This information provided by Arturo Filippo Lorioli
On July 1942 the 8th Army was formed, taking over the CSIR (Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Russia - Italian Expeditionary Corps in Russia, now renamed 35th Corps/CSIR) and two new Corps (2nd Corps and Alpini Corps). The original (demented!) plan to send 20+ divs in Russia was fortunatelly never implemented.
The Army organization, at start, was as follows:
The 8th Army was part of the German 29th Army Corps of Army Group "B", and deployed on the Don front, south of the 7th Army Corps/2nd Hungarian Army and north of the 17th Army Corps/6th German Army. The original plan to send the Alpini Corps on the Caucasus front, where its mountain-warfare training should have been invaluable, was not implemented.
The OOB of the CSIR has already been given. The OOB of the Alpini Corps was as follows:
CORPS UNITS 422nd and 425th Carabinieri sections (MP) 27th Topographic section 20th Photographic section 20th Telephotographic section 108th Military Post office 307th Medical Corps section 7th Dental ambulance 9th Delousing section 23rd, 24th, 466th, 467th, 483rd, 484th Field Hospitals 113th Logistical section 200th Motor Transport bn 57th Haevy mobile workshop 6th Recovery coy. 11th Army Corps Arty. "Raggruppamento" (Brigade) 51st Arty Bn (105L13) 52nt Arty Bn (105L13) 53rd Arty Bn (105L13) 117th Arty Bn (149L13) 11th Arty.Technicians bn (workshop unit) 39th AA bty (20L65) 41st AA bty (20L65 1st Construction Eng. bn 9th Mixed Eng. bn (1 coy each Telegraph/Radio/Searchlights) 30th Guastatori bn (assault eng., 2 coys only) 21st Eng. workshop 19th carrier-pigeons coy. 2nd Alpini Div "TRIDENTINA" 402nd Carabinieri section 417th Carabinieri section 201st Military Post office 302nd Medical Corps section 619th, 620th, 622nd, 523rd Field Hospitals 110th Logistical section 206th Mixed Motor Transport bn 5th Alpini Regiment Alpini bn "MORBEGNO" Alpini bn "TIRANO" Alpini bn "EDOLO" 5th Medical Corps section 618th Field Hospital 25th Pack-mules column 82nd AT coy (47L32) 6th Alpini Regiment Alpini bn "VERONA" Alpini bn "VESTONE" Alpini bn "VAL CHIESE" 6th Medical Corps section 621st Field Hospital 26th Pack-mules column 216th AT coy (47L32) 2nd Alpini Artillery Regiment Alpini Arty bn "BERGAMO" Alpini Arty bn "VICENZA" Alpini Arty bn "VALCAMONICA" 57th and 59th AA btys (20L65) 76th AT bty (75L39) 2nd Mixed Eng bn (1 coy each Searchlights, Radio-Telegraph, Construction) 3rd Alpini Div "JULIA" 415th Carabinieri section 416th Carabinieri section 202nd Military Post office 303rd Medical Corps section 628th, 629th, 633rd, 813th Field Hospitals 111th Logistical section 207th Mixed Motor Transport bn 8th Alpini Regiment Alpini bn "TOLMEZZO" Alpini bn "GEMONA" Alpini bn "CIVIDALE" 308th Medical Corps section 814th Field Hospital 28th Pack-mules column 41st AT coy (47L32) 9th Alpini Regiment Alpini bn "VICENZA" Alpini bn "L'AQUILA" Alpini bn "VAL CISMON" 309th Medical Corps section 630th Field Hospital 29th Pack-mules column 83rd AT coy (47L32) 3rd Alpini Artillery Regiment Alpini Arty bn "UDINE" Alpini Arty bn "CONEGLIANO" Alpini Arty bn "VAL PIAVE" 45th and 47th AA btys (20L65) 77th AT bty (75L39) 3rd Mixed Eng bn (1 coy each Searchlights, Radio-Telegraph, Construction) 4th Alpini Div "CUNEENSE" 413th Carabinieri section 414th Carabinieri section 203rd Military Post office306th Medical Corps section 613th, 614th, 616th, 617th Field Hospitals 107th Logistical section 201st Mixed Motor Transport bn 1st Alpini Regiment Alpini bn "CEVA" Alpini bn "PIEVE DI TECO" Alpini bn "MONDOVI' " 1st Medical Corps section 612th Field Hospital 21st Pack-mules column 14th AT coy (47L32) 2nd Alpini Regiment Alpini bn "BORGO SAN DALMAZZO" Alpini bn "DRONERO" Alpini bn "SALUZZO" 2nd Medical Corps section 615th Field Hospital 22nd Pack-mules column 84th AT coy (47L32) 4th Alpini Artillery Regiment Alpini Arty bn "PINEROLO" Alpini Arty bn "MONDOVI' " Alpini Arty bn "VAL PO" 64th and 116th AA btys (20L65) 78th AT bty (75L39) 4th Mixed Eng bn (1 coy each Searchlights, Radio-Telegraph, Construction)
