Croce di Ghiaccio

[OldSteel]

Hello everyone, I wanted to share with you this Commemorative Cross of the Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia (CSIR), a group of operational divisions in Russia from July 1941 to July 1942, then CSIR merged into the Eighth Army, called Armata Italiana in Russia (ARMIR), together with the Corpo di Spedizione Alpino.
Commonly called "Croce di Ghiaccio" and an unofficial medal but highly appreciated by Veterans who proudly wore it during and after WW2; on the uniform it was worn on the left pocket of the jacket.
As far as is known, the examples in zamak alloy should be war productions, while those in silver metal should be later, but on this point there is still a lot of uncertainty.
The example I show you was purchased privately from a veteran in the 1950s, the ribbon is the original one.
The troop examples have the interior painted white and unglazed, therefore very fragile.

Regards
Roberto

[MAP]

Very nice. Simple yet elegant. I've never seen or heard of this.

[OldSteel]

Very nice. Simple yet elegant. I've never seen or heard of this.

As I said: it was not an official medal, it was a private initiative, and whoever wanted it had to buy it, but it had a great diffusion among the Veterans of the Russian Front.
Often it was held in pairs with the ARMIR commemorative badge, the latter was instead an official badge commissioned by the Eighth Army Command, and all those who had been part of it could wear it; also for this badge the rule was valid, it was not distributed but the Veterans could buy it at a fixed price; here is an example of the war period:



Regards
Roberto

[AZPhil]

Thank you Roberto,
It's my first time seeing both of these.
After reading about them, it looks like they did not fair to well at the battle of Stalingrad.

Stay Safe!!
Semper Fi
Phil

[OldSteel]

Thank you Roberto,
It's my first time seeing both of these.
After reading about them, it looks like they did not fair to well at the battle of Stalingrad.

Stay Safe!!
Semper Fi
Phil

Hi Phil,
the Russian Campaign is a very broad topic that deserves a discussion that is not possible in few words; I have had the opportunity to study it a lot since I was a child, even listening to the stories of the Veterans.
In a very concise way, the fundamental problem that led to the bad outcome of that campaign, and more generally of the whole war, was mainly an incorrect use of the Italian armed forces.
The Army was basically structured to defend the national territory, as it had been during WW1, and not organized for an invasion campaign.
The inadequate equipment and in particular the poor motorization of the troops proved fatal in a campaign of high mobility such as that.

See you soon
Roberto

[TabsTabs1964]

Fantastic decoration.
I completely agree with Roberto. I have studied the Italian campaign in Russia for years. Its result is the consequence of very complex factors, but your explanation is a very accurate summary.
In 2017, I had the opportunity to visit several monuments commemorating the dramatic struggle of Italian troops at the withdrawal of the Don, both in Milan and in Turin. In Milan I managed to visit the church where the body of D. Carlo Gnocchi, the famous Alpine chaplain, is located.
It is highly recommended to read "The Sergeant in the Snow" and "100,000 ice dishes" although I do not know if they are published in English. And of course to understand this enormous drama, it is highly recommended to see "The Sunflowers of Russia" and a desperate and in love Sofía Loren, tirelessly looking for her sweetheart, missed in action in Russia during the withdrawal of the Don...
I have a diorama of seven lead figures representing a sledge with wounded during the withdrawal of the Alpine troops. Another of a soldier from the Monte Cervino Battalion, a reproduction of the emblem "Fronte Russo" and an original Croce al Valore Militare.
A story and drama that marked the beginning of the end of popular support for the Mussolini regime.
What Italian family did not lose one of its members in the Russian campaign? How many soldiers fell before they could get through the "Sottopassagio de la Salvenza" in Nikolayevka and break the soviet fence.....

Regards

Santi

[rra227]

Nice pieces. Wish my medal was as nice as yours and my badge had a pin like yours. Rich A. in Pa.

[OldSteel]

Fantastic decoration.
I completely agree with Roberto. I have studied the Italian campaign in Russia for years. Its result is the consequence of very complex factors, but your explanation is a very accurate summary.
In 2017, I had the opportunity to visit several monuments commemorating the dramatic struggle of Italian troops at the withdrawal of the Don, both in Milan and in Turin. In Milan I managed to visit the church where the body of D. Carlo Gnocchi, the famous Alpine chaplain, is located.
It is highly recommended to read "The Sergeant in the Snow" and "100,000 ice dishes" although I do not know if they are published in English. And of course to understand this enormous drama, it is highly recommended to see "The Sunflowers of Russia" and a desperate and in love Sofía Loren, tirelessly looking for her sweetheart, missed in action in Russia during the withdrawal of the Don...
I have a diorama of seven lead figures representing a sledge with wounded during the withdrawal of the Alpine troops. Another of a soldier from the Monte Cervino Battalion, a reproduction of the emblem "Fronte Russo" and an original Croce al Valore Militare.
A story and drama that marked the beginning of the end of popular support for the Mussolini regime.
What Italian family did not lose one of its members in the Russian campaign? How many soldiers fell before they could get through the "Sottopassagio de la Salvenza" in Nikolayevka and break the soviet fence.....

Regards

Santi

Congratulations Santi, for your knowledge of the subject, the literary and cinematographic works you mentioned are absolutely recommended for those who want to have a real knowledge of the facts of that military campaign, without neglecting the human implications of the story.
Many of the Italian families lost some of their relatives on the Russian front, and the saddest thing that most of them died of hardship and disease in the prison camps.
Thank you for mentioning the Battle of Nikolayevka, it is an opportunity to remember the undertaking of Gen. Luigi Reverberi and the Alpini of his Div. Tridentina, who broke the Red Army encirclement.

Regards