WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.960 Welcome back to the deep dive. We are so glad 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:05.200 to have you with us today for this custom tailored 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:07.320 exploration. We're looking at a historical event 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:11.839 that was well. So disastrous, so completely and 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:14.980 utterly catastrophic that its very name actually 00:00:14.980 --> 00:00:17.660 became a permanent synonym for a catastrophic 00:00:17.660 --> 00:00:20.420 defeat in the Italian language. Our mission today 00:00:20.420 --> 00:00:22.760 is to unpack exactly how that happened. It really 00:00:22.760 --> 00:00:25.480 is a profound piece of history. Yeah. We are 00:00:25.480 --> 00:00:27.679 looking at a comprehensive account of the Battle 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:31.059 of Caporetto, also known as the 12th Battle of 00:00:31.059 --> 00:00:34.100 the Isonzo, which took place on the Italian front 00:00:34.100 --> 00:00:36.460 of World War One, stretching from October 24th 00:00:36.460 --> 00:00:40.229 to November 19th, 1917. massive collision between 00:00:40.229 --> 00:00:41.969 the Kingdom of Italy and the Central Powers, 00:00:42.590 --> 00:00:44.869 primarily Austria -Hungary, but heavily reinforced 00:00:44.869 --> 00:00:47.469 by Germany. And the sheer jaw -dropping scale 00:00:47.469 --> 00:00:49.810 of this battle is just, it's something else. 00:00:50.070 --> 00:00:51.929 As we go through the material today, you're going 00:00:51.929 --> 00:00:55.630 to hear about a massive, devastating chemical 00:00:55.630 --> 00:00:58.810 weapons attack. We're going to witness the perfection 00:00:58.810 --> 00:01:02.990 of a terrifying new military tactic that completely 00:01:02.990 --> 00:01:05.430 changed the rules of warfare. You'll even hear 00:01:05.430 --> 00:01:08.549 about a young Erwin Rommel making his mark. and 00:01:08.549 --> 00:01:13.150 it all culminates in an astonishing 150 kilometer 00:01:13.150 --> 00:01:15.920 retreat. I want to frame the stakes for you right 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:17.900 from the beginning. This isn't just a story about 00:01:17.900 --> 00:01:21.459 shifting lines on a map or a dry list of dates 00:01:21.459 --> 00:01:23.739 and troop movements. No, definitely not. It is 00:01:23.739 --> 00:01:26.480 an absolute master class in how a combination 00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:29.519 of overconfidence, deep logistical failure and 00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:33.060 sheer technological surprise can completely collapse 00:01:33.060 --> 00:01:35.920 an army of over a million men. It's about how 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:38.140 rapidly things go wrong when foundational cracks 00:01:38.140 --> 00:01:40.519 are finally exposed. OK, let's untack this. We 00:01:40.519 --> 00:01:42.120 need to set the scene because the context leading 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:44.420 up to this is just grueling. is the spring and 00:01:44.420 --> 00:01:47.540 summer of 1917. The Italian and Austro -Hungarian 00:01:47.540 --> 00:01:49.780 armies have been fighting along the Isonzo River, 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:52.159 which is in modern -day Slovenia. And when I 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:53.579 say fighting, I mean they have already fought 00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:56.680 11 previous battles in this exact same sector. 00:01:57.079 --> 00:02:00.540 Eleven. Both sides are just entirely exhausted. 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:04.719 They are gleading each other dry. So if both 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:07.540 sides are at their absolute breaking point, what 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:09.680 did the Austro -Hungarians actually do? Did they 00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:11.479 just sit there and wait for the front to collapse? 00:02:11.710 --> 00:02:14.469 They panicked, to put it simply. The Italians 00:02:14.469 --> 00:02:16.949 had actually found some success during that 11th 00:02:16.949 --> 00:02:19.150 battle of the Isonzo. They managed to push the 00:02:19.150 --> 00:02:22.069 Austro -Hungarians back. Emperor Karl of Austria 00:02:22.069 --> 00:02:25.030 -Hungary looked at the situation, realized a 00:02:25.030 --> 00:02:26.930 final breakthrough by the Italians was imminent, 00:02:27.370 --> 00:02:31.090 and he reached out for a lifeline. It's a fascinating... 