The Twelfth battle of the Isonzo, between 24 October and 12 November 1917, was a traumatic moment in Italian history and threatened the very unity of the country. It originated with the results of the earlier battle. Although they had failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough, the Italians had advanced some 10 kilometres, which by Isonzo standards was a remarkable result. The Austro-Hungarians communicated to their German allies that they could not withstand another Italian attack and Hindenburg, despite the opposition of his subordinates, including Erich Ludendorff, reluctantly decided to mount a German and Austro-Hungarian counter-offensive