Battle of the Third Reich

The peculiarity of mountain troops is that usually the complex terrain that makes ordinary infantry troops discourage, but it is difficult to restrain the movement of mountain troops. Because they mainly rely on walking on foot, they have almost no road requirements, as long as they can enter the area. , Mountain soldiers will be able to move there.

It can be said that the Alps have bred this service. As a natural dividing border, the countries around the mountains have either established their own mountain warfare forces for self-defense or conquest. Because of its geographical environment, Italy has invested considerable energy in this area. Whether in terms of equipment or tactics, the Italian mountain troops are regarded as pioneers in this field.

For quite a long time, their opponents were equally elite Austrian-Hungarian mountain soldiers, but after the end of World War I, after the once powerful Austro-Hungarian empire fell apart, the Alps mountain soldiers thought that Europe would no longer be able to match their opponents The Italian mountain troops are invincible.

But now, the powerful Austro-Hungarian mountain hunters are back, but they are now wearing uniforms of the third empire mountain soldiers, wearing m40 helmets inlaid with edelweiss badges on their heads.

Italy is a mountain country. The plains only account for about 20% of the country's land area. Because of the lack of cultivated land, food has never been self-sufficient. At that time, the Roman Empire was entirely dependent on overseas territories to produce food and supplies. The domestic merger situation in Italy was serious, and most of the cultivated land was used by noble veteran farmers to grow grapes and olives, which are relatively profitable cash crops. If the rich overseas provinces were lost, at least half of the people would starve to death in the Roman Empire.

The Apennine Mountains can only be regarded as an endless hill compared with the steep Alps. The height of the peaks is generally below one thousand meters above sea level, and the height of the mountains near the middle falls to five or six hundred meters. The ridge where the 100th Hunting Regiment is now is only more than 500 meters above sea level. If the original topography of the mountain is added, the drop from the peak to the bottom of the valley is actually less than 200 meters, but for mountain soldiers who are used to climbing cliffs Saying that marching in such a place is like an autumn outing.

The Italians claim that there is only another group of mountain soldiers who can restrain the mountain soldiers, but this is only for the special environment of the Alps. In the densely populated areas of the road network such as the Apennines, the mountain soldiers do not have much advantage. , To be precise, their advantages simply cannot be brought into play in such a place. On the contrary, because they are carrying light equipment, they have very limited firepower. If they encounter conventional infantry troops, they will prevail in the firepower confrontation.

The German mountain soldiers were fortunate than their Italian counterparts. They were supported by infantry units. The fifth mountain division was basically a semi-mechanized march along the way. As an important branch of the assault force, the mountain division was additionally assigned to a truck regiment for their logistics.

In some areas with complicated environment, the forward troops will leave the motor vehicles they ride on and carry out armed reconnaissance on the bicycles they are distributing. This is the old way of the German mountain soldiers. Compared to the mule horses that are difficult to serve, the bicycle does not need feed or drinking water. When it encounters an area that is difficult to pass, a person can carry it on the march.

"This is the command of the superior. I can understand your mood, but there is no way. The command is the command. You know the consequences of the disobedience, Captain, that's it." Rudolf Zander, chief of the 1st Battalion of the 100th Hunting Regiment The school hung up the field phone.

"What's this?" Zander took an envelope from the bicycle messenger.

"I was sent by the regiment leader, sir." The herald replied loudly, and the boots bumped into a salute.

"Got it, you can leave, soldier." The lieutenant colonel returned a military salute.

"What is this?" Major Zorn, the administrative staff of the camp, asked curiously.

"This list of honorable personnel, please wait for each row to be notified by name." Zander handed the opened stationery to Zorn.

"The morale of the grassroots units will definitely increase even more." Zorn said happily.

"The question now is how to calm them down and don't call to fight every half an hour." Zandall scratched his chin and looked helpless.

The Italian mountain troops finally built a position before the Germans arrived. As experts in the industry, they knew how to use the terrain and successfully blocked the passage of a large area with very little force. The Italians occupy a mountain more than 650 meters high. Two mountain roads built along the ridge pass from both sides of the peak. The road and the mountainous area within a kilometer are all in Italy. Large caliber heavy machine guns and forced The mortar's attack range.

After repelling a team of German scouts, the revenge of the German army was not expected. The commander of the German mountain troops did not know what was wrong. They seemed to completely abandon the idea of ​​a strong attack. Instead, it was the firepower of the Italian troops. The takeaway of the line builds a position.

The mountain soldiers of the two countries confronted each other across the two mountain beams. Both sides established a standard defensive position. The soldiers hid in the bunker and placed cold guns away from each other. The two elite troops stunned the mountain warfare into a trench warfare, which is also a spectacle in this war.

