First Battle of Don

The First Defensive Battle of the Don took place during World War II and involved the Italian Army in Russia fighting numerous difficult struggles along the banks of the Don River in Russia over the summer of 1942. The battles began after the Soviet Army mounted a powerful assault against Italian defensive positions on the bank of the river. Following the onset of the assault, several Italian units sustained significant setbacks including the loss of critical bridgeheads at both Serafimovič and Verčne Mamon, while the full 2nd Infantry Division "Sforzesca" suffered a breakdown in morale resulting in a collapse of multiple locations along their line of defence creating additional fears to their German Allies concerning the apparent weakness of the Italian forces. The arrival of reinforcements from various Italian units such as the 3rd Cavalry Division "Principe Amedeo Duca d'Aosta", the Regiment "Savoia Cavalleria", the Skiers Battalion "Monte Cervino", and 5th Infantry Division "Cosseria" allowed the Italian 9th Infantry Division "Pasubio" and 3rd Infantry Division "Ravenna" to mount a successful defence against further Soviet advances even though not all lost territories had been recovered.