Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia

Torino and Pasubio were semi-motorised divisions, with an assortment of commercial vehicles, with company logos intact, pressed into service.

The initial strength of the CSIR stood at about 3,000 officers and 59,000 men, 5,500 motor vehicles, 220 artillery pieces, 92 anti-tank guns, 83 aeroplanes and 4,600 horses and mules.

The units of the CSIR were a mixed bag and were transported by truck, horse, car, motorcycle, bicycle or as was the case all too often, on foot.

The Aviation Command of the CSIR had less than 100 Macchi C.200 Saetta (Lightning) fighters, Caproni Ca.311 light reconnaissance-bombers and Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello (Bat) tri-motor transports.

In its early encounters the CSIR was successful, taking a number of towns and cities and creating a favourable impression on its German allies.

[3] Its most notable early victory came at the Battle of Petrikowka in September 1941, where the Italians encircled some sizeable Red Army units, inflicting unknown casualties on them and capturing over 10,000 prisoners of war as well as significant numbers of weapons and horses.

[4] On October 20, the CSIR and the German XLIXth Mountain Corps captured the big industrial city of Stalino (now Donetsk) after determined resistance from the Soviet defenders.

Units from the Pasubio Motorized Division captured the neighboring city of Gorlovka, an industrial town of around 100,000 inhabitants, on November 2.