Cableways - Written in the landscape

The war at high altitude required considerable logistical and material effort for the care of the wounded and sick. In the high mountains there were only first aid structures, while intermediate structures, more spacious and organized, were located in the valley floor. For the most serious cases, transfer to military hospitals in territories even farther away from the front was organized. In addition to historical photographs, there remain recollections of the health infrastructure and biographies of doctors who worked at the front or who visited it.
For many, religiosity played an important role in making the harshness of war bearable. The private one, of the individual soldiers, can be reconstructed with extreme difficulty through some objects or personal diaries. The rites of official religiosity, on the other hand, are well documented by photographs, drawings and written sources. These sources show that religiosity itself was often exploited for propaganda purposes and to support the war effort. Parish priests and chaplains, such as Feldkurat Josef Hosp on the Austrian side and Don Pietro Zangrando on the Italian side, supported with conviction the causes of their respective staffs, to the extent that they intervened at times: on the front, faith and patriotism were closely intertwined.
The general staff prepared numerous cemeteries for the fallen. At high altitude, there were emergency cemeteries, in some cases located near the front lines. Time has left barely visible traces of these places. On the Austro-Hungarian front, the cemetery of Toblingerdörfl and that of Zirbenboden are known, both well documented by photographs of the time. Between the two wars, the remains of the soldiers were exhumed and moved to the large cemeteries dedicated to the fallen, in ossuaries or in village tombs, partly for ideological and political reasons. (GF, SK)

The landscape that characterizes the area on which the research of the Written on the Landscape project focused is the Dolomite medium and high mountains, upon which military structures and infrastructures were grafted. From a naturalistic point of view, a monographic report of the Italian I Army Corps of 1917 proves to be particularly revealing, in which we read: “The region in question is part of the Dolomite Alps, of which it forms the extreme eastern edge, and, in this region, the characters of the Triassic formation are very marked, with local tectonic disturbances […]. The phenomena of erosion have acted intensely on dolomite, a constituent element of these rocks, so as to form irregular and steep slopes, furrowed by deep gullies. The typical example of the intensity of this erosion is given by the Tre Cime di Lavaredo; and where erosion has manifested itself most, shales and sandstones have been laid bare.”
The report is very detailed and also focuses on the intricate situation of water: “From the orographic complexity of the region results, by natural consequence, a corresponding hydrographic complexity, and it is noteworthy that in a relatively small area there are watercourses unfolding in different and opposite directions. Thus, while the Rio Marzon, the Rio Cengia and the Rio Giralba all have the general north-south direction, the Bacher Bach goes from south to north; and while the Boden Bach runs from west to east, the Schwarze Rienz [Rienza Nera] descends from east to west.” This is followed by climatic considerations, in which the minimum winter temperatures that have been recorded can drop to -30° C, and insights on the vegetation, ranging from coniferous forest, to mountain forest, to rhododendron.1Archivio dell’Ufficio storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Roma, Monografie del I Corpo d’Armata – Genio – Sistemazione difensiva, AUSSME_B1_110D_23A.
A complex natural landscape, therefore, that did not make life at high altitude easy for the hundreds of men who faced each other for twenty-nine months, summer and winter, in the Dolomites. (GF)

For the soldiers who found themselves fighting on the Three Peaks Plateau, winters were long and snowy. The snow fell from October to April and could last until late June in the shaded areas of the highest peaks. The minimum temperature often dropped to -30°C at night, hovering around 0°C during the day.
Frostbite and avalanches soon became familiar dangers. To help the soldiers survive in such conditions, both staffs provided detailed equipment and instructions. Each Italian soldier, for example, received two sets of woolen garments and three heavy blankets. The troops in the trenches also received coats and shoes lined with fur, clogs, balaclavas, leg wraps, socks, waterproof clothing and sleeping bags. To avoid frostbite, antioxidant fat was distributed to spread on the feet. To limit the damage caused by avalanches, officers from both armies had maps at their disposal showing the points most likely to cause snow loss. Despite this, the winter at high altitude resulted in hundreds of victims.
As time went on, the general staffs began to take advantage of winter conditions. The attack on Sasso di Sesto/Sextenstein on 21 April 1917 is a clear example of this. The approach of members of the Austro-Hungarian army to the Italian lines took place through a tunnel dug hundreds of meters in the snow. This tunnel made it possible to catch the sentinels by surprise and temporarily conquer the position. It also required the training of departments specialized in the use of winter equipment, including skis used for stealth and surprise attacks as well as sleds for the transport of materials. (GF)

