On the Battlefield of Caporetto - Exploring the Kolovrat I THE GREAT WAR Special

The Walk of Peace in the Soča Region Foundation
www.potmiru.si/
Follow Indy and his guide Leon up the heights of the Kolovrat Ridge and into the Italian frontline trenches and bunkers. From there we take a look down towards the Isonzo Valley and reconstruct the advance of the German and Austro-Hungarian forces during the Battle of Caporetto towards Tolmin and Kobarid. Walking through the narrow corridors, we try to understand the conditions in which the defenders lived and fought.
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» WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WORLD WAR I AND WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND YOU?
We’re offering background knowledge, news, a glimpse behind the scenes and much more on:
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We are also happy to get your feedback, criticism or ideas in the comments. If you have interesting historical questions, just post them and we will answer in our OUT OF THE TRENCHES videos. You can find a selection of answers to the most frequently asked questions here: bit.ly/OOtrenches
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Of course! Tell your teachers or professors about our channel and our videos. We’re happy if we can contribute with our videos. If you are a teacher and have questions about our show, you can get in contact with us on one of our social media presences.
» WHAT ARE YOUR SOURCES?
Videos: British Pathé
Pictures: Mostly Picture Alliance
Background Map: d-maps.com/carte.php?num_car=6...
Literature (excerpt):
Gilbert, Martin. The First World War. A Complete History, Holt Paperbacks, 2004.
Hart, Peter. The Great War. A Combat History of the First World War, Oxford University Press, 2013.
Hart, Peter. The Great War. 1914-1918, Profile Books, 2013.
Stone, Norman. World War One. A Short History, Penguin, 2008.
Keegan, John. The First World War, Vintage, 2000.
Hastings, Max. Catastrophe 1914. Europe Goes To War, Knopf, 2013.
Hirschfeld, Gerhard. Enzyklopädie Erster Weltkrieg, Schöningh Paderborn, 2004
Michalka, Wolfgang. Der Erste Weltkrieg. Wirkung, Wahrnehmung, Analyse, Seehamer Verlag GmbH, 2000
Leonhard, Jörn. Die Büchse der Pandora: Geschichte des Ersten Weltkrieges, C.H. Beck, 2014
If you want to buy some of the books we use or recommend during our show, check out our Amazon Store: bit.ly/AmazonTGW
NOTE: This store uses affiliate links which grant us a commission if you buy a product there.
» WHAT IS “THE GREAT WAR” PROJECT?
THE GREAT WAR covers the events exactly 100 years ago: The story of World War I in realtime. Featuring: The unique archive material of British Pathé. Indy Neidell takes you on a journey into the past to show you what really happened and how it all could spiral into more than four years of dire war. Subscribe to our channel and don’t miss our new episodes every Thursday.
» WHO IS REPLYING TO MY COMMENTS? AND WHO IS BEHIND THIS PROJECT?
Most of the comments are written by our social media manager Florian. He is posting links, facts and backstage material on our social media channels. But from time to time, Indy reads and answers comments with his personal account, too.
The Team responsible for THE GREAT WAR is even bigger:
- CREDITS -
Presented by : Indiana Neidell
Written by: Indiana Neidell
Director: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
Director of Photography: Toni Steller, Julian Zahn
Sound: Markus Linke
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: www.above-zero.com
Editing: Toni Steller
Motion Design: Philipp Appelt
Research by: Indiana Neidell
Fact checking: Markus Linke
The Great War Theme composed by Karim Theilgaard: bit.ly/karimyt
A Mediakraft Networks Original Channel
Based on a concept by Spartacus Olsson
Author: Indiana Neidell
Visual Concept: Astrid Deinhard-Olsson & David van Stephold
Executive Producer: Spartacus Olsson
Producer: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
Social Media Manager: Florian Wittig
Contains licenced Material by British Pathé
All rights reserved - © Mediakraft Networks GmbH, 2017

[@dervelthecelt]

Give the cameraman a bonus for walking backwards in a dark wet slippery cave without falling over

[@connormac4401]

italians designed the system to not be slippery

[@kstreet7438]

@leonardimas1 Troll elsewhere

[@xmaniac99]

A thank you to the Slovenian volounteers for keeping this heritage alive for future generations too see.

