The positions of the Austro-Hungarian Infantry Battalion No. 46/III. in Slovenia

In August 2002 our research group departed to Slovenia to search the battle remains of the Austro-Hungarian Infantry Battalion No. 46/III. The defence positions of the battalion were close to town Tolmin (Tolmein) on the mount Mrzli Vrh. Our host was the Slovenian "Peski" Group. During the survey we stayed at a farmstead on the mount Sleme (1450 m). Every day we walked up to the Mrzli Vrh. This tour took about one hour. The objects of the excavations were two caverns of the 46/III. battalion. We excavated a trench in front of the bigger cavern. We found a lot of different artifacts.(see the pictures)

There is an altar in the smaller cavern. On the altar we found an inscription:

"Blessed Virgin be the protector of your folk."

Built by the Austro-Hungarian Infantry Battalion No. 46/III.

under the command Major M. Diendorfer

in 1917.

The there are two galleryes in this cavern. In the bigger one there is the altar. The other gallery is short and at the bottom there was 40 cm deep water. At the end of this gallery originally there was an other exit, but it has caved in. We tried to excavate this exit. Digging was impossible inside the cavern so we tried to find the exit from the outside. We were knocking the rock inside the cavern with a large hammer and were trying to locate the exit by our ears. Had no luck. After that we started timeless digging, but haven't find the exit.

We spent the afternoons with surveying the Mrzli Vrh and the Sleme. At the Mrzli we looked up the trenches and caverns of the 46/III. battalion. On the Sleme, close to our living quarters we discovered a memorial tablet of Lt. Col. Rizetti. He was the first commander of the 46/III. battalion and killed in action in 1915 on the Sleme.

After the days spent with work we climbed the mount Krn. On Saturday we took part in a commemoration and celebration on the Mrzli Vrh and than visited Gorizia, Doberdo and Duino, the remarkable sites of the Italian front of WW1.

War museum in Kobarid		Our living quarters

Our accomodation		Our neighbour

The mount Sleme		The research team

Tableau taken in front of the chapel

The altar		The inscription of the altar

We used aggregator to give light to the cavern		The small gallery with deep water

The entrance of the big cavern

Excavation in front of the big cavern

Mannlicher cartridges in charger clip

Remains of a military boot		Bayonet scabbard

Lunch in front of the chapel		The workday is over

Hungarian trench on the west side of Mrzli Vrh

The memorial tablet of Lt. Col. Rizetti

The plateau of Mount Batognica with remains of an Italian position		Crater of mine explosion

On the top of the Mount Krn (2300 m)

Celebration by the chapel		Military cemetery in Tolmin

Cannon on the Monte san Michele		Twilight at Duino bay