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:34.000 Very human detail in the historical record. Emperor 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:36.300 Karl writes a letter directly to Germany's Kaiser 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:39.020 Wilhelms II. He's essentially begging for help, 00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:41.219 stating flatly that his forces are running out 00:02:41.219 --> 00:02:43.280 of men and that the Germans don't send troops 00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:45.419 to Italy immediately. The entire front is going 00:02:45.419 --> 00:02:48.159 to shatter. What's fascinating here is the internal 00:02:48.159 --> 00:02:50.680 friction this request caused within the German 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:53.099 high command. You have these massive historical 00:02:53.099 --> 00:02:55.139 figures trying to decide the fate of the war. 00:02:55.259 --> 00:02:57.680 Like who? Well, Paul von Hindenburg and Arthur 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:00.539 Arsbon -Strasenberg, they both agree that they 00:03:00.539 --> 00:03:03.300 need to pull troops from the Eastern front and 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:06.319 send them to the Isonzo sector to bail out their 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:09.419 ally. Makes sense. But Erich Ludendorff, another 00:03:09.419 --> 00:03:11.939 monumental figure in the German command, is dead 00:03:11.939 --> 00:03:15.020 set against it. He fiercely opposes sending the 00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:18.560 troops. But ultimately, he gets overruled. And 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:21.000 once the Germans commit, their preparation is 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:24.389 just chillingly methodical. In September, the 00:03:24.389 --> 00:03:26.610 Imperial General Staff sends a team of three 00:03:26.610 --> 00:03:29.550 experts down to the Italian front, and this team 00:03:29.550 --> 00:03:33.610 is led by a chemist, Otto Hahn. Yes! They are 00:03:33.610 --> 00:03:36.810 explicitly sent there to find the absolute perfect 00:03:36.810 --> 00:03:39.750 geographical site to launch a massive gas attack. 00:03:39.849 --> 00:03:42.629 It is a cold, highly calculated approach to warfare. 00:03:43.129 --> 00:03:45.669 They specifically choose the Caporetto Sector. 00:03:45.909 --> 00:03:47.689 Now, Caporetto was situated in a mountainous 00:03:47.689 --> 00:03:50.069 valley, and up until this point, it was considered 00:03:50.069 --> 00:03:52.810 a quiet sector. Quiet, meaning not much fighting. 00:03:52.939 --> 00:03:55.740 Exactly. But it had a very specific advantage 00:03:55.740 --> 00:03:57.639 for the Germans. There was a good road that ran 00:03:57.639 --> 00:03:59.580 directly west, right through the mountain valley, 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:02.560 and out onto the Venetian plain. It's the perfect 00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:05.039 funnel. It really is. And to make sure they can 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:07.340 exploit it, they send Lieutenant General Conrad 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:10.020 Krupp von Belmens again to scout the ground. 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:13.599 Since he is a recognized expert in mountain warfare, 00:04:14.099 --> 00:04:16.120 they are clearly putting all their best minds 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:19.769 on this one specific point on the map. They even 00:04:19.769 --> 00:04:22.490 form a brand new 14th Army, commanded by the 00:04:22.490 --> 00:04:25.209 German Otto von Below. Which highlights a major 00:04:25.209 --> 00:04:28.189 strategic shift. Ludendorff's strategic advisor, 00:04:28.509 --> 00:04:30.750 Lieutenant Colonel Jorg Wetzel, advised them 00:04:30.750 --> 00:04:33.129 to use these fresh German divisions to strike 00:04:33.129 --> 00:04:35.889 directly at a weak point in the Italian line. 00:04:36.290 --> 00:04:37.930 They weren't going to just spread out and fight 00:04:37.930 --> 00:04:39.930 everywhere. They were going to concentrate their 00:04:39.930 --> 00:04:43.089 power like a laser. And as they are meticulously 00:04:43.089 --> 00:04:45.769 planning this out, the Italians make a massive, 00:04:45.990 --> 00:04:48.819 almost unbelievable blunder. They actually broadcast 00:04:48.819 --> 00:04:51.600 their local weather information openly over the 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:53.959 radio. Yes, they did. Wait, so they just broadcasted 00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:56.220 it for anyone to hear? That's basically giving 00:04:56.220 --> 00:04:58.339 the Germans a daily weather forecast complete 00:04:58.339 --> 00:05:01.180 with a VIP invitation to attack. Talk about an 00:05:01.180 --> 00:05:03.879 unforced error. It highlights the vital importance 00:05:03.879 --> 00:05:07.060 of operational security, a lesson the Italians 00:05:07.060 --> 00:05:10.180 learned in the most painful way imaginable. The 00:05:10.180 --> 00:05:12.540 Germans were waiting for the absolute perfect 00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:15.279 meteorological moment to deploy chemical weapons. 