Italians about the war with the Russians. Italian troops on the eastern front

The army of Italy, like any other country, is called upon to protect the state from external and internal threats and encroachments on independence and freedom. How successful were the armed forces of the Italian Republic in this?

The Italian army arose in 1861 - simultaneously with the unification of the independent Italian states of the Apennine Peninsula that existed at that time: the Kingdom of Naples and the kingdoms, the Grand Duchy, the duchies and Modena into the Kingdom of Italy. Since its inception, the army has actively participated in hostilities, including in the colonial and two world wars, local conflicts and invasions. She played a significant role in the division of Africa (1885-1914) and the formation of colonial states. To protect the conquered territories, colonial troops appeared in the Italian army, recruited mainly from the natives - the inhabitants of Eritrea and Somalia; by 1940 their number reached 256,000.

When the country joined NATO, its armed forces began to take part in the operations carried out by the Alliance. Among them: "Allied Force" (a series of air strikes on the territory of the former Yugoslavia), "Resolute Support" (assistance to the government of Afghanistan), "Allied Defender" (NATO intervention in the civil war in Libya).

The build-up of Italy's military power has become a priority since the early 1920s: Italians were called to military service for a year and a half instead of 8 months. The coming to power in 1922 led to the popularization of fascism in the country. The result of the ongoing Duce foreign policy, the goal of which was declared to be the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire, was the conclusion of a military alliance with Nazi Germany. So the Italian army was involved in fighting, and later she herself initiated a war - with France and Great Britain. During the Second World War, the development of the Italian army went at an accelerated pace.

Despite the fact that the result of the aggression was the loss of colonies and capitulation in 1943, participation in the war brought Italy “dividends”: a powerful fleet, including several dozen submarines and almost two hundred warships.

In the middle of the 20th century, the development of the Italian military-industrial complex continued; this was made possible by the country's accession to NATO in 1949. Today, the military potential of Italy is significant: a lot of military equipment of its own production is in service: tanks created on the basis of the German Leopards, military aircraft (fighters, attack aircraft, transporters, etc.) and helicopters, mountain howitzers, anti-aircraft installations, as well as small arms (automatic rifles, pistols, machine guns, etc.). At the same time, the level of combat training of soldiers and officers is considered low. Even at the beginning of the last century, the Italian army repeatedly suffered defeats on the military fronts (significant losses in clashes with Austria, complete defeat by the Austro-German troops in 1917, colossal losses in North Africa), but this did not greatly affect the improvement of the professional qualities of the fighters of the Italian armed forces. strength in the future.

Structure

The army of Italy - land, naval and air force. Since 2001, another type of troops has been added to them - the carabinieri. Total population personnel: about 150,000 people.

The ground forces are formed from several divisions and brigades: mountain infantry, armored, etc. There are parachute and cavalry brigades, signalmen, air defense troops. Bersaglieri, or riflemen, deserve special mention - a special kind of troops, an infantry elite, characterized by high mobility. Since 2005, only professional soldiers and volunteers have been accepted into the infantry troops of the Italian army.

In service are Italian tanks and other armored vehicles; artillery guns and air defense systems - mostly foreign-made; more than 300 helicopters, a fifth of them are combat. More than 550 old German tanks are in storage.

Fleet

The Italian fleet has traditionally, since the beginning of World War II, overtakes other types of the country's armed forces in terms of development. Its potential, including production and scientific and technical, is very great; all used warships are built in our own shipyards. Among them are the latest submarines, destroyers and unique aircraft carriers equipped with air defense systems and anti-ship missiles.

Air Force

It is officially believed that the national aviation of Italy arose in 1923. However, at the beginning of the century, Italy used aircraft in the war with Turkey, becoming the first country in the world to use them for combat operations. Italian pilots participated in civil war in Spain, the war with Ethiopia, in the First World War. By the beginning of World War II, more than 3,000 aircraft were in service with the Italian army. Today, their number has decreased significantly, but continues to be quite impressive.

Joined the army of Italy recently. They have dual subordination - to the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior, since the Carabinieri also perform police functions.

The structure of the Carabinieri units includes helicopter pilots, divers, cynologists, orderlies; a special task force tasked with combating organized crime.

