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Show Adriatic Sea Long a Corridor for Hostilities The Adriatic sea has seen a large share of the bitter battles fought in this part of the world. In 230 B. C, the Romans launched punitive expeditions expe-ditions against Illyrian pirates who had long harried commercial traffic. traf-fic. Later Roman legions crossed the sea to conquer its eastern shores and set up bases for expanding power. In medieval times, the rich, trading trad-ing city-states of Italy also fought the Dalmatian pirates and often each other for control of the Adriatic Adri-atic waters. At one time Venetian rule extended along most of what is now the Jugoslav coast. During the World war, when the Austro - Hungarian monarchy held much of the Adriatic east coast, sea and air action flared at numerous points. Before the Allies managed to bottle up the sea at its entrance. Allied and Central-Power forces attacked at-tacked one another's ports and fleets. Italian Caproni bombers were especially active in the pioneering war-by-air operations. Damage done to arsenals, shipyards, and warehouses ware-houses at Austria's naval base of Cattaro, for example, provided a significant preview of today's devastating dev-astating large-scale bombings. From their side, German and Austrian bombers raided Venice and other Italian ports and centers. |