Cesare Battisti Captured and Executed by Austrians

Cesare Battisti Captured and Executed by Austrians

After Italy entered the war, he served as a junior officer with the Alpini along the front lines in the Trentino, where his local knowledge of the area proved quite useful, when heeded. 

July 10 1916, Trento–Cesare Battisti, an Austrian citizen in Trento, had vigorously worked for many years on behalf of the Italian population there, first as a local politician and eventually as a Socialist member of the Austrian parliament.  By 1913, however, he had grown tired of Austria’s unwillingness to reform and improve the quality of life for her Italian population, and viewed Italy as their best hope.  He began to use his position in Parliament to gain access to Austrian army maps of his home region and the Isonzo and forwarded them to Italy.  After the outbreak of war with Russia, he fled to Italy with his family lest he be called up for military service, and there argued passionately for Italian entry into the war and the dismantling of Austria-Hungary.

After Italy entered the war, he served as a junior officer with the Alpini along the front lines in the Trentino, where his local knowledge of the area proved quite useful, when heeded. 

 He warned Cadorna of the imminent Austrian attack in early May, only to be told “His Excellency the Supreme Commander of the Army has no need of advice from Lieutenant Battisti.”  By July, the Austrian attack had long since stalled, along with the Italian counteroffensive.  One of the final actions was an attack by Battisti’s Alpini battalion on Mt. Corno di Vallarsa (now Corno Battisti), just inside the pre-war Austrian frontier.  They took the 5800′ mountain briefly, but did not receive adequate support and were soon cut off; Battisti and many others were captured.

Battisti and one other captive, as Austrian citizens, were not subject to the usual rights of PoWs, but were instead quickly tried as traitors and executed by hanging and strangulation two days later.  Pictures taken shortly after the execution (one of which is above) were widely disseminated and used as anti-Austrian propaganda in Italy.

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