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00:001915
00:03Some of the most desperate struggle
00:05In the first world war
00:07Unfolded amid the peaks of this spectacular
00:10Alpine landscape
00:12Beneath the summits occupied by Austrian and Italian
00:15Troops
00:16A maze of tunnels and caverns
00:18Was carved out
00:20To gain just a few meters of tactical advantage
00:23Mountain soldiers
00:25Climbed
00:26Fought
00:27And died
00:28Over and under the highest peaks
00:30Of the Dolomite range
00:32The most famous of them all
00:34Was Tyrolean Mount
00:35Mountain guide
00:36Zepp Innerkaufler
00:37The mystery surrounding his assault on Monte
00:40Paterno
00:41Still haunts this Alpine peak
00:45Permanent
01:05After Italy signed the secret Treaty of...
01:10...London in 1915 and entered the First World War...
01:14...the Dolomites became one of the fronts between Italy and Austria.
01:19Italian and Austrian mountain troops raced to capture Strasbourg...
01:24...the strategic mountain passes.
01:29Here, harsh high mountain warfare involved firefights in the trenches...
01:34...and close combat in the labyrinth of tunnels that had been hewn into the rock.
01:39Controlling the peaks and reaches would have allowed any...
01:44...everyone to dominate the valleys below.
01:46A good battery of artillery, well positioned...
01:49...could therefore be absolutely decisive on this part of the front.
01:54The names of the natural fortresses would go down in history.
01:59...associated with the harsh reality of alpine warfare.
02:04...the Mammolada...
02:05...Coldilana...
02:06...Montepiana...
02:07...Montepiana...
02:08...Montepaterno...
02:10...and tre cime...
02:11...and tre cime...
02:12...and tre cime...
02:13...Andy Hawkins...
02:14...and Julia Richardson...
02:15...are archeologists of the British Durand.
02:18...group...
02:19...and experts in tunnel warfare.
02:21They have come to explore the incredible...
02:23...mountain battlefields...
02:25...that stretch along the Sexton Dolomites.
02:28...including the trenches and dugouts...
02:30...at the foot of Montepiana...
02:32...and the tunnel work...
02:33...excavated in Montepaterno.
02:35...Andy and Julia...
02:36...enlist the help of a local...
02:38...guide...
02:39...Paulo Tassi...
02:40...who will help them...
02:41...trek across the front line...
02:43...of the White War...
02:44...in the Dolomites.
02:45So the Italians were there...
02:47...in a strong position...
02:48...the Austrians were...
02:49...the ones that needed...
02:50...to get up into that position.
02:51Yeah.
02:52The ones that needed...
02:53...to get up into that position.
02:53Exactly.
02:54Take that position.
02:55It was an unbelievable position...
02:56...to control of this area.
02:58Situated in northeast Italy...
03:00...above Cortina...
03:01...Mt.
03:02...Paterno...
03:03...overlooked...
03:04...one of the most beautiful...
03:05...and recognizable mountains...
03:06...in the Alps.
03:07The...
03:08...and three cime di Lavaredo.
03:09Three...
03:10...massive...
03:11...freestanding...
03:12...limestone towers...
03:13...in the Sexton Dolomites.
03:15Anyone who studies...
03:17...the Great...
03:18...the Great War...
03:19...comes across...
03:20...extraordinary figures...
03:21...and one of the most...
03:22...extraordinary figures...
03:23...was Sepp Innerkopfler.
03:25Until 1919...
03:27...these three...
03:28...peaks...
03:29...known as the...
03:30...Drei Zinnen...
03:31...in German...
03:32...or the...
03:33...Trei Cime di Lavaredo...
03:33...in Italian...
03:34...with a border...
03:35...between Italy...
03:36...and Austria.
03:39On 24th May 1915...
03:41...Italy...
03:42...joined...
03:43...in Italian...
03:43...Britain...
03:44...France...
03:45...and Russia...
03:46...in the most...
03:47...devastating war...
03:48...the world had ever...
03:48...seen.
03:49The young nation...
03:50...had fought...
03:51...the Austro-Hungarian...
03:52...Empire...
03:53...repeatedly...
03:54...to regain...
03:55...parts of its territory...
03:56...inhabited...
03:57...by Italian speakers.
03:58...Trent and Trieste...
04:00...remained in Austrian hands...
04:02...and now...
04:03...Italy saw its...
04:04...opportunity...
04:05...to gain the cities...
04:06...and overthrow...
04:07...the Germanic...
04:08...empires.
04:09L'intero fronte...
04:10...Dolomitico...
04:11...che gravitava...
04:12...dalla...
04:13...the Italian army...
04:14...saw the whole...
04:15...Ptolemite front...
04:16...that went from...
04:17...Marmolada...
04:18...to the...
04:18...the Dolomites...
04:19...of Sexton...
04:20...as a way...
04:21...of breaking into...
04:22...the Pustr Valley.
04:23And that's why...
04:24...the Italian army...
04:25...pushed very hard...
04:26...in that direction.
04:28...the line...
04:29...Lei...
04:30...combattevano...
04:31...la riprendevano...
04:32...un colpo...
04:33...era...
04:34...gli...
04:35...ostici...
04:36...comandato...
04:37...l'un albo...
04:38...zora...