[@igorleeck2027]

volunteers

We're doing our best to keep the Isonzo battlefield's heritage available to interested along whole line down to the sea.

[@perka41]

@ Hvala braci po oruzju Slovencima, sta su nam sacuvali spomen, pozdravljaju vas unuci Dalmatinaca heroja Soce!

[@bojanstare8667]

@ Soca river

[@bojanstare8667]

@@perka41 nema na čemu. Bilo je puno ljudi tu svih nacionaliteta.

[@jurepotokar9068]

My grandfather was Austro Hungarian officer. As a leutnant, he was at Drina River (Goražde - Bosnia an Herzegovina) where he was wounded. Then he was, as oberleutnant, transfered to Soča river front. He was CO (Commanding Officer) at Railway Station in Prvačina (now Slovenia). I never met him, but I've been thinking to donate his six medals to Museum in Kobarid. His father was a solider too (17 years of Service, Battle for Custozza, medal). He - Grandfather - was Slovenian, died peacefully in 1967.

[@thomasdelege2382]

We have been to Slovenia a couple of times and the area around Tolmin and the Triglav national park is one of the most beautiful areas in Europe. The nature is raw, the people are really nice and the beer is cheap. I loved it!

[@TheGreatWar]

Cheap beer is always a bonus

[@du8l3B99]

@@TheGreatWar unijon or laško?

[@weasel75]

Totally agree! This is one of the most beautiful and green places in Europe - esp. the Soca-valley "upwards", from Kobarid/Caporetto via Bovec towards Triglav. The region has also (in parts due to its gruesome history) a great mix of various cultural influences ... kitchen included (pizza & beer ^_^ ). PS: And there are plenty of bunkers and trenches up and down the whole Soca-valley and the neighboring mountains.

@@weasel75 Basically, you can go anywhere between Bovec and sea near Monfalcone to find WW1 remains. Karst and Gorica sectors are my favourits, but Tolmin has fw interesting places (Mengore hill, Javorca church, cementary at Modrejce,...).

[@bojanstare8667]

@ And Tolminka gorge and village Cadrg.

[@hemmingwayfan]

14:00 Now we'll see who's really behind this! OLD MAN VON HOTZENDORF!!!

[@SirSaladhead]

I wonder how Hotzendorf managed to hide his sweet-ass mustache under a mask.

[@franksinatra2624]

Wow it looks so beautiful there!

[@knightoflight8249]

The Enclave, and yet thousands of people died there.

[@tevzcrnic4456]

The Enclave i live here i can look at it from the window.

[@silvioevan11]

Many former soldiers who wrote about their experiences in the Italian-Austrian front (Mussolini, Marinetti, Emilio Lussu & others) highlighted this contrast between the impressive beauty of the landscape and the horrors of the modern war (craters, thick smoke, pieces of corpses...).

[@tomgjgj]

I went there this summer. Highly recommend it. Nothing like tramping all day in the mountains, finding a little hostel in a valley somewhere and eating delicious, warm home-made food until you burst.

[@martinpusar6765]

MIMIKIJ kok smo mi carji k tole vse poznamo...

[@wednesdaynightbusiness6296]

13:58 Indy is a strange

[@wednesdaynightbusiness6296]

Ruh-roh Shaggyi-i-i-i-it's the Alp-Alpiniiii!!!!!!

[@thurin84]

codorna:"curses, you brats have foiled the 54th battle of the isonzo!!!!" said in an italian accent of course)!