Carabinieri are different better preparation- combat and psychological - than representatives of other types of troops.

Uniform and ranks

Unlike Russia, where only two types of military ranks are established - military and naval, in the Italian army each type of troops has its own ranks. The exception is the ranks of the air force: they almost completely correspond to the names adopted for ground forces. The main differences: the absence in the Air Force of the rank of major general (literally translated from Italian - "brigadier general"). There are also features in the designation of the highest army ranks: in the ground forces the term generale is used, in aviation - comandante.

The title "corporal" (between private and corporal) exists only in the ground forces. There are no corporals or corporals in the fleet, only sailors and junior specialists (they correspond to the rank of senior corporal in other branches of the military). Russian foremen and warrant officers correspond to sergeants.

The rank of junior officers is represented by three ranks. The captain of the ground forces and the captain of the gendarmerie correspond to the squadron commander and the naval lieutenant commander. Ranks "lieutenant" in naval forces no, in the navy it is replaced by a "midshipman". There are also three senior officials.

It is curious that naval ranks contain the names of types of ships: for example, the title "captain of the 3rd rank" literally sounds like "corvette captain", and the higher rank is "frigate captain".

The most original names are those of the carabinieri, or gendarmes; this is how it is customary to translate the Italian carabinière into Russian. The same ranks are worn only by junior and senior officers of the gendarmerie and ground forces. In addition, the Carabinieri lack two of the five general ranks. higher ranks three in all: district inspector general, second commander (or acting general), and general.

As in all the armies of the world, in the Italian army camouflage uniforms are used for field operations. The Italian military had their own colors in 1992, before that they used drawings developed for the US Department of Defense. Of the standard equipment, it is worth noting a camouflage poncho with a hood, which, if necessary, can be used as an awning. It is completed with a warm lining, also dual-purpose, as it can act as a blanket.

In cold weather, Italian military personnel may wear wool sweaters with a zip-top turtleneck.

As far as shoes are concerned, Lightweight boots for wearing in hot climates deserve special mention.. Their lower part, the actual boot, is made of durable leather; high top - soft, made of fabric and suede. Special eyelets are used for ventilation. Additional protection against sand or small stones getting into the shoes is provided by nylon gaiters, which are worn over trousers and shoes.

The full dress partially contains accessories left over from the old days; so, for the Carabinieri, these are cocked hats with a plume. Almost every unit wears its own variety of uniforms, which also differ depending on the status of the solemn event. For example, only soldiers of the mechanized brigade of the Sardinian Grenadiers, created in 1831, wear high fur hats similar to those worn by the English guards to participate in parades.

Our days: reforms

Since 2012, the Italian army has been reformed. The goal is to create a new model armed forces and balanced costs. To begin with, the personnel, including command personnel, were significantly reduced, and investments in the modernization of the army were increased. Unused weapons and property should be liquidated or sold, instead of obsolete models, modern, more efficient ones will be put into operation.

The time of change for the Italian army came back in 2007, when the leadership of the Italian Republic abolished the general military service. However, in the event of the country's entry into hostilities, calls may resume.

In the new army model, the focus is on professionals and those who want to join the army voluntarily. Now contractors serve 5 years, and subsequently they can renew the contract twice - each time for one or two years. At the end of the term of service, you can get a job in the police or fire departments - former military personnel are given a priority right to this.

In order to interest experienced military personnel and increase efficiency combat strength, the government of the country has significantly increased the size of the monthly monetary reward; today the salary of the Italian military comes to 2500 Euros per month. There is a campaign to recruit women into the army; today they can hold positions at any level, with almost no restrictions.