Three Peaks cable car in front of the Dreischusterspitze, 1915-1918. AT-OeStA/KA BS I WK Fronten Tirol, 4646. © Österreichisches Staatsarchiv – Kriegsarchiv, Wien.
Ascent of the Torre di Toblin/Toblinger Knoten, the ropes of the hand hoist are visible in the background, 1915-1918. AT-OeStA/KA BS I WK Fronten Tirol, 4938. © Österreichisches Staatsarchiv – Kriegsarchiv, Vienna.
Lower cable car station, Val Campo di Dentro/Innerfeldtal. Unknown photographer, 1915-1918. AT-OeStA/KA BS I WK Fronten Tirol, 1412. © Österreichisches Staatsarchiv – Kriegsarchiv, Vienna.
Lower cable car station, Val Campo di Dentro/Innerfeldtal. Unknown photographer, 1915-1918. AT-OeStA/KA BS I WK Fronten Tirol, 1263. © Österreichisches Staatsarchiv – Kriegsarchiv, Vienna.
Zirbenboden, valley station of the Innichriedel cable car. In the background the supports of the connecting cable car from Val Campo di Dentro/Innerfeldtal. The photo is from the album of the 35th Railway Company (page 33 of the album, photo 2).
KudDZ-Kü-Rei-Aufl-2011-S121-©DKA. Dolomitenkriegsarchiv, Dr. Hugo Reider/Peter Kübler.
Carriage of the cable car behind the Monte Paterno/Paternkofel. Unknown photographer, 1917. ISCAG_archivio_fotografico_025434. Courtesy of the Istituto Storico e di Cultura dell’Arma del Genio, Rome. ©ISCAG.
Cable car station on the eastern flank of the Monte Paterno/Paternkofel. ISCAG_archivio_fotografico_025436. Courtesy of the Istituto Storico e di Cultura dell’Arma del Genio, Rome. © ISCAG.
Arrival station of the cable car on the eastern flank of the monte Paterno/Paternkofel. Unknown photographer. ISCAG_archivio_fotografico_025437. Courtesy of the Istituto Storico e di Cultura dell’Arma del Genio, Rome. ©ISCAG.
Arrival station of the cable car Valle Campo di Dentro/Innerfeldtal at Innichriedel. Photo of the archaeological documentation, Arc-Team and Gianluca Fondriest. © unibz, WiL Archive.
Mountain station of the cable car at the Torre dei Scarperi/Schwabenalpenkopf. Photo of the archaeological documentation, Arc-Team and Gianluca Fondriest. © unibz, WiL Archive.
Middle station of the cable car to the Torre dei Scarper/Schwabenalpenkopf. Photo of the archaeological documentation, Arc-Team and Gianluca Fondriest. © unibz, WiL Archive.
Preserved structures of a cable car mast. Summer 2021. Photo of the archaeological documentation, Arc-Team and Gianluca Fondriest. © unibz, WiL Archive.
Preserved cable car mast with wooden ladder. In the background the mountain station of the cable car to the Forcella San Candido/Innichriedel. Photo of the archaeological documentation, Arc-Team and Gianluca Fondriest. © unibz, WiL Archive.
Zirbenboden Station. Summer 2021. Photo of the archaeological documentation, Arc-Team and Gianluca Fondriest. © unibz, WiL Archive.

Table of cableways of the I Army Corps. 30/04/1917. AUSSME_E1_B291. Courtesy of Archivio Ufficio Storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Rome. ©AUSSME.

List of cableways proposed for construction – 1917 – I Army Corps. AUSSME_E1_B291. Courtesy of Archivio Ufficio Storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Rome. ©AUSSME.

Map December 1916, defense installations and cableways (detail). AUSSME_B1_110D_23. Courtesy of Archivio Ufficio Storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Rome. © AUSSME.

Map showing connecting routes, trails, cable cars, barracks capacity, and probable avalanche areas. AUSSME_B1_110D_24A_monografi. Courtesy of Archivio Ufficio Storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Rome. © AUSSME.

Map of the I Army Corps with the cable cars indicated – 4th Company of Telegraphists. 30/04/1917. AUSSME_E1_B291. Courtesy of Archivio Ufficio Storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Rome. ©AUSSME.

