Among all the mountain passes on the Alps that used to lead to the Austro-Hungarian Empire one of the most unique and significant passes was undoubtedly that of the Julian Alps at the point where the Canal del Ferro and Val Canale converge. The stream Pontebbana represented the boundary between the two states and cut in two the modern town of Pontebba: the Italian section was on the southwest while the Austrian section (called Pontafel) was on the northeast.
The boundary then continued eastward along the mountains that dividedVal Dogna from the same Val Canale, crossing Val Saisera and Val Raccolana until it descended along the sides of Mount Nero and rejoined the Julian Prealps at the height of Natisone Valleys.
In this area the first skirmishes of the war took place before 24th May 1915: the Italian population of Pontebba, which up to that moment had lived in peace, was evacuated. The two bridges (the road bridge and the railway bridge) were blown up while the Austro-Hungarian forts in Malborghetto and around the Raibi Lake (Predil) were prepared for the forthcoming conflict.
The skirmishes began in earnest on 12th June 1915 when two 305mm howitzers arrived at Dogna. This signified the start of the bombardment onFort Hensel at Malborghetto, an imposing military structure that was already built in Napoleonic times. The same action was taken at the pass of Sella Nevea in Val Raccolana, on the permanent positions located in the zone of Raibl Lake, to the south of Tarvisio. On 30th July the Alpini Gemona Battalion was successful in its exploit to occupy Forchia di Cjanalot and Pizzo Orientale and in this way created, together with the Jôf di Miezegnot and the neighbouring Jôf di Somdogna, an excellent area to control the border. The attempt by the Austro-Hungarian troops to reconquer this zone as well as Sella di Somdogna failed on 18th October. In the same way as in the Dolomites, autumn in the mountains soon gave way to winter, locking the respective positions of the two sides up to the next spring.
