As an Austrian mountaineer I can guarantee you that we are very aware of the hardships the soldiers on both sides had to endure. Going out into the mountains for some days for backcountry skiing and sleeping a couple of nights in a snow hole with good food and friends can be very enjoyable today. But fighting the harsh conditions and enemies with poor rations and bad equipment must have been hellish...
I’m a retired Canadian mountaineer. The mountains are incredibly beautiful especially in winter but they can turn so deadly in an instant. They would be a horrible environment in which to fight a war.
I’ve been in those mountains, they’re some of the most beautiful places on earth, so sad to think of the young men that died there. May they rest in peace.
Colleague of mine's grandfather was (I know this as he asked me to do a bit of ancestorial research) among the first to conquer the Peak of Marmolata in 1915/16 with Kaiserschützenregiment 3 (Innichen), received a medal for his fortitude in those attacks and got stationed there. He was working in alpine rescue before, as is his grandson, and certainly knew the risks; he had rescued several people (including of course Italians) from avalanches and quite similar conditions, as the local pre-war newspapers have it. He survived the war and later became a professional musician, good for him I'd say - nevertheless, the idea of these alpinists, knowing fully well what was going on and still condemned to sit there in worsening conditions to defend against guys they would in peacetime have risked their own lives to save in mountain expeditions, is what I have in mind about World War I.
Thank you again for covering a forgotten front of WWI. People seem to only remember the eastern and western fronts. Even most docuseries only seem to cover those 2 fronts, completely overlooking the alpine war.
Sabaton has a song about this incident, and the animated video was part of their global premier of their film The War to End All Wars, which we went to see at our local military museum the week of Remembrance/Armistice/Veteran's Day.
I've driven through the Dolomites, and they are some of the most scenic mountains on the planet. I can't imagine the hardships of fighting a war at this altitude and these temperatures.
Thank you. My relatives are from northern Italy and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. They fought in this White Hades. Two of my great grandfathers perished along with many others. We still have no idea where or what happened to some of these relatives. I have hiked in the Sierra Nevada's, the Unitas and Rocky Mountains above 6500 feet in white out blizzards. I have a good idea what my relatives went through. Thank you again for your video.
Thank you for this report. It always amazes me when taught military history the same narrativves are presented over and over. I suppose I simply have an appreciation for the forgotten. More than just the heroes contribute to battles. Worth remembering.
Hey History Guy. Can you do a video on the use of dogs by the Marines in battle during WW2. When reading some 50 year anniversary Marine Corps pamphlets from the early 90’s on WW2, there was quite a large section on how useful and heroic the battle dogs were at detecting Japanese and running messages through dense jungle between front lines and headquarters/artillery. I really need to know more!
In the UK there was a feeling that men of the Mercantile Marine were not 'serving' as they weren't in uniform. This extended to them not being named on 'Street Shrines' which honoured those who were serving in the Army, Royal Navy and RFC/RAF and even later when the first memorials were unveiled as they only named those in the Mercantile Marine and those who had died up to that time. But, as with the Italian and Austrian troops, those at sea had to bear more than just the threat of mines and U-boats, as well as potential collisions at sea in order to get their ships & cargoes to the ports. It was as a result of the work and efforts of the men of the Mercantile Marine during WWI that King George V bestowed the title Merchant Navy in honour of that work.
Here on the alpine slope, where I did my final stand, I shall remain Among the ice and snow that binds me to this mountain A force of nature too strong, sent from above Where spirits lead the way, the winds will never fade
White Friday, I'll take the Stairway to Heaven I'm sky high, when I die I'll be immortal Forever, I never I won't return to Blood mountain, I am the Soldier of Heaven
Dec 13. I just spent much of the day commemorating the Battle of Fredericksburg on Dec 13, 1862. I laid a wreath at the National Cemetery and flowers at the Confederate Cemetery in the Fredericksburg Cemetery. It is interesting to learn about other events that took place on St. Lucy;s Day.
It was an eventful month. On December 6 a munitions ship exploded in Nova Scotia's Halifax Harbor, killing perhaps 2000 people and injuring another 9000. (Nobody knows how many people received cuts from flying window shards...)
You have to actually use avalanches as a method of warfare. I remember reading a book a number of years ago about an avalanche the deadliest avalanche as far as fatalities here in the United States it swept the train off the tracks.
