Battle of Pozzuolo

Battle of Puzzuolo
Part of the Italian Front (World War I)
Date 29–30 October 1917 Location Pozzuolo del Friuli Result Italian tactical victory
Belligerents
Italy	Austria-Hungary  German Empire
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Unknown
Strength
2 brigades of Alpini	1 division Kaiserschützen 3 divisions German Army

The Battle of Pozzuolo was fought during the First World War between 29 and 30 October 1917, between two brigades of the Italian army and two divisions of the German Army and one division of the Austro-Hungarian Army at Pozzuolo del Friuli.

The significance of the battle was in te fact that the Italians managed to avoid the Austro-Hungarian and German troops to cut the retreat of the Italian army from the disastrous Battle of Caporetto. As a result, while the two brigades deployed by the Italians were destroyed by the far larger German and Austro-Hungarian divisions, the Third Italian Army could gain precious time to cross the Tagliamento River to re-organize and prepare defences to counter the enemy's advance. The fact that merely two brigades had to face three advancing enemy divisions meant evident defeat for the Italian brigades. Due to this the Italian army commemorates this episode as an act of patriotic heroism.

The cavalry brigade that fought at Pozzuolo was renamed the Pozzuolo del Friuli Cavalry Brigade.

References

• Mario Silvestri, Caporetto, una battaglia e un enigma, Mondadori, 1984, ISBN 88-04-34116-5
• Italian Defence Forum, accessible at: http://www.paginedidifesa.it/2008/apicella_080414.html