Facts

1. Troops recruited from representatives of local tribes are called "ascari" (literally "soldier");
2. The Eritrean battalions remained loyal to Italy until its surrender; the rest of the mercenaries deserted;
3. The colonial troops of the army of Italy included cavalry units that used instead of horses ... camels; they were called "mecharistii";
4. At the beginning of the last century, the Italian army fought in Abyssinia, Turkey, in Spain, Albania and Ethiopia;
5. After 1940, Italian troops invaded Greece and Yugoslavia, participated in battles in France, Africa, the USSR;
6. V recent history the army of Italy fought on the territory of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya;
7. As part of navy Italy - more than 60 warships, including two unique aircraft carriers that have no analogues in the countries Western Europe: they are equipped with short-range air defense systems and anti-ship missiles;
8. Italian military bases store 50 nuclear bombs for the US Air Force; 20 more of the same bombs are intended for use by the Italian army;
9. The duties of the carabinieri from the division of special units include: security environment, health and labor, the fight against counterfeiters, the protection of ancient monuments, the control of food production standards;
10. In the army of Italy, there is still a cuirassier regiment, the Honorary Guard of the President of the Italian Republic. When participating in parades, they can wear historical cuirasses and helmets with feathers, and, of course, white leggings;
11. Carabinieri, as an elite branch of the military, are required to constantly improve their physical fitness and improve their professional skills, including improving fire and mountain training.

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The photographs were taken by 19 year old Italian soldier Carlo Manfrini between June and November 1942. He served in the 2nd Infantry Division "Sforceska" as part of "ARMIR" - the 8th Italian Army on the Don Front.

Station Lviv. Trucks stand on the square near the ghetto. Most of them are Fiat 504s carrying anti-aircraft guns on a trailer. I remember that leftover food thrown under cars was attracted by children from the ghetto. They ate everything, even what was lying in the smudges of fuel. More mature girls engaged in prostitution for a loaf of bread.

Short stop. Trucks are camouflaged with branches. In the foreground is a soldier dressed in a working uniform of an artilleryman with leather leggings and boots.

Passing through the Ukrainian village. A column of prisoners is coming towards them. The glass in the truck was shattered during a road accident.

Stopover. Washing, getting rid of lice. The tank and the board are included in the equipment.

Peasants are raking bread after mowing. In the background, the sheaves have already been placed.

Near Kantemirovka. Russian peasant women stack straw in a field.

In the barn of the Ukrainian family who gave me shelter. Kantemirovka.

Bruno Damiani, the soldier I met in Russia, with whom I shared so many moments of this forced inaction. He threshes bread after the harvest with a colleague. This wheat, harvested and ground, was used to make primitive loaves of bread.

Children collect leftover food for themselves. The boy on the right is holding a soldier's bowler hat.

Kantemirovka. A peasant girl in front of a hut in the village where my department survived during the winter months.

Bruno Damiani, who studied the arts, sculpts a portrait of a Ukrainian girl from clay.

Bruno Damiani and I are distributing field mail. The soldier on the left calls names: tense expectation on their faces... At that time we slept in a truck between boxes of bed linen, carpets, shoes and uniforms. We were responsible for the storage of things that were distributed among the needy. In the summer we were placed in a swampy area near the village of Stalino, and asked to send mosquito nets, which, of course, were not sent to us. At the beginning of October, when it got cold, we ordered warm clothes, warm underwear, and larger boots to put on woolen socks. And finally, already in Kantemirovka, we were appointed to unload the wagons at the railway station. However, the cargo was not the desired warm clothes, we were sent mosquito nets, which we ordered in the summer.

Italian escort between two Russian prisoners. He has a carbine and a pair of handcuffs in his hand.

I'm testing the Parabellum, a light machine gun seized from Russian prisoners. It is capable of firing a burst of 75 shots, and our weapons of the First World War "Model 91" had only 6 rounds.

I play the accordion one sunny autumn day. It was not just entertainment for the soldiers, but also for the Russian civilians, who invited me to play Italian songs for their baptism and thanksgiving holidays. There, on the festive tables, I saw white bread intended for the soldiers, as well as cognac, put up for us to warm up.

Russian prisoners are returning from work in the fields.

And on November 19, 1942, the offensive of the Red Army near Stalingrad began. The boy miraculously did not hit the millstone. I would lie now in a common pit in the steppe.

On October 26, the Russian side handed over to Italy the remains of 121 Italian servicemen. These soldiers and officers died during the Second World War on the territory of the Belgorod and Rostov regions. Thus, to date, 10,663 Italians who died on the side of Hitler have been exhumed, the names of 2,807 of them have been established.

This event once again reminds us of the tragic events of the Second World War for both Russia and Italy. It is noteworthy that Hitler initially did not plan the participation of Italy in the attack against the USSR. Many German generals, after the extremely unsuccessful war for Italy against Greece in 1940, believed that "with such allies, there is no need for enemies."