White Friday, I'll take the Stairway to heaven I'm sky high, when I die I'll be immortal Forever, I never I won't return to Blood mountain, I am the Soldier of heaven
With all the horrors of WW1 it's easy to see why an avalanche would be little remembered, especially when you consider that about the same time soldiers on the Eastern Front were fighting packs of wolves so large that the Germans and Russians ended up with a ceasefire so they could hunt them together!🐺😱
Interesting about the wolves. My uncle served as an observation plane pilot in Vietnam. He said part of his duty was to hunt tigers. Neither the US or Vietnamese soldiers would go into an area with active tigers.
The way I understood “white Friday” was that both sides tried to cause an avalanche via artillery shelling, but an avalanche fell on both sides and caused between 2-10,000 deaths. Thank you for this history lesson 🙏
WWII had two major natural interruptions, both in 1944. Vesuvius erupted, and Typhoon Cobra mauled American ships in the South China Sea. They are interesting subjects.
Hemingway was wounded on the Italian front. The Austrians loaded up a mortar round with bits of clock springs and other small pieces of metal, about 200 of them ended up in Hemingway's legs. Nasty war, that.
Troops on both sides eventually found it was much more effective to bombard the mountain side and cause an avalanche that would kill the enemy instead of using their artiliery for direct fire. To this day, the Canadian army also uses its 155mm howitzers to cause controlled avalanches in the rockies to protect the highways.
I found myself quite moved at the thought of the absolute horrors that we inflicted upon ourselves. The fact that we learned absolutely nothing from this is the most appalling thing. I yearn for a time, some day in the future, when we can live with each other without fear and never resort to violence upon our fellows in order to solve our disagreements. The vast majority of individuals today get by without violence in our person to person affairs, certainly we can do it as a society among societies.
I do know there's a RUclips channel where people go in some of the old tunnels and everything else like that that you can also look up and it's horrific
To be honest, I first heard about this from listening to Sabaton (and wanting to know what 'Soldier of Heaven' was about). Still weird to call it White Friday, while it was a Wednesday back in 1916
Hey History Guy🤓 👋 do you remember watching Ultraman when you were a kid? Right now the original series is playing with Subtitles if you're interested I can send you a link 😉
It really is odd that they would call it White Friday instead of White Wednesday. I couldn't find when the term was coined, but I notice that the first December 13, after the War ended, is a Friday. If that's when the first commemoration occurred, they simply took that day for the title? You'd think there'd be some explanation, somewhere.
In 1974, I learned to rappel on the lower slopes of Marmolata as a US Army soldier. While there we visited the monument to the victims and learned the horrific story of the many battles there and visited some of the old fortifications. Oy!
Does he keep quoting the ECMWF? That's a weather model; it doesn't say anything. Also, I highly recommend Erik Durschmied's books "The Weather Factor" and its older companion book "The Hinge Factor". Gripping reading and shows you how little things can have such an impact on our world.
I realize that I don't know much about the history of the Austtro-Hungarian Empire or Austria. I'll look in your past videos, but that might ba fertile ground for future episodes.
WHITE FRIDAY I'LL TAKE THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN I'M SKY HIGH WHEN I DIE I'LL BE IMMORTAL FOREVER I NEVER I WON'T RETURN TO BLOOD MOUNTAIN I AM THE SOLDIER OF HEAVEN
wasn't Entente's failure to deliver to Italy the expected territorial gains that contributed to the rise of italian nationalism and eventual participation in WW on Axis side?
Italy did get significant territorial gains such as the Trentino region and Trieste port though not as much as they hoped and it was an excuse for the Fascists to take power. The problem for Italy was that territorial gains are much easier to secure in peace negotiations if they have been achieved through military force first and they largely failed to do that.
It’s a long subject but yes, Italy was promised several territories in exchange for joining the Entente in the pact of London. The promise wasn’t kept mostly due to US president Wilson meddling and this led to the so called Vittoria Mutilata concept in Italy. If you google Pact of London and Vittoria mutilata you can get more informations.
@@scottabc72 scottanc Italy did its part, joining the Entente, facing the Austro Hungarians and their German reinforcements and in the end after the Vittorio Veneto battle destroyed the Austro Hungarian Empire. Educate yourself: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vittorio_Veneto
"WHITE FRIDAY, I'LL TAKE THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN. I'M SKY HIGH, WHEN I DIE, I'LL BE IMMORTAL. FOREVER, I NEVER, I WONT RETURN TO BLOOD MOUNTAIN, I AM THE SOLDIER OF HEAVEN. -"
How did soldiers drown in rain filled shell holes? I've learned about most things including this part of the great war, but this? I've never even heard this topic or scenario. Where they concussed and drowned because of where they fell? So many questions.
