Entente strikes back
October 31st: In London, the prime ministers of Entente powers meet in an inter-governmental strategic conference. From September till now, while British were employing all of their land forces in the Passchandaele offensive in the Western Front, the Central Power has launched offensives on many other fronts: Eastern, Persian, Caucasian, Italian. Only in Caucasian-Persian front they achieved good results. The Eastern and Italian fronts are now stable. Then it’s time for a coordinated counter-attack. Russia is always the weakest point of the democratic alliance. Subversion is very strong and premier Alexander Kerenskij denounces to its allies the danger of an imminent Bolshevik coup. Allied Prime Ministers agree to launch a concentric offensive on all fronts in order to relieve Russian troops from Central Powers pressure. Paolo Boselli (Italian premier) assures that general Luigi Cadorna has already stopped the A-H offensive in Tolmino sector and then he can launch his offensive on the Carso Plateau immediately, with Entente help, as scheduled. The next day is already scheduled the long awaited British offensive in Palestine, against the weakened Ottoman Fourth Army. Another British offensive has to start in the Mesopotamian front, the 3rd or 4th November, aimed at cutting Ottoman lines behind the Persian-Caucasus front.
The framework of the post-Ottoman Middle East remains the secret Anglo-French pact of 1916 (Sykes-Picot). In those plans, Palestine remained undefined (“brown”) area. British David Lloyd George and Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour agree to the establishment of a Jewish “national home” in Palestine and they decide to inform Baron Rotschild (representing the Zionist movement) as soon as possible. This move is decided thinking to Russia more than the Middle East in itself. British government thinks (erroneously) that the Russian republican government is dominated/influenced by the “Jewish Lobby”. And they rely on the very strong Jewish community in Russia (one fifth of the Russian army), whose rights are now protected by the new democratic government. Balfour’s decision, basically, aims at keeping Russia at war.
That night, Entente leaders are surprised and shocked by the German air force. German Gotha bombers conduct the first fire-bombing of London, inflicting heavy civilian losses. This bombardment boosted the Entente leadership’s determination to fight.
November 1st: on the Italian front, the Italian Third Army (general Duke of Aosta) launches a massive assault against the weakened defences of the A-H Isonzo First Army. Many A-H reserves are already deployed in the offensive of the northern sector (Tolmino), so the Austro-Hungarians held a “thin grey line” in front of the Hermada Hill and the road of Trieste. After a heavy artillery preparation (conducted by land and naval artillery), the entire XXIII and XIII Italian Corps attack the Hermada defensive complex along the Adriatic coast, while the XXV, XI and VIII Italian Corps launch minor faint attacks. Near 100 French tanks charge the A-H lines in the sector of the Italian XIII Corps. Austro-Hungarian troops are not prepared, nor trained, nor provided with proper weapons to meet tanks. The 10 Schneider proved absolutely ineffective in Carso’s rough terrain. All of them go out of service in the first morning of battle, for mechanical failure or because of obstacles too deep to be crossed. The FT-17, otherwise, gave a magnificent performance, crossing the A-H trenches and firing on their rears. The first A-H line is easily broken. Italian infantry occupies Top145, Flondar and Top110, the gates of Hermada complex. French tanks advance deep the A-H system and reach S. Giovanni and Duino, on the Adriatic coast, behind the defender’s third line. The A-H 28th division command goes panic and orders a general retreat on the Hermada Hill.
On the Palestinian front, general Allenby launches his offensive against the Ottomans. While all the best of Ottoman forces is already deployed in the Caucasus-Persian front, Palestine is protected by the Fourth Army alone (Djemal Pasha), whose reserves and munitions were drained constantly in the previous months. After a faint manoeuvre against Gaza and a magnificent counter-intelligence work (managed by colonel Meinertzhagen), Allenby launches the XX Corps and the ANZAC against Beersheba, the weakest point of the enemy defensive system. Thanks to an impressive mounted charge of the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade, Beersheba falls and the Ottoman defensive line is broken.