Nevertheless, having learned about Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union, on the same day, June 22, 1941, Mussolini announced Italy's joining "the war against the communists." He sent an expeditionary force (Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia, CSIR) of three divisions to help Hitler. Only 62 thousand people. The Italians participated in the offensive of the German Army Group "South" in Ukraine, in the battle for Sevastopol, in the summer battles of 1942 on the Don, as well as in the battles for Stalingrad and the Caucasus.

In August-September 1941, the corps took part in the defeat of the troops of the Soviet Southern Front. The Italians accepted the first battle with our units only on August 11. This happened in the interfluve of the Southern Bug and the Dniester. The fact is that although most of the units transferred to the Soviet front were called motorized, in reality they often did not have trucks and often got to the battlefield on foot or by bicycle, sometimes under the mocking taunts of the same Germans who drove past them comfortably in cars .

In terms of combat capability, the Italians were at the level of the Romanians or even lower. For example, in October-November, the corps commander, General Giovanni Messe, fought heavy battles on the Gorlovka-Nikitovka line in the Donbass, which cost his soldiers unreasonably large losses. And at the end of November, he tried to take the Trudovaya station, but was thrown back, losing about 5,000 people, while the elite cavalry units were defeated, which was the first serious defeat of the Italians in Russia. And at the beginning of July 1942, their losses amounted, according to various sources, from 20 to 30 thousand people.

In the summer of 1942, Mussolini increased aid to Hitler on the Eastern Front. The corps was transformed into the 8th Army (Armata Italiana in Russia, ARMIR), which consisted of 12 divisions and four brigades. It consisted of more than 235 thousand people, 2906 guns and mortars, 74 tanks and self-propelled guns, 100 aircraft. By level technical equipment The 8th Army lagged behind almost all the other Nazi allies. And this subsequently played a disastrous role in her fate.

However, at the cost of heavy losses, the Italians distinguished themselves in the battle on the middle Don. In particular, the Bersaglieri from the 3rd Mobile Division in July 1942 liquidated an important Soviet troops bridgehead near the city of Serafimovich and subsequently, with the help of the Germans, held the defense here. And 600 Italian cavalry allegedly put "an entire Soviet division" to flight near Izbushensk. This was the last cavalry charge in the history of the Italian army.

However, such "luck" was due mainly to German successes. In spite of large numbers the Italian contingent, which at that time was in second place after the Romanian, its combat effectiveness still left much to be desired. The combat effectiveness of the Italians was noticeably weakened by the lack of good winter uniforms in many parts, which General Messe never tired of paying attention to, who opposed a further increase in the Italian contingent in the USSR until his troops were properly equipped for the winter period. However, instead of correcting this shortcoming, Mussolini and Hitler eliminated Messe himself. The "applicant" was recalled to his homeland and a more accommodating commander, General Italo Gariboldi, was appointed instead.

And disaster struck. In mid-December 1942, during the counter-offensive near Stalingrad, the Soviet troops of the Southwestern Front launched an operation against the Italians in the big bend of the Don.

At that time, she was on the left flank of the 6th German Army, which was trying to capture Stalingrad. Placing the Italians on the strategically important flank of the group fighting in Stalingrad was one of Hitler's biggest miscalculations. The length of the Italian defense sector along the northern Don was more than 250 kilometers. Their defensive positions were extremely weak, especially against tank attacks. Despite the gathering clouds, in many directions the careless Italians did not even dig trenches.

In this form, they were caught on December 11 by the start of Operation Little Saturn, the purpose of which was the destruction of the 8th Italian Army. Parts of the 63rd and 1st Guards Armies of the USSR especially distinguished themselves in this. By the end of December, the 8th Italian was defeated. In January 1943, the same fate befell the mountain rifle divisions of the Alpine Corps, which had hardly participated in the battle, the remnants of which broke through from the encirclement on January 26 near Nikolaevka.

By the beginning of February 1943, the 8th Italian Army was almost completely defeated. In fact, the Sforzesca, Cosseria, Celere, Torino, Posubio divisions, as well as two infantry brigades, ceased to exist. One of the main reasons for such a defeat, the Italians themselves call the fact that the Germans breaking through from the encirclement put them under attack Soviet tanks to provide a retreat for yourself.

