On July 16, 1916, the Entente launched simultaneous landing operations at the three ports of Civitavecchia, Lido di Ostia, and Latina, raising the curtain on the Apennine Peninsula Campaign.
On July 25, Lieutenant General Valikote convened a military conference at the Entente Allied Command headquarters. Although the landing operations had already begun, the situation at the front had turned out somewhat differently from what everyone expected. The Italians had prepared far more thoroughly than anticipated.
It made sense when one thought about it. The safety of their capital was at stake—there was no such thing as taking that too seriously. Moreover, Italy's geographical position meant that once it lost command of the sea, none of its coastline could be considered safe any longer.
The Entente forces participating in this campaign included:
Bulgaria: 5 infantry divisions (around 17,000 men per division), 2 heavy artillery brigades (around 3,800 men per brigade, equipped with 108 artillery pieces of various types), 5 bomber groups (36 bombers per group), and 6 fighter groups (48 aircraft per group), for a total force of around 100,000 men;
The British: 2 Canadian divisions (around 15,000 men per division), 2 Australian divisions (around 14,700 men per division), 1 New Zealand division (around 13,600 men), 10 Indian divisions (around 15,300 men per division), and 4 heavy artillery regiments, for a total force of around 230,000 men;
The French: 5 African divisions (around 14,000 men per division) and 1 heavy artillery regiment, for a total force of around 72,000 men.
On the surface, the Entente possessed twenty-five infantry divisions totaling four hundred thousand troops. With soldiers strong and horses stout, it seemed entirely possible that they could cut Italy in two and choose any landing site they pleased!
But in reality, the only troops with genuine combat power were Bulgaria's five