Not to mention the Italians on the other side, the Germans themselves couldn’t figure it out. In their view, the Italian mountain unit opposite had no ability to block their offensive and had a hundredth battalion battalion supported by the Army Artillery Battalion. These enemies can be wiped out in one go.

But the superior suddenly issued an order, ordering the troops to immediately stop advancing, and at the same time turning to a defensive position on the spot, and it was forbidden to launch an assault on the Italian position.

Of course, Zander will not be satisfied with this inexplicable command. He almost thought he had a problem with his ear, but the division called him directly, and then told him that it was a command directly issued by the group army headquarters. The sender was likely It was Marshal Kettle, which meant that the head of empire might also be informed.

The words of the teacher directly extinguished all Zandall's ideas. This must have involved strategic issues. Once he messed up on his own, the cold-blood was immediately frightened by the thought of the lieutenant colonel.

At this moment, the German front headquarters has moved to the famous city of Mantova in northern Italy. This ancient city surrounded by water is located in the center of the Po River Plain. The geographical position here is very suitable for the command and control of the troops in the entire northern theater. .

"This is what they call the [Mussolini] line of defense. Badoglio can't act more seriously?" Manstein handed the military cap to the adjutant behind him, and then strode to the map table. Beside Yodel.

"He has successfully mobilized the troops around Rome and transferred the two newly formed black shirts to the north to block the French attack along the coastline. Rome’s strength will soon be emptied. It will become an undefended city." Yodel glanced at Manstein and then picked up a compass to mark the map.

"We are now trying to convince the Italians that this line of defense is working. It has successfully blocked our footsteps, and at the same time we must continue to exert pressure from the east and west lines to give Badoglio a reason to draw more troops out. . We must take Rome completely into our hands, because this is the order of the head of state." Yodell nodded Rome with a compass.

"This is a city that belongs to the world. Any damage to it will have a huge impact on the entire world. The Imperial Defence Forces are obliged to maintain the reputation of Germany and cannot give those who are hidden in the dark to attack the Empire. It is because of this that the head of state agreed to some of the conditions proposed by Badoglio, and let us fully cooperate with the marshal to implement his somewhat ridiculous plan."

In fact, Yoder was not very willing, but this was his first time as a first-line commander, and he originally wanted to establish a prominent military merit in this war. However, as a senior commander, he must look at the problem from a strategic perspective. The Italian plan did save the Germans a lot of energy, and the troops could avoid too many losses. He looked at the report more than once. At this point, the subordinate commanders praised the courage of the Italians in the battle.

In the four days since the beginning of the war, the Germans have lost more than 2,000 soldiers, of which more than 300 were killed and nearly 1,700 were seriously injured. Most of them may be retired. Many of them are veterans who have been refined by European wars. In Yoder, these are the seeds of future officers. When the German Wehrmacht is expanding on a large scale, losing any one is a huge loss for the army.

"Okay, the will of the head of state is our mission. Cyprus is in place. How much time will Badogrio need?" Manstein leaned on the map table and looked at the dense arrows marked above. Each flag represents a German legion.

"According to him, it will take three or four days, but I don’t really believe this marshal. Later you can go to the staff room and ask Hendrick for a copy of the newsletter. Now if you come to look at this, I suddenly have a New ideas.". Yoder took off the monocle and put it in his chest pocket, then turned to the other side of the map table and picked up an indicator stick.

"The outcome of this war has been scheduled from the beginning, so I have been thinking about how to allow the Germans to win the war faster. Badoglio’s plan is currently our best choice, I very much agree with the decision of the head of state, which is very decisive and wise, and it touches me deeply." The Head of Operations of the Headquarters, as usual, first praised the wiseness of the head of the empire. This is a habit that has been formed since the time of Hitler, and he believed With the supernatural power of the apostle, these words will surely reach the other person's ears.

"It's just that Badogrio is an old fox. I know this person. To be honest, he is not very worthy of our trust. So we must prevent him from playing tricks behind his back. Of course he cannot have the guts to challenge the IDF head-on, but we It is necessary to add an insurance to this matter." Yodel said to Manstein.

"I agree with you, we really need to be more cautious. Tell me about your plan, what kind of insurance is it."

"Three days later, regardless of the success of Badoglio's plan, we will initiate a landing here." Yoder pointed the map with a stick.

"That's Anzio?" Manstein raised his eyebrows.

"It's Anzio. If Badogrio's plan goes well, all the defenders in this area will be transferred away, and this coastline is completely open to us. Several of the staff and I have studied this generation carefully. The terrain, Anzio's landing conditions are ideal, where there is a great beach.

We have enough landing equipment and ships to take the two infantry divisions ashore from here within 24 hours. It is only forty-five kilometers away from Rome. We can strike at Rome at full speed before the Italians react, and then “Yodell reached out and patted the city of Rome on the map, with a smug smile on his face. (To be continued. )

...