Changes

==Russia==

==Russia==

On May 30, 1941, three weeks before the start of [[Operation Barbarossa]], Mussolini told Army Chief of Staff General [[Carlo Cavallero]] to mobilize the Italian Army in preparation for forthcoming operations in Russia: ''"We must assemble one new motorized division and a second one to be attached to the Grenadier Division near Zagreb."''

On May 30, 1941, three weeks before the start of [[Operation Barbarossa]], Mussolini told Army Chief of Staff General Carlo Cavallero to mobilize the Italian Army in preparation for forthcoming operations in [[Russia]]: ''"We must assemble one new motorized division and a second one to be attached to the Grenadier Division near Zagreb."''

This corp, the ''Corpo Spedzione Italiane in Russia'' (Italian Expeditionary Corps or CSIR) became the most successful Italian army formation in the war. The CSIR advanced the greatest distance, more than 1,100 kilometers, won many victories, and lost just two battles.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180920010353/http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/italians-on-the-eastern-front-from-barbarossa-to-stalingrad/ Italians on the Eastern Front: From Barbarossa to Stalingrad]</ref> But like General [[Friedrich von Paulus]]'s [[German 6th Army]], the Fascist ground forces in Russia now renamed [[Italian 8th Army]] was overrun during the [[Battle of Stalingrad]] and has largely been forgotten by historians.

This corp, the ''Corpo Spedzione Italiane in Russia'' (Italian Expeditionary Corps or CSIR) became the most successful Italian army formation in the war. The CSIR advanced the greatest distance, more than 1,100 kilometers, won many victories, and lost just two battles.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180920010353/http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/italians-on-the-eastern-front-from-barbarossa-to-stalingrad/ Italians on the Eastern Front: From Barbarossa to Stalingrad]</ref> But like General [[Friedrich von Paulus]]'s [[German 6th Army]], the Fascist ground forces in Russia now renamed [[Italian 8th Army]] was overrun during the [[Battle of Stalingrad]] and has largely been forgotten by historians.

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 Staligrad 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 Italian 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.

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 Stalingrad 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 Italian 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==