{"id":805,"date":"2014-11-11T15:21:41","date_gmt":"2014-11-11T14:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/?p=805"},"modified":"2016-10-31T11:00:09","modified_gmt":"2016-10-31T10:00:09","slug":"white-war-rememberance-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/white-war-rememberance-heroes\/","title":{"rendered":"WHITE WAR – remembering the heroes of the Alps."},"content":{"rendered":"

On the\u00a0centenary of\u00a0The Great War, take a moment to remember those who fought for freedom in the places which are now our winter playgrounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Il fronte vertical<\/span><\/h3>\n

In June 1915, Italy joined the Allies and became embroiled in the “Third Front” of the Great War: aka the silent wars of the Dolomites.<\/span><\/p>\n

The mountain men of Italy and Austria fought for control of the South Tyrol, across 250 miles of Alpine mountainside<\/span><\/p>\n

At altitudes above 2000 metres, it became the highest mountain war that had ever been fought, earning\u00a0the nickname \u2018il fronte vertical\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\"Lagazuoi

Lagazuoi trenches (near Cortina) where a lot of the conflict took place: Stefano Zardini, Lagazuoi Tourism<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/address>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n

Profile:\u00a0 Sepp InnerKofler – from Mountain Guide to War Hero<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sepp InnerKofler was one of many locals who gave their lives defending the mountains they\u2019d been born and raised in. \u00a0Sepp\u2019s passion for his homeland led him to become a locally renowned mountain guide. \u00a0He joined the Austrian Army to defend the land of his forefathers, and is remembered as a level-headed soldier whose bravery in extreme conditions\u00a0outshone his\u00a0eventual tragic death.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the night of the 4th July 1915, Sepp led a group of experienced local guides to overthrow the Italian stronghold on Monte Paterno (between Sexten and Cortina).\u00a0 Being so familiar with the area, they were able to climb the mountain in complete darkness; reports recall that amongst the gunfire, their silhouettes were seen by hundreds of soldiers across the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

One account relates that Sepp, reaching the peak and hurling grenades over the summit wall, was knocked off the mountain to his death\u00a0by a rock thrown down by Italian alpini.\u00a0 It\u2019s thought more likely that Sepp was killed by gunshots but, however he met his end,\u00a0the bravery in defending his homeland is still remembered locally today. \u00a0Innerkofler was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal for his bravery and at the top of Monte Paterno, a monument commemorating his heroism can still be seen today\u00a0>> from the top of the Cortina chairlift called\u00a0“Son Forca – Forcella Staunies” look north-east to see the three battlement-like peaks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Sepp

Painting of Sepp Innerkofler: Franz Defregger<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

The White War<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Bullets and bombs were not the only threat facing the soldiers in the mountains:\u00a0 often the greatest foe was the brutal climate of the alpine winter.\u00a0 In temperatures as low as -30\u00b0C, the soldiers\u2019 equipment would make the skiers of today shudder.<\/span><\/p>\n

While we might squeeze an extra pair of socks into our ski boots on the frostiest days, troops in WW1 had to make do with stuffing straw into their cracked boots to defend against frostbite.\u00a0 Often wearing ordinary army issue uniforms, they had poor protection from the cold.\u00a0 Spare a thought for those brave souls, sleeping in icy trenches, the next time we retreat to a log-fired chalet at the end of a long cold day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps the greatest threat was known as \u2018the white death\u2019 and it was these avalanches which are estimated to have killed over 60,000 soldiers.\u00a0 Without transceivers or probes, it was often impossible for survivors to find their buried friends.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\"The

Young boy wearing replica uniform in the Dolomites: Diego Gaspari Bandion Photographs<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/address>\n
\u00a0Remembrance:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
Next time you sit alone on a windswept chairlift, take\u00a0a minute’s silence\u00a0to think of these men, at war in the mountains.<\/span><\/span><\/h6>\n
Lest we forget.<\/span><\/span><\/h6>\n<\/address>\n<\/address>\n

More… Follow their footsteps<\/span><\/h3>\n

The Lagazuoi Tunnels<\/span><\/h3>\n

Both Italian and Austrian troops dug an extensive network of tunnels which they used for mining, lookout positions, and access to other parts of the mountains. The Lagazuoi Tunnels are the most famous and the open air museum here lets you walk through these eerie remainders of the conflict.\u00a0 You can explore the tunnels around the Little Lagazuoi peak from a cable car lift in Passo Falzarego, a short drive from the popular ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vie Ferrate<\/span><\/h3>\n

As the war in the mountains dragged on, soldiers built \u2018vie ferrate\u2019 to aid the navigation of troops and supplies. These were permanent routes made from planks of wood and metal ladders nailed into the mountainside. Many of the original vie ferrate are still in place today, and more extensive routes have been built since for climbers in the summertime. A visit in the depths of winter will give you just a glimpse of how dangerous it was for soldiers out on the sub-zero mountain ridges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Great War Tours<\/span><\/h3>\n

Amongst others, the Lagazuoi Tourist Office organises historical tours of the area. If you\u2019re skiing in Arabba, Selva or Corvara, ‘The Great War Ski Tour’ takes you around the bases of iconic Dolomite summits like the Marmolada, Lagazuoi, and the Cinque Torri. You can see the chilling remnants of trenches, walkways, tunnels, forts, and even bullets and barbed wire scattered where they fell nearly 100 years ago. The highest point of the route is on the Lagazuoi, and from here is the breath-taking final descent down to Armentarola. Another popular excursion is \u2018The Footsteps of History with Snowshoes\u2019. Experience life on the front as a guide dressed as a WWI Italian soldier leads you on a night-time tour of the mountains around Cortina.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\n\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the\u00a0centenary of\u00a0The Great War, take a moment to remember those who fought for freedom in the places which are now our winter playgrounds. Il fronte vertical In June 1915, Italy joined the Allies and became embroiled in the “Third Front” of the Great War: aka the silent wars of the Dolomites. The mountain men […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ski-holidays","has-post-title","no-post-date","has-post-category","no-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=805"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5543,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805\/revisions\/5543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sno.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}