Berge in Flammen

A factual novel about the battles in the Dolomites during World War I. Content: With Italy's declaration of war against Austria in 1915, the Alps become a war zone. The Austrian mountain guide Dimai and his Italian friend Franchini suddenly find themselves as enemies. Unbeknownst to each other, they fight against one another on the Dolomite front near Cortina. The Italian company under Franchini advances through a tunnel beneath the Austrian positions to blow them up with seventy tons of explosives. Dimai and his comrades on the summit are not unaware of the Italians' tunneling efforts, but they can do nothing to stop it. Their situation seems hopeless, as the position must be held "at all costs." Luis Trenker, who fought on the mountain front himself, describes the conditions of trench warfare in his novel.