“White Friday, I'll take the Stairway to Heaven I'm sky high, when I die I'll be immortal Forever, I never I won't return to Blood mountain, I am the Soldier of Heaven!”
Yeah ,I was camping up there that night, you could hear the snow coming, I just grabbed a beer carton and rode it all the way down. Was chilly though !
One wonders if there isn’t this misguided notion that the Italian front somehow had it better as far as heroics, brave mountaineers taking cover and counterattacking in the alpine majesty, as opposed to faceless trench shelling and machine gun butchery. Utter nonsense, of course.
It is inaccurate to say that battles had never been fought at such altitudes. The battle of Pichincha (1822) was fought 1000m or almost 3500ft higher; I am sure that many higher battles can be researched easily. The eastern front and the Winter War, both during WW2 probably had worse weather. Battles between India an Pakistan and India and China probably had a more disadvantageous confluence of height and cold though their scale is minuscule. What is unique to the alpine battles of WW1is scale, these battles were bigger by orders of magnitudes than any other ones fought at comparable conditions.
I did not claim that these were the highest battles ever thought. That quotation is is saying that mountain tops had never previously been the front lines. Maintaining modern armies at these altitudes was unprecedented.
I honestly think that Sabaton's song " Soldier of Heaven". That covers what happened is one of their better songs. Is the best one in The War to End All Wars album.
![Soldier of Heaven - Mountain Warfare in WW1 - Sabaton History 108 [Official]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/UZ4CJ9f-JEc/mqdefault.jpg)
As an Austrian mountaineer I can guarantee you that we are very aware of the hardships the soldiers on both sides had to endure. Going out into the mountains for some days for backcountry skiing and sleeping a couple of nights in a snow hole with good food and friends can be very enjoyable today. But fighting the harsh conditions and enemies with poor rations and bad equipment must have been hellish...
Thank you for offering your personal knowledge.
I’m a retired Canadian mountaineer. The mountains are incredibly beautiful especially in winter but they can turn so deadly in an instant. They would be a horrible environment in which to fight a war.
I’ve been in those mountains, they’re some of the most beautiful places on earth, so sad to think of the young men that died there. May they rest in peace.
Colleague of mine's grandfather was (I know this as he asked me to do a bit of ancestorial research) among the first to conquer the Peak of Marmolata in 1915/16 with Kaiserschützenregiment 3 (Innichen), received a medal for his fortitude in those attacks and got stationed there. He was working in alpine rescue before, as is his grandson, and certainly knew the risks; he had rescued several people (including of course Italians) from avalanches and quite similar conditions, as the local pre-war newspapers have it. He survived the war and later became a professional musician, good for him I'd say - nevertheless, the idea of these alpinists, knowing fully well what was going on and still condemned to sit there in worsening conditions to defend against guys they would in peacetime have risked their own lives to save in mountain expeditions, is what I have in mind about World War I.
Thank you again for covering a forgotten front of WWI. People seem to only remember the eastern and western fronts. Even most docuseries only seem to cover those 2 fronts, completely overlooking the alpine war.
Lawrence of Arabia?
@@mikeneely6190Hence the word most.
An absolute horror to even consider.
Sabaton has a song about this incident, and the animated video was part of their global premier of their film The War to End All Wars, which we went to see at our local military museum the week of Remembrance/Armistice/Veteran's Day.
Yes! That is where I first heard about White Friday via Sabaton's "Solider of Heaven". One of my favorite songs by them.
This is extremely interesting. I had no idea this happened! Rest In Peace, everyone who died in the avalanche.
Thank you, THG. Once again, you have highlighted a forgotten piece of tragic history. 4000+ deadline and no one knew about it. What a War
I've driven through the Dolomites, and they are some of the most scenic mountains on the planet. I can't imagine the hardships of fighting a war at this altitude and these temperatures.
I appreciate you and thank you for making content.
Thank you.
My relatives are from northern Italy and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. They fought in this White Hades. Two of my great grandfathers perished along with many others. We still have no idea where or what happened to some of these relatives.
I have hiked in the Sierra Nevada's, the Unitas and Rocky Mountains above 6500 feet in white out blizzards. I have a good idea what my relatives went through.