In total, during the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops, out of 130,000 Italians who were surrounded, only 45,000 managed to escape alive: 20,800 died, and half - 64,000 - were captured. The lion's share of prisoners (54 thousand), without warm uniforms, died in conditions severe frosts. The survivors of these battles were for the most part frostbitten, sick and demoralized. In fact, the Italian contingent that fought in the USSR remained only on paper.

By this time, the combat effectiveness of the Italians had fallen sharply. This was also due to the fact that disappointing news reached them about the defeat of their brethren by the British in North Africa. In addition, irritation was also caused by the German allies, who were increasingly hosting in their country, the economic situation of which at the beginning of 1943 was close to disaster. As a result, anti-fascist and openly communist ideas spread more and more among the soldiers. A huge role in the decomposition of the soldiers of the 8th Army was played by the agitators of the Italian Communist Party.

By the beginning of the spring of 1943, Mussolini had withdrawn the remnants of the 8th Army from the Soviet front to the deep rear. His popularity in the country fell catastrophically, as the surviving soldiers accused him of sending an unprepared army to their death.

Only units of the elite 10th MAS flotilla on the Black Sea, which consisted of units of "sea devils" (combat swimmers and crews of fast boats), continued to fight against the USSR. They were able to sink two large Soviet transports and inflict heavy damage on the Molotov cruiser and the Kharkiv destroyer.

However, their successes after the Stalingrad defeat were reduced mainly to inflicting heavy damage near Sevastopol to two Soviet patrol ships. And in the Baltic they were not at all destined to boast of special achievements, since the command of the Soviet Baltic Fleet. It carried out a lightning-fast operation to destroy the newly arrived allies of Hitler: the Marines, who landed directly on the berths from torpedo boats, destroyed the enemy who was not expecting an attack with grenades.

Mussolini's adventure cost the Italians dearly. Their losses on the Soviet front during the war only in the dead amounted to almost 94 thousand soldiers and officers. At the same time, one cannot fail to note the fact that, compared with other allies of the Germans, the Italians were remembered by Ukrainians and Russians for their kind attitude towards the population of the occupied territories and Soviet prisoners of war. They often helped people, fed and sheltered those persecuted by the Nazis.

It is no coincidence that many thousands of Italian soldiers, including generals, were shot by the Germans for refusing to continue fighting in their ranks after Italy surrendered in September 1943. In total, at least 25 thousand people from among the Italian military who fought against the Soviet troops were destroyed.

As you know, Italy is a member of NATO, which is clearly unfriendly to us. However, relations between Italy and Russia are developing very quickly. Unlike other Western countries. The former enmity is no longer often remembered, mainly when the remains of soldiers sent to the death of Mussolini are transferred to Italy. It remains to be hoped that the lesson learned in 1941-1943 will be remembered by the Italians for a long time.

From an article by Alexander Dantonov.

The Savoy Cavalry Regiment was very different from most other Italian units that fought on the Eastern Front. This is primarily an elite regiment, it is considered one of the oldest in the Italian army. Its history begins in 1692, when it was formed as part of the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia during the war with the French.
The steel helmets of the cavalrymen were decorated with black crosses, commemorating the Battle of Madonna di Campana in 1706 during the War of the Spanish Succession. In addition, each soldier wore a red tie in memory of the wounded messenger who delivered an important message to the battlefield during the Napoleonic Wars.
glorious history The regiment was widely known, therefore, according to the tradition starting from the middle of the nineteenth century, it was mainly people from famous and aristocratic families who served in it. All officers put on white gloves when mounting a horse.
At the same time, the regiment was by no means a relic of the era of cavalry battles. During the Second World War, the cavalrymen of the Savoy regiment fought, as a rule, on foot, using horses exclusively for transport purposes. They were armed with Carcano model 38 carbines, many had PPSh submachine guns.

