In the years 1915 to 1918, the First World War raged above the peaks of the Alps on what was then the border between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. However, those who only think of dizzying summit positions, avalanches and daring alpine stunts overlook the fact that it was precisely in the Alps that the most important sections of the front were secured by barricade forts on both sides. Seven modern Austrian armoured works and four Italian forts faced each other here within gun range. This book offers insights into the conception and history of these fort systems and reports on the trials, defeats and triumphs. Up-to-date travel descriptions facilitate orientation when exploring the fortress ruins.
Dr. Rolf Hentzschel, born in 1960, lives near Mainz and works in the field of environmental protection. The author has been dealing with fortress construction in the Alpine region for many years. So far he has published the books "Österreichische Gebirgsfestungen im Ersten Weltkrieg" (Austrian Mountain Fortresses in the First World War), "Der Alpenwall in Südtirol" (The Alpine Wall in South Tyrol) as well as the military-historical contribution "Werk Verle und Sperrfort Rocca Alta - Fakten, Hintergründe und Legenden" (Verle and Rocca Alta Fortress - Facts, Backgrounds and Legends) in the new edition of the novel by Luis Trenker.
