Snow, Ice and Sacrifice

True WWII Eastern Front buffs know how few books have been published in America onMussolini’s Fascistic involvement. Case in point: when “Snow, Ice and Sacrifice – – The ItalianArmy in Russia, 1941 -1943”, by co-authors Ralph Riccio and Massimiliano Afiero, arrived at thisbook reviewer’s doorstep, he immediately thumbed to the bibliography to count and weigh…

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  • True WWII Eastern Front buffs know how few books have been published in America onMussolini’s Fascistic involvement. Case in point: when “Snow, Ice and Sacrifice – – The ItalianArmy in Russia, 1941 -1943”, by co-authors Ralph Riccio and Massimiliano Afiero, arrived at thisbook reviewer’s doorstep, he immediately thumbed to the bibliography to count and weigh thenumber of reliable, respectable military WWII historical sources there were in English, if any!Of the 45 titles in the bibliography, including the four listed in the “Primary Sources” grid, therewere none. On the general bibliography’s 1 ½ pages, of the 45 titles, only three books were inEnglish: Eugenio Corti’s “Few Returned: Twenty-eight Days on the Russian Front”; HopeHamilton’s “Sacrifice on the Steppe: The Alpine Corps in the Stalingrad Campaign”; and, VictorMadeja, “Italian Army Order of Battle, 1940 – 1944! All three are brilliantly narrated, minutia-crammed, scholarly-presented yet vividly mesmerizing due to the generous number of photos.Even Victor’s “Army Order of Battle” is captivating. These dedicated Italian war scholars aredeeply, very much so, appreciated, but hardly a DENT, certainly not due to them, was madeinto what historical data, recorded eye-witness accounts, official Italian Army documents muststill be available since more than 60,000 Italian troops served in the combat zones. There is noquestion whatsoever that “Snow, Ice and Sacrifice”, all 262 pages of it and its accompanyingphotos are real and painful to realize. We had to wait more than 80 years to read about what itwas like to fight alongside the Italian Army in Russia. But now, as we quietly read, we areactually side by side with those very, very cold, nay, freezing Italian soldiers wondering whyMussolini got Italy involved with Hitler’s mess in the first place, fighting 30 degrees below zero.And for what?WOEFULLY UNPREPARED IN WEAPONS, EQUIPMENT, FIRST- RATE GUNS, OUTDOOR FIGHTINGUNIFORMS, LIGHT TANKS, TRUCKS, ARTILLERY WASTED ON INSIGNIFICANT TARGETS, LEFT THEITALIAN MILITARY IN A STRATEGIC MESS THAT ONLY HITLER AND MUSSOLINI COULD HAVEPLANNED!!!Reviewed and HIGHLY, HIGHLY Recommended as A Surprise New Year Gift by Don DeNevi“SNOW, ICE and SACRIFIC – – The Italian Army in Russia, 1941 – 1943”, by Ralph Riccio &Massimiliano Afiero. Helion & Company Limited, dist. Casemate Publishing: 262 pages, 7” x 10”,hardcover, $55. Visit, www.helion.co.uk.When Hitler decided to strike East, and began planning the greatest military attack in history,the invasion of the Soviet Union, Mussolini decided, unequivocally, to march beside him. He didso by creating the CSIR (Corpo di Spaedizione in Russia), the Italian Expeditionary Corps in

    Russia consisting of the 62,000 in three divisions. Il Duce, the head of the Fascisti, sent his prize

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