The Italian army never expected the German defenses to be so formidable. Observing the German numbers—only 1,500 troops—they had assumed victory would be easy, especially after the initial German artillery had inflicted severe casualties. Yet the surviving defenders displayed a level of firepower the Italians had not anticipated.
The Italian brigade leading the attack quickly suffered heavy losses. Panic set in, and soldiers began to retreat in disorder. Retreating, however, proved far more difficult than advancing.
Seeing the enemy faltering, Walther Model immediately ordered a pursuit. Though his forces lacked tanks, armored vehicles, and motorized infantry, he remained committed to taking the initiative in a flexible defensive strategy.
Normally, German troops leaving fortifications would be a dangerous situation for defenders, as it would expose them to superior enemy forces. But the Italian soldiers, already terrified by the earlier artillery fire, panicked at the sound of gunfire from behind. Instead of covering their retreat in an organized manner, they fled in disarray.
The Germans seized the opportunity ruthlessly, charging forward and driving the Italians back, threatening to disrupt their main force in the mountains. Only the timely intervention of the Italian commander, who ordered his troops to fire and regroup, prevented total annihilation.
Even so, the Germans had already achieved a major victory. Casualty counts revealed over 3,400 Italian soldiers killed or wounded, more than 600 captured, and the seizure of over 2,000 rifles, 120 heavy machine guns, 80 mortars, and a large quantity of ammunition. In addition, the Germans collected valuable supplies: canned food, cigarettes, matches, and chocolates—significantly easing their logistical burdens.
Not included in the official count were many Italians who had fallen into mountain streams, lost to the terrain rather than the enemy. The battle had taught the Italians a harsh lesson: the German forces were not to be underestimated.
Prior to the attack, the Italians had relied on indiscriminate artillery bombardments to weaken the German defenses, believing that sheer firepower could destroy the fortifications. But the Germans had long prepared their positions along the mountains, some even integrated into the rock itself. Except for direct hits, the fortifications were nearly impervious to artillery.
Learning from their initial failures, the Italians attempted a more coordinated approach. One brigade attacked head-on, while two regiments moved along the flanks to support the frontal assault. While this tactic might have been effective on flat terrain, it proved disastrous in the narrow mountain pass.
The attack failed again, and casualties mounted. Model ordered a counterattack of 5,000 men, chasing the retreating Italian units relentlessly. By the end of the day, the Italian army had suffered nearly 10,000 casualties. The Italian command's confidence had begun to falter, while Model's forces gained both experience and morale.
"The situation here is stable," Model said, surveying the battlefield. "Now, we turn our attention to other fronts."
One key principle of flexible defense was counterattacking weak points in the enemy line to cause maximum disruption and casualties.
On October 4, a German force of 3,000 men set out from Hermagor, advancing south along the Karnik Mountains. By October 7, they had crossed the Alps and reached the small town of Tormezzo on the north bank of the Tagliamento River.
Tormezzo's defenses were minimal, with only a second-line company stationed there. The Italian soldiers were unprepared for a determined attack from a relatively small German force. Within half an hour, Model's "Tiger and Wolf" division annihilated the defenders.
Immediately after, German forces gathered ships and moved down the river, reaching Karnia by the evening of October 7. Karnia was the logistics hub for the Italian army, responsible for supplying 100,000 frontline troops. Though lightly defended, the German advance easily overcame the garrison and destroyed vast quantities of supplies.
When news reached Italian headquarters of the failed offensive and the attack on their rear, panic spread. The Italian command realized the terrifying truth: their forces were in danger of being encircled.