About Luigi Cadorna
Luigi Cadorna, was an Italian general, Marshal of Italy and Count, most famous for being the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army from 1914 until late 1917 during World War I. He commanded the Italian army on the Italian front, a theatre marked by trench warfare and attrition on the Eastern Alps and Isonzo river. Cadorna launched multiple offensives across the Isonzo front, during which the Italian army made gains, most notably capturing Gorizia and Bainsizza, but ultimately suffered a major defeat when German-Austrian forces attacked the Italian troops at Caporetto and forced them to retreat to the Piave river. He was relieved as Chief of Staff and replaced by Armando Diaz. Cadorna's wartime leadership is a debated topic in public discourse and historiography: his detractors blame him for heavy casualties and a rigid discipline leading to the harsh treatment of Italian troops; others have ascribed merits to Cadorna and argued that high casualties were a consequence of the tactical-strategic realities of the war. Luigi Cadorna, (4 September 1850 – 21 December 1928) was an Italian general, Marshal of Italy and Count, most famous for being the Chief of Staff of the Italian Army from 1914 until late 1917 during World War I. Cadorna had been offered the post of Chief of Staff for the first time in 1908, which he had rejected over the issue of political control during wartime. Some historians record Cadorna as an unimaginative martinet who was ruthless with his troops and dismissive of his country's political authorities. In 1860 Cadorna became a student at the "Teuliè" Military School in Milan.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.