However, this time everything was like in the classical era of the dominance of the cavalry - it was the sabers that were used. In itself, this fact was not unique - shortly before these events, the Kushchevsky battle ended victoriously, which began with a successful cavalry attack (here, in the Izbushensky area, the nature of the terrain was also very convenient for cavalry operations).
The unusualness of this battle was, first of all, that the cavalry attack was not so much unexpected as incredibly desperate and bold.
It all started with the fact that on August 20, 1942, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive at the junction of the 8th Italian and 6th German armies along the right bank of the Don River. Into the breach made by the Italian command, it was decided to throw the most mobile fresh unit available to the Italian command - the Savoy Cavalry regiment.
At dawn on August 24, the regiment, which at that time numbered 700 sabers, accompanied by a machine-gun squadron and two batteries of regimental artillery (horse-drawn), was preparing to resume the march to the banks of the Don.

The evening before, the commander of the regiment, Alessandro Bettoni Cazzaggio, ordered to thoroughly dig in for the night - this was the custom even if the regiment was far from the front line.
Meanwhile, two battalions of the 812th Siberian Rifle Regiment (regiment commander - Serafim Petrovich Merkulov) of the 304th Rifle Division secretly dug in a wide lowland about 700-800 meters north of the Italian camp. And another battalion was in position a little further to the northeast.
In general, the advantage of the Russian position was that their positions formed a fairly wide coverage, and they only had to wait for dawn to surprise the enemy.
The Italians, in addition to the fortified camp, had, perhaps, only one more advantage - their positions were at a height and provided a dominant position over the road passing from west to east through the Izbushensky farm.

However, chance intervened and the course of events suddenly changed. At about 3.30 am, the enemy was discovered by a reconnaissance cavalry patrol under the command of Sergeant Ernesto Comolli. By chance, one of the cavalrymen noticed a Russian soldier sitting among sunflowers.
Mistaking him for a German ally, he called out: "Kamarade!". But in response, a shot rang out. Stealth lost all meaning, and soon Russian mortars and machine guns fell on the Italian positions.
Almost immediately, the deputy commander of the regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Giuseppe Cacchandra, was wounded in the leg, another bullet pierced the coat of the regiment commander ...
The Italians were confused, but only for a few minutes. They were in full view of the enemy, and in such a situation one would expect panic and complete defeat - but the cavalrymen of the Savoy regiment unexpectedly showed exceptional organization and courage. No wonder the regiment was considered the most reliable and most combat-ready in the Italian army.

Colonel Bettoni Cazzaggio, whom his colleagues until that moment always remembered as unusually courteous, an aristocrat to the marrow of his bones, discovered a deep knowledge of folklore and attacked the standard-bearer with abuse. Lieutenant Emanuele Genzardi unfurled the banner in the wind. Hundreds of people shouted in unison "Sav-howl! Sav-howl!" was the battle cry of the regiment.
The guns of the regimental batteries, commanded by Lieutenant Gibilaro, returned fire. Next, the crews of the machine-gun squadron entered the battle. The defensive square from the trenches actually saved them from complete destruction and allowed them to concentrate opposite the central position of the enemy.
And at this decisive moment fatal mistake made by the commander of the regiment Merkulov. The unexpected rebuff of the Italians and the absence of their alleged panic forced them to make not the best decision - two battalions of Russians prematurely went on the attack. And because of this, the machine gunners were forced to stop shelling the Italians.

Taking advantage of this, three Italian cavalry squadrons lined up in front of their trenches in full view of the attackers and moved towards them at a trot and then at a gallop. The cavalry rushed towards the enemy with drawn blades, despite the numerical superiority and heavy mortar fire of the enemy. The Russians did not expect a counterattack and ran back to their trenches in disorder.
In the memoirs of Marshal Giovanni Messe, this is described as follows. "The victorious end of the battle was carried out by the 3rd squadron. The cavalrymen attacked swiftly and beautifully, as in exercises or in a parade.
The detachment under the command of Major Leat, including the chief sergeant major and the entire staff of the regimental headquarters, galloped with sabers drawn, inspiring their units.
Rushing into the enemy, they cut down those who still resisted, and forced the enemy to lay down their arms. But the fight isn't over yet. Major Lita was wounded, but he continued to fight on foot to the end and died a heroic death.
The enemy stopped resisting. We captured several hundred prisoners, a lot of weapons and numerous military materials. So on August 24 at 9:30 this glorious battle ended, which went down in the history of the regiment.

