Mt. Korada

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At the time of combats on the Isonzo Front, Mt. Korada was one of the strategically most important mountains that were occupied by the Italian Army. From this highest mountain in the section of the front extending from Mt. Ježa above the Tolmin bridgehead all the way to Mt. Sabotin and Gorizia/Gorica, the commands were able to observe their troops efforts to advance towards the plateau on the left bank of the Soča (Isonzo). This was the place from which also Vittorio Emanuele III, King of Italy, with his generals and VIP guests from the allied armies often surveyed the scene, since the nearby Udine played a role of “a war capital”.
Already in the First Isonzo Battle, the Italian Army established a bridgehead at the turn of the river near Plave, after which fierce battles continued all to the Eleventh Isonzo Battle when the Italians conquered the south-west part of the Banjšice Plateau. In response to this advance followed a counter-offensive launched by the joint Austro-Hungarian and German armies in the Battle of Kobarid. The Italian command assigned to Mt. Korada the role of the pillar of defence on the left wing of the “army line”. On the collapse of this line in the north, the command planned for this place to become a “line of defence at any cost” and deployed powerful troops on the mountain. Each army corps should provide ten battalions for the defence. When on the fourth day of the battle the German troops broke through towards Cividale del Friuli/Čedad, the Italian command ordered retreat to the Friuli lowlands.
Situated under the top of Mt. Korada is the Church of St. Gertrude (Gendrca) that was destroyed during World War I and later restored.

Photos: (1, 2) Mitja Sodja, TIC Kanal; (3) Fundacija Poti miru