Italian 1967 Resistance on the Piave Commemorative Stamp

One of the most decisive and historic battles in the Italian theater of World War I was the Battle of the Piave River in 1918. During the course of the previous autumn, Italian forces had suffered some major setbacks at the Battles of Caporetto and Longarone. They were driven out of modern-day Slovenia by Austro-Hungarian and German forces and were now facing an invasion at their own doorstep.

On June 15th, 1918, that invasion by Austro-Hungarian Forces (with German approval) finally took place. The Italians set up a defensive line along the Piave River in northeast Italy and, with a little help from Mother Nature and an Allied offensive along the Asiago Plateau, held down the invaders. On the 23rd of June, the Austro-Hungarian forces retreated. When the battle was over, 60,000 of their soldiers had died and nearly 80,000 Italian soldiers were killed or wounded. This battle was also the beginning of the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. To this day the Battle of the Piave River is still held dear in Italian memory and is even commemorated in a popular folk song.

On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the battle in 1968, Poste Italiane released a special stamp commemorating this battle. The Resistenza sul Piave ("Resistance on [the] Piave") stamp of 1967 is a very solemn one. On the face of this 50 lire stamp we can see a lone Italian soldier standing on the banks of the river and watching the sunrise amidst all the devastation of war.

This stamp is a very powerful tribute to those that fought and died in that bloody battle fought nearly a century ago....