00:05:15.879 --> 00:05:17.899 And the Italians were literally handing them 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:20.240 the atmospheric data they needed to finalize 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:22.920 their plans. Which brings us to the attack itself. 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:27.000 It is October 24th, 1917. The assault had actually 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:29.079 been delayed for two days because of foul weather. 00:05:29.540 --> 00:05:32.139 But now the weather has shifted. There is zero 00:05:32.139 --> 00:05:35.240 wind and the entire front is blanketed in this 00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:38.019 thick heavy mist. The environmental conditions 00:05:38.019 --> 00:05:40.680 are absolutely crucial to understand here. The 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:43.180 mist and the lack of wind created an atmospheric 00:05:43.180 --> 00:05:46.220 trap. It meant that any gas released would not 00:05:46.220 --> 00:05:48.519 blow back on the attackers, and it wouldn't dissipate 00:05:48.519 --> 00:05:50.439 quickly. It would just settle heavily into the 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:52.240 valleys and trenches where the Italians were 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:56.920 huddled. So at exactly 02 .00 a .m. under the 00:05:56.920 --> 00:05:59.579 cover of this thick fog, the Germans initiate 00:05:59.579 --> 00:06:02.139 the attack. But it's not with traditional artillery. 00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:04.259 The historical accounts describe them secretly 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:07.040 digging in almost 900 metal tubes on a reverse 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:09.360 slope. Can you explain what that means for the 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:12.500 listener? Of course. A reverse slope just means 00:06:12.500 --> 00:06:14.600 the side of the hill facing away from the enemy, 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:16.699 so the Italians couldn't see what they were doing. 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:19.120 Smart. And those metal tubes were similar to 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:21.779 Leibniz projectors. If you aren't familiar with 00:06:21.779 --> 00:06:24.740 World War I weaponry, think of a Leibniz projector 00:06:24.740 --> 00:06:27.360 as a crude but highly effective early mortar. 00:06:27.930 --> 00:06:31.569 used specifically to lob large canisters of poison 00:06:31.569 --> 00:06:34.310 gas over a hill and into enemy trenches. And 00:06:34.310 --> 00:06:38.629 they wire all 894 of these tubes to trigger electrically 00:06:38.629 --> 00:06:42.029 at the exact same time. They fire canisters containing 00:06:42.029 --> 00:06:45.149 600 milliliters of a lethal cocktail, a chlorine 00:06:45.149 --> 00:06:48.569 arsenic agent, and diphosphine. Diphosphine is 00:06:48.569 --> 00:06:50.990 a respiratory irritant that basically destroys 00:06:50.990 --> 00:06:53.509 the lungs. Right. It's horrifying. The psychological 00:06:53.509 --> 00:06:55.810 and physical impact of this cannot be overstated. 00:06:56.110 --> 00:06:58.850 A dense cloud of poison gas literally smothered 00:06:58.850 --> 00:07:01.110 the Italian trenches. And here is the terrifying 00:07:01.110 --> 00:07:03.889 reality for the Italian defenders. Their issued 00:07:03.889 --> 00:07:05.970 gas masks were only rated to protect them for 00:07:05.970 --> 00:07:08.610 two hours or less. Oh, wow. Imagine being a soldier 00:07:08.610 --> 00:07:10.910 in that trench. You are enveloped in a toxic 00:07:10.910 --> 00:07:13.290 cloud. Your mask is degrading by the minute and 00:07:13.290 --> 00:07:15.730 you know the clock is ticking. It's pure nightmare 00:07:15.730 --> 00:07:18.509 fuel. Knowing their masks are failing, many defenders 00:07:18.509 --> 00:07:21.870 simply flee in terror. Even so, 500 to 600 men 00:07:21.870 --> 00:07:24.149 are killed right there in the trenches, before 00:07:24.149 --> 00:07:27.850 they can even escape the cloud. And then, everything 00:07:27.850 --> 00:07:30.769 goes quiet again. Just dead silence in the fog 00:07:30.769 --> 00:07:33.939 until 0600 a .m. That silence must have been 00:07:33.939 --> 00:07:37.300 agonizing, because at ZO600AM, the bombardment 00:07:37.300 --> 00:07:39.740 shifts from gas to high explosives, the mortars 00:07:39.740 --> 00:07:42.060 open up, targeting all the Italian wire in the 00:07:42.060 --> 00:07:43.899 trenches they plan to assault. The escalation 00:07:43.899 --> 00:07:49.180 is rapid. At 06 .41AM, 2200 guns open fire. It's 00:07:49.180 --> 00:07:51.439 an unimaginable wall of sound and destruction. 