At the outbreak of World War I the brigade was based in the city of Padua with its two regiments fielding three battalions each and each of the battalions consisting of four companies and a machine gun section. On 24 May 1915 the brigade advanced to the South of Palmanova into Austrian territory until it met Austrian positions near the village of Selz. During the First Battle of the Isonzo the brigade tried to take the area of Selz and the nearby fortified hill of "Sei Busi", but managed only to capture some Austrian trenches. During the Second Battle of the Isonzo the brigade again tried to take the same two positions. The only success of the battle came on 24 July when the 14th Regiment managed to enter the Austrian trench system on "Sei Busi", but the Austrian artillery fire and counterattacks drove the regiment back to its starting position by nightfall.