Human consequences
The deadliest hits the Austro-Hungarian Gran Poz barracks on the Marmolada, where about 270 soldiers die. Throughout the war, avalanches kill thousands of soldiers on this front.
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Avalanche & landslide“White Friday” avalanches
2,000Deaths
Not quantifiedDisplaced / homeless
Not quantifiedEstimated cost
- Uncertain toll: at least 2,000 soldiers killed that day, including about 270 in the Austro-Hungarian barracks on the Marmolada.
In the middle of the First World War, after exceptional snowfall followed by a thaw, a series of avalanches sweeps down the Dolomites on the same day, burying Italian and Austro-Hungarian army quarters.
Consequences
Environmental consequences
Several metres of fresh snow on an unstable snowpack, then milder winds: extreme avalanche conditions across the range.
Economic consequences
High-mountain posts, military paths and supply cableways are swept away.
Political consequences
According to some accounts, both sides fired artillery at snowy slopes to set off avalanches on the enemy; how widespread this practice really was is still debated.
Further reading
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