The
Italian Front (; in , "Mountain war") was a series of battles at the border between
Austria-Hungary and
Italy, fought between 1915 and 1918 in
World War I. Following the secret promises made by the
Allies in the
Treaty of London, Italy entered the war in order to annex the
Austrian Littoral and northern
Dalmatia, and the territories of present-day
Trentino and
South Tyrol. Although Italy had hoped to gain the territories with a surprise offensive, the front soon bogged down into
trench warfare, similar to the
Western Front fought in France, but at
high altitudes and with very cold winters. The front caused civil population to resettle and several thousands of them died in Italian and Austrian refugee camps of malnutrition and illness. The Allied victory at
Vittorio Veneto and the disintegration of Austria-Hungary ended the military operations.