Fighting started on the morning of May 24, 1915, with Italian cannon in Torre degli Scarpieri and Monte Rudo firing towards Monte Piana, to which the Austrians responded by hitting the Italian positions of Forcella Lavaredo and Forcella Col di Mezzo. Here shrapnel struck two Alpini of the 67th Company and caused the first death on the Dolomite front.: Over the following days there were clashes between patrols and small groups of soldiers trying to climb up and occupy small portions of rocky ground, but perhaps the most famous action was the Austrian offensive on July 4, 1915 where Innerkofler lost his life. Together with some Standschützen he attempted to occupy the Passaporto fork to cut off the Italian supplies for the Paterno.: The assault failed but the Austrian commander Goiginger decided to attempt other strikes in the Tre Cime area on the evening of the same day. On the night of July 5 a group of Standschützen attacked the Mezzo Pass, but was repulsed by two groups of Alpine troops, while a dawn attack on the Arghena fork was repelled by an infantry unit, temporarily putting an end to the Austro-Hungarian initiatives in the Lavaredo sector.: