In September 1942 a battallion of Cossacks was formed witn the Italian 8th Army. It was called "Gruppo Autonomo Cossacchi Savoia". This battallion returned with the Italians back to Italy in 1943. In Italy they formed 2 Cavalry-Squadrons with the Regiment "Lanzieri Novara". The Cossacks wore traditional Cossack costume and Russian uniforms. On the right upper arm was a chevron in white/blue/red (the Imperial Russian colors). The "Italian" Cossacks were absorbed into the "Kazacij stan" of MajGen DOMANOV (a "German" unit) This "Kazacij stan" was in the near of Tolmezzo/Northern Italy."
http://www.eliteforces.freewire.co.uk/Waffen%20SS%20Text+Images/cossacks.htm
Cossack 625th Btl and Gruppo Savoia shields
"The shield on your left was issued to volunteers in the 625th Cossack Battalion of the 1st Cossack Division. Many of these units saw action defending the Atlantic Wall in 1944.
The red/blue/white chevron was worn by "Gruppo Savoia" Cossack volunteers under the Italian Army. In September 1942, a battalion of Cossacks was formed with the Italian 8th Army. It was called "Gruppo Autonomo Cossacchi Savoia." The Cossack Cavalry unit commonly referred as "Gruppo Savoia" returned with the Italian 8th Army back to Italy. In Italy the Cossack Battalion was refitted to form two Calvary Squadrons under the command of the Italian Calvary Regiment "Lanzieri Novara." The Cossacks were not content to be under an Italian Command. The Cossacks units were absorbed into the German army under the Command of Major-General Domanov, where they fought Italian Partisans near Tolmezzo, Northern Italy."
http://axis101.bizland.com/CossackShields02.htm
"The formation of this unit was initially met with some resistance according to the testimony of one of its officers, Vladimir Leonow, above all due to the language difficulties. Any doubts were soon overcome, though, and the mission of training the unit was given to capitano Stavro Santarosa. In a document signed by colonel Golovko and Starshi Captain Maligin, respectively president and secretary of the rejoined circle of the Kuban and Don anticommunist armies, it was affirmed that, that the Italian 8th Army formed its first volunteer cossack sotnia (a cossack term for a cavalry formation of 120-160 men). This happened on 25 September 1942 in the town of Millerovo on the river Don.
According to the same document the commander, Captain Santarosa, was enlisted as honorary cossack of the Kamiscevatskaja stanitsa (i.e. cossack village) of the Eisk's Departement, Kuban's District.
The very first actions by the sotnia raised esteem and entusiasm in the italians. The unit wore italian uniforms with regular collar's stars. Subsequently they were nevertheless gotten cossackian uniforms and the Group could finally present himself complete with Shashqa and Kubanka (saber & busby), as a proper cossack formation. The command was assegn. to Maggiore Count Ranieri di Campello, who were to be decorated by Generale Gariboldi with the Military Gallantry Medal in silver for ''having issued, being wounded, wise dispositions to escape the encirclement of his unit'' the 15-19th Jan. 1943 at Rossoch-Nikitowka.
After the fall of Stalingrad, mixed with the fleeing italians, germans, rumanians, ungarians as well as the Ostreiter units, the cossacks confronted themselves with the inner controversity of partisans' attacks, and the cohesion of the formation began to waver. Count Ranieri himself was saved by some captain Vladimir Ostrowsky, which swiftly managed to stop the arm of a cossack who had came close to the count to shoot him point-blank with his pistol.
Disregarding the defeat, the unit was expanded to form a Gruppo (battalion strength) with two cavalry squadrons, taking the name "Gruppo Autonomo Cosacchi "Savoia"". This name would indicate some sort of relationship with the "Savoia Cavalleria" regiment, that was at this time part of the "Barbo" Cavalry Brigade. Nothing solid is known to me, though.
The unit reached Italy in May 19'43, and was billeted in a farm known as 'Jacur', in the vicinity of Maccaccari Gazzo[Verona, Lombardia, North Italy]. At the time, the unit consisted of two sotnias (a colonel, four officers and about 360 cossacks), and was subordinate to the “Lancieri Novara” Cavalry Regiment, under the the command of marquis Cavarzerani. According to the Podestа (Mayor) of Gazzo Veronese, the cossacks -which usually would be prone to be invovled in cases of rustler and plunder- were not disliked by the local population. Their bahaviour reminded him the atmosphere of traditional cossacks' novels.
In the August of 1943 general Gariboldi reviewed the Group and praised the cossacks. After Italy switched sides on 8 september 1943, the germans, to whom the existence of the Group was known, spared them from internment. In return they agreed, on their word, that the Group would retaining weapons and horses, would not take arms against the Wehrmacht.
Afterwards a number of them moved in Camporosso in Val Canale, the remnants, after having hidden weapons and ammo, scattered themselves, finding shelter in civilian clothes at some farms (it is possible that some of them if not all could have joined bands of partisan, at least to survey -hy ipothesis). Vladimir Leonow, after having remained for some time in Camporosso, is said to have joined the the Special Cossack Corps of general Timofey Ivanovich Domanow, thatmoved into N-Italy and established a "Cossackistan", a new homeland for the many Cossacks that had fled with the Germans, when they retreated from the USSR. A number of other cossacks from the former Italian battalion also seems to have finally ended up here.
The valourous captain Ostrowsky, which with an action probably never recognized with a commendation, saved major di Campello's life, embarked himself after the war on a private fleet flying Panama's flag and dispelled his path. He escaped the deliver to the soviets to die in Argentina, by the friendly Axis' Ratline.
This being told, it also has to be said, that there is substantial disagreement over the specifics of the unit. Various sources tell of them clad in Soviet, traditional cossack or regular Italian uniforms. There is also considerable disagreement as to where the unit went after the Italian switch in 1943."
http://www.geocities.com/kumbayaaa/itroycossacks.html
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