[@Marko-fx1zd]

"is a strange"

[@98Andreafighter]

Omg i'm italian (from friuli) and it is so exciting hearing this channel talking about cities and places where I was born and I live... thank you

[@TheAngelobarker]

Indy my ancestor was an arditi I only have one picture of him it's insane to think he fought in those conditions

[@miguel.sa_]

Avanti Savoia

[@PtolemaicTaweret]

11:14 A lot of Sicily (and also other parts of southern Italy) is mountainous as soon as you go inland away from the cost. At times (especially in early autumn) parts of it it look no different than the lower parts of the northern Italian Alps. The climate would still have been quite a change, but I believe many of them would've have had some experience with rough mountainous terrain.

[@paolocatalano5895]

Yeah exactly

[@jojosky328]

You guys put in so much work into these, thank you so much, and those special episodes are really interesting too. You guys go out there and show us the acual historical places, much respect from france !

[@gregorstamejcic2355]

I'm Slovene, overweight and not much of a nature guy. Still, those are some of the most beautiful parts of the entire globe and well worth seeing. Conversely, i can imagine war in the mud and the cities and the forests and whatnot, but not in this paradise.

[@tseekmin]

Never again! War between European nations should never happen again!

[@henriashurst-pitkanen8735]

Only European nations though, eh...:-/

[@noahkidd3359]

@@henriashurst-pitkanen8735 Yeah, war between any nations should not happen again.

[@lmorandini]

The effect of chemical agents on the 24th of October '17 was not only on morale: Phosgene annihilated the 87th Infantry Regiment in the narrow valley of Plezzo, opening the way to Saga. (By the way, gas concentration was high because, in that valley, the German chemical troops used trench-mortars, not shells, to deliver the agent.)

[@silvertemplar8061]

The Lengths that Indy will go to deliver our historical answers. 👏

[@coolmguy7160]

Aint no mountain high enough No Valley low enouph

[@kingleech16]

Wow, what absolutely beautiful country. It is hard to imagine it as a battlefield, though I suppose almost every miserable expanse of mud, bodies, and barbed wire started off as something beautiful once.

[@evantemple4341]

You sir, deserve your own television program.

[@MikeStrom62]

One of your best out in the world tours yet. I will try to get to this place next time I'm in Europe!

[@antivalidisme5669]

Such a beautiful place with such an history. Thank you very much Leon and Indy.

[@alenjanzekovic8924]

Slovenia!

[@aminzqrti7672]

Amazing! Thanks for the huge effort 🙏🙏🙏

[@jaxone2639]

What a beautiful place to fight and die...it's breathtaking and astounding how these brave men fought and died.

[@dadude4960]

amazing. looks really cozy, unlike the ordinary western front trenches.

[@Jackiezyon]

Exactly what I was thinking. 💙🤍❤️

[@alensuta]

I was here today (5.8.2020). Walked the same route as them and even took the photo same as the thumbnail photo :)

[@lukalisjak2106]

About the 11:30 comment: except for the areas right next to the sea, the Italian South gets plenty of snow. The mountainous interior areas of Sicily, too.

[@TheSpiritOfTheTimes]

kwa je gabrijelcic

[@nateontheguitar3095]

Indy is the best, I love how he doesn't sit and talk about it, he actually goes to the stuff he talks about

[@dryice108]

Yay finaly slovenia!!!!

[@JohnDoe-ne4kg]

Been through that region once and it was like the Misty Mountains, low cloud everywhere and beautiful.

[@motorcop505]

Another great episode! It is always nice when you include local guides or other experts in your episodes. It’s nice for them to receive such broad exposure through your show. Thanks for all you do!

[@4GRIPHUS]

Love the Scooby doo moment and the guide not knowing what was happening

[@The_Republic_of_Ireland]

Another brilliant vid Andy boy

[@Moredread25]

I've got a out of the trenches question. How accurate is Ernest Hemingway's description of the Battle of Capperetto and the Italian front overall in Farewell to Arms? Did impromptu "trials" where suspected defeatists were shot as described in the book actually take place?

