Hello soldiers! Isonzo released last tuesday ! We're so happy and excited to see you all play and enjoy the game ! Thank you so much for your love and support for the series!

Monte Cengio

Now let's continue with this week's devblog. Monte Cengio is the first map in the Strafexpedition Offensive - you can read about the second map, Fior, in our earlier blog entries: part one and part two. Monte Cengio and Fort Corbin were the site of a fierce battle during the Strafexpedition - the punitive expedition intended by the Austro-Hungarians to punish the Italians for abandoning their pre-war agreement to join the Central Powers.

A Comparison between the real-life version and in-game. (Drone footage taken during our visit in 2020 Although built in 1906 and thus still fairly modern at the time of the Strafexpedition, Fort Corbin was undermined by a lack of armament and garrison (like many fortresses in WW1). Along with all the other forts on the plateau, Fort Corbin had its guns removed to serve in combat units, to be replaced with wooden decoys - keep an eye open when attacking over the roof where the gun turrets sit and youll spot the logs masquerading as gun barrels!
The decoys are presented in the game as well! Fort Corbin was defended by the Grenadiers of Sardinia, who have a long storied history starting in 1831 - their name comes from the Kingdom of Sardinia, rather than the island! They continue to exist today, as the Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna". At the time of the Strafexpedition they were veterans who had participated with distinction in the first five Battles of the Isonzo.
The Battered outside of the fort They fought hard to defend Fort Corbin and Monte Cengio, continuing to resist even after running critically low on ammunition. They held their positions on Monte Cengio and greatly hindered the Austro-Hungarian offensive. Of the 6,000 men deployed, 4,478 had become casualties by the time they were relieved from Cengio. The Sardinians would go on to fight in many more Battles of the Isonzo
Visible holes in the present-day fort of where the gun turrets used to be Today the fort has been restored and turned into a museum! This is all the more impressive considering that the fort was reduced to little more than piles of rubble after the war - not from combat, but first from materials being taken to use in rebuilding villages on the plateau ruined in the fighting, and then from scavengers taking anything of value possible from the site. Eventually it was purchased by a farming family, the Panozzos, who first used the area for grazing animals, but later started restoring the site from their own pocket. Later it was recognized by regional authorities who offered financial assistance - but the family declined, instead continuing to maintain the museum themselves!
The fortress complex has already suffered through a heavy artillery bombardment, leaving large gaps in the outer walls for the attacking Austro-Hungarians to exploit. However, these gaps may well be blocked by wire built by defending engineers, and another challenge is the defensive ditch before the wall itself. A small bastion juts out into this trench, with two heavy machine guns, one facing each way. Attempting to cross the ditch without silencing the guns or laying down smoke is most likely a fatal mistake. The attackers can creep up to the base of the bastion itself to shoot inside or throw grenades, but won't be able to sabotage the HMGs themselves until they get inside the fortress.
Defending the moat from the bunker
Impression of fighting your way up the moat to the concrete gallery Once past the outside wall there are two objectives. One is a capture point in the main part of Fort Corbin, the other is a sabotage objective in a supply room in a separate structure. However, even after destroying the supply room the Austro-Hungarians may want to maintain some presence here, since the area is adjacent to the route that defending Italian infantry will need to take in order to reinforce the Fort Corbin capture point. There are also clear sight lines from the second line of defense to Fort Corbin - this means troops in the capture point can shoot at defenders approaching, but are vulnerable to being shot at or suppressed themselves. Marksmen from both sides will find rich pickings here, unless their foes are smart enough to avoid lingering by windows and doorways. [previewyoutube=8twAfMtk69Y;full][/previewyoutube] An impression of the fort and its surroundings That is it for now! Capturing the fort is just the beginning, however! Next week we will go more in depth in the second half of this map!

Avanti Savoia

Don't forget that you can now get Isonzo with a 10% discount and a time limited Avanti Savoia DLC! After the release week, you won't be able to purchase it! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
We'll keep working on Isonzo and adding (free) additional content to the game as well!

Community Image

We love seeing your Isonzo screenshot and clips! Be sure to share them here in the community hub, social media and our Discord! We will highlight our favourites in the upcoming devblogs and on our social media! This week's hightlight goes to Reddit user 'HowlingLemon'!

Good luck on the Italian Front soldiers and see you in-game on the battlefield! Avanti!