Thank you again for your video.
Thank you for this report. It always amazes me when taught military history the same narrativves are presented over and over. I suppose I simply have an appreciation for the forgotten. More than just the heroes contribute to battles. Worth remembering.
Thank you, Mr Lance! Fascinating and horrifying.
Always like to hear stories about the Great War. Very interesting indeed. Another sad war.
Crazy place to pick a fight. But then battles are fought for the sake of death......
"White Wednesday" even has alliteration. It's very weird that they call it Friday.
Strange that today is Wednesday, December, 16th.
May they all Rest in Peace.
Excellent episode
Amazing work. This was great History.
Hey History Guy. Can you do a video on the use of dogs by the Marines in battle during WW2. When reading some 50 year anniversary Marine Corps pamphlets from the early 90’s on WW2, there was quite a large section on how useful and heroic the battle dogs were at detecting Japanese and running messages through dense jungle between front lines and headquarters/artillery. I really need to know more!
☝
In the UK there was a feeling that men of the Mercantile Marine were not 'serving' as they weren't in uniform. This extended to them not being named on 'Street Shrines' which honoured those who were serving in the Army, Royal Navy and RFC/RAF and even later when the first memorials were unveiled as they only named those in the Mercantile Marine and those who had died up to that time. But, as with the Italian and Austrian troops, those at sea had to bear more than just the threat of mines and U-boats, as well as potential collisions at sea in order to get their ships & cargoes to the ports. It was as a result of the work and efforts of the men of the Mercantile Marine during WWI that King George V bestowed the title Merchant Navy in honour of that work.
Interesting content as always.
I had no idea of this. Thank you so much, THG.
I appreciate the depth and breadth of the research you do, HG. It's very obvious you're a historian. Bravo Zulu
I remember reading about this in National Geographic a few years ago. Had never heard of this part of WWI before.
*sabaton music starts playing*
I won't be going home.
I won't be going anywhere.
I will guard this post forever...
That was my thought.
Here on the alpine slope, where I did my final stand, I shall remain
Among the ice and snow that binds me to this mountain
A force of nature too strong, sent from above
Where spirits lead the way, the winds will never fade
White Friday, I'll take the
Stairway to Heaven
I'm sky high, when I die
I'll be immortal
Forever, I never
I won't return to
Blood mountain, I am the
Soldier of Heaven
I saw the end war
I watched the soldiers come and go
But I kept my watch forever
Dec 13. I just spent much of the day commemorating the Battle of Fredericksburg on Dec 13, 1862. I laid a wreath at the National Cemetery and flowers at the Confederate Cemetery in the Fredericksburg Cemetery. It is interesting to learn about other events that took place on St. Lucy;s Day.
Thank you ma'am.
This goes to prove that there are quite a number of times in military history where nature is deadlier than the battlefield. Good video!
The mountain warfare in Italy was absolutely brutal.
Tom Fink mayor of anchorage loved his bow ties, just like I love your show.
It was an eventful month. On December 6 a munitions ship exploded in Nova Scotia's Halifax Harbor, killing perhaps 2000 people and injuring another 9000. (Nobody knows how many people received cuts from flying window shards...)
One of the largest man made explosion before the atomic bombs.
The Halifax Explosion was also the main reason for the founding of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB)
That happened 5 days later.
You have to actually use avalanches as a method of warfare. I remember reading a book a number of years ago about an avalanche the deadliest avalanche as far as fatalities here in the United States it swept the train off the tracks.
Wow I never heard of this. Thanks THG👍🏼👍🏼
White Friday, I'll take the
Stairway to heaven
I'm sky high, when I die
I'll be immortal
Forever, I never
I won't return to
Blood mountain, I am the
Soldier of heaven
Interesting that it happened on a Wednesday and the 107th anniversary falls on a Wednesday.
a somewhat similar story of cold being the worst killer, in northern Korea, November 1950 😢
Thank you
With all the horrors of WW1 it's easy to see why an avalanche would be little remembered, especially when you consider that about the same time soldiers on the Eastern Front were fighting packs of wolves so large that the Germans and Russians ended up with a ceasefire so they could hunt them together!🐺😱
Interesting about the wolves.
My uncle served as an observation plane pilot in Vietnam.
He said part of his duty was to hunt tigers.
Neither the US or Vietnamese soldiers would go into an area with active tigers.
