Italian Army Clears Hundreds of WWI Munitions Uncovered by Retreating Dolomite Glaciers

Around 250 artillery shells, mortar bombs and other ordnance from the 1915-1918 “White War” between Italy and Austria-Hungary have been removed from the Trentino-Alto Adige region of the Italian Dolomites. The munitions, long buried beneath snow and ice, were exposed as the Caré Alto and Lares glaciers retreated, prompting a specialized clean-up by the Italian Army’s Julia Alpine brigade.

CNN

The Dolomites were a high-altitude front in World War I, leaving extensive caches of ammunition in the mountains. Each summer, hikers, naturalists and occasional road accidents reveal new devices, but removal is limited to late summer and early fall when weather permits safe access. The recent melt has accelerated exposure, with the first unexploded 90-mm mortar shell discovered in June after a vehicle accident near Caldonazzo.

CNN

Specialists from the 2nd Engineer Regiment of the Julia Alpine brigade began the clearance in early August. Their work required “solid mountaineering skills” to reach inaccessible terrain at high altitude. A concentration of 75-mm artillery shells forced the temporary closure of a popular mountaineering route between Cima del Frate and the Forcella Fierollo pass near the hamlet of Bieno; the route reopened after the devices were removed. The summer reclamation campaign concluded on October 16.

CNN

The operation eliminated a direct hazard to climbers, hikers and mountain workers and restored a key recreational corridor. The need for high-altitude, high-risk expertise underscores how climate-driven environmental change is exposing historic war remnants, creating new safety challenges for Alpine regions.

CNN

The army also highlighted that specialized work can only be performed before snowfall returns in late October, linking the timing of the operation to seasonal weather constraints.

CNN