Chapter 263: Luring Them In
When Austria-Hungary declared war on Italy, it was terrible news for Napoleon III, who was already embroiled in conflict.
An exhausted Napoleon III told his French generals, "Now it's certain: the Austrians won't be making any move in our war against Prussia. That means we'll be facing even more Prussian troops."
This weighed heavily on the French Army. Before the war, the French had looked down on Prussia. But once the fighting started, they found themselves buried under relentless waves of Prussian manpower.
Currently, France was already at a disadvantage. The Rhine Army remained on the defensive, while Marshal MacMahon's forces to the south were in full retreat and on the verge of collapse. The Fifth Corps, sent to assist, achieved little in the end. Although they scored a dramatic blow against the Prussian Fifth Corps, they got stuck at Saverne, deadlocked with the arrival of the Hechingen Brigade and Robert's Third Brigade.
With the battlefield situation at a standstill, Napoleon III grew even more hopeful that Austria-Hungary might intervene. Drawing on memories of the Austro-Prussian War, he knew some Austrians still yearned for revenge against Prussia. If the old Austrian Empire still existed, they might well have launched a sneak attack on Prussia. But this was the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and on top of that, Russia was supporting Prussia.
"Sire, we can't rely on Austria-Hungary," one French commander pointed out. "Those Italians are insane for declaring war on the Papal States despite Austria-Hungary's stern warnings. We never should have pulled out our troops from Rome in the first place…"
History doesn't allow for do-overs. If Napoleon III could change anything, it would be to lend Austria a hand against Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War.
While Napoleon III was downcast, the news of Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Italy made Prussia's high command rejoice.
"Now we finally understand Austria-Hungary's troop movements: they were eyeing Italy all along. Italy has practically thrown itself into their crosshairs. Italy's fate now looks grim…"
"It's all for the best. We no longer have to worry about Austria-Hungary stabbing us in the back, so we can turn our full strength on France. As for the Italians, who cares what happens to them!"
Austro-Italian Border
The Isonzo River line consisted of two layers. The lower course of the Isonzo flows north to south, offering the only defensible terrain in the region, so Italy didn't give up the west bank. However, that western bank sits lower than the east, allowing Austrian artillery to shell it easily. As a result, Italy established a second line of defense some 20 kilometers west of the Isonzo.
"Boom… Boom… Boom…"
Italian predictions proved accurate. On the very day war broke out, Austrian artillery stationed atop the Bainsizza Heights and the Karst Plateau east of the river began pounding the Italian positions across the Isonzo.
At this time, Italy was focusing on two main defensive efforts:
A northern front relying on the Alps.A southern front along the west bank of the Isonzo.
Italy had around 150,000 troops in this theater, while Austria-Hungary had only some 80,000, including 20,000 from the Kingdom of Hungary. Both sides had committed their main forces. Vienna and Lombardy were must-haves for the Austrians, who valued the region's crucial ports, territory, and economic significance. Meanwhile, Hungary hoped to gain its own advantages, ready to back any war against Italy or Russia—so long as Austria did not shift focus to German lands.
From his vantage point on the heights east of the Isonzo, Grand Duke Albrecht, one of Austria-Hungary's famed generals, peered through binoculars and observed the results of the empire's artillery barrage with satisfaction.
Albrecht was the son of Archduke Charles—Austria's famed Napoleonic-era general—and since 1869 had served as Inspector General of the Austro-Hungarian Army. He emphasized industrial and railway development; introduced short-term conscription to train more reserve troops, thereby expanding wartime capacity; and upgraded the army's weaponry while strengthening the general staff. After the Franco-Prussian War broke out on June 20, 1870, Prussia, fearful of an Austrian revenge attack, awarded Albrecht the rank of Prussian field marshal and the Grand Cross of the Order of St. George. He was precisely one of those Austrians harboring grudges against Prussia.
In the original timeline, Albrecht should have been in France aiding them against Prussia. But in this universe, Austria-Hungary had already decided to strike Italy. Emperor Franz made Albrecht the supreme commander of the campaign.
Under Austrian bombardment, Italy's first line of defense swiftly turned into rubble. In truth, Italy hadn't put much effort into building it, aware it lay within Austrian artillery range. They merely hoped to delay Austria there and buy time to fortify their second line.
"Marshal! Why not press the attack under cover of our artillery? The Italians are pinned, and we have sturdy bridgeheads at Tolmin and Gorizia on the west bank of the Isonzo. Our troops could cross immediately," an Austro-Hungarian officer inquired, puzzled.
"This war is not yet ripe for a decisive blow," Albrecht replied coolly. "We need to let the Italians realize how serious it is and lure them into a false sense of security, prompting them to commit more forces to the front—only then can we destroy them in one sweep. If we go now, we'd defeat them quickly, sure, but we might scare them off too soon."
It wasn't mere arrogance on Albrecht's part. A renowned general in Europe, his most notable achievement was commanding 80,000 Austrian troops against Victor Emmanuel II's 120,000 Italians in the previous Austro-Italian War—and winning. So 150,000 Italians defending the line didn't impress him much, especially since he now held 80,000 of the empire's elite soldiers.
"Marshal, you want Italy to keep sending more troops forward?"
"Exactly. If they discover I'm leading their opposition again, they'll double down here. We should give them time for that."
"But Marshal, this time Italy is on the defensive. If they rely on fortifications, our victory might not come as easily as before."
"I know that," Albrecht answered. "But my objective is to strike Italy so hard they never threaten our empire again. To truly crush them, we must lure more of their troops here so we can wipe out the bulk of their fighting forces at once. Otherwise, after we cross into Italy, we'll have to pick them off town by town, which could lead to lasting resistance. Seize the bulk of their strength here at the front, destroy it in one grand blow—only then will they be unable to recover."
There was another reason Albrecht kept quiet: he wanted to lure as many Italian forces as possible to Venice and Lombardy, thereby aiding the hidden Austrian troops lurking near Rome. Once, Italy had not dared invade Rome while French garrisons were stationed there because the French were both powerful and close enough to respond from nearby Corsica. Now Albrecht hoped to replicate that surprise through a hidden "ace" in the Papal States.
And his strategy was working. Having identified Austria-Hungary's frontline commander and estimated its troop count, Italy was massing even more men at Venice, starting to set up a third line of defenses near the city itself. Victor Emmanuel II remembered all too well Albrecht's skill—indeed, he feared it. Even with 150,000 men and on defense, it didn't feel safe enough.
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