200K pounds of snow and ice. That's the equivalent of two modern aircraft carriers sliding down the mountain and crushing you.
Tons
Wow! I'm late for class! 😮 Good morning History Guy and everyone watching
*Like there was a 'most miserable hell-on-Earth' competition with the trenches*
The way I understood “white Friday” was that both sides tried to cause an avalanche via artillery shelling, but an avalanche fell on both sides and caused between 2-10,000 deaths. Thank you for this history lesson 🙏
Wow, that’s some story. Thanks.
The Netflix documentary “Buried” is another fascinating avalanche story.
Thank you for the lesson I knew nothing about.
WWII had two major natural interruptions, both in 1944. Vesuvius erupted, and Typhoon Cobra mauled American ships in the South China Sea. They are interesting subjects.
Why would you climb a mountain to fight an enemy ???
Just wait at the bottom with a cup of tea until they have to come back down.
How coincidental that another RUclipsr had posted a reel about this very incident just today!
Thank you for slowing down your narration as it’s much easier to understand now.
Hemingway was wounded on the Italian front. The Austrians loaded up a mortar round with bits of clock springs and other small pieces of metal, about 200 of them ended up in Hemingway's legs. Nasty war, that.
Troops on both sides eventually found it was much more effective to bombard the mountain side and cause an avalanche that would kill the enemy instead of using their artiliery for direct fire.
To this day, the Canadian army also uses its 155mm howitzers to cause controlled avalanches in the rockies to protect the highways.
lt is sad to me that man loves was so very much......Excellent White Death video....Thank THG🎀 👍
Old F-4 Phantom 2 Shoe🇺🇸
Incredible agony. 😢😢😢
Tks
I found myself quite moved at the thought of the absolute horrors that we inflicted upon ourselves. The fact that we learned absolutely nothing from this is the most appalling thing. I yearn for a time, some day in the future, when we can live with each other without fear and never resort to violence upon our fellows in order to solve our disagreements. The vast majority of individuals today get by without violence in our person to person affairs, certainly we can do it as a society among societies.
What is that image from @9:45-10:40? It looks like a Norman Rockwell painting but of havoc rather than American 'good times'.
I read that Indian and Chinese forces have had a few clashes in the mountains along their border not long go
They have. ruclips.net/video/qG97818j1_c/видео.htmlsi=uJrL-h0Tqyn2XVww
Don't forget the WW1 Caucasus Campaign between Russia and Turkey was also fought in mountains.
Please History guy, keep up with your Rumble uploads. RUclips is less and less popular.
I do know there's a RUclips channel where people go in some of the old tunnels and everything else like that that you can also look up and it's horrific
Could the term "Friday" be used as the "13th" because of the ominous omen they two words conger?
To be honest, I first heard about this from listening to Sabaton (and wanting to know what 'Soldier of Heaven' was about). Still weird to call it White Friday, while it was a Wednesday back in 1916
Could you do a video of the February 28 1910 Wellington Disaster?
If The Cap Fits You Join The Army Today. Sounds like Sound Advice. I like your sign.
Hey History Guy🤓 👋 do you remember watching Ultraman when you were a kid? Right now the original series is playing with Subtitles if you're interested I can send you a link 😉
Oooo!!! I loved Ultraman!
@@lisaboban Great Minds Think Alike!
It really is odd that they would call it White Friday instead of White Wednesday. I couldn't find when the term was coined, but I notice that the first December 13, after the War ended, is a Friday. If that's when the first commemoration occurred, they simply took that day for the title? You'd think there'd be some explanation, somewhere.
Friday the 13th?
That would fit 😳
In 1974, I learned to rappel on the lower slopes of Marmolata as a US Army soldier. While there we visited the monument to the victims and learned the horrific story of the many battles there and visited some of the old fortifications. Oy!
Does he keep quoting the ECMWF? That's a weather model; it doesn't say anything. Also, I highly recommend Erik Durschmied's books "The Weather Factor" and its older companion book "The Hinge Factor". Gripping reading and shows you how little things can have such an impact on our world.
I quote a story on their webpage.
Good morning
What your texting about has nothing to do with an avalanche!
how many were lost in this avalanche?
He said around 2,000 on each side.
Over 100 years ago,and the Remf haven't changed one bit...
Sabaton Soldier Of Heaven is what brought attention to me about this.
