Isonzo News

[p]Zafer Bizim Olacak! For King and Country! [/p][p][/p][p]The WW1 Game Series expands beyond the borders of Europe to the Middle Eastern Front. We’re incredibly excited to finally announce the fourth game of the WW1 Game Series: Gallipoli.[/p][p][/p][h2]Watch the Gallipoli Reveal Trailer here: [/h2][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
If you’re as excited as we are, please add Gallipoli to your Steam wishlist and follow the game! This would help us massively with spreading the word about Gallipoli, and you’ll get notified whenever there’s news and when the game releases. Thank you![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]About Gallipoli[/h2][p][/p][p]Early on in the war, allied progress on the Western Front had ground to a stalemate as breaking Germany’s defenses just seemed impossible. So, what about a different approach? Defeating the Ottoman Empire and taking Constantinople would not only open up a supply route with Russia, but also a new angle to attack Germany & Austria-Hungary from. The British believed it was a plan that could work, so they assembled an expeditionary force from across the empire and attacked. However, they would quickly realise that the Ottomans weren’t as weak as anticipated and would do anything to repel the invasion. [/p][p]That’s the stage for Gallipoli! You’ll fight to control the beaches of the peninsula, defend key positions in Kut al Amara and charge across the deserts of lower Mesopotamia. The Middle Eastern Front will have you face challenges and exploit opportunities unlike those of any other theater.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]
Battles of Momentum[/h3][p]Each entry in the WW1 Game Series has its own signature game mode, and Gallipoli won’t break that streak! We’re saving the detailed rundown for a dedicated blog later on, but we’ll give you something to work with for now. [/p][p]The signature game mode of Gallipoli is a 50-player battle all about momentum. If you’re on the attacking side, your aim is to complete your objectives as quickly as possible. Doing so keeps your momentum high and your allies motivated. The defenders however, will want to bunker down and hold the objectives as long as possible to waste the enemy’s momentum. Once that starts to bleed dry, the attackers are in trouble. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Throwing yourself at the main objectives may not be the best course of action for the attackers. Other opportunities will reveal themselves that can recuperate lost momentum. Battles in Gallipoli play out differently every time, and it'll be up to you to figure out the best approach![/p][p] [/p][h3]Improvements as far as the eye can see[/h3][p]The BlackMill Games team has expanded significantly since the development of Isonzo. Now over 30 people strong, we have room to make major improvements to all facets of the game![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
One of the more obvious examples from the trailer are the improvements to the graphics. What you see in the trailer and screenshots is what Gallipoli currently looks like! We’re using a lot of modern tech and techniques to crank the immersion to eleven.[/p][p]
Gunplay also receives a major upgrade with Gallipoli. We’ve gone to great lengths to faithfully recreate the weaponry used on the Middle Eastern Front, which was usually quite obsolete, weird or both. In Gallipoli, you’ll truly be able to see, feel & hear all the unique characteristics of each weapon.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
You can also expect major improvements to progression, loadouts, cosmetics and the health system, to name a few. However, it would be too much to share all the details at once, so we’ll leave it at that for now. Though, who knows what you may already be able to spot in the trailer?[/p][p][/p][h3]Much more to come[/h3][p]If you’d like to learn all the details about Gallipoli, you’re in the right place! We’ll be sharing more details on Reddit, YouTube and right here on Steam in the months leading up to release. There are a lot of surprises still to come, so make sure to not miss out![/p][p][/p][p]You’ll hear from us again soon with new intel about Gallipoli. Until then, hoşça kal![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h3]Follow our socials:[/h3][p]YouTube Discord Reddit X / Twitter Bluesky[/p]

[p]Monday, July 28th, marks the start of World War 1 a whole 111 years ago. Political turmoil following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand reached its breaking point during the July Crisis, and Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. As more and more countries promised to support each other, the war grew to a scale no one anticipated.[/p][p][/p][h2]Film Memoir[/h2][p]We commemorate this day every year by enabling the Film Memoir mode for free across Verdun, Tannenberg and Isonzo on PC! You can enable and disable the mode as you please in the graphics settings. It'll remain available for the rest of July, but owners of the Supporter Pack DLCs can of course continue using it for the respective games.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Share your stories![/h2][p][/p][p]We'd like to invite you to share your stories of World War 1, to help us all remember what it was like to be part of it. 111 years is quite a long time, and we could all do with a little refresher from time to time! After all, those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.[/p][p]Be it a heroic tale passed down the family, an overlooked historic event local to you, or a friend's friend found a little monument with an interesting story to tell. We'd like to learn about it![/p][p]Head on over the WW1 Game Series subreddit and make a post using the 'WW1 Stories' flair to tell your story. If you have any related memorabilia, be sure to include pictures! You can also include related images from the internet to illustrate your story, but include a source so we know it's not yours.[/p][p]Do keep your own privacy in mind! You don't have to dox yourself to share a good story, so maybe leave out overly identifying details. We'll leave this to your own discretion.[/p][p]This isn't a contest either, you don't have to one-up everyone with your story! Even small titbits of history are worth sharing.[/p][p]We're excited to read about your connection(s) to World War 1 and learn about more local stories![/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Follow our socials:[/h3][p]YouTube Discord Reddit X / Twitter Bluesky[/p]

