Could stronger Austro-Hungarian army-navy cooperation have turned naval strength into an amphibious threat against Italy?
Short answerPossibly: coastal landings might have forced Italy to abandon positions in the Alps, but the plan depended on scarce troops, coal, coordination, and sustained sea control.
NotesA shortage of troops and coal, together with poor army-navy coordination, constrained any Austro-Hungarian amphibious plan. One possible concept used two landings: a northern blocking force supported by naval gunfire and a main landing south of Rome. If Italy abandoned the Alpine front to defend the capital, Austro-Hungarian land forces might then advance from the northeast. Ravenna was suggested as a northern objective because its capture would cut a major rail link between central and northern Italy. The plan remained contingent on scarce troops, coal, coordination, geography, and sustained sea control.