00:07:51.610 --> 00:07:53.949 They specifically target the Valley Road, pounding 00:07:53.949 --> 00:07:55.949 it to dust so that the Italians can't bring up 00:07:55.949 --> 00:07:58.350 any reserves to plug the gaps. Exactly. Then 00:07:58.350 --> 00:08:01.509 at 0800 AM, the ground itself literally erupts. 00:08:01.810 --> 00:08:04.350 The Germans detonate two massive mines that they 00:08:04.350 --> 00:08:06.129 had tunneled under the Italian strong points 00:08:06.129 --> 00:08:08.970 on the heights. And with that, the infantry charges. 00:08:09.569 --> 00:08:11.009 But I know they weren't just marching slowly 00:08:11.009 --> 00:08:13.009 across no man's land in the traditional trench 00:08:13.009 --> 00:08:14.990 charge. How are these stormtroopers actually 00:08:14.990 --> 00:08:17.000 pulling off this assault? They were using what 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:20.160 are called infiltration tactics, partly developed 00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:23.139 by Oscar von Hutier. Instead of throwing a wall 00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:25.800 of men directly at the enemy's strongest defenses, 00:08:26.540 --> 00:08:28.800 specially trained stormtroopers acted like water 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:31.600 finding cracks in a dam. finding the path of 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:34.419 least resistance. Right. They flowed right around 00:08:34.419 --> 00:08:36.820 the strong points, bypassed the heavy resistance, 00:08:37.019 --> 00:08:39.159 and attacked the weak spots deep behind the lines. 00:08:39.299 --> 00:08:41.799 And they were loaded with brand new mobile tech 00:08:41.799 --> 00:08:44.480 to do it, right? Exactly. They were carrying 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:48.639 the Model 0815 Maxim light machine gun, portable 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:51.259 flamethrowers, light trench mortars, and even 00:08:51.259 --> 00:08:53.059 mountain guns right there with the advancing 00:08:53.059 --> 00:08:55.740 infantry. They were moving fast and hitting hard. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:58.220 What about the flanks? If you push that deep 00:08:58.220 --> 00:08:59.840 into a valley, aren't you worried about getting 00:08:59.840 --> 00:09:01.799 surrounded from the mountains above? That's where 00:09:01.799 --> 00:09:04.580 the coordination becomes truly impressive. Alpine 00:09:04.580 --> 00:09:06.559 troops were sent to infiltrate the adjoining 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:09.139 ridges, specifically the Matajur and Kulavrat 00:09:09.139 --> 00:09:12.419 crests. And as these alpine troops climbed, they 00:09:12.419 --> 00:09:15.360 were literally unspooling telephone wires behind 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:18.820 them. No way. Hmm. While climbing. While climbing. 00:09:19.220 --> 00:09:21.440 This allowed them to stay in direct contact with 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:23.480 their artillery and call in pinpoint strikes 00:09:23.480 --> 00:09:25.980 on the fly to protect the storm. troopers in 00:09:25.980 --> 00:09:29.139 the valley. It was a level of tactical flexibility 00:09:29.139 --> 00:09:31.220 that the Italians were completely unprepared 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:33.460 for. Here's where it gets really interesting. 00:09:34.019 --> 00:09:37.000 Because of these infiltration tactics, the breakthrough 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:40.100 is almost instantaneous. The attackers are marching 00:09:40.100 --> 00:09:42.440 down this excellent valley road toward Italy 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:46.100 facing almost no opposition. they advance an 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:48.840 incredible 25 kilometers on the very first day. 