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(More customer reviews)The genesis for this book came about when the author listened to her uncles' memoirs of the war. They were members of the Alpine Corps that experienced the Soviet counter-offensive in November 1942. By conducting additional interviews and through independent research the author created this story that she strongly thought deserved to be told.
The book is divided into four sections. After a few words of the initial invasion of Russia, the author moves to Operation Blue and the eventual deployment along the Don River, settling in between the Romanians to the south and the Hungarians to the north. One thing all three Axis Allies had in common and part of the reason for the quick penetration of the line was their lack of heavy weapons and fewer tanks. The skirmishes on the Don and the major offensive by the Soviets are included in this section. The megalomaniacal dictator, who was looking for glory but unconcerned if his troops were prepared or properly equipped, was discussed as well.
The second section involves the pullback, the rear guard action of the Alpine Corp and the defense against the renewed Soviet attacks. The third section discusses the ordeal of captivity while the last section concerns the release of the survivors after the war.
There are eight topographical maps that shows general locations of certain events but there are no tactical maps showing specific troop deployments or axes of attack. There is a small photo gallery of the men of the Alpini; there are no battlefield scenes.
Ms Hamilton provides a capable Notes Section, Bibliography and Index. The author surprisingly also includes the composition of the Alpine Corps down to regiment level.
The overall battle tactics, descriptions and assessments are modest, subdued, incomplete for such a tumultuous time and sector. Don't read it for the tactical aspects but the author shines in covering the human side of war, the experiences these men had to endure, the accomplishments achieved and if this aspect interests you then this would be a good candidate to read.
Click Here to see more reviews about: SACRIFICE ON THE STEPPE: The Italian Alpine Corps in the Stalingrad Campaign, 1942-1943
When Germany's Sixth Army advanced to Stalingrad in 1942, its long-extended flanks were mainly held by its allied armies-the Romanians, Hungarians, and Italians. But as history tells us, these flanks quickly caved in before the massive Soviet counter-offensive which commenced that November, dooming the Germans to their first catastrophe of the war. However, the historical record also makes clear that one allied unit held out to the very end, fighting to stem the tide-the Italian Alpine Corps.
As a result of Mussolini's disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany, by the fall of 1942, 227,000soldiers of the Italian Eighth Army were deployed on a 270km front along the Don River to protect the left flank of German troops intent on capturing Stalingrad. Sixty thousand of these were alpini,elite Italian mountain troops. When the Don front collapsed under Soviet hammerblows, it was the Alpine Corps that continued to hold out until it was completely isolated, and which then tried to fight its way out through both Russian encirclement and "General Winter," to rejoin the rest of the Axis front. Only one of the three alpine divisions was able to emerge from the Russian encirclement with survivors. In the all-sides battle across the snowy steppe, thousands were killed and wounded, and even more were captured. By the summer of 1946, 10,000 survivors returned to Italy from Russian POW camps.
This tragic story is complex and unsettling, but most of all it is a human story. Mussolini sent thousands of poorly equipped soldiers to a country far from their homeland, on a mission to wage war with an unclear mandate against a people who were not their enemies. Raw courage and endurance blend with human suffering, desperation and altruism in the epic saga of this withdrawal from the Don lines, including the demise of thousands and survival of the few.
Hope Hamilton, fluent in Italian and having spent many years in Italy, has drawn on many interviews with survivors, as well as massive research, in order to provide this first full English-language account of one of World War II's legendary stands against great odds.
REVIEWS
"Raw courage and endurance blend with human suffering, desperation and altruism in the epic saga of this withdrawal from the Don lines, including the demise of thousands and survival of the few."Recollections of WWII, 07/2011
"...tragic account of the fate of the Alpini, Italy's elite mountain troops... Historian Hamilton tells their story through interviews with survivors, extensive historical records and archival photos." Italian America, Summer 2011
"...a ground-breaking study of Italy's participation in the Second World War on the Russian Front... an excellent addition to any library on Italian participation in World War II..."Strategy Page, The NYMAS Review, August 2011
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