Battle of Caporetto
1917 CE · Italy
The Battle of Caporetto was fought in 1917 CE in Italy between Austria-Hungary and Germany vs Italy; decisive Central Powers victory; the Italian army fell back to the Piave and Cadorna was dismissed.
Battle of Caporetto: quick facts
- Date
- 1917 CE
- Location
- Italy
- Belligerents
- Austria-Hungary and Germany vs Italy
- Commanders
- Otto von Below vs Luigi Cadorna
- Result
- decisive Central Powers victory; the Italian army fell back to the Piave and Cadorna was dismissed.
- Casualties
- about 265,000 Italian soldiers were taken prisoner
- Era
- 🪖 World Wars
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Caporetto?
A surprise Austro-Hungarian and German assault using innovative infiltration tactics shattered the Italian Second Army, triggering a catastrophic rout. The Italian front collapsed as troops fled westward in panic, losing over 300,000 prisoners and nearly 700,000 total casualties. The Italians retreated nearly 100 miles to the Piave River before stabilizing their lines. The disaster was so complete that 'Caporetto' became an Italian byword for catastrophic defeat.
Did you know?
The word 'Caporetto' entered the Italian language as a synonym for a catastrophic and humiliating defeat, similar to how 'Waterloo' is used in English.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Caporetto on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.