[@LukoHevia]

Well, Cadorna was known for being extremely harsh on his troops, so it's possibly true

[@MrRedsjack]

I met some ww1 survivors years ago which fought on that front, Cadorna was such a pompous idiot that had two soldiers, which lived their whole lifes there in the area executed. the reason? They told him that there was an hidden mountain pass that would have allowed the Italian army to charge the enemies avoiding being exposed to the Austrian machine gun fire until the last 100 meters, he took offence for being corrected about his strategy in front of other officers executed them and than still sent attacks directly into machine gun line of fire.

[@jaxone2639]

Honestly i don't fully know this either and I'd love to see them answer this

[@TheGreatWar]

outofthetrenches.thegreatwar.tv is the place to go to ask your question

[@Moredread25]

Cool. Done.

[@chocolatechip12]

Thank you to all the Patreons who make episodes like this possible!

What a great episode ! Tnx for covering this front line

[@wilfp22]

So happy to support you all with Patreon. Content like this is very unique and entirely captivating--good job on capturing the feeling of being there.

[@letsanimateit1676]

*il piave mormorava intensifies*

[@gabbon7723]

Lets AnimateIt CALMO E PLACIDO AL PASSAGGIO...

[@darthmerlinigaming]

Gabriele Nobili DEI PRIMI FANTI IL 24 MAGGIO

[@danielemilazzo84]

L'ESERCITO MARCIAVA PER RAGGIUNGER LA FRONTIERA

[@claudiomaniero645]

PER FAR CONTRO IL NEMICO UNA BARRIERA

[@beppitheclown8330]

Translate pls : /

[@huginstarkstrom]

I was there on the day you uploaded this - trying to fing my great grandfather's grave (he died in September 1915) in Soca.

[@vincentcournoyer5522]

Great special episode! It is really interesting to see the actual geography and remaining buildings on sites I've only seen maps of before. Thank you for your excellent series, wich from the first episode to this one is an information gold mine about the 14-18 war.

[@greenriverviews6819]

great episode, thanks!!

[@ronzi83]

at 3:02 where he say name of mountain and in subtitles is *** it is mount Krn (2244), therejust few metters below is Batognica (2164) where there were really heavy fights and each side would not move. They were 85m from each side and interesting here it is, italians wanted to blow up Austro-Hungarians, but also A-H decided to do the same and the found underground italian trench and they blow whole mountain. I am not sure but i think mountain is now low 20m cose of explosion.

[@TheJosephdemaistre]

Perhaps my favorite episode from the serie !

[@jeroldproductions6367]

It just looks like a lovely field somewhere to walk on a day out weird to think it was a battlefield at any time. Not looking at the obvious military features

[@Ed-pn9id]

It's really nice to see these area's in person. So much more interesting with these and the graphics together. A fine presentation by all involved. This is what you get folks when you contribute. It can only get better. And we have to get Indy to Guam.

[@HaNNibal97smiTH]

Loved this special, awesome place, Slovenian mountains are beatiful! Looking forward to Kobarid museum special!

[@fripy3p204]

Fantastic, i will have to go visit there someday.

[@thurin84]

impressive indie. that climb wouldve likely put me in the hospital. great episode!!! thank you leon and your fellow volunteers for preserving the history!!! nice puttees indie! the unit insignia and soldiers names are a really connection to the men who inhabited the lines 100+ years ago! it must have been hell to be in those positions short on water and see those rivers so inaccessible below.

[@GerNaySeal]

A really nice Video, as every time!

[@lukasdinter1289]

I visit this place nearly every year.. really beautiful.. also the museum in Kobarid is great! Must have seen it a dozen times up yet but still love visiting it!

[@tillp2671]

GREAT work!

[@bbryant2485]

What a beautiful place.

