The first of these battles became the most famous as it brought the Austrian summer offensive of 1917 to a halt. The Italian Chief of the general staff general Luigi Cadorna had ordered to construct fortified defenses on the Monte Grappa summit to make the mountain an impregnable fortress. When the Austrian summer offensive of 1917 routed the Italians Cadorna's far-sightedness saved Italy from total defeat, as the Austrians with help from the German Army's Alpenkorps failed to take the mountains summit during the first battle of Monte Grappa from November 11, 1917 to December 23, 1917. Thus the Italian front along the Piave river was stabilized and although the Austrians could see Venice from their positions they should never reach it.