Thanks to the skillful support of their regimental guns and machine-gun squadron, the Savoie Cavalry regiment completely destroyed two enemy battalions, and in the next attack they scattered the third. The results of the battle are known, unfortunately, only according to Italian data. The Italians lost 40 people (including the commander of one of the squadrons), 79 were wounded. They also lost about a hundred horses, but at the same time, Russian losses amounted to at least 150 people killed and, according to various estimates, from 600 to 900 people captured. In addition, the Italians captured about forty machine guns (we repeat: data from Italian reports), 4 regimental guns and 10 mortars.
Marshal Messe mentions another characteristic detail. Having won the victory, Colonel Bettoni Cazzaggio ordered a cavalry parade with lowered blades to be held on the battlefield, "in honor of those who died on this glorious field."

Of course, in Italy, the news of "Izbushensky's attack in the steppe" aroused real enthusiasm. In newspaper articles and newsreels, propaganda presented this event as great victory. At the same time, there was almost no mention of him in German and Russian sources - after all, from a military point of view, this was not the biggest battle among the truly grandiose battles of the summer of 1942.
However, for military history this is quite a remarkable event. And of course, first of all, because the combat regulations of the cavalry of that time (not only Italian ones) prescribed an offensive in cavalry formation only when the "situation is favorable", which means the opportunity to covertly approach the enemy and he will not have time to open heavy fire.

The famous Kushchevskaya attack, for example, fully meets these requirements. The attack at the Izbushensky farm does not fit into them, since the cavalrymen in this case first came under fire, including flank fire, and it was opened by the enemy even before the formation.
There would be no chance of success at all if the Russians had not crawled out of the trenches and gone on the attack. Another important aspect of this battle is a topic that is usually not discussed in domestic sources - an erroneous decision made by the commander of the 304th regiment, which, in fact, led to an unexpected defeat. In fact, although this defeat was crushing, it was by no means shameful. War is the art of doing the impossible, and here the enemy turned out to be stronger.
The tragic truth in this case is that Merkulov Serafim Petrovich and the officers of the regiment acted, in general, correctly and tactically competently. Using the difficult terrain (the floodplain of the Don River with copses, groves and gardens), the 304th regiment was able to approach the enemy unnoticed and prepare positions for the attack, including the superiority needed for it on the right flank.
Even considering that the enemy was on high ground, the chances of success were high. The attack was undertaken in full accordance with the regulations and tactics of the Soviet infantry units of that time.

But the further combat path of this division and its commander makes us remember the saying "for one beaten they give two unbeaten." The division withdrawn to the rear and having received replenishment entered into a battle with the enemy already near Stalingrad.
During the offensive at the end of November 1942, she broke through 4 enemy defense lines and advanced up to 150 kilometers in 10 days. At the same time, 6,700 German and Romanian soldiers, 193 captured. On January 21, 1943, for military distinctions in the Battle of Stalingrad, the division was reorganized into the 67th Guards Rifle Division.
In January 1943, Colonel Merkulov was awarded the military rank of Major General. He continued to command the 67th Guards Rifle Division until 23 June 1943.
By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 23, 1943, Major General Serafim Petrovich Merkulov was awarded the title Hero Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 2112).

But back to our Italians. The personality of Colonel Alessandro Bettoni Cazzaggio deserves special attention. He was born in 1892 in the city of Brescia in Lombardy, in the family of a famous politician, he studied at the Royal College "Carlo Alberto".
In addition, he was a famous sportsman. Before the war, Bettoni Cazzagio took part in 237 horse jumping competitions and had several hundred prizes. He also participated in two Olympics: in Amsterdam in 1928 and in London in 1948, while in both cases he was the oldest in the Italian equestrian team. Best result - 4th team jumping place in Amsterdam.
During Battle of Stalingrad, in which the Italian 8th Army practically ceased to exist, the Italian troops suffered heavy losses. Regiment "Savoy Cavalry" participated mainly in defensive battles, showing exceptional stamina, but the opportunity to prove himself again in a horse attack was no longer presented.
In 1943, the command was going to send the regiment to fight in Yugoslavia against Tito's partisans. However, after the occupation of Northern Italy by the Germans in September 1943, the regiment was returned to its homeland for reorganization.

