1916) and the end of the war (1918) with the return of the refugees and Italian military occupation.
Map of the Fortresses
War approaching
On the Trento front, especially in the area of the plateaux, in 1908 general Conrad Von Hötzendorf (Austro-Hungarian Chief of Staff and capable military strategist) got the Austro-Hungarians to prepare a modern effective defence system: seven ironclad fortresses between the Valsugana and the Terragnòlo valley arrayed on the Vezzena altopiano - Luserna (Cima VezzenaBusa Verle and Cima Campo), the Lavarone altopiano (Forte Belvedere Gschwent) and the Folgaria altopiano (Forti Cherle, Sommo alto and Dosso del Sommo).
The fortresses were to be installed on the Pasubio massif and in Vallarsa but war broke out and they were never completed: Forte Pozzacchio (Vallarsa), incomplete and unarmed, was used just the same.
The purpose of the fortified Austro-Hungarian barrier on the plateaux was double: to prevent a possible attempt on the part of the Italians to advance on the cities of Trento and Rovereto and create a fortress from which to launch an offensive towards Veneto, as actually happened with the so-called Spring Offensive, also known as Strafexpedition, in May 1916.
Military operations: from the War of the Fortresses to the Stafexpedition
The military operations took place mainly in two periods: May - August 1915 battle between the fortresses to stop Italian attempts to break through the eastern sector (Luserna – Vézzena area); May 1916 beginning of the so-called Strafexpedition that pushed back the front to the Asiago heights, a line maintained practically until the end of the war. Rome and Vienna it was known that the agreement would sooner or later break down. In fact, due to a conflict that appeared increasingly likely, throughout the 1880s work was carried out quite openly to fortify the respective national borders.
The inglorious end of the fortresses Surviving the war damaged but practically intact (except the Busa Verle and Lusérn fortresses), the Austro-Hungarian forts were demolished in 1936 in order to recover the iron and steel in them. Evidence of this line of fortresses today is the superb, integral Museum Fortress Gschwent Belvedere.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
Photo |
 |
|
|
Photo |
 |
|
|
Photo |
 |
|
|
Photo |
 |
|
|
Photo |
 |
|
|
Photo |
 |
|
|
Photo |
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|