The first battle of the Alpini Corps was on September 1st 1942, when the "Vestone" and "Val Chiese" bns were engaged in the defensive actions to prevent the expansion of the Soviet bridgeheads on the Don. After a succesfull counterattack toward Kotvski in support of German armoured foreces, due to bad coordination the Germans retreated without advanced warning, leaving the Alpini stranded and almost surrounded by Russian units. The Alpini managed to breakthrough and withdraw to the start positions in good order, but suffered heavy losses.
For some unevenfull monthes the 8th Army held the Don river line from very good defensive positions. The only (big) problem was that the front was much too large, and the defensive line was formed by a series of much-separated strongpoints, with limited possibility of reciprocal support. This bad situation was worsened for the Alpini Corps by the limited availability of mortars and MMGs (about half the number available to the 2nd and 35th Corps divs.).
On December 10th the 8th Army was reorganized as follows:
The German 387th Inf.Div. was in general reserve, and the Inf.Div. "Vicenza" was in rear area security.
From December 11th the Russian activity stepped up , and on December 16th the Soviets launched the "Little Saturn" offensive against the 8th Army lines.
Within a few days the situation turned critical, particularly on the 2nd Corps sector that was reinforced with the Div."Julia" and the 387th German Inf.Div., while the artilleryless "Vicenza" (reinforced by the "Morbegno", "Vestone" and "Pieve di Teco" Alpini bns) was assigned to the Alpini Corps, and on Dec.19th the 2nd Corps was assigned to the 24th German Panzerkorps control.
Several sharp defensive battles were fought (Selenj Jar, Ivanovka, Novo Kalitva, Golaja etc), and the Italian troops were able to (barely) mantain their positions until January 13th, when the Soviets launched the "Ostrogozsk Rossocs" offensive, a pincer attack aimed to surround the 8th Army attacking north (7th Hungarian Corps) and south (24th Panzerkorps). The 24th Panzerkorps gave limited ground to the Russian offensive, but on December 17th the Hungarians were forced to abandon their positions and retreat. The 8th Army was ordered to retreat too to avoid encirclement and the "Julia" was assigned back to the Alpini Corps.
The following two-weeks were a true nightmare,and the Cosseria, Pasubio, Ravenna, Sforzesca, Torino, 3rd Celere, Julia and Vicenza divs were destroyed.
Two divisions of the Alpini Corps (Tridentina and Cuneense) managed to breakthrough with a part of their troops and with thousands of stragglers from the 24th Panzerkorps and other units of the Army, for a total of about 20.000 Italians (over 7.000 wounded and/or frostbitten) and more than 15.000 Germans and Hungarians. If somebody is interested in a detailed cronicle of the retreat, let me know off line.
Over 75.000 Italian soldiers died in Russia, including several thousands that died while POW of the Soviets (whose beastly treatment of prisoners should *never* be forgotten - or forgiven).