440:, the customs outpost was reinforced by soldiers from the Imperial Army's coastal defence, along with a signals detachment from the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Italian intelligence reports gave the impression that Porto Buso had received heavy machine guns and artillery to counter a possible Italian assault by sea. The border post was actually the home of 69 servicemen and another 17 were scattered along other islands in the lagoon. The Italian goal was to clear the Austro-Hungarian presence across the northwest Adriatic coast to allow the Italian Navy support to the army. The move was also intended to deny the enemy the use of bases for their small torpedo units. On 25 April 1915, the task was assigned to the Sardegna Division, a flotilla of destroyers based at Venice.
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76 mm guns to open fire on the watchtower and the jetty, hitting the outpost, several customs motorboats, and other small craft at anchor with 169 rounds. The
Italian reports said that the barracks were repeatedly hit and that a number of small vessels were set on fire. The Austro-Hungarian garrison was taken by surprise, most of them in their sleep. A great number of personnel gathered on one of the sides of the jetty weaving a white flag.
405:. By that time, the German Empire and Austria-Hungary had been at war with Russia and the western powers since August 1914. The relationship between Italy and their former allies had already stranded since the beginning of the war, when the Italian government declared neutrality on the basis that the alliance was defensive in nature, and that Austria-Hungary had declared war on
429:, devised an offensive strategy in the event of an Italian intervention in the Adriatic on the side of the Entente, when the destroyers and torpedo boats were to be major players. The letter mentioned a possible attack on the Austro-Hungarian jetty and naval detachment at Porto Buso. The small island of Porto Buso is located in the mouth of the river
377:. The incursion became the first offensive action of the Italian Navy in the conflict, and ended with the destruction of the naval outpost, the sinking of a flotilla of small vessels and the capture of the majority of the Austro-Hungarian garrison. The action eventually resulted in the withdrawal of all Austro-Hungarian forces from the nearby town of
496:
and sank, while a whaler evacuating ten customs personnel and soldiers capsized; only three of the passengers managed to survive. Another four Austro-Hungarian servicemen were killed in action. When
Lieutenaunt Mareth realised that any resistance would be futile, he stopped the withdrawal attempt and
483:
passed through a channel southeast of Porto Buso unseen, at a 345° course, and stopping at 500 mt from the Austro-Hungarian wharf. The
Italian destroyer launched a torpedo, but it became stuck in the muddy bottom. The device was later recovered by Italian divers. Ciano immediately ordered Zeffiro's
487:
According to Austro-Hungarian reports, particularly that of Oswald
Steiger, commander of the Imperial coastal defences in the upper Adriatic, a column of smoke was spotted by the sentry Amandus Hummar, who reported two Italian destroyers approaching from the mouth of the
536:
searched in vain for valuable targets at Grado. The destroyers' commanders renounced to bombard the town in order to avoid civilian casualties. The
Italian sortie did not prevent the free movement of the Austro-Hungarian Fleet that, departing from
501:
s cutter, Lieutenant Mareth formally surrendered to
Captain Ciano, giving up his sabre and his revolver. The lukewarm attitude of Lieutenant Mareth, a Hungarian, was later criticised by Admiral Alfred von Koudelka, commander of the naval sector of
448:
The commander of the
Sardegna Division, Admiral Giovanni Patris, codenamed the destroyer operation in the upper Adriatic "Missione A" (Mission A). The plan devised the deployment of four destroyers around the island of
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raised the white flag. Only six men were able to slip away to Grado, crawling through shallows and swamps. The 17 men manning observation posts at the nearby islands also escaped
Italian captivity. Picked up by
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521:-speaking men. Moreover, one of the Austro-Hungarian servicemen killed at Porto Buso was the cook Eugenio Sandrigo, from Grado, who became the first ethnic Italian to die in the war.
548:
On 25 May, an
Italian marines' detachment landed in Porto Buso and took the facilities over. The marines rounded up some stragglers and seized two abandoned motorboats untouched by
911:
476:, was to sweep an area south of the lagoon in order to prevent any Austro-Hungarian interference. A secondary target was the telegraph cable connecting Grado with Cittanova.
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arrived in Venice with 48 prisoners onboard, one of them seriously wounded. The local population was astonished when they realised that most of the captives were
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492:. Mareth gave orders to abandon the outpost by sea. A motorboat with two staff petty officers aboard received a direct hit from
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without any official notification to them. In the following months, Italian diplomacy also tried to exert concessions from the
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not only did not find any enemy unit, but she was also unable to cut the telegraph cable to isolate Grado. In the same way,
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472:, under the command of Captain Arturo Ciano, was in charge of the attack on Porto Buso. Another Soldato-class destroyer,
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were ordered to shell Austro-Hungarian positions and naval assets around the town of Grado itself, while the
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La grande guerra nell'alto
Adriatico. La difesa austro-ungarica del golfo di Trieste 1915-1918
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393:, signed in secrecy on 26 April, the Italy's government changed sides and lined up with the
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Termination of Treaties: The Constitutional Allocation of Power : Materials
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The other destroyers of the Sardegna Division did not enjoy the same success.
