First Defensive Battle of Don

First Defensive Battle of Don
Part of the Italian–Soviet War
Italo Gariboldi commanding the newly formed 8th Army in Russia, during the First Defensive Battle of Don
Date 20 August – 1 September 1942 Location Don region, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union 47°05′11″N 39°14′19″E Result Italian victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Italy	Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Giovanni Messe Italo Gariboldi	Andrey Yeryomenko Vasily Gordov
Casualties and losses
900 killed 4,200 wounded	Unknown
Location within Russia First Defensive Battle of Don (Black Sea)

The First Defensive Battle of the Don also known as First Battle of Don, is the term adopted by Italian historiography to define the harsh and difficult battles fought by the forces of the 8th Army deployed on the Don front in Russia in the summer of 1942 during the Italian campaign in Russia on the Eastern Front of the Second World War. The battle originated from the violent attack launched by Soviet divisions along the course of the Don held by the aggressor Italian troops; initially, some units of the 8th Army were put in difficulty and ceded important bridgeheads on the western bank of the river, at Serafimovič and Verčne Mamon; there were also collapses and panic among the units of the 2nd Infantry Division "Sforzesca", confirming German fears about the weakness of the Italian forces. Subsequently, with the influx of military units to cover the gap and defend the 9th Infantry Division "Pasubio" and the 3rd Infantry Division "Ravenna", the Italian units fought well and succeeded, even without reconquering all the lost positions, in stopping the Soviet advance.

The First Battle of the Don included the cavalry charge at Isbuschenskij, one of the last such actions in the war. The battle had important strategic consequences, it was from the positions it had reached in August that the Red Army would unleash its major winter offensives (Operation Uranus and Operation Little Saturn), achieving a decisive victory. Furthermore, the initial defeat sparked a heated controversy over responsibility between the German and Italian commands, which contributed to depressing the morale of the ARMIR soldiers and further weakened mutual trust between the main Axis Powers.