Did Italians fight at Stalingrad?
Deployed to the south, in the Don river sector, the 8th Italian Army together with the 2nd Hungarian Army and the 3rd Romanian Army had the role to cover the left flank of the German forces that were advancing towards Stalingrad at the time….Italian participation in the Eastern Front.
Date | August 1941 – 20 January 1943 |
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Result | Italian defeat |
How many Italians were captured at Stalingrad?
Characteristics. Over 60,000 Italian prisoners of war (POWs) were taken captive by the Red Army in the Second World War. Almost all of them were captured during the decisive Soviet “Operation Little Saturn” offensive in December 1942 which annihilated the Italian Army in Russia (Armata Italiana in Russia (ARMIR)).
What was the Italian Eighth Army doing at Stalingrad?
Among them were the Italian Eighth Army to the northeast of Stalingrad, defending a long front almost two hundred miles long, with almost no German reserves to support it. Stavka, the Soviet high command, realized that the weak points of the German bulge into southern Russia were those defended by the Axis allies.
What happened to the ARMIR at Stalingrad?
At about the same time, the Soviet 3rd Tank Army and parts of the Soviet 40th Army hit the Hungarians to the left of the Italians. This resulted in a collapse of the Axis front, north of Stalingrad: the ARMIR was encircled, but for some days the Italian troops were able—with huge casualties—to stop the attacking Soviet troops.
How did Italy fare in Russia during World War II?
At first, Russia was a walk in the sun for the Italian soldiers. They performed well in southern Russia in the summer of 1941, though they were only advancing against disorganized and retreating Soviet armies. Even when the Red Army counterattacked in the winter of 1941–42, the Italians held—but only with German support.
What is the Armata Italiana in Russia?
In July 1942, the CSIR was expanded into the Armata Italiana in Russia (Italian Army in Russia), or ARMIR. At peak strength, ARMIR, now the Italian Eighth Army, comprised 235,000 men in twelve divisions. This was not a token contingent dispatched in the name of coalition solidarity.