[@pauljones9746]

Greetings from the USA. You guys are doing an amazing job on this channel. I love these videos of the actual places.

[@onesmoothstone5680]

Really enjoy your programs. Been on board since day one, or maybe it was day two. This is one of the rare programs out there that gets things ... well I say closest to being correct & without partisan junk. Thank you!!!

[@123Dunebuggy]

Awesome episode

[@charleslaine]

This channel continues to amaze.

[@martinpusar6765]

My favourite episode!

[@AlanDeAnda1]

3:33 How you can fight in that conditions and hope to succeed? Imposible. I'm wondering what could have been the outcome on that front if there wasn't mountains. Indy & crew, thanks for this amazing Alpine series. See you next time.

[@KKKKKKK777js]

Italians roll over the weaker Austrian force reach Vienna and eliminite Austria-Hungary in 1915/16. Hills favour the defenders.

[@ROLFCOPTERZZ]

Great guest!!

[@angel_14061]

Hey guys nice field footage :) You should also make special episodes about the other fronts, like for example the Macedonian/Salonika front. Lots of stories and legends from the time. Nice work, keep it up :)

[@obiwanschinobi]

Awesome! You know Indy, I have that view as a background on my laptop. Without clouds, too! ;) I hope you went to Kobarid museum. Waiting for that episode :)

[@NoobPTFO]

Jeez, I hope the people who clean the damn trenches get paid handsomely

[@NeoGaara3]

This video is amazing!!

[@that1guy335]

So badass when Indy is on location

[@johnfloyd8199]

i live my history vicariously through this channel. To be able to actually touch the history! Here in the U.S. the closest we have in our short( compared to European ) history would be a civil war battlefield. And that conflict was tiny in comparison to WW1

[@ilovemanunited6179]

John Floyd Civil War history is so boring compared to the first and second world wars.

[@liberalbias4462]

I'm kinda glad the cilvil war was the only big war fought on American soil. Other than that just a bunch of small wars against the Native Americans.

[@cia1360]

To be honest, the war was horrible (especially WW2) and it's still annoying to have half the city on lockdown because they have found a ww2 era bomb somewhere. Additionally my city (Cologne, Germany) was destoryed to 90% by allied bombing, and quickly rebuild after the war, so it lost most of it's historical buildings and look. So be happy you don't have to deal with it.

[@brokenbridge6316]

I would've loved to have visited this place and walked in the same places as Indie did. Great job.

[@jankorosec7]

if you visit Slovenia, you can see more or less everything in just a few days; the lowlands, the hills, mountains, cities, and there is like soooo many war museums. we have a whole submarine inside a museum

[@stump182]

This should be on the History Channel. Great stuff guys.

[@moosemaimer]

I climbed a mountain today and I hurt myself twice. Screw fighting in that terrain.

[@muaddib1236]

That scooby doo impersonation was awesome! Anyway, great video Indy! Keep it up!

[@idledanman7929]

This one is really cool!

[@CaptainHarlock-kv4zt]

I love these episodes outside

[@Lokster]

Another awesome episode of my favourite series. Keep it up you guys are the best. Just a question. How close was Italy to being knocked out of the war? It seemed like Italy was on its last legs during the offensive, only being saved by stopping the outstretched and underfed, German and Austrian troops at the Piave river.

[@davidvergara607]

I am from the U.S.A. I love all the informative shows you guy's/gals put and the great hard work. Keep going. Long live this show.

[@genebigs1749]

Very interesting! Enjoyed this video tremendously and learned a few things as well, the "Scooby-doo" outburst notwithstanding!

[@ausenciomartinez-olvidares1294]

Hello, Indy and team! Huge fan and college history student here. I was wondering if you guys could do a special on E.D. Morel during the Great War.

[@sebastianhartung4407]

wasthat an intentional cough at 10:45 when they were talking about gas attacks? :-P

[@pennysotiropoulos7567]

He even has the leg wrappings around his leg an boot! Just like the soldiers .

