The town of Rossosh got its name from the word of the same name, meaning "dry" or a branch of the river, which is a tributary of the Don. In the XVII century, a settlement was founded here, which gradually expanded until in 1923 it became a city. In 1939, mainly Ukrainians lived in it - 69%, Russians were about 29%. Now the situation has changed: less than 13% of Ukrainians are left. Rossosh was of great strategic importance during the Great Patriotic War, when the corps of alpine mountain shooters settled here. During the operation, the "guests" from Italy were driven out of the city by our troops, losing more than 30, 000 soldiers and officers.
However, after many years, the Alpine shooters returned with "gifts" to Rossosh.
"Fear Danians Bringing Gifts"
In the early 90's, a delegation from Italy arrived in Rossosh: representatives of the national Alpine Riflemen Association or ANA, which includes both World War II veterans and their descendants. The motto of this organization is "Remember the dead, help the living."
The guests invited the city fathers to build a preschool institution near the memorial site - the battle of Nikolaevka, which was remembered by every Alpine shooter who survived. The host side gave its consent, apparently deciding that the proposal was a sign of repentance and an attempt to compensate for the evil brought to the civilians during the occupation.
In place of the building that stood during the war, where the headquarters of the Alpine Corps was located, volunteers who arrived from Italy quickly erected a kindergarten from their building material and gave it the name "Smile". And everyone was happy: still, in 1993, when the country itself knew that the city received a children's institution as a gift! Guests were also deeply satisfied …
Step two: a public garden
When the accepted kindergarten merged with the infrastructure of Rossosh, becoming an integral part of it, a new proposal came from Italian friends, which the city fathers could not refuse: to lay a public garden near the kindergarten in the best traditions of European park art. The idea was, of course, tempting, apparently so much that they did not go into small details - let the Italians express their repentance as they know how.
Little addition
The detail that was not paid close attention to is a small monument. It is (and now also) a brick pedestal on which is a sculpture stylized as an alpine arrow hat. One side is framed with a feather, and the other is a star, which is a Soviet symbol. The inscription on the monument, which can be read both in Russian and in Italian, reads: "From the tragic past through a friendly present to future fraternal cooperation."
As you know, the popular view penetrates into the very essence of any plans, no matter who they come from. So in this case: the inhabitants of Rossosh dubbed the monument with a hat and a feather of an alpine shooter “a monument to the unknown fascist”.
Step Three: Alpine Landing
In September 2018, the residents of the city had many reasons for amazement: the Voronezh region became a platform for the landing of Italian troops. The fact is that 75 years have passed since the memorable battle near Nikolayevka, and the surviving combatants decided to celebrate this anniversary date with a solemn procession to the monument to Alpine shooters with the laying of wreaths and the subsequent funeral dinner.
Returning back to the time of January 26, 1943, we can say that not a single shooter from the survivors, who took part in the battle on the site between Nikolaevka and the village of Livenka, could not forget those days. It seemed that the weather itself was on the side of the Soviet troops: the needle of the thermometer dropped below 30 degrees, the piercing wind exacerbated the suffering from the cold, there were practically no shelters, the steppe was everywhere you look. To put it mildly, these are not quite familiar conditions for the inhabitants of the southern country: frostbite amid mass attrition of personnel has increased the number of losses many times over.
Field Marshal Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov’s crossing the Alps was much more effective, and his tasks were noble: the liberation of Italy from the French troops.
The result of the operation
Faced with a choice: environment or breakthrough, the Italians under the command of General Reverby broke through the ring, leaving about 3 thousand personnel in the fields near Nikolaevka. Soviet troops did not begin to waste strength and chase after alpine shooters, who no longer represented any danger.
Summing up the results of this operation, we can say that it ended deplorably for the Italian corps: before the start of the battle, its number was 40 thousand, and less than 6, 000 shooters left the encirclement.
However, the surviving remains of the Italian corps became a symbol of courage and heroism in their homeland. The consequence of this myth was the organization of an action with the good name "Smile" under the patronage of the National Association of Alpine Riflemen, as well as annual events dedicated to the memory of soldiers and officers who fell near Nikolaevka.
Casket with a secret
The Monument to Alpine Riflemen in Rossosh has a certain addition, which significantly changes the very meaning of the idea of its construction: inside it are the remains of Alpines found in the area of the fighting. Therefore, it is not just a symbol of repentance and the resumption of relations with the people of the country in which atrocities and cruel bullying were going on. It can, more likely, be ranked among the tombstones to which they come to bow and honor the memory of the dead. So the rumor of law is a monument to the unknown fascist.
It should be noted that a book was published in Italy dedicated to the events near Nikolayevka, and it is called Operation Smile. Return to Rossosh. " There, in particular, it is told that the found remains of Italian soldiers were collected and buried next to a monument located near a kindergarten in the city of Rossosh.
It turns out that in Italy they know about the contents of the monument, but in Rossosh they did not know until the last moment. This, of course, can be explained by the fact that there are no corresponding inscriptions on the monument. However, this building was not built in airless space and not in the desert: the remains were collected, buried … and the authorities did not have a single question?
Probably, the city fathers all turned their heads in the opposite direction at the right moment …
Heroization after the fact
In 2003, celebrations were held in Rossosh in honor of the 10th anniversary of the opening of a preschool, to which a delegation of nearly 500 representatives of the national Association of Alpine Riflemen arrived. The event was held thanks to a preliminary agreement with the city administration. The solemn procession of guests in remarkable hats with a feather, banners and standards left the city residents in a state of light shock and a bitter “aftertaste”.
The NATO generals and the head of the region, Vladimir Grinev, took part in the gala event, who received the status of "honorary alpine" for great services to the guests. Mr. Grinev has since become a frequent visitor to sunny Italy, and after him new statesmen reached out: Yuri Mishanov, mayor of the city Eduard Markov and local historian Alim Morozov.