04:39...l'un albo...
04:40At that time, it was the Italians occupying the summit of Monte Paterno.
04:45And it was strategically important for both the Austrians and the Italians.
04:50The Trecime.
04:55Or as it was called in war, the Tzinnen plateau, was very important defensively.
05:00Because that is where the border passed.
05:02One man, Tyrolean mountaineer.
05:05Sepp Innerkopfler would become a hero in this high mountain battle.
05:10Sepp Innerkopfler, for us mountain guides in the 21st century,
05:15remains a model like all the guides of that era.
05:18Still to...
05:20Today, we guides accompany tourists up those peaks,
05:23following in their very...
05:25footsteps.
05:26Innerkopfler took up arms to fight what he saw...
05:30as enemy encroachment on his beloved mountain homeland.
05:34But he ended up...
05:35having to fight his Italian neighbours.
05:37The very men who once had waved at...
05:40him from nearby peaks,
05:41or shared a drink in the mountain hut he had built in the years...
05:45before war broke out.
05:48A mountain chain...
05:50more than dividing...
05:51often brings together populations.
05:53To survive in an...
05:55alpine environment...
05:56to farm...
05:57and live...
05:58is tough.
05:59The...
06:00Mount Paterno...
06:03you can find approximately...
06:05here...
06:06in a south-westerly direction...
06:07behind the Langlangspitze...
06:08and a little...
06:10further...
06:11Taublin's Tower.
06:12From the Paterno...
06:13they could see the valley...
06:14from the Paterno...
06:15they could see the valley...
06:15and they could control the whole plateau.
06:17That's why Paterno was so important.
06:20Christian Inna Kofler...
06:21is the great grandson...
06:25the son of Zepp...
06:26Inna Kofler.
06:27Today...
06:28he carries on...
06:29the family's mountain tradition...
06:30running the Dolomitenhof...
06:32which his legendary...
06:33great-grandfather...
06:34found...
06:35founded more than...
06:36a hundred years ago.
06:37The Inna Kofler family...
06:39had farmed...
06:40for generations...
06:41before Zepp...
06:42was born...
06:43in 1865.
06:45he learned to climb...
06:46and shoot...
06:47from the best...
06:48masters...
06:49in his own family...
06:50he would put up...
06:51at least 50...
06:52first ascents...
06:53in the area...
06:54including...
06:55the first...
06:56top climb...
06:57of the central...
06:58big peak pillar...
06:59he climbed...
07:00on the Matterhorn...
07:01too...
07:02but his beloved peak...
07:03was the...
07:04Patern Kofler...
07:05Mount Paterno...
07:07During the First World War...
07:09what was...
07:10once a leisure climb...
07:11became...
07:12a life and death...
07:13military operation.
07:15before the outbreak...
07:17of the First World War...
07:18along the Dolomites...
07:20that were the border...
07:21between the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
07:23and Italy...
07:24Tyrolean Mountaineers...
07:25Zep Inno-Kofler...
07:26had gone...
07:27from humble farmhand...
07:28to making...
07:29his fortune...
07:30as one of the...
07:31alpine guides...
07:32most in demand...
07:33for taking...
07:34rich mountaineers...
07:35up the peaks...
07:36south of the Pusta Valley.
07:40and then...
07:42he was...
07:43as...
07:44first...
07:45he was...
07:45a farmhand...
07:46then he worked...
07:47at a sawmill...
07:48where he worked nights...
07:49so he could go...
07:50Mount Paterno...
07:50mountaineering...
07:51during the day...
07:52and very soon...
07:53it was clear...
07:54that as a mountain guide...
07:55he had a lot of skill...
07:57and then over time...
07:58he got his guiding license...
08:00very big abilities...
08:01and then...
08:02he had...
08:03in the course of the time...
08:04the...
08:05and then...
08:06he...
08:07in the next few days...
08:08he got his...
08:09and...
08:10he got his...
08:12and an even greater guide who had the privilege
08:15of opening a number of routes in the Dolores.
08:17By the end of the 19th century, the golden
08:22age of mountaineering for scientific pursuit
08:25was turning into an era of competitive
08:27sport for the middle class.
08:29Right behind us here is the...
08:32Oh, this is a nice story in the Refugio Locatelli because...
08:37the original name was Traizinenhütte.
08:40Okay.
08:41Refugio Trecimen.
08:42And then it was destroyed by the Italians.
08:47And renominated in honor of a famous climber
08:51called Seppiner.
08:52He was a kind of pioneer for the Tal, for the
08:56place of Sexton.
08:57He was a pioneer for foreign tourism
09:00because he was the first to...
09:02to recognize that the whole valley around Sexton
09:05could be a tourist attraction for foreigners.
09:07after five...
09:11After five...
09:12years of guiding, Ina Kautler married Maria Stadler, a young Oscar.
09:17An Austrian woman, herself an accomplished climber, and a first woman to reach the summit
09:22of the small peak of Lavaredo. They had five children and soon had a baby.
09:27Booming mountain refuge business.
09:32With his early clients, he built the
09:37first mountain refuge, but it was too small.
09:42And then he built the Dolomitenhofen Fischleintal in 1905 and another small bed.
09:47and breakfast.
09:48…and a Garni, also a breakfast pension in the outside.