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United States Congress Senate, Committee on Foreign Relations (1979).
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778:"I primi prigionieri degli italiani furono... friulani | Il Friuli"
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naval station and border post located in Porto Buso island, in the
628:. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 191–92.
545:, bombarded several Italian ports and facilities further south.
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In 4 January a letter to the naval commander of the naval base of
753:"Quella notte l'Italia attaccò Porto Buso: era il 24 maggio 1915"
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after being vacated by the remaining Austro-Hungarian troops.
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552:'s shelling. The next day Grado was captured by a company of
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the southernmost border post of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
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When it became obvious by mid-May that Italy would join the
538:
861:. Rivista Maritima, October 2015, pp. 70-77. (In Italian)
425:, the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, Vice Admiral
912:
Naval battles of World War I involving Austria-Hungary
365:, in the first hours of 24 May 1915, the day when the
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and neighbouring islands during the subsequent days.
413:, specially in the Adriatic region, to no avail.
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898:
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907:Naval battles of World War I involving Italy
401:, breaking their 33-year-old ties with the
665:Betasom – XI Gruppo Sommergibili Atlantici
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719:. Gorizia: LEG Edizioni. pp. 16–17.
803:"Alfabeto e numeri della Grande guerra"
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84:Porto Buso and Grado captured by Italy
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601:. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 4.
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389:On 3 May 1915, as a result of the
222:Mediterranean Operations 1914–1918
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353:was an assault launched by the
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661:"Prima Azione Della R. Marina"
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417:Plans for the Adriatic theatre
159:Several motorboats and whalers
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479:At 02:00 am local time,
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385:Italian entry in World War I
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859:Il Forzamento di Porto Buso
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809:(in Italian). 16 July 2015
784:(in Italian). 18 May 2015
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759:(in Italian). 2015-05-15
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857:Rizza , Claudio (2015)
595:Nicolle, David (2012).
576:Attack on Snake Island
125:Commanders and leaders
883:45.71667°N 13.25556°E
566:Bombardment of Ancona
296:Eastern Mediterranean
167:Casualties and losses
715:Jung, Peter (2013).
702:Rizza 2015, p. 72-73
427:Paolo Thaon di Revel
879: /
807:www.ilgazzettino.it
571:Battle of Ad-Dawrah
373:on the side of the
363:Marano-Grado Lagoon
180:2 motorboats seized
64:Marano-Grado Lagoon
888:45.71667; 13.25556
742:Jung (2013), p. 18
667:. 14 February 2010
355:Italian Royal Navy
351:raid on Porto Buso
276:Raid on Porto Buso
261:Blockade of Europe
38:Italian destroyer
19:Raid on Porto Buso
917:World War I raids
844:Rizza 2015, p. 75
835:Rizza 2015, p. 74
826:Rizza 2015, p. 71
693:Rizza 2015, p. 71
684:Rizza 2015, p. 71
647:Rizza 2015, p. 71
638:Rizza 2015, p. 71
608:978-1-78200-752-4
490:Tagliamento river
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301:Strait of Otranto
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256:Convoy operations
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176:1 motorboat sunk
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811:. Retrieved
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174:48 prisoners
147:Arturo Ciano
93:Belligerents
39:
886: /
554:Bersaglieri
530:Bersagliere
467:Nembo-class
459:Bersagliere
457:destroyers
371:World War I
329: [
321:2nd Durazzo
291:1st Durazzo
246:Dardanelles
162:1 destroyer
79:Territorial
54:24 May 1915
26:World War I
901:Categories
874:13°15′20″E
871:45°43′00″N
852:References
813:2020-03-26
788:2020-03-26
763:2020-03-26
757:Il Piccolo
671:2020-03-26
534:Artigliere
526:Corazziere
474:Corazziere
463:Artigliere
444:The action
172:11 killed
510:Aftermath
42:at Venice
560:See also
519:Friulian
499:Zeffiro'
369:entered
271:Antivari
152:Strength
59:Location
24:Part of
550:Zeffiro
543:Sibenik
515:Zeffiro
504:Trieste
494:Zeffiro
481:Zeffiro
470:Zeffiro
438:Entente
375:Entente
326:Premuda
240:Breslau
81:changes
40:Zeffiro
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605:
453:. The
423:Venice
407:Serbia
399:Russia
357:on an
311:Imbros
286:Vieste
281:Ancona
236:Goeben
104:
71:Result
582:Notes
451:Grado
379:Grado
333:]
316:Bakar
119:Italy
721:ISBN
603:ISBN
541:and
539:Pula
532:and
461:and
431:Ausa
397:and
349:The
338:Pula
238:and
183:None
51:Date
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