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In an order of the day to the surviving formations of the 8th Army, Mussolini (on March 3, 1943) said:{{cquote|You have given innumerable proofs of stubbornness and courage, and have fought against numerically superior forces, drenching your flag with blood.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19430304&id=XgBkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MukDAAAAIBAJ&pg=999,2221775&hl=en ITALIANS WITHDRAW FROM RUSSIA]</ref>}}
In an order of the day to the surviving formations of the 8th Army, Mussolini (on March 3, 1943) said:{{cquote|You have given innumerable proofs of stubbornness and courage, and have fought against numerically superior forces, drenching your flag with blood.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19430304&id=XgBkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MukDAAAAIBAJ&pg=999,2221775&hl=en ITALIANS WITHDRAW FROM RUSSIA]</ref>}}
The performance of the ''Cosseria'', ''Ravenna'' and ''Sforzesca'' Divisions during the [[Battle of Stalingrad]] speaks volumes about the courage of Italians fighting men under the worst possible conditions, with poor equipment and against General [[Vasily Ivanovich Kuznetsov]]'s better armed and more numerous [[1st Guards Army]]. The 'Cosseria'' and ''Ravenna'' defensive line outside Stanligrad was attacked on December 16, 1943 and along with the supporting ''Sforzesca'' encircled by the Russian 17th, 18th and 25th Tank Corps on 20 December, but fought their way back to friendly lines over the next two weeks, suffering heavy casualties in the process. The 8th Army suffered about 50% overall casualties and much higher casualty rates in the combat formations but 45,000 still managed to fight their way out of a trap which completely defeated the Germans, Hungarians and Romanians. The grit and determination of the CSIR and the ARMIR should be considered when evaluating Italian fighting prowess in WWII.
==Sicily==
==Sicily==