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Italian officers enjoying themselves up in a tree by a river, March 1917.

 Italian officers enjoying themselves up in a tree by a river, March 1917.



Today 107 years ago, on August 28, 1916, Italy declared war on Germany, after being at war with Austria-Hungary for over a year.


Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary on May 23, 1915, and thus entered the First World War on the side of the Triple Entente - France, Britain and Russia.


Although the main enemy of their Allies was Germany, Italy did not initially declare war on them, presumably in an attempt to avoid German troops being deployed in their masses on the Italian Front.


However, German troops had been present on the Italian Front ever since Italy's declaration of war on Austria-Hungary in May 1915. 


The German Alpenkorps, specialized in mountain warfare, had been deployed in the Dolomites, although not participating in any offensive operations.


Although the German Alpenkorps was withdrawn from the Italian Front in October 1915, German vessals were still operating in the Mediterranean Sea, targeting and sinking Italian ships, though carefully hoisting the Austrian flag.


After 15 months of being at war with Austria-Hungary, Italy was finally convinced to declare war on Germany. 


Italy's close ally Romania entered the First World War on August 27, 1916, by declaring war on Austria-Hungary and invading Transylvania, to which Germany declared war on Romania the following day.


In support of their Romanian allies, and inspired by recent successes in the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo, Italy declared war on Germany on August 28, 1916.


Over a year would pass before Italian and German soldiers actually fought each other in numbers, as German Stormtroopers participated in the Battle of Caporetto in October 1917 - the Twelfth (and last) Battle of the Isonzo.


Italian and German troops also saw battle on the Western Front, as some 60,000 Italian soldiers from the Italian 2nd Army Corps was sent to France in April 1918, participating in the dying stages of the German Spring Offensive, as well as in the Allied Hundred Days Offensive.


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