Section, side view and floor plan of the drive unit for ropeways with manual operation. AUSSME_E1_B291. Courtesy of Archivio Ufficio Storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Rome. © AUSSME.

Project drawing of ropeway elements: Views of the drive and return station, the carriage, the trestles and the suspension. ISCAG_cart_0503_opere di difesa_disegno n.3. With the kind permission of the Istituto Storico e di Cultura dell’Arma del Genio. © ISCAG.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of a teleferic pole that ascended from Val Campo di Dentro/Innerfeldtal to Forcella di San Candido/Innichriedel. The wooden maintenance steps are still visible. The other poles are now lying on the ground. Elaboration by Arc-Team and Gianluca Fondriest. © unibz, WiL Archive.

Starting from 1916, a material transport system began on the plateau through the installation of cable cars, both on the Italian and Austro-Hungarian sides. By motor or hand, these tools proved indispensable for supplying food, ammunition, and equipment to the troops present on the front. On the Italian side, in the sector of the Three Peaks in 1917, there were six main cableways, plus several secondary ones.1Archivio dell’Ufficio storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Roma, Teleferiche IV Armata, AUSSME_E1_cart291. For example, the one connecting the Piano del Cavallo to Paterno/Paternkofel, which covered a length of 1200 meters and overcame a difference in height of 250 meters, with a 15 HP engine, unit load of 150 kg, carried 15,000 kg in 10 hours.2Archivio dell’Ufficio storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Roma, Monografie del I Corpo d’Armata – Genio – Sistemazione difensiva, AUSSME_B1_110D_23A. After Caporetto, on November 5, 1917, the Command of the 137th Zappatori Company of the 2nd Engineer Regiment gave the order to the group of Lieutenant Prando to blow up all the stations of the motor cableways in the sector, to prevent their materials from being reused, a task that was completed “with very effective destructive effects”.3Archivio dell’Ufficio storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Roma, Diario della 137° compagnia Zappatori, AUSSME_B1_145E_87d. Meanwhile, in 1916-1917, on the Austrian side, the cable car system was now very effective, connecting the valley floor (Val Campo di Dentro/Innerfeldtal) to the intermediate station of Zirbenboden, and from there developing again in a section towards the Forcella di San Candido/Innichriedel and a second towards the northern side of the Calotta Ovest/Kuppe West, where there was a Zone Command. Other installations then led to the slopes of the Torre dei Scarperi/Schwalbenalpenkopf, and a small handheld cable car allowed materials to be transported to the top of the Torre di Toblin/Toblinger Knoten.4Kübler and Reider, Kampf um die Drei Zinnen, pp. 114-156.
As with the construction of the barracks, Russian and Serbian prisoners of war were also employed for the construction of the cable cars. An important means of transporting ammunition and rations was the Val Campo di Dentro/Innerfeldtal cableway, which was built before the winter of 1915/16, as the shoulder pipes were no longer sufficient to adequately supply the troops in the positions. A larger camp with several barracks was built near the arrival station at about 2,370 meters altitude and became an important supply point for the combat section of the Three Peaks Plateau. Occasionally, the cable cars were also used to transport the wounded to the camp and the medical station of the Tre Scarperi/Dreischuster Hut. The installation of cable cars and hoists greatly facilitated transport to the high mountain posts, even if they could often be paralyzed for hours by accidents and bad weather.

(GF, SK)

Diario della 137° compagnia Zappatori, AUSSME_B1_145E_87d, Archivio dell’Ufficio storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Roma.

Kriegsarchiv Wien, Kriegstagebuch des Infanterieregiments 59, Entries vom 2.11.1915, S. 91, 15.11.1915, S. 99, 21.11.1915, S. 100.

Kübler, Peter and Hugo Reider (1997). Kampf um die Drei Zinnen. Das Herzstück der Sextener Dolomiten 1915-1917 und heute. Bozen: Athesia.

Monografie del I Corpo d’Armata – Genio – Sistemazione difensiva, AUSSME_B1_110D_23A , Archivio dell’Ufficio storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Rome.

Teleferiche IV Armata, AUSSME_E1_cart291, Archivio dell’Ufficio storico dello Stato Maggiore dell’Esercito, Rome.

Tiroler Landesarchiv, Standschützen Baon Innsbruck I 1914-1918, Faszikel IV, Lagerkommando Schusterhütte, Nr. 1474, Verwendung der bei der bei der Schusterhütte bequartierten Russen, 12.11.1916.

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