Battle of the Piave River | |||||||
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Part of the Italian Front (World War I) | |||||||
![]() Map of the Second Battle of the Piave River | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
57 divisions:[1] 5,650 guns1,570 mortars 676 aircraft |
58 divisions:[1] 6,833 artillery pieces | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
87,181:[2] 8,396 dead 30,603 wounded 48,182 captured |
118,042:[2] 11,643 dead 80,852 wounded 25,547 captured |
The Second Battle of the Piave River (or Battle of the Solstice), fought between 15 and 23 June 1918, was a decisive victory[3][4] for the Italian Army against the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I, as Italy was part of the Allied Forces, while Austria-Hungary was part of the Central Powers. Though the battle proved to be a decisive blow to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and by extension the Central Powers, its full significance was not initially appreciated in Italy. Yet Erich Ludendorff, on hearing the news, is reported to have said he 'had the sensation of defeat for the first time'.[5] It would later become clear that the battle was in fact the beginning of the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.[6]