The battle of Caporetto in northern Italy in 1917 has been consistently portrayed as a shameful defeat for the Italian Army by German and Austro-Hungarian forces. Italian forces retreated from the front lines in deep disarray. The possible exit of Italian from the First World War was reportedly only staved off by the arrival of French and British reinforcements.In this concise monograph, Italian historian Mario Morselli argues the truth was much more nuanced. If the Italian Army was stunned by its defeat, German and Austro-Hungarian forces were unprepared for the dramatic scale of their success. The Italians retreated far enough to give themselves space and time to build an effective defense, while German forces quickly returned to the Western Front. The author argues that in the end, the battle made no difference to the outcome of the war.The author discusses the political implications of the battle and the war for Italy with considerable frankness. New sources of information sketch the internal Italian struggle over the response to Caporetto, and the decision to stay in the war. The book includes a small selection of maps, which unfortunately are difficult to read. The student of the conflict may wish to consult more detailed maps. Recommended as an interesting introduction to the topic.