November 2nd: on the Italian front, exploiting the disorder in A-H lines, the Italian 34th and 45th divisions occupy Duino, the 33rd and 28th occupy Querceto Hill before dawn. Then, Italian assault troops (“Arditi”) attack the Hermada Hill and reach its top. Finally, after 12 offensives and more then three years of war, Italians breakthrough the Isonzo line definitely. A-H general Boroevic has no troops to fill the gap on the Hermada. He orders a general retreat on the Drava line.
On the Palestinian front, the British XX Corps and the ANZAC attacks the hills of Tel el Khuweilifeh, North East to Beersheba, defended heavily by Ottoman forces. The British advance is temporarily stopped.
November 3rd: on the Italian front, Italian Second and Third Armies begin a quick advance to the East. Many positions evacuated during the night by A-H troops are immediately occupied by the advancing Italian infantry. Bloody battlefields of the past years like Tolmino, Mount San Gabriele, Mount San Daniele, are occupied without fighting. In the southern sector, the Italian 34th and 45th divisions advance to Trieste.
On the Palestinian front, the British Allenby’s army continues the fight for Tel el Khuweilifeh, trench after trench.
On the Mesopotamian front, British general Marshall (who replaced Maude last month) launches a first attack against the Ottoman Sixth Army. Led by Halil Pasha, this Ottoman great unit is already weakened by continual fight and demoralized by the recent loss of Baghdad. Its forces amounts barely to 25.000 men, just the half of British forces. Indian 18th division dislodges easily Turkish defenders from Hit and Khan al Baghdadi, near Baghdad. In Constantinople, Enver Pasha underestimates the news from Mesopotamia. His mind is now focused on Palestinian front and he wants to retake the initiative in the Caucasus as soon as possible.
November 4th: Italian vanguards enters Trieste. No resistance is met, local population greets Italian soldiers as liberators. The A-H two Isonzo Armies complete their strategic retreat behind Drava river. The loss of Trieste is a hard moral defeat for the Empire. The Baden command asks again for immediate German help. Realizing that the situations is desperate, Ludendorff orders an immediate suspension of the Moldovan campaign and dispatches 6 divisions to join A-H Isonzo armies. Emperor Carl I has no more hope for victory. He immediately contacts his brother-in-law Prince Sixte of Bourbon-Parma, his “secret emissary” in France, in order to resume negotiation with Entente for an honourable separate peace.
On the Palestinian front, British XX Corps and ANZAC finally breach Ottoman lines and reach Huj, close to Gaza.
On the Mesopotamian front, Bitish I and III Corps resume the offensive against all the Ottoman line, aiming at Mosul. After few hours of resistance, Halil Pasha orders a strategic retreat behind the Little Zab river and asks for immediate help.
November 5th: While the fight is calming down on the Italian front, Austro-Hungarian Emperor Carl I begins to engage secret talks with Entente.
French intelligence communicates immediately the news of secret talks with Vienna to Russian and Italian allies. Austro-Hungarian Empire will be knocked out of war in the near future. This very important news allow Cadorna to plan further advances in Istria, Dalmatia and Tirol (in order to seize as many territory as possible) and Kornilov to plan a counter-offensive in the Caucasus front. And keep loyal troops behind the lines, in case of Bolshevik coup.
On the Palestinian front, the British XXI Corps attacks Gaza frontally, while the XX Corps and ANZAC are outmanoeuvring Ottoman forces from the East. Risking a complete disaster, Djemal Pasha orders a general retreat from Gaza line. The doors of Palestine are now open to British advance
On the Mesopotamian front, Indian 18th division takes Kirkuk. All the British Indian forces begin a quick advance to Mosul. The Ottoman Yilderim Army Group dispatches to the Sixth Army two divisions of the I Caucasian Corps and the strategic reserves of the Third Army. All of them were facing Russian Caucasus Army, which is considered the weakest of the enemies. Since now.
Moscow: all the Bolshevik Central Committee’s members reach the city at night. Vladimir Lenin reaches his comrades in disguise. The coup will start from here, not from Petrograd, which is considered too dangerous (because of the presence of the British naval force in the Baltic)
To be continued...