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:51.740 Which is staggering. In World War I terms, advancing 00:09:51.740 --> 00:09:54.919 25 kilometers in a single day is basically light 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:58.419 speed. But advancing that fast has to be incredibly 00:09:58.419 --> 00:10:00.980 dangerous. It is incredibly dangerous. You are 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:03.139 effectively stretching the rubber band of your 00:10:03.139 --> 00:10:06.340 supply lines. Advancing 25 kilometers means your 00:10:06.340 --> 00:10:08.360 food, your ammunition, and your reinforcements 00:10:08.360 --> 00:10:10.940 are suddenly 25 kilometers behind you. As we'll 00:10:10.940 --> 00:10:13.039 see, that rubber band is eventually going to 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:15.799 snap. Right. But in the immediate moment, von 00:10:15.799 --> 00:10:18.179 Bellow's central penetration was so deep and 00:10:18.179 --> 00:10:21.340 so fast that it threw the entire Italian Second 00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:24.159 Army into total disarray. And behind the lines, 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:26.320 the Italian command is completely collapsing. 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:29.559 The commander of the Italian Second Army Luigi 00:10:29.559 --> 00:10:32.279 Capello is bedridden with a terrible fever during 00:10:32.279 --> 00:10:35.460 all of this. He realizes his forces are ill -prepared 00:10:35.460 --> 00:10:38.679 and are actively being routed. So he begs his 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:40.620 superiors for permission to withdraw his men 00:10:40.620 --> 00:10:43.480 to the Tagliamento River to form a new defensive 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:46.019 line. And this introduces us to Marshal Luigi 00:10:46.019 --> 00:10:49.000 Cadorna, the Italian Supreme Commander. Cadorna 00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:51.879 is a figure of immense stubbornness. He's directing 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:54.059 the battle from 30 kilometers behind the front 00:10:54.059 --> 00:10:57.259 lines. And when Capello begs to retreat, Cadorna 00:10:57.259 --> 00:11:00.539 flatly refuses. He denies reality, demanding 00:11:00.539 --> 00:11:02.820 his troops stand their ground against an enemy 00:11:02.820 --> 00:11:05.559 that has already bypassed them. It takes Cadorna 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:08.419 until October 30th, six days after the attack 00:11:08.419 --> 00:11:10.379 began to finally realize the battle is lost, 00:11:10.899 --> 00:11:12.919 and order a retreat to the Tiglamento River. 00:11:13.259 --> 00:11:15.379 But by then, it's too late for an orderly withdrawal. 00:11:15.559 --> 00:11:17.980 It turns into a desperate, chaotic sprint for 00:11:17.980 --> 00:11:20.539 survival. Total chaos. The roads become completely 00:11:20.539 --> 00:11:22.860 choked. You have retreating soldiers, terrified 00:11:22.860 --> 00:11:25.580 civilians fleeing their homes, horse -drawn artillery 00:11:25.580 --> 00:11:27.919 all jammed together trying to cross the bottleneck 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:30.360 of the river bridges. The delay in ordering the 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:33.379 retreat was fatal. The German and Austro -Hungarian 00:11:33.379 --> 00:11:35.980 forces are right on their heels the entire time, 00:11:36.259 --> 00:11:38.940 ambushing them constantly. These desperate fighting 00:11:38.940 --> 00:11:41.179 retreats and ambushes became known as the Battle 00:11:41.179 --> 00:11:43.870 of Putswolo. Yeah. It allowed the Central Powers 00:11:43.870 --> 00:11:46.429 to envelop massive portions of the Italian army 00:11:46.429 --> 00:11:49.450 before they could cross to safety. The Italians 00:11:49.450 --> 00:11:51.690 eventually managed to break through the encirclement, 00:11:51.789 --> 00:11:54.690 but not before the Austro -Hungarian 55th Infantry 00:11:54.690 --> 00:11:57.289 Division established a bridgehead across the 00:11:57.289 --> 00:12:00.200 Tagliamento on November 2. We have to talk about 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:02.220 the numbers here. Yeah. Because providing you 00:12:02.220 --> 00:12:04.759 with the exact losses is the only way to truly 00:12:04.759 --> 00:12:07.580 grasp the scale of this disaster. The casualties 00:12:07.580 --> 00:12:09.820 are staggering. 13 ,000 Italians were killed. 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:12.759 30 ,000 were wounded. And then an absolutely 00:12:12.759 --> 00:12:17.100 massive 265 ,000 to 275 ,000 Italian soldiers 00:12:17.100 --> 00:12:19.399 were taken prisoner. A quarter of a million men 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:22.159 captured. The sheer logistical burden of capturing 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:24.159 a quarter million prisoners in a matter of days 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:26.600 is difficult to comprehend. Beyond the prisoners, 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:29.179 there were 300 ,000 stragglers. who were separated 00:12:29.179 --> 00:12:32.559 from their units and 50 ,000 outright deserters. 