Italy
Luigi Cadorna
1850–1928 Chief of the Italian General Staff, 1914–1917
The son of a general, Cadorna was a stern, devout professional of the old school who believed that attack was the only way to win and that discipline came from fear. He planned the war against Austria-Hungary as a thrust across the Isonzo toward Ljubljana and Vienna, and launched it in 1915 with an army that was short of artillery and machine guns. He fought the first eleven Battles of the Isonzo, relieved large numbers of senior officers (more than 200 generals, by one count) and approved summary executions. His rigid command ended in disaster at Caporetto in October 1917, when he was dismissed (see chapter VI).