A month after the official start of the war, on 23rd June 1915 General Cadorna launched the first major offensive on the Isonzo front that was renamed the First Battle of the Isonzo. This offensive had several objectives: the Second Army was meant to reach Mount Mrzli, a small village in Plava and strengthen its own position in the north of Gorizia while it was planned that the Third Army would advance between Sagrado and Monfalcone.
The first action took place in the zone of Plava where a vain attempt was made to conquer Height 383 but the inadequate fire power of the Italian troops against that of the Austrians was obvious. The same thing happened further north on Mount Mrzli where from 01st July the Italian troops unsuccessfully tried to repel the Habsburg soldiers. Besides logistical problems there were also the heavy rains that transformed the hills into large stretches of mud.
The only sector in which operations obtained some result was in the zone of Sagrado where shelling by the Italian troops that started on 23rd June forced the Austro-Hungarians to retreat up to the line of Mount Sei Busi and Mount San Michele. On the contrary, in the southern sector of Monfalcone the attacks on Mount Cosich and on Height 85 and Height 121 were unsuccessful and resulted in heavy losses.
After a meeting that took place on 02nd July at Cervignano between Cadorna and the general who was in charge of the Third Army, Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta, some reinforcements were sent although this did not bring about any changes. In the following days the fighting diminished and on 07th July 1915 the battle was declared to have ended without any significant result.