[@asd36f]

1:55 - I'm a geography nut, so it was great to see an Italian-Slovenian border stone!

[@chrisgott7766]

Very cool

[@Panzer4F2]

You folks are doing a great job on this series. I really hope that you do WW2 too.

[@nocapcanavan1064]

Panzer4F2 are you willing to wait till 2039

[@mauriziodanielemutti7874]

They already said they probably wont

[@nocapcanavan1064]

Corn Marketman yeah and it would be much harder to do anyways

[@fullclipaudio]

My grandmother lost her father and two uncles at Caporetto. It was a disaster.

[@bombardier24reenactinganda20]

I've been to Slovenia as well

[@dakotaranger]

That's just insane to be fighting there.

[@tevzcrnic4456]

Will you do a special about Slovenia?

[@beppitheclown8330]

Yes✅ Definitely✅ Absolutely✅

[@huntzy4220]

....Can't wait for the charge at Beersheba special....

[@AdstarAPAD]

The war pictures of the area show it to be near totally deforested during the war time.. Which is understandable.. Many thousands of men needing heating in a very cold climate.. They would have quickly chopped down every tree in sight.. But now the extensive forrest on the mountains today softens the landscape..

[@shr1mppoboi950]

AdstarAPAD also artillery completed churned forests to butter

[@pigeononbread5477]

Hi Indy! Question for out of the trenches. When the state's of the baltics became independent after the treaty of Brest-Litovsk did any of the newer nations send any volunteers to fight for the central powers? Or did they play any role? Or were they neutral for the rest of the war? Thanks, and love the show!

[@alensuta]

Can you do Special Episode about Slovenia? Thank you in advance :) Greetings from Maribor, Slovenia

[@Aramis419]

I wouldn't have been surprised if Indy pulled out a sonic screwdriver and the TARDIS appeared.

[@trebah662]

Indiana Neidell id support it, we should start a petition

[@biobomb93]

Hey man, i live in udine, you where so close!! too bad i did not know, next time you may come to Udine, there are lots of intresting museum and monuments about ww1

[@MrGoldenAssassin1]

really like that coat of indy

[@maryannjordan8143]

It would be really cool if you did all six in specials, you look very dapper incidentally.

[@dystopianfuture1165]

Indy’s Shaggy impression is hilarious.

[@lucaas1307]

At 3:03 he says Mount Krn, if you want to edit the subtitles. At 6:44 he says Mala glava

[@BikingVikingHH]

Great video as always Indy and crew. I have a note for you that I think will make these on location episodes better for the audience. It can be very difficult to understand the statements made by the local tour guides, because not only is their accent heavy, but they also have extremely intimate knowledge of their area of expertise, which doesn’t always correlate directly with what we know about the historical event in question. In this episode in particular you would repeat back what he said, but mumble it instead of speaking directly to the audience. I see why, because if you simply reworded and repeated back what the local historian said, it may seem insulting. Professionalism will shine through though, he/she will of course understand. This is not specifically about the accent however, in fact very little so. Instead because you know exactly what we know, you can filter and modify the local historian’s presentation and tailor it to fit our knowledge. Your normal episodes can be watched independently of each other and even out of order, because you don’t rely on the audience’s expertise, don’t change the rhythm once you’re on location. And of course, keep up the wonderful historical edutainment!

[@jamesbedwell8935]

Wow kool!

[@microchrist6122]

Nailed that into , Indy was nervous for him lol

[@spevoljub]

The Mountain *** 2244m is Krn. (3.03 - 3.07) and 13.13 is upper Soča vally (not social).

[@mezmanmerrill7412]

Another great episode but what books do you recommend about world war 1?

[@walteralter9061]

Indy got the natty threads. Cool coat.

[@insertaliashere1379]

13:57 Beautiful.

[@axelfoleyt]

This is you tube at its best