00:12:33.139 --> 00:12:36.799 The Italian army lost over 3 ,152 artillery pieces, 00:12:37.399 --> 00:12:42.139 3 ,000 machine guns, and 1 ,712 mortars. In the 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:44.799 span of this single campaign, the Italian army's 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:47.059 effective strength plummeted from 1 .8 million 00:12:47.059 --> 00:12:49.779 troops down to just 1 million. If we connect 00:12:49.779 --> 00:12:52.340 this to the bigger picture, we have to ask why 00:12:52.340 --> 00:12:54.940 so many Italians were taken prisoner. Why did 00:12:54.940 --> 00:12:58.500 over 250 ,000 men simply surrender? It wasn't 00:12:58.500 --> 00:13:00.679 just the tactical surprise or the terror of the 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:03.259 gas. It was a complete collapse of morale. Because 00:13:03.259 --> 00:13:06.019 of Cadorna. Exactly. The Italian Supreme Commander 00:13:06.019 --> 00:13:08.639 Luigi Cadorna was universally detested by his 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:11.259 own troops. He maintained an incredibly harsh, 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:13.740 unforgiving disciplinary regime. Imagine being 00:13:13.740 --> 00:13:15.620 in middle management today and having a boss 00:13:15.620 --> 00:13:17.960 like Cadorna who just fires hundreds of executives 00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:20.240 on a whim. It's no wonder the frontline workers, 00:13:20.259 --> 00:13:22.379 the soldiers completely checked out. I was looking 00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:24.159 at the records from this time and before the 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:27.220 battle even began, Cadorna had fired 217 generals, 00:13:27.480 --> 00:13:31.419 255 colonels and 355 battalion commanders. Unbelievable. 00:13:31.580 --> 00:13:34.539 He was firing anyone who disagreed with him or 00:13:34.539 --> 00:13:37.059 failed to achieve the impossible. His troops 00:13:37.059 --> 00:13:39.539 hated him so much that when the lines broke, 00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:42.379 they surrendered willingly rather than fight 00:13:42.379 --> 00:13:44.820 and die for a commander who treated them so poorly. 00:13:45.419 --> 00:13:47.720 It is a stark reminder that an organization runs 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:50.519 on morale just as much as an army runs on rations 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:54.210 and ammunition. When the leadership shows zero 00:13:54.210 --> 00:13:56.350 regard for the well -being of the people on the 00:13:56.350 --> 00:13:58.450 ground, those people will abandon the leadership 00:13:58.450 --> 00:14:01.210 the moment the pressure becomes unbearable. So 00:14:01.210 --> 00:14:03.190 the Italians are running, the Germans and Austro 00:14:03.190 --> 00:14:05.929 -Hungarians are chasing, and we finally see the 00:14:05.929 --> 00:14:09.169 pendulum swing. The Italian army eventually manages 00:14:09.169 --> 00:14:11.710 to halt their retreat and set up a new defensive 00:14:11.710 --> 00:14:14.970 line 150 kilometers away at the Piave River in 00:14:14.970 --> 00:14:17.830 Monte Grappa. This happens around November 10th, 00:14:17.830 --> 00:14:19.850 but the Central Powers didn't necessarily stop 00:14:19.850 --> 00:14:21.950 because the Italians suddenly mounted an unbreakable 00:14:21.950 --> 00:14:25.009 defense. Why did the German advance actually 00:14:25.009 --> 00:14:28.049 grind to a halt? This is the profound logistical 00:14:28.049 --> 00:14:30.029 irony of Caporetto. Remember that rubber band 00:14:30.029 --> 00:14:31.870 we talked about earlier? Yeah, the supply lines. 00:14:32.090 --> 00:14:34.750 It finally snapped. The initial assault by the 00:14:34.750 --> 00:14:37.330 Central Powers was incredibly successful. They 00:14:37.330 --> 00:14:39.450 advanced over a hundred kilometers toward Venice, 00:14:39.929 --> 00:14:41.909 but their supply lines were stretched to the 00:14:41.909 --> 00:14:44.570 absolute breaking point. We have to remember 00:14:44.570 --> 00:14:47.590 the geopolitical context here. The Allied naval 00:14:47.590 --> 00:14:50.029 blockade of the German Empire was already in 00:14:50.029 --> 00:14:52.529 full effect. Germany was struggling with massive 00:14:52.529 --> 00:14:54.889 food shortages and widespread malnutrition at 00:14:54.889 --> 00:14:57.470 home and in the ranks. There's a specific brilliant 00:14:57.470 --> 00:14:59.730 detail about Erwin Rommel that highlights this 00:14:59.730 --> 00:15:02.330 perfectly. He was a junior officer here and he 00:15:02.330 --> 00:15:04.629 actually won the Pour la Merite for his actions 00:15:04.629 --> 00:15:06.980 during this battle. For those who might not know, 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:09.360 the Port of Marietil