Battle of San Matteo
Encyclopedia
The Battle of San Matteo took place in the late summer of 1918 on the Punta San Matteo
(3678 m) during World War I
. It was regarded as the highest battle
in history until it was surpassed in 1999 by the Kargil Conflict at 5600m.
At the beginning of 1918 Austro-Hungarian troops set up a fortified position with small artillery
pieces on the top of the San Matteo Peak, from which they were able to shell the road to the Gavia Pass
and thus harass the Italian
supply convoys to the front line
.
On August 13, 1918 a small group of Italian Alpini
(307th Company, Ortler Battalion) conducted a surprise attack taking the fortified position, half of the Austro-Hungarian soldiers were taken prisoner and the other half fled to lower positions.
The loss of the San Matteo Peak constituted a loss of face to imperial Austria, and reinforcements were immediately sent to the region while the Italians were still organizing their defence on the top of the peak.
On September 3, 1918 the Austro-Hungarian started operation "Gemse", an attack aimed to retake the mountain. A large scale artillery
bombardment, followed by the assault of at least 150 Kaiserschützen
of the (3rd kuk Kaiserjäger Regiment from Dimaro
) was eventually successful and the lost position was retaken. The Italians, who already considered the mountain lost, began a counter-bombardment of the fortified positions, causing many victims among both the defending Italian and the Austro-Hungarian troops.
The base of the peak lies at 2800m altitude and it takes a four-hour ice climb up a glacier to reach the top.
The Austro-Hungarians lost 17 men in the battle and the Italians 10. This was the last Austro-Hungarian victory in World War I. The Armistice of Villa Giusti, concluded on November 3, 1918 at 15:00 at Villa Giusti (near Padua
) ended the Alpine War in these mountains on November 4, 1918 at 1500 h.
In the summer of 2004 the ice-encased bodies of three Kaiserschützen were found at 3400m, near the peak.
Punta San Matteo
Punta San Matteo is a secondary peak of Ortler-Vioz in the Ortler Alps, at the border between the Province of Sondrio and Trentino in northern Italy....
(3678 m) during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It was regarded as the highest battle
Battle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
in history until it was surpassed in 1999 by the Kargil Conflict at 5600m.
At the beginning of 1918 Austro-Hungarian troops set up a fortified position with small artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
pieces on the top of the San Matteo Peak, from which they were able to shell the road to the Gavia Pass
Gavia Pass
Gavia Pass is a high mountain pass in the Italian Alps. It is the tenth highest paved road in the Alps.The pass lies in the Lombardy region and divides the province of Sondrio to the north and the province of Brescia to the south...
and thus harass the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
supply convoys to the front line
Front line
A front line is the farthest-most forward position of an armed force's personnel and equipment - generally in respect of maritime or land forces. Forward Line of Own Troops , or Forward Edge of Battle Area are technical terms used by all branches of the armed services...
.
On August 13, 1918 a small group of Italian Alpini
Alpini
The Alpini, , are the elite mountain warfare soldiers of the Italian Army. They are currently organized in two operational brigades, which are subordinated to the Alpini Corps Command. The singular is Alpino ....
(307th Company, Ortler Battalion) conducted a surprise attack taking the fortified position, half of the Austro-Hungarian soldiers were taken prisoner and the other half fled to lower positions.
The loss of the San Matteo Peak constituted a loss of face to imperial Austria, and reinforcements were immediately sent to the region while the Italians were still organizing their defence on the top of the peak.
On September 3, 1918 the Austro-Hungarian started operation "Gemse", an attack aimed to retake the mountain. A large scale artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
bombardment, followed by the assault of at least 150 Kaiserschützen
Kaiserschützen
The Kaiserschützen were three regiments of Austro-Hungarian mountain infantry during the K.U.K. Monarchy.-History:...
of the (3rd kuk Kaiserjäger Regiment from Dimaro
Dimaro
Dimaro is a comune in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about 66 km northwest of Trento...
) was eventually successful and the lost position was retaken. The Italians, who already considered the mountain lost, began a counter-bombardment of the fortified positions, causing many victims among both the defending Italian and the Austro-Hungarian troops.
The base of the peak lies at 2800m altitude and it takes a four-hour ice climb up a glacier to reach the top.
The Austro-Hungarians lost 17 men in the battle and the Italians 10. This was the last Austro-Hungarian victory in World War I. The Armistice of Villa Giusti, concluded on November 3, 1918 at 15:00 at Villa Giusti (near Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
) ended the Alpine War in these mountains on November 4, 1918 at 1500 h.
In the summer of 2004 the ice-encased bodies of three Kaiserschützen were found at 3400m, near the peak.
External links
- "Un Capitano sepolto nel ghiaccio" a collection of letters written by Arnaldo Berni, the Italian captain that led the conquest of San Matteo Peak, was wounded by the first Austrian bombardment and finally killed in the Italian bombardment. His body was never found.
Further reading
- Kaiserschützen (in German)
- Arnaldo Berni (in Italian)
- Georg Bönisch "Die toten Augen im Berg" Der Spiegel 30 March 2004 (in German)