The day before the famousbulletin of 28th October 1917, the Supreme Command abandoned Udine and went to Treviso. The retreat, lacking any coordination whatsoever, took the shape of a chaotic stream of soldiers and civilians on the run from the Austro-German army. The first battalions that descended from Natisone Valleys reached Cividale del Friuli on 26th October. Two days later it was the turn of Udine, "the capital city of the war". In front of their eyes there was now a deserted city, plundered, with dead men lying in the streets and several drunken soldiers. The advance along the Friuli plain and towards the river Tagliamento continued rapidly and even the Austro-German generals themselves were greatly surprised. No one, not even the most optimistic ones, would ever have believed that it would be possible to reach the river in Friuli so quickly.
In the meantime on 30th October the Tenth Army descended from the north along the valleys of the Julian Alps and the Carnic Alps: the small village of Moggio Udinese and the abandonedfortifications of Gemona with the exception of Fort of Mount Festa, the only village that tried a desperate resistance, were occupied. In the hilly area the Austro-Hungarian soldiers overcame Tarcento and reached the zone of Susans and Ragogna.
Further south the first advance troops reached the area around Codroipo, a large district on the Friuli plains alongside the course of the river Tagliamento. The main bridge (called the Bridge of Delights) was destroyed by the Italians as they retreated when some of them were still on the left bank. The bridge that was used by railways was instead blown up a few hours later at a time when both Italian soldiers as well as German soldiers were still making use of it.
Further back some divisions were slowed down by isolated attempts at resistance by Italian soldiers, especially at Mortegliano, Pozzuolo del Friuli and Pasian Schiavonesco (now called Basiliano).
In the sector of the Third Army the situation was less chaotic. On 31st October a large part of the men led by the Duke of Aosta crossed the Tagliamento by making use of the bridges at Latisana and Mandrisio di Varmo. On the next day even these two bridges were destroyed and some Italian brigades were unable to complete their withdrawal, engaging in some cases (as in Latisanotta) in an exchange of fire before they were captured.