I realize that I don't know much about the history of the Austtro-Hungarian Empire or Austria. I'll look in your past videos, but that might ba fertile ground for future episodes.
How ironic to declare war on your fellow man only to die together when Mother Nature rises up against both of you.
Love ya ❤
Poor doggo used as counterweight to pull up a cannon
WHITE FRIDAY
I'LL TAKE THE
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
I'M SKY HIGH
WHEN I DIE
I'LL BE IMMORTAL
FOREVER
I NEVER
I WON'T RETURN TO
BLOOD MOUNTAIN
I AM THE
SOLDIER OF HEAVEN
I feel traumatized listening to the story.
it's scary, i have an exam on december friday 13th
wasn't Entente's failure to deliver to Italy the expected territorial gains that contributed to the rise of italian nationalism and eventual participation in WW on Axis side?
I don't know if that's true for Italy in ww1, but I know it was for Japan.
Italy did get significant territorial gains such as the Trentino region and Trieste port though not as much as they hoped and it was an excuse for the Fascists to take power. The problem for Italy was that territorial gains are much easier to secure in peace negotiations if they have been achieved through military force first and they largely failed to do that.
It’s a long subject but yes, Italy was promised several territories in exchange for joining the Entente in the pact of London. The promise wasn’t kept mostly due to US president Wilson meddling and this led to the so called Vittoria Mutilata concept in Italy. If you google Pact of London and Vittoria mutilata you can get more informations.
@@scottabc72 scottanc Italy did its part, joining the Entente, facing the Austro Hungarians and their German reinforcements and in the end after the Vittorio Veneto battle destroyed the Austro Hungarian Empire. Educate yourself: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vittorio_Veneto
Back in the Saddle Again Naturally
"WHITE FRIDAY, I'LL TAKE THE STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN.
I'M SKY HIGH, WHEN I DIE, I'LL BE IMMORTAL.
FOREVER, I NEVER, I WONT RETURN TO
BLOOD MOUNTAIN, I AM THE SOLDIER OF HEAVEN. -"
👍👍👍
How did soldiers drown in rain filled shell holes? I've learned about most things including this part of the great war, but this? I've never even heard this topic or scenario. Where they concussed and drowned because of where they fell? So many questions.
Or were they found in a rain filled shell hole after?
Maybe the concussion killed them and they were presumed drowned after no visual damage. I'm going through scenarios in my head.
Brilliant thanks for the episode
“White Friday, I'll take the
Stairway to Heaven
I'm sky high, when I die
I'll be immortal
Forever, I never
I won't return to
Blood mountain, I am the
Soldier of Heaven!”
History shows again and again
How nature points out the folly of men.
----- Blue Oyster Cult "Godzilla'
✌️
Avalanche
Gonna have to turn the Sabaton tune on after watching this
48th, 13 December 2023
Sabaton Soldier of heaven.
Yeah ,I was camping up there that night, you could hear the snow coming, I just grabbed a beer carton and rode it all the way down.
Was chilly though !
WOW a 107 year old guy is still around to tell the tail! 3:35
@@jamesfracasse8178
Think he'd need to be older than that, don't you???
@@b_uppy 116 years old
@@jamesfracasse8178
And with a time machine as beer cartons needed to be invented in 1916...
@@b_uppy correct 💯👍
They didn't see that coming.
A metal band called Sabaton made a fantastic song on this event called Soldier Of Heaven
One wonders if there isn’t this misguided notion that the Italian front somehow had it better as far as heroics, brave mountaineers taking cover and counterattacking in the alpine majesty, as opposed to faceless trench shelling and machine gun butchery. Utter nonsense, of course.
It is inaccurate to say that battles had never been fought at such altitudes. The battle of Pichincha (1822) was fought 1000m or almost 3500ft higher; I am sure that many higher battles can be researched easily. The eastern front and the Winter War, both during WW2 probably had worse weather. Battles between India an Pakistan and India and China probably had a more disadvantageous confluence of height and cold though their scale is minuscule. What is unique to the alpine battles of WW1is scale, these battles were bigger by orders of magnitudes than any other ones fought at comparable conditions.
I did not claim that these were the highest battles ever thought. That quotation is is saying that mountain tops had never previously been the front lines. Maintaining modern armies at these altitudes was unprecedented.
I honestly think that Sabaton's song " Soldier of Heaven". That covers what happened is one of their better songs. Is the best one in The War to End All Wars album.
Soldier of Heaven!!!