The Italian Army in Russia was an army-sized unit of the Regio Esercito which fought on the Eastern Front during World War II between July 1942 and April 1943. The ARMIR was also known as the 8th Italian Army and initially had 235,000 soldiers. The bulk of this force was destroyed by the Soviet Red Army at the Battle of Stalingrad, after which Mussolini withdrew the remnants from Russia to the West.
75/32 gun of the Italian army on the Russian front
Italian soldiers on the Russian Front, with a Breda 30 machine gun. Breda Mod. 30 was the basic light machine gun of the Italian army during World War II
General Messe
Italian column moving towards new positions in the winter of 1942
Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia
During World War II, the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia was a corps-sized expeditionary unit of the Regio Esercito that fought on the Eastern Front. In July 1942 the CSIR entered the newly formed Italian Army in Russia as XXXV Army Corps.
Gerd von Rundstedt, Commander-in-Chief of Army Group South, with Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler on the Eastern Front, 28 August 1941
Mussolini inspecting members of the Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia
Italian soldiers of the CSIR attack Gorlovka on 2 November 1941
Image: General Messe
