After the frightening losses that were suffered during the Third Battle of the Isonzo, the internal situation in the Italian army continued to take its toll. The soldiers were by now tired and demoralized by the continuous failed assaults and in the midst of very high risks while conditions inside the trenches, with winter just round the corner, were becoming daily increasingly desperate. The rations were scarce and cold, the hands and feet of soldiers were frequently unable to move and swollen with the cold and uniforms were always drenched and, when they were dried in the open air, they would become as hard as wood.
But General Luigi Cadorna, from his command station in Udine, was sure that the Austro-Hungarian troops of Svetozar Borojevic were about to surrender. On 11th November 1915 the order was given to resume attacks and this led to the start of the Fourth Battle of the Isonzo.
The Italian soldiers launched their assault on the hills Mrzli, Sabotino, Calvario and San Michele but their efforts were unsuccessful. The only small advance took place in the north of Gorizia, in the locality of Oslavia-Height 188 without, however, reaching the nearby village of Piuma and the right bank of the Isonzo. To make the situation even worse it was the turn of the Supreme Command which, acting on the advice of the French General Joffre, decided to bomb the city on the Isonzo. On 18th November for three and a half hours, the Italian guns pounded "the Austrian Nice" that was still inhabited by civilians and provoked very heavy damage to one of the most beautiful cities in the area. This episode was rendered even worse when it is recalled that this action did not lead to any tactical advantage.
In the first days of December the attacks died down and on the 5th the Fourth Battle was officially suspended. The year 1915 thus ended without any results with the exception of the advance that had been registered during the first days of the war. The unrest, already widespread inside the trenches, began to spread even among public opinion that had vigorously supported the entry of Italy into the war in May.
