Where is the Molino della Sega?
The Molino della Sega is located at Via Molino Sega, Breda di Piave (TV).
To whom is the Molino della Sega dedicated?
The Molino della Sega is a monument created to commemorate the soldiers who were protagonists of the bitter and decisive conflict that took place on 16 and 17 November 1917 along the Piave River during the First World War.
The Molino della Sega celebrates the heroism and valor of the infantrymen, the bersaglieri, and the ’99 boys who opposed the advance of the Austro-Hungarian troops following the terrible defeat of Caporetto, which took place from 24 October to 12 November 1917.
From Caporetto to the Molino della Sega
The effectiveness of the overwhelming Austro-German incursion resulted from the enemy command’s ability to channel breakthrough forces to strike limited sectors of the Italian lines between Tolmino and Plezzo and penetrate deep into enemy territory.
Planned for the night of 24 October 1917, the powerful Austro-German attack aimed to:
- strike the basin of Plezzo towards the Saga gorge, in the direction of Tarcento and the Tagliamento.
- overcome the bridgehead of Tolmino and reach Caporetto by going up the Isonzo River.
- occupy the heights of Jeza, Krad and Kolovrat, an operation necessary to spread into the Judrio valley.
At 2:00 AM on 24 October, the heavy covering artillery bombardment began, which would precede the assault of the Austro-German troops.
The mistakes of the Italian Command
Following the victory on the Bainsizza Plateau, occupied by Italian troops on 29 August 1917, Cadorna ordered the offensive to be halted.
The resistance of the Austro-Hungarian army and the approach of the harsh winter season had led Cadorna to believe that any enemy counteroffensives would take place no earlier than the spring of 1918.
The relaxed and confident attitude that the High Command had transmitted to the troops was shaken by the increasingly frequent information that prisoners and deserters had spread among the units of the 2nd Army regarding an impending and devastating Austrian and German attack.
Having returned to Udine on 19 October, Cadorna became convinced of the danger and imminence of an enemy counteroffensive when only five days remained until the massive Austro-German breakthrough, insufficient time to adequately reorganize the troops and prepare an effective defensive deployment capable of withstanding the force of the enemy’s onslaught.
The long-range bombardment and the use of phosgene gas disintegrated the Italian positions, causing a chaotic retreat with devastating results: 12,000 dead, 31,000 wounded, and 300,000 prisoners.
The Piave and the resistance
Following the retreat, the Italians took up positions along the Piave River. On 15 November, a battalion of ’99 boys arrived in Carbonera, very young conscripts born in the last decade of the 19th century, who would reinforce the Italian defensive lines by fighting strenuously to counter the Austro-German impetus and repel the invader from the Piave front.
The first clashes began at dawn on 16 November 1916 between Candelù and Casa Folina. The first enemy battalions attempting to cross the Piave were annihilated by Italian troops.
Further south, between Negrisia and Faè, at 5:30 AM the first artillery clashes began, which would end with bloody bayonet charges.
Despite the ardor and determination of the Italian soldiers, the infantrymen of the 92nd Bohemian regiment managed to wade the Piave and reach the opposite bank, invading the area between Molino della Sega and Fagarè.
The Italian counteroffensive
To counter the enemy incursion, a battalion deployed from Molino della Sega to Castello was sent to Fagarè, leaving the area it originally guarded unguarded. The Austro-Hungarian units took advantage of the imbalance of forces to occupy the stretch between Molino della Sega and Castello. The 92nd Bohemian regiment thus managed to seize an artillery position and capture 400 Italian soldiers, including Major Melloni.
After conquering the Molino della Sega, the enemy first invaded San Bartolomeo, then Fagarè. The joint effort of the 153rd Novara regiment, coming from Zenson, and the 3rd Bersaglieri Brigade, which from Cavriè would head to San Bartolomeo, combined with strategic artillery bombardments aimed at slowing enemy supplies, made it possible to surround and repel the enemy.
It was precisely on this occasion that the ’99 boys received their baptism of fire, showing unshakeable courage and spirit of sacrifice in fighting on the front line against enemy formations. The contribution of the young soldiers proved fundamental in recapturing San Bartolomeo, Fagarè, flushing out the machine gun positions placed at Casa Marinello, near the Molino della Sega, and finally definitively driving the Austro-Hungarian army units from the Piave front.
The Molino della Sega today
Located near the Zero and Piavesella watercourses, the monument dedicated to the heroes of the deadly clashes against the Austro-Hungarian army on the Piave front consists of a white block of karst rock donated by the Municipality of Gradisca d’Isonzo, onto which a column is inserted, at the top of which is a permanently lit lantern.
On the occasion of commemorations and public ceremonies, the flags of Trento, Trieste, Gorizia, Udine, and Rome are hoisted on the five flagpoles that surround the monument, while the highest flagpole is dedicated to the tricolor.
In memory of the ancient mill, two ancient millstones for grinding wheat and corn.
