Chapter 602 Battle of the Alps (1)

Menton is a town on the Italian-French border. The coastal railway connecting Nice to Genoa passes through the town, bringing trade convenience to the town.

Of course, as the relationship between the two countries deteriorated and the strength of Italy increased, France built a large number of fortifications in the Alps. As for Menton, a border town, of course it is no exception.

In the north of the town, France has built three forts here, equipped with 38 cannons of various calibers, the most powerful of which is the French 170mm gun, which was dismantled from a retired naval warship. , can cover all parts of the town, and even hit the sea.

Today, however, the town of Menton is unusual, as the Italian army crossed the border to attack Menton.

According to the plan, the Italian side should attack at the same time as Germany. However, because the preparations were not sufficient, Simeone explained to Mooch that it was delayed for a week.

How could Little Moltke be satisfied with the actions of the Italian Army. But after all, the Italian army cooperated with the German army, so dissatisfaction can only be endured.

In fact, I don’t blame Simeone, because it is really difficult in Italy, and there are more things to prepare.

After all, the Italian-French border is a continuous mountain range. This mountain attack and the plain are two concepts. Insufficient preparation, you may get stuck on which mountain, so you must

“Blah blah blah…”

“Boom boom boom…”

The crisp and pleasant sound of gunfire was mixed with the deafening sound of shelling as the French defenders were resisting the attack of Italian soldiers.

Facing the French defenders, officers and men of the Italian 17th Infantry Division attacked their positions.

In the distance, the artillery support from the Italian side was also very fierce. In addition to the division’s 75mm field gun and 105mm howitzer, the 17th Infantry Division, which was responsible for the main attack task, also received the military’s 150mm howitzer and 120mm cannon. Support. In addition, in order to deal with the 170mm naval guns of the fortress, the 350mm siege guns configured by the Italian military for the Southern Army are also among them.

As the largest caliber siege gun on Italian land, the Italian military also has high hopes for it.

This siege gun is specially built by the Italian military to deal with strong fortresses. The total weight is 81.4 tons. The gun can fire armor-piercing projectiles, high-explosive projectiles and ordinary grenades.

It is divided into railway models and road models. Thanks to Italy’s developed internal combustion engine technology, this heavy gun can be driven by a diesel engine. However, given the heavy weight of the gun, its road transportation has high requirements on bridges and roads, and engineers need to reinforce roads and bridges in advance.

Although this heavy artillery is not as good as Krupp’s Big Beta, it is enough for Italy, and they don’t have to face the first fortress in Europe.

Of course, in the research process of this heavy artillery, Italy received technical support from Germany. After all, in heavy artillery technology, Italy is far less excellent than Germany. However, in terms of quantity, because Italy needs to face many fortifications on the French border, 8 siege guns were built in Italy, 4 of which were allocated to Army Group South.

Now the heavy artillery is being used to fire the deadly shells at the Menton battery.

“Boom”

On the position of a 350mm siege gun, a loud noise resounding through the sky is roaring the ears of many artillerymen.

A 350mm shell came out of its chamber and flew towards the distant enemy fort.

The shell flew over a distance of more than ten kilometers, and finally pinned precisely on the top of a secondary battery. The French army in the fort didn’t realize what was going on at all, and was vaporized by the huge explosion. The subsequent explosion set off a chain reaction of shells in the turret, from which a deafening sound rang out. The blown apart fragments swept the surrounding area more deadly than bullets.

What happened was seen by the airship suspended in the sky, and the artillery position was immediately informed of the results.

“Deviated.”

The officer who received the telegram immediately ordered the cannon to be adjusted.

After several shellings, the shell finally landed on the top of the target, and an explosion far beyond the previous reappearance reappeared.

Next, it was the turn of the 350mm heavy artillery to be called one by one.

With the blessing of 350mm heavy artillery, the attack on the border town of Menton went smoothly. The next day, the French army’s rule in Menton collapsed. Major General Shorak, commander of the 17th Infantry Division, reported to Army Group South that the division had occupied the small town of Menton.

However, Admiral Baxter, the commander of Army Group South, fell into contemplation when he saw the ammunition consumed and casualties.

In the short battle of Menton, the 17th Division and its affiliated units suffered total casualties of 5,381 people, lost 17 artillery pieces, and consumed more than 2,000 tons of various ammunition.

It can be said that this battle made the 17th Division have to be repaired.

So how many enemies were eliminated at such a price?

According to the report of Major General Schorac, they destroyed and captured 2,871 French troops, and also seized 8 cannons, as well as 17 tons of ammunition and some other military supplies.

This is still a battle on the border, and supplies are very abundant in all aspects of Italy.

“This battle is not easy to fight!”

Putting down the report in his hand, Admiral Baxter sighed at the battle that followed.

“Admiral, the casualties are indeed a little bigger, but we also need to take into account that Menton, after all, is a strong base built by France, and it is relatively good in all aspects, so it is normal for the casualties to be larger.”

The one who spoke was Lieutenant General Espinosa, the chief of staff of Army Group South. He was previously good friends with Admiral Baxter, who was the director of education, and who was previously the headmaster of the Turin Military School and was now transferred to serve as the chief of staff of Army Group South.

Don’t get me wrong, the good relationship between the two is not the reason why they can become partners, but the military ability.

In the face of his friend’s persuasion, Admiral Baxter then defended. “I am not sighing for the excessive casualties of the 17th Division, but for the next battle. You can also see that I originally wanted to attract the French army, and it is best to fight them in the border area, The opponent who took over would rather watch Menton be taken by us than send reinforcements. The commander of the opponent is a steady person, so the battle for our southern army will be difficult. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com ”

How could Lieutenant General Espinosa not know the meaning of his friend’s words. This is not to use the most convenient means to solve or severely damage the opponent, but the opponent is not fooled.

“That’s true, but we have to keep fighting anyway, otherwise General Simeone can’t pass the test, and the allies can’t say it.”

Speaking of this, Lieutenant General Espinosa thought of something, and then said. “Actually, we are pretty good. The North Army has a heavier task, and they are also tasked with capturing the Savoy area. In fact, from another perspective, our South Army can only contain the enemy’s main force on the southern front, so that the North Army can have Opportunity to take the Savoy region.”

“You’re right. In a way, this prince is more courageous than us. After all, the other party is a member of the Savoy family and needs to bear more pressure.”

Admiral Baxter feels a lot better now, and sometimes the simple stuff works.

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I don’t feel well written, please forgive me