09:52While most alpine mountaineering had been on glaciers, the Eastern Alps
09:57had many vertical rock faces.
10:02He made a number of first ascents. One of the best known was the North Face.
10:07Of the small peak of Lavaredo. At the time, there were English, Austrians,
10:12Dutch people who were coming to the area, and they all had money, and they all wanted
10:17…
10:17…
10:18…
10:19…
10:20…
10:21…
10:22…
10:23…
10:22…
10:25…
10:26…
10:27…
10:27…
10:32…
10:33…
10:34…
10:35…
10:36…
10:37…
10:32…
10:41…
10:42…
10:37…
10:47…
10:48…
10:49…
10:50the famous climb.
10:51…
10:52The chord was sometimes much bigger was Italian and much bigger…
10:57…
10:59…
11:00…
11:01…
11:03…
11:05…
11:08…
11:12…
11:13…
11:17…
11:18and much more difficult.
11:21Very rarely could one fix a screw
11:23and pass the rope through a carabiner.
11:27Often you use a carabiner.
11:28You could use the rock and the natural face.
11:30Or you could use the shoulder harness,
11:32which I would like to use.
11:33Here I'll show you.
11:34Try to imagine from this position
11:36trying to keep your partner
11:38from falling.
11:39Today, modern climbing puts safety over adventure.
11:43The mental strength of Sepp Intercoffler
11:46and the climbers of Sepp Intercoffler
11:48of that era was really formidable.
11:54In 1915, the road that ran along the valley
11:57became strategic.
11:58As it opened the way to Vienna and Innsbruck.
12:01If the Italians had
12:03No.
12:03broken through this narrow chain of peaks,
12:06they would have controlled the supply routes.
12:08to Trent.
12:11Through the Puster Valley, it was easy
12:13to invade the pulsing heart of Austria.
12:16Innsbruck was just around the corner.
12:18On the other hand, the Austro-Hungarian High Command
12:23were more concerned about the Eastern Front.
12:26The main thrust of the Italian Army
12:28was towards Gorizia,
12:30where their advances threatened
12:31to break the Austro-Hungarian border.
12:33the Austrian Empire in half.
12:35Sepp Intercoffler was a member of the Third
12:38government company of the Stand Schützen,
12:40the Austrian Alpine militia.
12:42Based in...
12:43Sexton.
12:48When Italy declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, all the able-
12:53bodied men in town were sent to the other fronts.
12:56In the village, there were just a-
12:58the older people, the youth or those who were unfit for war, and seps-
13:03was one of those.
13:05That's why he was still in town.
13:08The Standschützen were local mountain-
13:13guides, porters, herders, and foresters, who all had the cruchons-
13:18survival skills for operating in high, rugged terrain.
13:23They formed flying patrols that were little more than rifle clubs subsidised by the government.
13:28But when Italy began making incursions into Austrian territories,
13:33the emperor mobilised 38,000 of these tough locals.
13:38soldiers.
13:39They defended their own houses, their own vallates.
13:43They knew how to move in that terrain.
13:47They had-
13:48They had a real winning aspect.
13:49They were excellent marksmen.
13:51And of course-
13:52Not without reason-
13:53...
13:54...
13:55...
13:57...
13:59...
14:03...
14:06...
14:11...
14:15section sergeant of a flying patrol of the top 12 climbers in town.
14:20With the few people who were left in town,
14:25mountaineers, the elderly and the young,
14:28they organized these flying patrols
14:30to be lookouts across all of the peaks of the Sexton Dolomites
14:35so that it gave the impression that all the mountain summits were always occupied.
14:40Every day they climbed up to the top of two or three different peaks
14:45and showed themselves in order to deceive the Italians.
14:50On the first day of war, Zepp Innerkaufler climbed to the top.
14:55of the Monte Paterno and observed Austrian artillery rain down shells.
15:00on Italian troops in the village of Mizzurina.
15:04The first shell
15:05were shot from the highly defended Monte Rudo,
15:08even before the ultimatum that Italy
15:10had given Austria,
15:11and they hit the saddle of Col di Mezzo and the Alpini.
15:15who were working on reinforcing the trench works.
15:18From there, Captain Mazzini
15:20from the 58th Mountain Battery responded,
15:23moving up to the saddle of Loveredo
15:25on the first day of the war,
15:26and shelling and burning the Dreitzinnenhutte.
15:30The Italian troops who rushed up the mountain valleys
15:33as the Austrians retreated to the peaks
15:35were the legendary Alpini.
15:38The Alpini moved fast over the last few years
15:40by the last few years.
15:40passes and the long crests to occupy the high ground.
15:45On the other side, the Austrians were assisted by several battalions of the German Alpenkorps.
15:50But they were largely outgunned and outmanned.
15:55At Innerkowtler, knew it was vital now to occupy the peak of the mountain.
16:00And at that time, he said to me,
16:05even at that point, he had told his friends
16:10that he had to do the same thing.
16:10He told his Austrian commanders that Mount Paterno should have been occupied
16:15strategically very important, but they did not listen to him.
16:20They took it in, but then told him to come back down.
16:25Yeah, and two days later, the Italians were on the peak.
16:30And then the Austrian commanders realized how important it was, and they gave
16:35Innerkowtler and his flying patrol the task to take it back.
