The District of Gorizia and the Isonzo Theatre of War

Mapping fierce WWI fighting in the Italian Alps.

“This drawing has been specially prepared for the New York Times Mid-Week Pictorial to show the difficult theater of war in which the Italian operations culminating in the capture of Gorizia have been carried out.” – Text, bottom.

This stylized aerial view of the Isonzo River Valley around Gorizia highlights the hazardous terrain – thick forests, steep mountains, and dangerously open valleys – that made the region difficult to attack. Towns, railway lines, bridges, and other strategic elements are emphasized.

The Sixth Battle of the Isonzo (also known as the Battle of Gorizia) had just concluded; a successful Italian offensive that captured the town from the defending Austrians, who retreated under the command of Svetozar Boroevic (The Lion of Isonzo). Drawn by Otto Kurth and published as the centerfold in the August 17, 1916, issue of the Mid-Week Pictorial Review.