My Italian: Chapter 602 Battle of the Alps 1

Menton is a small 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 Italy's strength increased, France built a large number of fortifications in the Alps. As for Menton as a border town, of course it is no exception.

In the northern part of the town, France built three forts here, equipped with 38 cannons of various calibers, the most powerful of which is the French 170mm cannon, which was disassembled from a retired navy warship. , can cover all parts of the town, and can even hit the sea.

But today, the small town of Menton is unusual because the Italian army crossed the border to attack Menton.

According to the previous plan, Italy should launch an attack at the same time as Germany. However, due to insufficient preparation, Simeone delayed it for a week after explaining to Moltke.

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, it is not to blame Simeone, because the Italian side is indeed more difficult, and more things need to be prepared.

After all, the Italian-French border is a continuous mountainous area, and this mountainous attack and plain are two concepts. If you are not prepared enough, you may be stuck on which mountain, so you must

"Bah bah bah..."

"Boom boom boom..."

The crisp and sweet gunshots are mixed with the deafening shelling, which means that the French defenders are resisting the attack of Italian soldiers.

Facing the French defenders, officers and soldiers 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 offensive task, was also supported by the army's 150mm howitzer and 120mm cannon. In addition, in order to deal with the 170mm naval gun of the fortress, the 350mm siege gun equipped by the Italian military for the Southern Army is also among them.

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

This siege gun was specially built by the Italian military to deal with strong fortresses. The gun barrel has a total length of 6.8 meters, a caliber of 350 mm, and a maximum range of 14.7 kilometers. The total weight is 81.4 tons. The gun can launch armor-piercing projectiles, high-explosive projectiles and ordinary grenades, etc. Its 350mm armor-piercing projectile weighs 573 kilograms, and the high-explosive projectile weighs 467 kilograms.

It is divided into railway models and road models. Thanks to Italy's advanced internal combustion engine technology, this heavy gun can be driven by a diesel engine. However, due to the heavy weight of the gun, its road transportation has high requirements on bridges and roads, and engineers need to reinforce the road 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 number one fortress in Europe.

Of course, during the research process of this heavy artillery, Italy received technical support from Germany. After all, compared to heavy artillery technology, Italy is far inferior to Germany. But in terms of quantity, because Italy needs to face the many fortifications on the French border, 8 of this siege gun were built in Italy, 4 of which were assigned to the Southern Army.

Now this heavy gun is being used to fire the deadly shell at the Fort of Menton.

"Boom"

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

A 350mm artillery shell escaped and flew towards the enemy fort in the distance.

The shell flew over a distance of more than ten kilometers, and finally pierced precisely on top of a secondary battery. The French army in the fort didn't realize what was going on at all, and was gasified by the huge explosion. The subsequent explosion triggered a chain reaction of shells in the fort, and a deafening sound sounded from the fort. The fragments that were blown to pieces swept across the surrounding area more deadly than bullets.

All this happened was seen by the airship hanging in the sky, and the artillery position was informed of the results.

"Missed."

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

After several shellings, the shells finally landed on the top of the target, and an explosion far surpassing that just now reappeared.

Then it was the turn of the 350mm heavy artillery roll call.

With the blessing of 350mm heavy artillery, the offensive of the small town of Menton on the border went smoothly. The next day, the rule of the French army in Menton collapsed. Major General Sholak, 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 the Southern Army, fell into deep thought as he watched the ammunition consumed and the casualties.

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

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

So how many enemies were destroyed at such a cost?

According to Major General Sholak's report, they wiped out and captured 2,871 French soldiers, and also seized 8 cannons, 17 tons of ammunition, and some other military supplies.

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

"This battle is not easy to fight!"

Putting down the report in his hands, Admiral Baxter sighed for the upcoming battle.

"Admiral, the casualties are indeed a bit higher, but we also need to take into account that Menton, as a solid stronghold built by France, is relatively good in all aspects, so it is normal for the casualties to be a bit higher."

The one who spoke was Lieutenant General Espinosa, Chief of Staff of Army Group South. He was a good friend with Admiral Baxter, who was the director of education, before he served as the principal of the Turin Military School, and now he has been transferred to serve as the chief of staff of the Army Group South.

Don't get me wrong, the good relationship between the two is not the reason why they can become partners, but because they are competent in military capabilities.

In the face of his friend's persuasion, Admiral Baxter then opened his mouth to defend. "I am not lamenting the heavy casualties of the 17th Division, but lamenting the ensuing battle. As you can see, I originally wanted to attract the French army, and it would be best to fight against it in the border area. The other party would rather see Menton being captured by us than send reinforcements. The commander of the other party is a steady person, so the next battle for our Southern Army will be difficult."

For friends~www.mtlnovel.com~ Lieutenant General Espinosa could not know what he meant. Doesn't this mean that you want to use the most convenient means to solve or severely injure your opponent, but the opponent will not be fooled.

"It is true, but no matter what we say, we must continue to fight, otherwise General Simeone will not be able to pass the test, and the allies will have no way to say it."

Speaking of this, Lieutenant General Espinosa thought of something, and then said. "Actually, we are not bad. The task of the Northern Army is even heavier. They are also responsible for capturing the Savoy region. In fact, from another perspective, our Southern Army can only contain the enemy's main force on the southern front, so that the Northern Army can opportunity to seize the Savoy region."

"You're right. From a certain point of view, this prince is more courageous than us. After all, the other party is from the Savoy family and needs to bear more pressure."

Admiral Baxter felt much better now, and sometimes the simple things work.

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I feel that the writing is not very good, everyone forgive me

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