16:40He said, this is practically impossible.
16:44But…
16:45We will try.
16:46That is almost impossible, but we will try it.
16:50And Ian and Julia trek toward the saddle below Paterno.
16:55From here, it is clear why these peaks were of such strategic importance.
17:00Ahead of them is the Sextonstein Mountain and Toblin Tower.
17:05To their right, Monte Paterno.
17:08They opt to try the route.
17:10Round the top of the mountain to the Italian held positions.
17:14Tunnels that were…
17:15They were dug during the two-year battle that raged around these peaks.
17:19They're starting…
17:20The first starting point is the entrance to the Italian gallery.
17:23For safety…
17:25And…
17:25Andy and Julia harness up, for the most dangerous part of their day, a traverse.
17:30Along a narrow path below the peak of Paterno, that leads to the next wall.
17:35There is a four-time tunnel opening. The snow is high and the drop to the bottom.
17:40Shia.
17:45Shia.
17:50Shia.
17:55On the 18th of June, Inakawftla earned a silver medal for maintaining his
18:00observation position on Chima Uno after a violent hand-to-hand fight.
18:05With Italian Alpini.
18:07The Italians were advancing and taking control.
18:10Of the surrounding peaks that overlooked the passes and the road to Sexton.
18:15And the Brenner Pass.
18:16It was during this initial standoff that men
18:20from both the Italian and Austrian armies silently observed an increase.
18:25incredible scene.
18:30Shia.
18:31Shia.
18:32Shia.
18:33Shia.
18:34Shia.
18:35Shia.
18:36Shia.
18:37Shia.
18:38Shia.
18:39Shia.
18:40Shia.
18:41Shia.
18:42Shia.
18:43Shia.
18:44Shia.
18:45Shia.
18:46Shia.
18:47Shia.
18:48Shia.
18:49Shia.
18:50Shia.
18:51Shia.
18:52Shia.
18:53Shia.
18:54Shia.
18:55Shia.
18:56Shia.
18:57Shia.
18:58Shia.
18:59Shia.
19:00Shia.
19:01Shia.
19:02Shia.
19:03Shia.
19:04of death, tipping off the enemy.
19:32And he knew it.
19:34The Italians
19:38had gone up
19:39from the south side
19:40of the Paterno.
19:41That was much easier.
19:42And he had to go
19:44over the northwest face,
19:46which was a lot more...
19:47A plan was put into place.
19:51How he was supposed to...
19:52In the early morning hours,
19:55they set out.
19:56He told...
19:57He told his son,
19:58who was 17 years old at the time
20:01and was also part of the...
20:02flying patrol.
20:03Today, you are not coming with us.
20:06Today, you...
20:07stay home because we may not come back.
20:11And that's...
20:12how it was told to me
20:14by my grandfather,
20:15who had watched it unfold.
20:17From Below.
20:18From Below.
20:19From Below.
20:21From Below.
20:22The attempted climb and battle of Monte Paterno on the 4th of July, 1950,
20:27would go down as one of the greatest legends and mysteries of Alpine.
20:32Warfare.
20:37Fourth of July, 1915.
20:42As the sun rose over the village of Sexton,
20:47Sepp Inga Kofler was already at the base of the north wall of the Monte Paterno.
20:52All was calm and silent as his sun rose.
20:57The suns watched his ascent with a small patrol of soldiers.
21:02To see the exact route in a ...
21:07After Kofler climbed, Paolo, Giulia and Andy climbed toward Paterno.
21:12From the location of the guide's traditional refuge, the Dreitzinnenhütter.
21:17It is a spectacular view.
21:22Below Inner Kofler, a platoon of 30 Austrian Landesschützen and a ...
21:27A few military engineers, including Zepp's brother, were prepared to help ...
21:32... hold the Monte Paterno once secured.
21:35Machine gun and ...
21:37The artillery cover was in place.
21:39The battle would be witnessed by thousands.
21:42Machine gun and ...
21:43Machine guns andجimel.
21:44Machine guns and bullets.
21:45Machine guns and shields andubs.
21:46Machine guns and measures.
21:47Organizations required to carry the UAE Banglishütter.
21:48Machine guns and guns and pans.
21:49Machine guns, soldiers and missiles.
21:50Machine guns, soldiers and soldiers.
21:51Machine guns.
21:52Mechanics turret там, enemy guns, soldiers and merchants.
21:53Keller at convenings, soldiers and troops and soldiers.
21:54The menInstagram кораблиз are aäre brown些 sewed from the army.
21:55Section 9, army choke cocked atperformers.
21:57Look at thearently Nurse progress.
21:58The womenass cominia helped theikkaول pull Byman, military operations and exploit the army.
22:03ò bilingual month, soldiers and punching our army to paruerdo.
22:06The 가장 ganhar, contemporary infantry torment is an命 tip to re투.
22:08It is often necessary to orchestrate a surprise attack and take advantage of everything that nature
22:13and the weather offered.
22:18The North Side
22:20The North Side
22:22The North Side
22:23The North Chimney
22:25like all the North Faces in the Alps
22:28the rock face a gloomy aspect. The climb up the north chimney of
22:33the Paterno has not changed, but you have to imagine that the first
22:38mountaineers who went up these faces found very brittle rock with
22:43time, the rock has become harder. The difficulty of the climb remains
22:48the same, but the excitement of discovering new roots is longer.
