While the Seventh Battle of the Isonzo was coming to an end, on the front on the Asiago plateau preparations were going ahead in connection with a new operation to retrieve the positions that had been lost during the Strafexpedition and that had not been regained in the June counter offensive. The objectives that were identified by General Guglielmo Pecori Giraldi of the First Army were a breakthrough of the ranges of the Pasubio to the west of the plateau and the reestablishment of the line Mount Roite-Buse di Bisorte-Sogli Bianchi in Vallagarina.
Operations were scheduled to get under way in mid-September: the main attack had to be conducted in the direction of the Pasubio while two secondary attacks would involve Vallarsa and the northern peaks of Val Posina, to the south of Tonezza del Cimone. Weather conditions were, however, terrible and operations were immediately suspended. The following days served to reconsider the strategy and to concentrate the attack on one objective that was considered as keystone of the whole Austro-Hungarian defence on the Pasubio. This point was identified as the Dente Austriaco, a peak at an altitude of 2,206 metres on the frontline, a few tens of metres away from the Italian frontline that was constituted by the Dente Italiano. In these emplacements 20 large calibre guns, 87 medium calibre guns and 108 small calibre guns were positioned.
On 08th October the weather improved and the battle commenced: the guns fired an impressive amount of ammunition on the Dente Austriaco which, being well defended, replied to this fire with equal strength. The two mountains were transformed, according to the testimony that was given by soldiers, "into a real and proper volcano in eruption." (Gianni Pieropan, Storia delle Grande Guerra sul Fronte Italiano, Mursia, Milan, 1988, page 240.). In the afternoon of the next day the Italian infantry succeeded in advancing to the west and conquered the Alps of Cosmagnon, the towers of Sogi and the rockface of Lora. At this stage there were favourable conditions to go around the Dente Austriaco from the west but all the attempts of the Alpine battalions of Mount Berico and Aosta were unsuccessful.
On 20th October a tremendous snowfall brought to an end this operation that meant a loss for the two sides of about four thousand men. In the same way the onset of winter blocked even General Mambretti and the CTA (Corpo Truppe dell'Altopiano - Plateau Troop Corps) that was meant to try to conquer back Cima Portule at the northernmost extremity of the plateau.
