The Great Thunderstorm - The 90th anniversary of the Battle of Kobarid

The conquest of Kobarid was a boldly planned goal of the German and Austro-Hungarian commands for 24 October 1917, the first day of the last Isonzo Battle. The fact that the goal was achieved and that the troops conquered the whole valley all to the Nadiža was a big surprise to many. The conquerors called it "The Miracle of Kobarid", but in Italy, it was named "The Disaster at Kobarid", or most often just "Caporetto" (the Italian name for Kobarid). The breakthrough near Bovec and near Tolmin turned to a high tide of attackers, retreating Italian troops and local population, which flowed west all to the river Piave. After the years of static warfare in trenches, the encounter spread over three countries. Accordingly, the names of this battle which have been in use in the world historiography denote a very extensive military operation. It required long weeks of preparations and extreme efforts, transportations from the east and the west fronts; it began with the breakthrough and continued the next seventeen days with advancing west to the Piave river, where it ended on 9 November.