22:53It's gone.
22:58The big discovery is less.
23:00We've arrived in the vicinity of the Vett...
23:03Arriving close to the peak, Sep in a cold...
23:08...and the mountaineer of an oafler, untied his rope, and alone set out to
23:13attack the summit.
23:18I believe...
23:23...what my grandfather told me. He told me that the plan was that
23:28under the cover of darkness, they were supposed to climb. And as they
23:33neared the peak, he would give the Austrian troops a sign to give cover.
23:38And then he was supposed to throw grenades over the top, and then...
23:43...storm the peak.
23:48The German guide climbed, with no technical aids, toward the surprise assault.
23:53...with artillery cover lending support.
23:57According to I...
23:58...artillery fragments hit Zep and another climber, but...
24:03...they kept going.
24:04What happened when he reached the top...
24:07...is still...
24:08...the subject of heated controversy today.
24:12At the summit...
24:13...Ina Korsala threw three hand grenades into the Italian trenches.
24:18...but they didn't explode.
24:20Then, in a hail of rocks and artillery and...
24:23...with machine gun fire, Zep in a Korsala was killed.
24:28Whether it was by friendly fire...
24:30...an Italian bullet...
24:31...or by a rock thrown by...
24:33...one of the legendary Alpini...
24:35...is still today...
24:36...a matter of debate.
24:38...the version contrastant...
24:41...the version contrastant...
24:43...reportano...
24:45...diverse...
24:46...there are different versions about...
24:48...the last moments of inner Koffler's life.
24:53...in the dissolution contrastant.
24:54...of the...
24:55...on Augustine from the main part...
24:57...lado as the whole one Wasis.
24:58In the last few years...
24:59...an되는 Koffler's life did not happen...
25:00...with the top 45...
25:02...anthan Koffler's life had great...
25:03...a many years old...
25:04...to...
25:05...he,
25:08...to...
25:09...and the...
25:11...師y...
25:12...meet model...
25:13...the...
25:14...ult��...
25:16...the...
25:17...sогда the...
25:18...a...
25:19...as...
25:20...and...
25:21.....
25:22descend down the opal chimney to recover the body of his dead friend.
25:27Every fatiguing days, the body of Sepp-Ener-Kopfler was recovered, and the Alpini dug a...
25:32niche on the top of Monte Paterno, and with the guide's rope, they made a cross.
25:37And covered his personal objects with flowers. And Sepp remained up there.
25:42In the arms of the peak of his beloved mountain, for three years.
25:46Today...
25:47His memory is still alive along the Vie Ferrate that mountaineers continue to...
25:52climb, following the paths he heroically forged.
25:57The End
26:02with Monte Paterno firmly in it.
26:07In Italian hands, the next mountains down would become key for access,
26:12to the strategic Fischlein and Puster valleys.
26:17From the site of Zepp Innerkaufler's historical refuge, Andy and Julia
26:22have a clear view of the two positions Italy and Austria would fight for two years.
26:27To control.
26:28Here we are.
26:29We are just at the bottom of the two mountains.
26:32The one on the right.
26:33Yeah.
26:34It's called Tordi Toblin.
26:35Tobliner Kauf.
26:36Tobliner Kauf.
26:37Yes.
26:38The Twin Peaks.
26:39The Twin Peaks.
26:40Exactly.
26:41And this one on the left.
26:42It's called Sasso di Sesto.
26:44Sexte Stein.
26:45Sexte Stein.
26:46Yes.
26:47Okay.
26:47They were in Beijing during the war.
26:48The Italian in the war here.
26:49The Austrian.
26:50The Austrian Guardian in the war.
26:51Okay.
26:52Paolo, Julia and Andy have reached the tunnels at the base of Monte Paterno.
26:57and head inside to explore their depths.
27:02Since the Italian Alpine troops were unable to attack the Pusta valley without
27:07much more support than they had.
27:09They simply occupied the peak of the Monte Paterno.
27:12The Mount Paterno in reality.
27:13The Mount Paterno.
27:14The Mount Paterno in reality.
27:15The Mount Paterno.
27:16The Mount Paterno represented the linchpin of the defense.
27:21defensive line of the Lavaredo saddle.
27:23And this was a very important defensive line.
27:26that arrived all the way to Forcellepiandichenja and Kola Arena.
27:31as to block the Austrians at the head of their own valleys.
27:36In the weeks that followed.
27:37The Tre Cime would become an Italian citadel of Canada.
27:41cannons, spotlights and machine gun nests.
27:44The Austrians.
27:46The Mount Paterno dug into defensive positions.
27:48With cannon and mortars.
27:50And trenches.
27:51connected by deep tunnels.
27:52and fields of barbed wire.
27:54at Schwabenalkenkopf.
27:56and Raukofel.
27:57The Austrians forward lookout post.
28:01was on top of the Toblin Tower.
28:03The most advanced Italian outpost.
28:06was on top of Monte Paterno.
28:11The area in between.
28:12was exposed to deadly crossfire.
28:16Cheap, portable and easily hidden.
28:19The machine gun was the most effective.
28:21weapon in these conditions.
28:23And in the hands of a well-trained gunner.
28:25could control.
