24 October-19 November 1917: The Battle of Caporetto (Twelfth Isonzo)—An Austro-Hungarian & German assault, utilizing poison gas & the latest Western-Front stormtrooper tactics, smashed the Italian lines, sparking a general retreat that brought the front within sight of Venice; over a quarter of a million Italians became prisoners of war; a young Erwin Rommel was decorated with the "Blue Max."
Lest we forget.
Commentary: Caporetto has been called "the greatest defeat in Italian military history" & for the last century "Caporetto" has been an Italian byword for a terrible disaster & defeat.
For more on the Prussian award with the French name, the Pour le Mérite, informally known as the "Blue Max" ("Blauer Max"), see: № CDLXII.
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