At the Agnella Pass, Hill 2003 constituted a formidable and entrenched Austrian defensive stronghold: it served as a barrier to access the overlooking Hill 2101 of Mount Ortigara. From its gun ports, dug into the rock and fortified with reinforced concrete, fearsome machine guns slashed the slope below, a necessary passage for an attack. Because of its strategic position, in the bloody Battle of Ortigara, it was the first to be attacked by Italian units, who captured it on June 10, 1917. To silence the Austrian guns, the Alpine troops literally threw themselves onto the machine guns' barrels, forcing them in a deadly embrace to cease fire. On the night of June 29, however, the Imperials launched a counterattack and retook the position.
The path to reach the posts, although short, is narrow and exposed to the abyss.