28:26large swathes of mountainside.
28:28even an entire pass.
28:31The Alpini dug cave shelters.
28:33that were connected by deep tunnels.
28:36The longest one.
28:37linked the Monte Paterno position.
28:39with the front line.
28:41was crucial for the Italians.
28:42because it allowed them.
28:43to control the movements.
28:45of the Austrian.
28:46infantry on the plateau below.
28:48inflicting heavy losses.
28:51It's been built up.
28:52to a point where.
28:53I think.
28:54and the size.
28:55that you could.
28:56maybe mount a.
28:56a tripod machine gun on it.
28:57right.
28:58okay.
28:59so they've raised it.
29:00and it looks.
29:01back across the valley.
29:02floor.
29:03okay.
29:04so covering that ground.
29:05yeah.
29:06could well be.
29:07of course up here.
29:08the machine guns.
29:09were the dominant.
29:10choice really.
29:11weren't they?
29:12because they're light portable.
29:11yeah.
29:12you can move into any position.
29:13they cover a long.
29:14a large area.
29:15yeah.
29:16your machine guns.
29:17your mortar.
29:16right.
29:17and your light.
29:18artillery.
29:19is.
29:20is what you.
29:21would use.
29:22actually.
29:23in a battle.
29:24right.
29:25your head.
29:26really heavy.
29:27artillery.
29:28you.
29:29try.
29:30you.
29:26trying to pound.
29:27the enemy with those.
29:28right.
29:29right.
29:30and dislodge him.
29:31from his.
29:31entrenched positions.
29:32so that you can.
29:33advance upon them.
29:34so.
29:35this is.
29:36very much a.
29:37a defensive gallery.
29:38but also.
29:39one that.
29:40provides shelter.
29:41for the troops.
29:42as well.
29:45in march.
29:461917.
29:47the third company.
29:48of standschutz.
29:49and of innsbruck.
29:50who were dug.
29:51in at the saddle between the Trecime and Toblin Tower, decided to try to
29:56take the Italian position, there was a massive snowpack of over three meters.
30:01Into which they dug a long tunnel toward the Italian position.
30:06A month later, they reached the base of the rocky outcrop.
30:11And 50 Austrians entered the Italian tunnels in a surprise attack.
30:16The Austrians took the position after an hour of fighting.
30:21The Italian counterattack forced the Austrian troops to the peak of the mountain and eventually
30:26they retreated back to their original positions.
30:31The biggest challenge for both armies was the logistics of transport and supply.
30:36In the rugged mountain terrain, troops and mules carried
30:41supplies on their backs, with loads of up to 25 and 100.
30:46kilos respectively.
30:48A labyrinth of tunnels and cable cars
30:51were built to supply both sides as they prepared for battle.
30:56Dr.
31:03Altact Trust
31:04Dr.
31:06Nov.
31:07Rotation
31:14Dr.
31:16Dr.
31:17Dr.
31:18Dr.
31:19D.
31:20Dr.
31:21Dr.
31:22Dr.
31:23Dr.
31:24Dr.
31:25...erano stati vittime della Guerra Bianca su entrambi...
31:30The winter of 1915 was one of the...
31:35...oldest of the whole 20th century.
31:38And on the high mountain peaks...
31:40...neither side could move.
31:42The Alpini once again stormed the Tobli...
31:45The tunnels carved in Monte Paterno...
31:49...allowed the Alpini...
31:50...to supply their outposts.
31:52Still today, remnants of their battle...
31:55...for survival underground remain.
31:58Giacomo Bollini...
32:00...has collected many objects from the era.
32:05...to move the hands from cold...
32:07...molto spesso...
32:08...venivano dati in dotazione guanti.
32:10To protect their hands from the cold...
32:14...often they...
32:15...we're given gloves like this...
32:17...that comes directly from a glacier...
32:19...you even see...
32:20...today the rabbit fur on the inside.
32:22Another problem was...
32:23...reflection of the sun...
32:25...off the snow...
32:26...and...
32:30...anti-reflective glasses like these...
32:31...were given to both the Austrians...
32:33...and the Italians...
32:34...and for the...
32:35...snowstorms...
32:36...they were given these goggles...
32:37...which also had rabbit fur around them.
32:40...and...
32:41...and...
32:42...di occhiali come questi...
32:43...fodorati anch'essi di...
32:44...di pelo.
32:45...just...
32:46...just to physically...
32:47...you know...
32:48...work in there...
32:49...I mean...
32:50...you know...
32:51...it's a precarious place...
32:52...to be working away, isn't it?
32:53...it was an unbelievable danger...
32:55...because...
32:56...you have to...
32:57...put exactly the stones...
32:58...in the right place...
32:59...and you're next to the cliff.
33:00As the sun sets...
33:01...over the mountains...
33:02...that the Austrians...
33:03...and Italians...
33:04...fought...
33:05...furiously around.
33:06Andy and Julia...
33:08...descend the narrow mountain path...
33:10...to their starting point...
33:11...under the three peaks of Lavaredo.
33:14To understand...
33:15...the battle...
33:16...for the Dolomites better...
33:17...they have decided...
33:18...to visit...
33:19...a new sector...
33:20...of his front...
33:21...the next day...
33:22...the western slopes...
33:23...of the Monte Piana.
