Airfields in the Karst during the Isonzo Front

Abstract

The article describes the construction of Austro-Hungarian airfields in the Karst during the First World War. In 1916 and 1917, the Austro-Hungarian military authorities built three airfields in an unsuitable terrain–Prosécco/Prosek, Divača and Sežana–to strengthen the defence of the Karst and Trieste, on which the Italian Army was putting an ever increasing pressure. The locations were problematic due to the unsuitable rugged and rocky terrain, strong bora, dust and shortage of water. Interestingly, however, two of the aforementioned airfields are still in operation today, despite the unfavourable natural conditions: Divača and Prosécco. The article describes the construction of the airfields and provides a list of units stationed there: fighter detachments, a bomber detachment, an aviation workshop, and a weather station.