was Germany's absolute highest 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:12.279 military honor at the time. Sure. But even while 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:14.820 achieving this incredible success, in his writings, 00:15:15.460 --> 00:15:17.500 Rommel constantly bemoaned the demands placed 00:15:17.500 --> 00:15:19.899 upon his poorly fed troops. The grueling night 00:15:19.899 --> 00:15:22.139 marches, the continuous combat, and the utter 00:15:22.139 --> 00:15:24.879 lack of food took a massive toll. It was an enemy 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.190 fire that ultimately stripped the Germans of 00:15:27.190 --> 00:15:30.529 their momentum, it was sheer exhaustion and starvation. 00:15:31.110 --> 00:15:32.909 They had captured all this territory, pushed 00:15:32.909 --> 00:15:35.250 the Italians to the brink. But when they finally 00:15:35.250 --> 00:15:37.149 reached the Piave River, they simply didn't have 00:15:37.149 --> 00:15:39.490 the calories or the ammunition to push any further. 00:15:40.309 --> 00:15:42.830 Their own rapid success became their logistical 00:15:42.830 --> 00:15:45.149 downfall. And the political fallout from this 00:15:45.149 --> 00:15:48.470 150 kilometer retreat is immediate and severe. 00:15:48.830 --> 00:15:51.350 The disaster completely collapses the Italian 00:15:51.350 --> 00:15:53.549 government. Prime Minister Paolo Bocelli's government 00:15:53.549 --> 00:15:56.570 falls. And Marshal Cadorna, the stubborn commander 00:15:56.570 --> 00:15:58.730 who refused to retreat and was hated by his men, 00:15:59.090 --> 00:16:01.029 is finally forced to resign by the new prime 00:16:01.029 --> 00:16:03.970 minister, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando. A necessary 00:16:03.970 --> 00:16:06.929 change. Cadorna is replaced by Armando Diaz and 00:16:06.929 --> 00:16:09.350 Pietro Badoglio, who immediately implement a 00:16:09.350 --> 00:16:11.549 more cautious strategy focused on rebuilding 00:16:11.549 --> 00:16:14.169 the shattered forces. But the panic wasn't just 00:16:14.169 --> 00:16:17.000 limited to Italy, was it? Not at all. The geopolitical 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:19.519 panic extended far beyond Italy's borders. The 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:21.860 collapse of the Isonzo front terrified the other 00:16:21.860 --> 00:16:24.740 allies. It led to a hastily called meeting of 00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:27.039 British, French and Italian leaders at Rapallo 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:29.259 in early November. They had to figure something 00:16:29.259 --> 00:16:31.960 out. Fast. British Prime Minister David Lloyd 00:16:31.960 --> 00:16:35.120 George used the absolute panic of Caporetto to 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:38.220 finally push through his idea for a supreme war 00:16:38.220 --> 00:16:42.259 council to unify allied strategy. The allies 00:16:42.259 --> 00:16:44.399 realized they couldn't fight separate wars anymore. 00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:47.419 They had to coordinate. The panic was so real 00:16:47.419 --> 00:16:51.059 that six French and five British infantry divisions, 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:53.879 along with air contingents, were rushed down 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:56.620 to Italy to help. They deployed at the Menzio 00:16:56.620 --> 00:16:59.139 River well behind the new lines because the British 00:16:59.139 --> 00:17:01.440 and French strategists honestly believe the Italians 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:03.799 couldn't even hold the Piave River line. Right. 00:17:04.440 --> 00:17:06.920 Beyond the military shifts, the cultural scar 00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:09.779 left by this battle on Italy is incredibly deep. 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:12.259 As I mentioned at the start of our discussion, 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:14.500 the word caporetto gained a permanent resonance. 00:17:14.740 --> 00:17:16.700 It stopped being just a geographical location 00:17:16.700 --> 00:17:19.380 and became a noun for a catastrophic failure. 00:17:19.819 --> 00:17:22.059 Mussolini later used the term to describe a failed 00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:25.039 socialist general strike in 1922, calling it 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:28.319 the caporetto of Italian socialism. The battle 00:17:28.319 --> 00:17:30.839 also spawned massive literary works that gave 00:17:30.839 --> 00:17:32.859 people a gritty, boots -on -the -ground feel 00:17:32.859 --> 00:17:35.099 for what that horrific retreat was actually like. 