[p]It's summer on the northern hemisphere and the temperatures are on the rise. So let's take a moment to cool down by climbing a really steep mountain while being blasted by frigid winds and snow! If you're dealing with winter on the southern hemisphere, this is probably just another Thursday.[/p][p][/p][p]That's right, Ascent is back! Grab an ice pick, rope and the nearest rock: from right now until July 14th, we're fighting for the peak of Marmolada.[/p][p][/p][h2](Re)watch the Ascent Trailer:[/h2][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h2]What's an Ascent?[/h2][p]The Ascent game mode is a free event available to everyone who owns Isonzo. The goal is control of the capture point at the summit of Marmolada. The Italians are on the offense and elected to go to shortest route: straight up the cliff. With ice picks and rope in hand, they'll have to climb their way towards the capture point. As they do, the rope they placed will form a quick way up for those who come after.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Austro-Hungarians are on the defense and aren't planning to let the Italians waltz up their mountain. To make sure the Italians don't reach the summit, they're armed with their trusty rifles to send the Italians back to the bottom. However, supplies are scarce up there and ammunition is hard to come by, so they only have one clip per soldier.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If you happen to be an Austro-Hungarian with a distinct lack of ammo, don't worry, Mother Nature's got you covered. Scattered around the mountain you'll find piles of rocks that work just fine against Italians. Just drop them over the edge and gravity takes care of the rest![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If you manage to hit someone with a rock, you'll get yourself the coveted Rock 'n Roll achievement![/p][p][/p][p]The Italians have an upmountain battle ahead of them in Ascent, but once they make it to the capture point at the top, it'll be hard to put a stop to them.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]That's the gist of Ascent! If you'd like to know the details, as well as the history this event is based on, check out this blog:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]Dress for the job[/h2][p][/p][p]Now, you could show up in your breezy waistcoat and dainty cap. But consider this: it's really, really cold up there. You'll want to make sure to dress warm and cozy (not an in game effect) for the climb ahead, lest your fingers start turning a color they shouldn't be (also not an in game effect).[/p][p][/p][p]If you're looking to pick up some winter ready but purely cosmetic gear for the battle at hand, be sure to check out the Altitude and Glacial Units Pack DLCs! They'll have a sweet discount once the Steam Summer Sale kicks off later today.

[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][carousel][/carousel][h3]Now, without further ado, it's time to join Ascent![/h3][p]
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While the Moschin map in Isonzo focuses on the Austro-Hungarian attack at Col Moschin, it didn't take very long for the Italian Arditi to take it back. They launched an attack the very next day to recapture the position; the battle that followed was one for the history books. Now, let's start with the Arditi themselves.

[h2]Italy's shock troops[/h2]

The Arditi had been created and conceived as elite assault troops within the Royal Italian Army in 1917. Their name translates literally into daring or audacious. Their purpose was to operate in aggressive attacks in advance of main infantry, capture positions, and hold them until being reinforced. A notable mythos around the ‘daring’ nature of the Arditi was built up in Italy through propaganda of them attacking trenches with grenades and knives in their teeth. This was bolstered by the publication of various memoirs and accounts – that often strayed heavily into fiction – that blurred the lines further.

Whilst the Arditi would not be formally created until 1917, their early precursors already existed. In the words of John Gooch ‘the first Italian assault detachments – which would become the Arditi – developed as an expansion of small units of esploratori who probed enemy defenses in the mountain zones in the first year of the war’. But as Vanda Wilcox also noted; ‘not until the Arditi units were formed in 1917 were any kind of complex tactics taught’.

Arditi Corps, 1918.

The Arditi were first successfully used during the Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo in 1917, but were also present during the disastrous defeat at Caporetto. Following that battle the Arditi were slightly reorganized, and some units were expanded to include flamethrowers.

[h2]Retaking Col Moschin and beyond[/h2]

When the Austro-Hungarian army attacked at the Piave River in June 1918, the Italian army was well-prepared and managed to hold most of the attack around the mountains – losing some of their front-line positions - but were pushed back further near the river.

On the 16th June, the IX Assault Unit of the Arditi was tasked with recapturing the summit of Col Moschin at Monte Grappa. In accordance with their training the XI Assault Unit launched a lightning attack on Austrian positions to drive the enemy out and then hold the lines until they could be reinforced by supporting infantry. This attack successfully recaptured positions on Col Moschin, Col della Berretta and Asolone.

IX Assault Unit after the Battle of Col Moschin. Source

Within days the Austro-Hungarian attack had faltered and Italian counter attacks helped recapture much of the lost territory and force the Austro-Hungarians back across the river.

Their efforts cost the Italians 85,000 men who were either killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. The Austro-Hungarian casualties were much steeper at 143,000.

This historian John Gooch has since reflected that ‘the Italians had achieved more than either they or their allies had realized at the time. The Austrians dated the beginning of their collapse from the failure of the Piave’.

The 9th Paratroopers Assault Regiment of the modern Italian Army still bears the name ‘Col Moschin’ in recognition of their attack in June 1918.

[h3]Sources:[/h3]
https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/piave-battles-of/

https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/arditi/

https://www.esercito.difesa.it/organizzazione/capo-di-sme/COMFOTER/Comando-delle-Forze-Speciali-dell-Esercito/9-Reggimento-dAssalto-Paracadutisti-Col-Moschin/Pagine/La-Storia.aspx

The Italian Army and the First World War by John Gooch
Morale and the Italian Army during the First World War by Vanda Wilcox

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Flakfire joined us to celebrate the release of the Moschin Expansion for Isonzo! Jos, Tea, Claudia and Jim answer a ton of questions about the new map, new weapons and the new DLC, as well as some community questions. Sit back and relax!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

For more information about the Moschin Expansion, check our blog post!

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/596271781985125549

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