33:25...and the defences...
33:26...of Val Fonda.
33:30Here...
33:33...in the valley...
33:34...between the Krista...
33:35...the Molino mountain...
33:36...and the Strudelkopf...
33:37...stood the frontier...
33:38...between Italy...
33:39...and Austria.
33:40To the right...
33:41...Monte Piana...
33:42...a flat mountain...
33:44...ideal...
33:45...for infantry attacks...
33:46...and vital...
33:47...for road access...
33:48...into the Pusta valley.
33:50Unlike Sexton...
33:52...which was protected...
33:53...by nature...
33:54...as much as by men...
33:55...here...
33:56...if the Italians...
33:57...had captured...
33:58...Monte Piana...
33:59...they would...
34:00...also have been able...
34:01...to push up...
34:02...into the strategic...
34:03...lifeline of Trent.
34:05These trenches...
34:06...however...
34:07...were as far...
34:08...as the Italian infantry...
34:09...could go.
34:10Thousands of lives...
34:12...were lost...
34:13...on the mountain...
34:14...overlooking it...
34:15...but here...
34:16...the line held.
34:17Fierce battles...
34:19...raged...
34:20...as the Italian army...
34:22...tried to outflank...
34:23...the chain of mountains...
34:24...from Monte...
34:25...Piana...
34:26...to Monte Paterno.
34:27This battle became...
34:28...a life and death...
34:29...struggle for the...
34:30...astro-Hungarian Empire.
34:33The area...
34:34...is still strewn...
34:35...with artefacts...
34:36...from the First World War.
34:40...and barbed wire.
34:42Yeah.
34:43Now that's interesting...
34:44...because...
34:45...you know...
34:46...all of our wire...
34:47...we've been seeing...
34:48...has been double-stranded.
34:49Yeah.
34:50Well this is triple...
34:50...andy and Julia...
34:52...come across the site...
34:53...of an old bunker.
34:55Perhaps a cook shack...
34:56...based on the food tins...
34:57...and water cans...
34:58...left behind.
35:00I'll tell you what it is.
35:02It's a chimney.
35:03Hey!
35:04Cool!
35:05Of course!
35:06So that's the...
35:07Yeah, with the top...
35:08...with the cap to it...
35:09...and the smoke...
35:10...coming out here.
35:10Soldiers hunkered down...
35:11...in these trenches...
35:12...and bunkers...
35:13...for months on end.
35:15It's a good position...
35:16...perfect position really...
35:17...to have your machine done.
35:18Yeah.
35:19And it wouldn't surprise...
35:20...if this area...
35:21...didn't receive...
35:22...quite a bit of...
35:23...bombardment.
35:26Well that was...
35:27...very interesting.
35:28But life in the trenches...
35:30...could turn deadly...
35:31...fast.
35:32Looking at this...
35:33...this is actually...
35:34...a high explosion.
35:35...of shell.
35:36Yeah.
35:37But you can imagine that...
35:38...hurtling through the air...
35:39...at sort of...
35:40...several thousand...
35:40...metres per second.
35:41Very hot...
35:42...when it hits something...
35:43...or somebody.
35:44Yeah.
35:45Somebody.
35:46You know.
35:45...that's a killer.
35:46Definitely because...
35:47...they're everywhere.
35:48Yeah.
35:49Oh!
35:50That looks...
35:51...a bit different.
35:50I don't know.
35:51What's this?
35:52It's a...
35:53...different shape.
35:55Oh, it's a...
35:56...it's a fuse.
35:57Isn't it?
35:58Oh, let's have a look.
36:00Well, this is probably...
36:01...for...
36:02...what we would call...
36:03...a shrapnel shell.
36:04Proper shell.
36:05Okay.
36:05Okay.
36:06Um...
36:07...and...
36:08...the shrapnel shells...
36:09...were filled with...
36:10...the balls.
36:11The size of marbles, weren't they?
36:12That kind of size.
36:13Yeah.
36:14Lots of them packed in.
36:15Yeah.
36:15And if you remember on the Somme...
36:17...there's lots of them.
36:18You do find them.
36:19But the way it works...
36:20...is that...
36:21...um...
36:22...if you just...
36:23...look...
36:24...you can see these.
36:25Yeah.
36:25...sort of...
36:26...marks.
36:27And the numbers.
36:28Right.
36:29So that's seconds.
36:30Okay.
36:31So...
36:32Okay.
36:3318, 20, 22, 24...
36:34Yeah.
36:35...28...
36:35Yeah.
36:36So they're seconds.
36:37So what the gunner does...
36:38...is they calculate the...
36:40...time of flight...
36:41...from where they are...
36:43...to the enemy position.
36:45Mm-hmm.
36:46Okay.
36:47And they want it to go off...
36:48...in the air.
36:49And Ian...
36:50...and Julia...
36:51...come across a monument...
36:52...apparently...
36:53...hand-built...
36:54...by the survivors...
36:55...of an Italian infantry company...
36:57...that occupied this position.
37:00Yeah.
37:01So you've got...
37:02...fulling...
37:03...Giuseppe there.
37:05...and then...
37:06...fulling...
37:07...Giuseppe...
37:08...so it's obviously...
37:10...that this is...
37:11...being filled...
37:12...by the soldiers themselves.
