WW1 ITALIAN Bronze "VICTORY BULLETIN" Plaque (4th November 1918) GENERALE A.DIAZ

Description: An ITALIAN BRONZE PLAQUE recording the "VICTORY BULLETIN" announced to the nation on 4th November 1918 by GENERALE A. DIAZ. Produced in Rome, and measuring approximately 17cm x 13cm, it's a scaled down version of plaques that were made from captured Austro-Hungarian artillery pieces and hung in Italian Army Barracks and important municipal buildings at the end of the War. I don't know how many of these smaller versions were made, nor who they were presented to at the time, but it came to me with a some WW1 Italian Trench Maps, a number of (presumably captured) Austro-Hungarian maps of Italy, and a pair of WW1 Italian Victory medals. It's heavy for its size, weighing over 0.6kg, and the tiny specks of 'verdigris' are a good sign of its age. Apparently, identical items have sold at Italian auction houses for 250-330 Euros (plus auctioneer's commission), so they're clearly sought after and it would seem that they don't come up for sale too often. The text on the plaque translates as follows..... From the Supreme Headquarters 12:00 hours, November 4, 1918 The war against Austria-Hungary, which the Italian Army, inferior in number and equipment, began on 24 May 1915 under the leadership of His Majesty and supreme leader the King and conducted with unwavering faith and tenacious bravery without rest for 41 months, is won. The gigantic battle, which opened on the 24th of last October and in which fifty-one Italian divisions, three British, two French, one Czechoslovak and a US regiment joined against seventy-three Austrian divisions, is over. The lightning-fast and most audacious advance of the XXIX Army Corps on Trento, blocking the retreat of the enemy armies from Trentino, as they were overwhelmed from the west by the troops of the VII army and from the east by those of the I, VI, and the IV armies, led to the utter collapse of the enemy's front. From the Brenta to the Torre, the fleeing enemy is pushed ever further back by the irresistible onslaught of the XII, VIII, X Armies and of the cavalry divisions. In the plains, His Royal Highness the Duke of Aosta is advancing at the head of his undefeated III Army, eager to return to the previously successfully conquered positions, which they had never lost. The Austro-Hungarian Army is vanquished: it suffered terrible losses in the dogged resistance of the early days, and during the pursuit it lost an enormous quantity of materials of every kind as well as almost all its stockpiles and supply depots. The Austro-Hungarian Army has so far left about 300,000 prisoners of war in our hands along with their entire general staff and at least 5,000 pieces of artillery. The remnants of what was one of the world's most powerful armies are returning in hopelessness and chaos up the valleys from which they had descended with boastful confidence. Chief of Staff of the Army, General Diaz (Seller's Ref - MK1124)

Price: 149.99 GBP

Location: Ipswich

End Time: 2025-01-14T16:36:33.000Z

Shipping Cost: 31.41 GBP