Italian Army in Russia - Julia Div. 1 of 2

On 16 December 1943, the Soviets launched Operation Little Saturn. Although outnumbered 9 to 1, the Italians fought hard but eventually the lines started to give in. On the evening of January 17 a full retreat was ordered. Several Soviet blocking forces were deployed on the path of the Alpini to try to stop them but were overran one after the other. On the morning of 26 January 1943, Alpino Enrico Chiapponi of the Julia div. reached what was the last obstacle to safety: the town of Nikolayevka (now Livenka) where a massive blocking force was waiting. The Italians began their attack at 0500 hours. However, the Russian forces fought hard, and after hours of fighting General Luigi Reverberi, commander of the Tridentina Division, stepped onto one of the last remaining self-propelled guns and, yelling “Tridentina, Avanti! (Tridentina Forward!), led his men personally in the final attack. The Red Army blocking force was defeated and abandoned the village. In spite of the German efforts to paint the Italians as scapegoats, with the victory at Nikolayevka the Alpini managed to save thousands of Germans, Romanians and Hungarians.