Gaylord Focker Posted July 20, 2002 Share Posted July 20, 2002 Since i know next to nothing about Italian armies on the eastern front i was wondering how they fared, and why. Also numericly there was'nt that many Italians in the Soviet Union, why is that? Also on a side note, overall who was the most effective out of the Axis Allies minus the triparte pact participants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike the wino2 Posted July 20, 2002 Share Posted July 20, 2002 Depends on how you define Eastern Front. They did a great job losing to the Greeks and pulling German resources away to save their skin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gpig Posted July 20, 2002 Share Posted July 20, 2002 During the beginning phases of the encirclement of the Sixth Army at Stalingrad, an Italian Infantry Division was rolled over by the Russians. They had been holding the Don River flank. I was reading Beevor's STALINGRAD, and there is a tantalizingly short passage describing some gallant resistance put up by a small detachment of italians. Despite having no antitank weapons, they managed to hold out against the T-34 snowstorm swirling about them. (at least for a couple of days, anyways.) I'd be interested to hear a more detailed account of that action. Gpig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted July 20, 2002 Share Posted July 20, 2002 The Finns had very brave, resourceful and capable soldiers and are generally regarded the best of the Axis Minors. If you don't believe me, ask a Finn! The Romanians were a mixed bag, but I believe had the largest contingent of troops of the other minor powers to serve in Russia. They are heavily criticized for their failure to stop Russian attacks to encircle Stalingrad, but I am not sure this is at all fair. They do receive some praise for other operations in southern Russia, however - and a fair share of blame for some not so stellar performances as the German Army retreated towards the Carpathians well after Stalingrad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunnergoz Posted July 20, 2002 Share Posted July 20, 2002 There was an entire army (the 8th I think) in Russia IIRC, fielding perhaps 6-7 divisions including at least one armored one. They were in no way equipped for the theater adequately, but at times did fight gallantly according to accounts I've read. The Russians knew their enemies well and focused upon the Axis allies to strike at during the battle for Stalingrad. The Germans were spread so thin that they had to use their flimsy allied armies as if they were equivalent to German ones in the field, someting we now know to have been a big boo-boo. Still, the Italians could ill afford the expense of supporting their armies, wherever they happened to be fighting. The economy was pretty frail and lacked depth. In most respects, it would have been better for the Italians if they'd left that army somewhere in the Mediterranean area to deal with higher priority objectives (i.e. those more closely linked with Italian national interests.) I think Mussolini got buffalo'ed by Hitler into sending that army to Russia as a sign of Axis solidarity or somesuch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted July 20, 2002 Share Posted July 20, 2002 Originally posted by gunnergoz: I think Mussolini got buffalo'ed by Hitler into sending that army to Russia as a sign of Axis solidarity or somesuch.I'd hazard a guess that that's pretty close except that rather than Musso being buffaloed by Hitler, it was his own ego that did it. The Germans had pulled his nuts out of the fire in Greece and were doing the same in Libya, so he wanted to show that he could "reciprocate" by getting Italians killed on the Russian steppes. I agree too that the biggest weakness of the Rumanian army was its equipment. When properly equipped (which wasn't often) it fought adequately well. Same is even truer of the air force. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross_Moorhouse Posted July 20, 2002 Share Posted July 20, 2002 Grab a copy of Ospreys "The Italian Army in 1940-45(1). Europe 1940-43" This not only covers the Balkans but also Russia. Also Ospreys "Germany's Eastern front Allies 1941-45" has a smaller section on Italian Foreces in Russia. Also Wiilam Craig's "Enemy at the Gates" follows at least one Italian soldier from when Italy invaded Russia through his capture near Stalingrad. Shame the movie of the same name never did follow the book. [ July 20, 2002, 01:24 AM: Message edited by: FUTURE ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prinz Eugen Posted July 20, 2002 Share Posted July 20, 2002 Originally posted by Michael Dorosh: The Finns had very brave, resourceful and capable soldiers and are generally regarded the best of the Axis Minors. If you don't believe me, ask a Finn! Michael, you're a great guy !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmk24 Posted July 20, 2002 Share Posted July 20, 2002 Sure Finns were exprienced... But they were fighting for their own objectives only, get back what was lost in Winter War. I don't know if there was any help for German war efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaylord Focker Posted July 21, 2002 Author Share Posted July 21, 2002 Originally posted by FUTURE: Grab a copy of Ospreys "The Italian Army in 1940-45(1). Europe 1940-43" This not only covers the Balkans but also Russia. Also Ospreys "Germany's Eastern front Allies 1941-45" has a smaller section on Italian Foreces in Russia. Also Wiilam Craig's "Enemy at the Gates" follows at least one Italian soldier from when Italy invaded Russia through his capture near Stalingrad. Shame the movie of the same name never did follow the book.Thanks for the suggestion, i'll have to pick up that book, sounds interesting. Also from the little info i've been able to find thus far has been a quote from Il Deuce seemed interesting and slightly haunting. After a meeting with Hitler in 1937, Mussolini was said to have told a top aid that "I have found a friend and will follow him thru to the end." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CuznJG14 Posted July 21, 2002 Share Posted July 21, 2002 Those looking for a detailed first person account of the Italian Army in Russia should Grab a copy of 'Few Returned' By Eugenio Corti. He was a Lt., who along with 30,000 other Italians were encircled on the banks of the Don. After 28 days of trying to break out only 4,000 emerged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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