Italian soldiers at Caporetto, present-day Slovenia.

On October 24, 1917, one of the most memorable and brutal battles of World War One was fought around the Slovenian town of Kobarid, then known as Caporetto. The Battle of Caporetto ended up costing the Italians 300,000 soldiers, although the majority were taken as prisoners, and broke the Isonzo front open after years of bloody stalemate. (The Battle of Caporetto is also remembered as the 12th Battle of the Isonzo and played a part in Hemingway’s tragic semi-autobiographic A Farewell to Arms.)

Slovenes refer to the Isonzo Front as the Soška Front. This page, the SoskaFront Portal, does a nice job of collecting some of the images and memories from that ultra-violent time.

Unfortunately, it’s only in Slovene. Neverthelss, there is still plenty to see for any non-Slovenes. Among other things, the site has a beautiful panorama gallery, some great aerial photos, a modest collection of memorabilia, and (my personal favorite) these great then-and-now pictures.

Unfortunately, the site is not-quite finished and all-but abandoned. I hope that this is merely a temporary setback, like the Battle of Caporetto itself, and that its creators are already regrouping and plotting their triumphant return.

(Thanks Boštjan!)