Alfredo Dallolio

October 24, 1917. The attack on Plezzo in a *very* German print of the time. #WW1 #FWW #WWI #greatwar #caporetto

How do current French initiatives fit in with the possible reactivation of EMASOH - AGENOR operations in agreement with other EU countries?

Convoy warfare wasn't on my bingo card for 2026. But here we are. #hormuz #iran

Shin'ya Tsukamoto and #WWII, again. In the miniseries "The Tokyo Trial" (2016), Tsukamoto tries acting, playing the writer Michio Takeyama. An opportunity to reflect on idealism versus pragmatism and self-interest today, when few nations seem to believe in international law #WW2 #Japan #Pacificwar

In those days, Rome was preparing a counteroffensive in the Deshnicés Valley, in Albania. Gambara (oh, the irony) was convinced that his VII Corps could break through. Mussolini had arrived in Tirana. In North Africa, the Italians did not envision any counteroffensive before September.

And yet Caporetto remains a topic often approached with prejudice and superficiality by non-specialist Italian historians, and even more so by foreign historians who have little interest in the Italian war. Many keep writing of Caporetto as a disaster based on just two texts: Hemingway's great historical novel, "A Farewell to Arms", and Lieutenant Rommel's memoirs on the battlefield. A distinguished historian of the two world wars, John Keegan, has written shameful, careless pages on Caporetto, but unfortunately he is far from being the only one. On the other hand, the renewal of studies on the Italian war did not extend to its military dimension; new sectoral contributions remained limited to a national context. Indeed, what is still lacking is a comparative study of the Austro-German success at Caporetto with the great German offensives of 1918 in France, two extraordinary successes achieved with the same techniques.

Giorgio Rochat slaughters John Keegan and tries to spur his fellow italian historians by raising an interesting historiographical question about #WWI. Oh, I love fistfights between military historians. Much safer than the war itself. [English translation in ALT] #kaiserschlacht #caporetto #FWW

Gorizia YouTube video by Glotte Trotters

My favorite version of this song: mournful but passionate, almost savage. Violin and accordion instead of a boring folk guitar. The tragedy of war on the Italian front condensed in the voice of this French girl. youtu.be/HbFINI9pxuU #WWI #greatwar #WW1 #FWW

My beloved cyberpunk nutcase Shin'ya Tsukamoto tackling #WWII in the Pacific: "Fires on the Plain" (2014). What more could I ask for? #movies #pacificwar #japan

She'll blame the war

"The use of US bases we're granting is the same as Spain's." Come on, Guido. It's pointless to compare a country on the losing side of WWII and with 111 US/NATO bases on its soil to one with only 5. In the EU, we need to start telling ourselves the truth. Each to their own end.

Leonardo: UK MoD announces contract for 23 AW-149 helicopters The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced a £1 billion contract award for new medium helicopters (NMH). Under the programme, Leonardo will build and deliver 23 latest generation AW-149s from Yeovil, ...

Happy ending. But the AW-149 could really have become further collateral damage from Brexit: first you scare away two competitors; then you try to strangle the last remaining (European!) one for political reasons; then, finally, you come to your senses. www.avionews.it/item/1268049...

Balbo, is that you?

a man in a suit and tie is giving a thank you sign . ALT: a man in a suit and tie is giving a thank you sign .

Comitati del no in questo momento

The Aostas' slight evolution was increased armor thickness and more engine power. The "Duca d'Aosta" was a lucky ship. But IMHO for the "Eugenio di Savoia", it was precisely her armor that saved her on at least a couple of occasions compared to the preceding Condottieri cruisers (Diaz included)

L'important, c'est qu'il ne se soit pas senti offensé parce qu'ils l'ont traité de nazi.

..., certainly not a peaceful one, for the transition from war to postwar. The Russian methods of the 'Red and White Guards' are setting standards." For anyone interested in the roots of #fascism in #ww1, Rochat's book on the Arditi is enlightening. Sadly, it has never been translated. 2/2

May 1918: the Internal Defense Committee of the Italian Army addressed Gen. Diaz with alarming news: "There are reports of active hoarding of members of the 'Arditi' corps. This is being conducted by the extremist parties of all militant persuasion, and it's a preparation..." 1/2 🧵

...or wait till November 3rd, 1918 and disembark some Bersaglieri cyclists on the Trieste Pier 😀

A beautiful comic book about the Battle of Ortigara, released in 2025: TAPUM by Leo Ortolani. I hope it's translated into other languages ​​soon. #WW1 #GreatWar #WWI

Yes. That's why the Carso Plateau was Italy's only offensive option. Ortigara was a (bloody) exception. Any judgment on Cadorna/Conrad should start from this assumption. As for amphibious landings, Gallipoli speaks volumes about this type of warfare during WWI. Especially with no naval superiority.

North-to-south view. Afternoon of June 10, 1917. Italian troops on the slopes of Mount Ortigara awaiting to launch a new assault to the top of the mountain.

South-to-North view. Positions at the start of the battle. The Italians had to descend over a hundred meters into no man's land in open terrain, then face another similar climb to reach the summit of Mount Ortigara.

Battle of Mount Ortigara (10-29 June 1917) was the numerical pinnacle (around 400.000 men involved) of the "White War" in #WW1. In a restricted and impervious high altitude space, after 20 days of battle and 25.200 losses, the Italians fell back to their original positions. More details in ALT.

"2026 is the year of the horse"

The horse

Looks like Via del Corso on a saturday afternoon. Same issue in Serie A. IMHO without a rule that prevents attackers from entering the six-yard box until the ball is in play, there is no getting out of this mess.

Canadians, you had to do ONE THING 😐

On a more constructive side: this multi-tier architecture is IMHO one of the most interesting proposal I saw recently. It was made by EUMS. I remain skeptical about the possibility of a true "European Army" in the tier one, but still...

Some *national* choices France made post-WWII are understandable given the context. But seriously: Gaullism on a continental scale today? Is France ready to share the buttons of Force de Frappe with a German colleague? That is the practical question. Because a Gaullist would never do that.

French gaullists had the same irrational fear about German rearmament. France today has a *truly* pro-European position on common debt. And it's not a Gaullist position. Gaullism has always been hostile to community budget, dreaming of a "Europe of Homelands," closer to Meloni and (sadly...) Orban.

You're right about the historic US moral-military blackmail to the nations defeated in World War II (🇩🇪🇮🇹): a big obstacle to any European autonomy. No question about that. Just like the UK's Atlantic ties. There was a certain lazyness, however, in eroding those ties, out of paranoia and fear.