The Eastern Front, Part Three: The Battle to Survive

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Italian soldier scans the horizon. Picture courtesy WW2incolor

By mid December of 1942, the situation for the Axis forces fighting in southern Russia had become critical.  The Soviet counter–offensive, Operation Uranus, commenced on 19 November and immediately obtained spectacular results as it quickly led to the destruction of the Romanian Army, who had been guarding the flank of the German 6^th Army.  The German 6th itself was engaged against Soviet troops in the bloody battle of Stalingrad. 

The Soviets now had the Germans encircled, and would methodically move in and eradicate Hitler’s forces trapped in the pocket.  The destruction of the 6^th Army in Stalingrad was just one part of the campaign that Stalin and his military leaders had designed to eliminate the Axis forces currently occupying this region of the Soviet Union. 

‘Operation Saturn’ would be their follow up to Operation Uranus.  The main goal of Operation Saturn was to completely destroy the Italian 8th Army while forcing the Don River, and then driving on to Rostov on Don to trap Army Group A in the Caucasus.  Simultaneously they had planned on cutting the line of communication to 4^th Panzer Army who was attempting, in vain as it turned out, to relieve the 6^th Army trapped in Stalingrad. 

The Italians held a position along the Don stretching 250km, with the Hungarian 2nd Army on one of their flanks and the Romanian 3rd Army positioned on the other.  The military leaders of all three of these Axis forces had previously pressed the German military leadership for additional armament for their sectors.  All three German allies suffered from a serious lack of armor and anti-tank weapons that would be critical here for any type of defensive action.  Their defensive positions would be very vulnerable to any attack in strength by the Soviets.

Their pleas for additional equipment were ignored however, the Germans feeling that the Soviets were on their last legs and would not have the means to mount an attack in this area.  The German thinking was wrong on this account, and the war on the Eastern Front was about to be altered forever.

The Soviets had in fact secretly built up an immense force of men and weapons to throw at the Axis forces, whom after a year and a half’s time on the march during their invasion, were now deep into Russian territory.  In the first weeks of that terribly cold December, the Soviets launched the first part of Operation Saturn, known as Operation Little Saturn, whose aim was the destruction of Germany’s allies who were guarding their flanks, most notably the Eighth Italian Army.

The Soviet 63rd Army was the first to strike, attacking the Italian Ravenna and Cosseria infantry divisions.  A vicious air bombardment by Soviet fighter bombers was followed up by a devastating artillery attack as the Soviet offensive began.  Featured prominently during this attack were Soviet Katyusha rockets, whose fear inducing shrieks preceded the devastation they caused as they slammed into the Italian positions.

The Soviets next unleashed wave after wave of T34 Tanks into the Italian lines.  There was almost nothing the troops of the Eighth could do to stop this force of steel thrown at them.  With the few number of anti-tank weapons the Italians possessed, and the ineffectiveness these mostly obsolete weapons were showing, they might as well as have been using slingshots to repel the attackers.   The Ravenna and Cosseria infantry divisions were quickly defeated, and the Italian line of defense was now breached.

On December 17^th the Soviets continued their assault, once again throwing overwhelming firepower at the defenders.  The Soviet 5th Tank Army, along with Soviet 21st Army, commenced their attack on the remaining Romanian forces situated to the right of the Italians. On the left flank of the Italians, the Soviet 3rd Tank Army, assisted by elements of the Soviet 40th Army, engaged and then quickly destroyed the Hungarian forces positioned here. 

These overpowering attacks succeeded in isolating their main objective of this portion of the operation, the Eighth Italian Army.  The might of the Soviet attack was then launched at the center of the Italian lines, as the Soviet 1^st Guards Army was unleashed into the fray.  The fighting between attacker and defender during this engagement was intense and brutal.  Attempting to hold the defensive line were the following divisions; the Pasubio, the Torino, the Prince Amedeo Duke of Aosta, and the Sforzesca, along with the German 298^th.  Only the Alpini Divisions which held the far left of the front did not fall under attack at this time.  This article will look at their situation after that of the Italian 35^th Army Corps who fell under this initial assault is discussed. 

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Strong interest in WW2. My Father served in the Pacific with 710 Tank BTL at Anguar, Peleliu, and Philippines. Grandfather was in Italian Army shortly after WW1.

Peleliu81

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