Battle of Custoza

Overview

The Battle of Custoza took place on the 24 June 1866 during the Third Italian War of Independence in the Italian unification process.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The 1866 Battle of Custoza was a defeat for the Kingdom of Italy during the Third Italian War of Independence, fought as part of the broader Italian unification process. Despite fielding approximately 120,000 troops against an Austrian force of roughly 75,000, the Italian army under Alfonso La Marmora was repulsed by Austrian forces commanded by Archduke Albrecht and Franz Freiherr von John. The engagement marked the second time Italian forces suffered a defeat at Custoza, following an earlier loss at the same location during the 1848 unification campaigns. Austrian casualties of around 3,690 exceeded Italian losses of approximately 3,112, yet the battlefield outcome remained a setback for Italian arms.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)