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:39.119 It's the vivid, bloody backdrop for Ernest Hemingway's 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:42.519 famous novel, A Farewell to Arms, heavily influencing 00:17:42.519 --> 00:17:44.599 the protagonist's disillusionment with the war. 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:47.859 And on the tact of side, Erwin Rommel used his 00:17:47.859 --> 00:17:50.000 experiences here to write his highly influential 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:53.220 military handbook, Infantry Attacks. The legacy 00:17:53.220 --> 00:17:56.339 is truly massive. So what does this all mean? 00:17:56.490 --> 00:17:58.569 If we pull this entire narrative together for 00:17:58.569 --> 00:18:00.869 you, we are looking at an incredible historical 00:18:00.869 --> 00:18:03.410 moment. It's a terrifying mix of technological 00:18:03.410 --> 00:18:05.170 innovation, like the synchronized gas attack 00:18:05.170 --> 00:18:07.329 and tactical evolution with the storm troopers 00:18:07.329 --> 00:18:09.990 bypassing strongholds. Yes. It is also the story 00:18:09.990 --> 00:18:12.450 of massive, arrogant command failure by leaders 00:18:12.450 --> 00:18:15.049 like Kadona. And perhaps most ironically, it's 00:18:15.049 --> 00:18:17.750 the story of an army defeating itself by advancing 00:18:17.750 --> 00:18:20.269 so quickly that it simply outran its ability 00:18:20.269 --> 00:18:23.299 to feed its own soldiers. This raises an important 00:18:23.299 --> 00:18:26.059 question, and it's one you can apply far beyond 00:18:26.059 --> 00:18:29.440 military history. Capreda proves that even heavily 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:31.400 fortified positions, whether you are looking 00:18:31.400 --> 00:18:33.880 at a literal trench line, a corporate business 00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:36.940 strategy, or a seemingly unshakable market leader 00:18:36.940 --> 00:18:39.279 can be bypassed. That's a great point. They aren't 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:41.859 always defeated by overwhelming brute force. 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:44.720 They are defeated by targeted innovation, like 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:47.880 those infiltration tactics and the precise exploitation 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:51.059 of a single weak point. Furthermore, it highlights 00:18:51.059 --> 00:18:54.180 the absolute non -negotiable necessity of morale. 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:57.299 If a team fundamentally detests its leadership, 00:18:57.980 --> 00:19:00.539 the entire structure will fold at the very first 00:19:00.539 --> 00:19:02.940 opportunity. It is a lot to take in. But before 00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:04.559 we leave you today, we want to leave you with 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:07.039 a final provocative thought to mull over on your 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:10.279 own. Imagine for a moment the psychological state 00:19:10.279 --> 00:19:12.700 of those Austro -Hungarian and German soldiers 00:19:12.700 --> 00:19:16.019 standing at the banks of the Piave River in November 00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:18.880 1917. Just looking across the water. They had 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:21.140 just pulled off what was arguably one of the 00:19:21.140 --> 00:19:23.140 greatest tactical master strokes in military 00:19:23.140 --> 00:19:25.920 history. They broke the unbreakable stalemate 00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:29.099 of trench warfare. They advanced 150 kilometers. 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:31.200 They captured a quarter of a million enemies. 00:19:31.799 --> 00:19:33.859 By every metric of battle, they were invincible. 00:19:34.099 --> 00:19:36.180 Yet as they stood there staring across the water, 00:19:36.359 --> 00:19:39.240 their stomachs were completely empty. Their supply 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:41.019 lines were shattered. Their boots were falling 00:19:41.019 --> 00:19:44.220 apart. And worst of all, despite this monumental 00:19:44.220 --> 00:19:47.180 historic victory, the war still wasn't over. 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:50.359 It forces you to wonder. At what point does a 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:52.859 flawless victory stretch so far and demand so 00:19:52.859 --> 00:19:55.539 much that it inevitably transforms into the very 00:19:55.539 --> 00:19:57.559 seed of your ultimate defeat? Thanks for joining 00:19:57.559 --> 00:19:59.420 us for this deep dive. We will catch you next 00:19:59.420 --> 00:19:59.599 time.