While along the course of the Piave all attempts at a breakthrough by the Austro-German troops were unsuccessful, the objective of the German General Otto von Below's was Mount Grappa. This range of mountains represented the keystone of the whole Italian front: winning its 1,770 metres meant that it would be possible to move into the plains of Veneto and leave behind both the Asiago plateau as well as the river.
Fully aware of the danger, General Diaz ordered the immediate construction of a defensive line in such a way that would prevent any breakthrough. This task was assigned to the Fourth Army led by General Di Robilant who only reached the range of mountains on 09th November. Four days later the Battle of Mount Grappa started.
Still shocked by the recent retreat and lacking the necessary ground defences, the offensive immediately placed the Italian battalions in a difficult situation. Mount Peurna was lost on the 14th and the troops of the central empires were able to advance three kilometres. A second attempt on the next day pushed further back the Italian defensive line which established itself between the villages of Cismon del Grappa, Mount Pressolan and Mount Solarolo and the valley of the Piave. Knowing that the German forces would soon have to be transferred to the western front, von Below hastened the attacks and ordered a triple advance on 17th November which failed to give the desired results: only Mount Pressolan was conquered while in the other cases the Italian brigades, despite the feeling of defeat and the inexperience of the new soldiers (the Class of 99), succeeded in defending all their positions.
Helped also by the existence of the long route "Cadorna" that was used for the deployment of weapons and reinforcements on the Italian line, Di Robilant adopted "elastic" tactics that turned out to be more effective: instead of defending an area till the very end, the sectors that were in greater difficulty would be left to the enemy to be reconquered later by means of a rapid counterattack. On 20th November, for example, the Austro-German troops occupied Mount Tomba and Fontana Secca but three days later they were driven back to their original positions. Even lieutenant Erwin Rommel, already a protagonist at Kolovrat with his battalion of Württemberg, failed to break through because of his lack of knowledge of these peeks.
After a pause that lasted a few weeks, on 11th December the Austro-German troops organized themselves again and resumed their attack with greater vigor on the range of mountains: Col della Beretta, Col dell'Orso and Mount Asolone were conquered and the troops arrived very close to the important city of Bassano. But once again a new counterattack by the remnants of the Fourth Army and the Second Army together with the new recruits of the class of 99, succeeded in repelling the Habsburg initiative and in definitely halting their advance on 21st December.
