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After seeing the chaos this caused the Soviets, Bettoni ordered a full-frontal assault with the 3rd Squadron of Captain Francesco Marchio, while the 1st led by Captain Aragona had to occupy the enemy with a close gunfight.
Isbuscenskij Battle Map
“Almost a folly” was the comment of journalist Osvaldo Pagani who was present during the conflict. Marchio lost his arms almost immediately. Major Alberto Litta Modigliani (Group Commander of the 2nd Squadron, 3rd and 4th Sq) remained on foot and wounded. He was noted for rising back to his feet, drawing his sword and pointing to the direction of charge. This energized the soldiers to continue the action. The charges followed one after another, and Bettoni finally reached the second line of enemy defenses.
The squadrons captured the Soviet battalion headquarters, seizing the officers and the political commissar. At 9.30 am it was all over and the Regiment regained the Don in perfect order as in the parade; the battle had cost the Italians 32 killed (including three officers) and 52 wounded, the Russians about 150 dead, 300 wounded and about 500 prisoners. Gariboldi distributed 2 gold medals (Litta and Abba), and 54 silver. The Luce Institute (an acronym for the Educational Union Film Festival) had the Regiment reenact the charge that October for the benefit of newsreels and propaganda.
Isbuscenskij was often seen as an episode aesthetically beautiful but useless in practice: what is wrong because the tactical objective to ease the pressure on Don was reached, but it is certainly true that in this last charge against regular troops there is a romantic way to combat that is intended to dissolve. The Don front was swept away with the Russian “Operation Uranus” of November-December: German VI° Army was surrounded at Stalingrad. The Italian, Rumanian and hungarian troops were forced into a disastrous retreat and for some a distressing imprisonment and death.
The “Savoia Cavalleria” fortunately returned to Italy in spring 1943 and it found itself located at Castel Guelfo and Castel S. Pietro (In the Emilia Romagna region, near Bologna) at the time of the armistice with the allies. It didn’t disband and split neatly up only on September 15, as it was impossible to cross the lines and to reach the King in Brindisi. The regimental standard, decorated with the Gold Medal for the bravery, remained in Bettoni’s hands until it was given to Umberto II, gone into exile at Villa Italia in Portuguese town of Cascais, to testify a fidelity never doubted.
Written by Marco Fermani. Traslation by A.Gualtieri
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Salve,
I have a particular interest in the Savoia Cavaleggeri—my nextdoor neighbor-who is now 90–was in the 2′d squadron at Ibushenskij–His memories of the charge are quite strong–he said he went in with 3 “red devil” grenades on his ammo bandoleer –they threw them all and then went in, sabres out. (He didn’t use the cossack “shaska”-as many troopers did—he used his delicate issued Italian saber)–it was cut and slash all the way–the only time when he fired his gun is when he had to shoot his badly injured horse at the end of the charge. He was crying when he told me this part–he was/is obviously a born horseman–and even though his town is in Campania, he came fro a good noble family, and was thus in the Savoia. How many survivors are left?
Ciao,
JJV
thank you. it’s a very interesting contribution
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8334018/Mario-Traverso.html
Marco,
You should be able to make any corrections by clicking the “edit” button next to your name by the article. Just make sure you are logged in first.
—errata corrige:
line 18-19: obviously Swift(Celere) is the Army Corps e not the General Pecetti Weiss.
—From 1701 to 1799 the Regiment took part in succession wars of XVIII° century