37:15For three years...
37:16...Zeppe Innerkaufler's body...
37:18...lay on the top...
37:19...of his beloved...
37:20...montage.
37:20...paterno.
37:22The Tyrolean mountain guide...
37:23...had died...
37:24...fighting for...
37:25...to the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
37:27...in a key battle...
37:28...against the Italians...
37:29...for...
37:30...strategic Dolomite gains...
37:31...during the First World War.
37:35In August 1918...
37:37...a small expedition...
37:38...led by Innerkaufler...
37:40...the traveller's son...
37:41...exhumed his remains...
37:42...and brought them home...
37:43...to his family in Sexton.
37:45...where he was buried...
37:47...here in the village churchyard.
37:50...and...
37:52...justly...
37:54...beide Parteien...
37:55...auch geschätzt haben...
37:55both sides knew each other they knew each other before
38:00the war and they knew of each other's great skill and there was a sense that
38:05it was absurd that he had to die at war
38:10he had to die in a coughless body still lies today
38:15in the family grave in sexton the mystery surrounding his death
38:20however has never been fully dispelled
38:25you
38:30the opinions about inner coughless
38:35death are varied and the historians are divided about the three different versions that are
38:40called
38:43i climbed up the sexton stein with ex
38:45and it is in perfect range of a machine gun toward the opal chimney so it
38:50fits so it is possible that it was a burst of machine gun fire from the austrians
38:55i believe at least in my own personal interpretation that at dawn
39:00the austrian soldiers mistook the soldiers of inner coughless patrol as they were climbing up
39:05for italians who were going down
39:07for italians who were going down
39:09the story would not become
39:10complete without the version told by the italian alpine troops
39:14who conquered
39:22you
39:15and kept the monte paterno
39:19and kept the monte paterno
39:20Park dedicated to the Alpini dead of Italy's wars, Andy and
39:25Giulia meet the nephew of the giant Alpino Pietro De Lucca.
39:30Toluco was an Alpino of the 6th regiment who was defending Monte Pacino.
39:35The versions are all consistent until the point
39:40Ina Kofler reaches the summit.
39:42In the Italian version, it is a giant Alpino.
39:45Alpino who kills him.
39:46Ina Kofler scaled the vertical face and arrived.
39:50And the moment he arrived at the summit, De Lucca realized it and
39:55Ina Kofler threw the grenades and De Lucca who was wounded and had nothing in his hands.
40:00He didn't have his rifle, picked up a rock and threw it down at the guide.
40:05And it hit him and inner Kofler fell.
40:10The version of the Alpino De Lucca who launched a rock to kill the great Alpine guy.
40:15was certainly a convenient version for the Italian military.
40:20My grandfather always told me that he was hit by cover fire.
40:25by friendly fire.
40:26That is how my grandfather always told it, based on
40:30what he saw.
40:31Perhaps the version of Ina Kofler dying at the hands of Italian
40:35De Lucca was the most acceptable to both sides because admitting to have killed
40:40such an important and famous man as Ina Kofler in the first days of the war.
40:45This would have been something the Italian military could boast about and use for war propaganda.
40:50This is De Lucca, wounded, it is enough to look at his figure to see
40:55just how big he was.
40:56And in fact, many said that he had hands as big as space
41:00as aides.
41:01De Lucca would eventually emigrate to South America.
41:05And the generations after him would hand down stories about him to them.
41:10their Italian relatives.
41:11My grandfather was really handsome, handsome and very
41:15very tall, very tall, with a head that shone and his eyes blue as the
41:20sun.
41:20These are the words she writes in the sky over his beloved city of Treviso.
41:25No, his hands were enormous and strong, hardened from work but soft
41:30not for a caress.
41:31The inner Kofler family would have no choice.
41:35But to continue their mountain business, despite the hardship of war.
41:40There was a failure from the speak of man, and his parents.
41:41He was certainly a grandeur.
41:42He was certainly a good leader.
41:44He was uncertain.
41:45very courageous man. He was a known figure who essentially died
41:50for his fatherland. His wife, Maria, had to
41:55look after all the Dolomiterhof and, naturally, after his death, she would have
42:00to take it all forward. Nothing was certain, nothing was
42:05easy. We can't forget these things.
42:10If you explain it in the schools, they don't believe it.
42:13These are things they don't believe.
42:15They don't understand because now it is the modern era.
42:18You push a button and do everything.
42:20But back then it was strength, hands, legs, and your head.
42:25Above all.
42:26The Italians were eventually forced to
42:30retreat from the vast, high-altitude front after the disastrous
42:35battle of Caporetto in the east, where a quarter of a million men were lost.
42:40The Dolomite territory, including Trecime, Tyrol, and Bolsa,
42:45Salo, and Trent, would return to Italian hands by the Treaty of Versailles.
42:50One million Austrian and Italian men died in the First World War.
42:55Many of them, like Sepp Innerkaufler, along this treacherous
43:00...
43:00mountain front.
43:01Today, throughout the area, the trenches,
43:05iron ladders and narrow tunnels are an eerie reminder of the tragic
43:10battles that unfolded in the First World War, and the many ordinary
43:15and extraordinary men who sacrificed their lives above and above.
43:20the lifted low, some of the most impressive mountains of the Alps.
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