This Day in History: White Friday Avalanches
Posted: December 13th, 2022, 1:08 pm
During World War 1 in 1916, Austria was fighting against Italy in the Alps. That summer they built a number of barracks high in the Alps, including one on the Gran Poz summit of Mt. Marmolada. That winter saw record-breaking snowfall. A pile of snow was poised just above the barracks. The commanding officer requested permission to abandon the post for a time, but he was ordered to remain. On December 13th, 1916, the pile of snow collapsed onto the barracks, killing most of the men inside. Throughout the rest of the winter, avalanches throughout the Alps killed entire units of soldiers on both sides of the war.