Poem ~ Mountain Fortress Falls - Wednesday, 4 August 1915

Impression sketch of Alpini Italian-Austrian front (1915) - by Jamie. See original at: https://archivioirredentista.wordpress.com/2014/03/20/alpini-in-cordata-sul-fronte-italo-austriaco-1915/

A continued fight for grounds,

Upon the heights of Carpathian

Mountain ranges, saw Italian

Alpini continue their success

Against Austrian oppositions.

North East of Cuestaltra peak

Saw action on mount Maldeta -

Known as an area that guarded

Passage way between the forts

Of Maborghetto and Landro.

Turned into an Austrian fortress

The rocks of Mount Maldeta

Had been cut into rough trench

Systems spread along vantage

Points with positioned batteries.

In high precarious manoeuvres

For attacks preparations were

Made by the Alpini, to reach

The Maldeta summit; previously

Only Accessed by mule tracks.

A final rush made at 4000 feet,

Drove Austrians off the summit -

Tenuous Italian hold threatened 

By Austrian batteries - turning

Onto their lost former fortress.

Determined Austrian counter

Attacks faced equal problems

At such heights - with small

Regains in the struggle to fight,

High about Carinthian heights.

Yet the Alpini hold of summit

Pushed back Austrian from

The neighbouring slopes;

Austrian artillery hit by Italian

Batteries - the fight fell quiet.

Shrouds of fog had lingered

For some days  - when clouds

Lifted, firing renewed on forts

Of Sexten and Lando - fierce

Batteries fired in Boite. Cadore.

With Austrian defences broken,

Simultaneous attacks at both

Fort Hensel, Malborghetto then

Upon Carso - in making gains,

In an area of strategic values.

Already with Granudor taken

The Istrian peninsula would

Come under Italians if north

Of Tarvia if the attack made

passagway fall to the Italians.

With Granudor Already taken

The Istrian peninsula would

Come under Italians should

The route north of Tarvia be

Opened up to Italian forces.

by Jamie Mann.

Beaumont, A., 1915. Campaign of The Italian Army - Mountain Top Stormed. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 4 August. P.5. Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11773768/Daily-Telegraph-August-4-1915.html [Accessed: 4 August 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 4 August 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11773768/Daily-Telegraph-August-4-1915.html

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