The First Battle of Monte Grappa, also known as the First Battle of the Piave, was a battle that was fought on the Italian front of World War I in November 1917.
The Austro-Hungarian autumn offensive of 1917, supported by a German intervention, sent the Royal Italian Army into an all-out retreat. Italian chief of staff Luigi Cadorna ordered the construction of fortified defenses around the Monte Grappa summit. He was replaced by a new commander, Armando Diaz, shortly after. Narrowly escaping encirclement and under new leadership, the Italian Army began to counter the pressure as they anchored themselves on the Piave River, starting the First Battle of the Pivae from 8 to 26 November 1917. With misplaced optimism the Itaian Army attempted to hold a bridgehead among the rolling vineyards and narrow streets of Vidor. Directly opposing the German 12th Silesian Division was only the 2nd Bersaglieri Brigade. Supported by artillery, the battle devolved into brutal hand-to-hand combat that involved a detachment of Alpini from the "Val Variata" Battalion. With the 4th Arditi Detachment as a rear guard the bridgehead was abandoned, and, on 11 November, the last elements had retreated and at 8 PM the last bridgehead across the Piave was demolished. The Austro-Hungarians, despite help from the Imperial German Army's Alpenkorps and their own numerical superiority, failed to take Monte Grappa's summit, and the Austro-Hungarians were forced to scrap their plans of conquering Venice, leading to the front line stabilizing along the Piave.