Returning to his native Brescia, Colonel Alessandro Cazzaggio became one of the leaders of the anti-fascist resistance, being loyal to the king, and not Mussolini's Duce. He actively participated in the creation of partisan brigades of the anti-fascist organization Fiame Verde (Fiamme Verde - "Green Flame"), which operated in Lombardy and Romagna.
After the war, when a republic was proclaimed in Italy in 1946, the colonel also remained true to his monarchical convictions, refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Italian Republic and secretly took battle flag regiment to Portugal, to the exiled king.
For this, he was lowered in rank by a court decision and dismissed from the army in disgrace. Alessandro Bettoni Cazzaggio died on April 28, 1951 in Rome, a few hours after participating in an equestrian competition.

The regiment still exists in the Italian army under the former name - "Savoy Cavalry" and is based in Grosseto, in the province of Tuscany. True, now there are no horses in it - it is equipped with armored vehicles and the most modern weapons.
But his soldiers still wear red ties and black crosses, and in addition, they hold an annual regimental dinner on August 24, in memory of their famous cavalry charge.

“When God created the armies, he built them in one line according to their strength. And it turned out that the Austrian army found itself on the far right. “Lord,” the Austrians pleaded, “well, should we at least beat someone ?!”. And then God created the Italian army…”
Joke from World War I

Infantry of the Italian Expeditionary Force in Stalino

On the night of August 20, 1942, Soviet troops carried out intensive artillery and mortar training for the positions of the elite Italian divisions Sforzesca, Celere and Pausubio, who occupied positions on the Don near the city of Serafimovich and were involved in the offensive against Stalingrad. Immediately after the artillery preparation, the Soviet troops hit the extreme right sector of the Italian front. This was the beginning of the end for the Italian Expeditionary Force on the Eastern Front.

The Soviet High Command pursued the goal of alleviating the anxious pressure of the Germans on Stalingrad and, in the event of a favorable development of the operation, to continue a large-scale offensive against the Paulus 6th Army. The time for the operation was chosen very well. Only 7 days had passed since the arrival of the Italians at their current positions, and they had no opportunity to equip them for defense, since the harassing attacks of the Soviet troops stopped only for a few hours a day.

Howitzer-gun ML-20 of senior sergeant A. Gladky fires

The Italian participants in the battle subsequently noted that “the Russian divisions thrown against them were fully manned, and the infantry regiments were equipped with mortars, automatic and anti-tank weapons. The main part of the attackers were members of the party and the Komsomol, and most of the attacks were led by political officers, which spoke of the special ideological preparation of the operation and the serious intentions of the Russians.

Soviet gun ZiS-3 firing at the enemy

The Soviet attack by three divisions of the troops of the 63rd Army began at 2:30. Having quickly crushed the troops of the front line of the Italian defense, our soldiers began to take up strategic positions for the development of the subsequent offensive. On the central lines, the Italians still managed to hold on with the help of hastily pulled up reserves, but on the left flank their position was critical. The next day Soviet command secretly transported another 10 rifle battalions to the other side and the situation of the Italians worsened even more. From the complete defeat of the failed heirs of the Roman Empire, only the 179th German infantry regiment and the Croatian legion, quickly transferred to the area, were saved. After the regrouping of troops, the Italians even tried to counterattack, but were lured into the cross mortar fire and suffered even greater losses. The command of the 1st German Corps, to which the Italians called for help, could not come to their rescue, which subsequently drove a wedge between the German and Italian allies.

Croatian soldiers who fought on the side of Germany

The only thing that saved the remnants of the Italian troops was that Soviet side was forced to reduce the pace of the offensive in order to consolidate in the captured positions. In this battle, the Italians lost their best and most combat-ready troops (if such a concept is generally applicable to Italian soldiers during the Second World War). Subsequently, during the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad, the fascist defense sector controlled by the Italians crumbled like a house of cards.

A column of captured Germans, Romanians and Italians in Stalingrad

The actions of the troops of the 63rd Army, which seized the bridgehead on the Don near the city of Serafimovich, played a crucial role in the transition of the Soviet troops to the counteroffensive.

Captured Italian soldiers at agricultural work in the USSR

If you have photos of the elite Italian divisions Sforzesca, Celere and Pausubio, please post them in the comments of this post.

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