Chapter 597： Italy sends troops

As early as a few years ago, after Mussolini visited Berlin, he formed an Axis with Berlin. The two sides have common interests and expand together.

According to this agreement, when Germany launched a war in Europe, Italy should immediately follow, but in fact, Italy did not do so.

After all, Britain and France have never failed. In World War I, Britain and France eventually became the victors. This made Mussolini a certain amount of resistance in his heart. He could not easily go to war with Britain and France.

But now, he has nothing to worry about.

With the elimination of the main force of the Anglo-French coalition forces, the collapse of France is just in sight. In this case, what is there to fear in Italy?

Time to do it!

So Mussolini rallied and wanted to eat a few pieces of meat on French territory.

Fulfill the promises made at the time and do it to France!

To this end, Italy dispatched more than a dozen divisions to invade France from the south of the border between the two countries.

If you look at the map, you can know that Italy is a long strip and the border with France is not long. Most of the borders are shrouded in the long Alps mountains. Therefore, Italy wants to attack France. Go over these mountains!

In the German war against France, the armored forces played a powerful role. Under Germany's example, Italy also planned to follow the same pattern.

At the forefront of the offensive force was the Italian 133 Armored Division, nicknamed "Litorio", one of the five armored divisions in Italy. (There is also information that there are only four armored divisions in Italy.)

The commander of this armored division is Major General Giovanni Messer.

In World War II, the record of the Italian army is obvious to all. Even the shooting down of the commander of the Air Force by naval ship guns happened to the Italians. It may also be because of the British victory and the defeat of Italy. Vilified.

In short, in World War II, the Italian army really had nothing to do with it, and the Italian army lacked memorable commanders.

And now Giovanni Messer can be said to be one of the few and remarkable generals in the Italian army.

Messer was born in Puglia, Italy in his early years and began to join the army in 1901. He participated in the Italian conquest of Libya and the First World War.

After World War I, Messer became an officer of Vittorio Emanuele III. In 1935, Messer was appointed to command a special infantry battalion and promoted to colonel.

After that, he was appointed to command a motorized brigade as a brigadier general in Verona.

Due to his outstanding performance in the Second Italian-Ethiopian War, Messer was promoted to at least command the Italian Armored Division.

Judging from his resume, Messer is definitely a war-tested veteran.

Even in the evaluation of later generations, he was one of the few Italian generals in the Italian army who made good use of armored forces. Moreover, he served as the commander of the German-Italian coalition forces in North Africa and the Italian Russian army in the Soviet-German War.

But now, Messer is not optimistic about this offensive action.

It was too hasty. Originally, they were preparing for a war in North Africa. As a result, they were temporarily transferred here! Although the defeat of the French is in sight, is there an Italian stage in this war?

Italy, originally a mountainous country, is the reason why Italy has always been developing light tanks. The Italian armored division is not a heavy armored division in a pure sense, but is composed of almost equal numbers of tanks, artillery and infantry.

For example, the current 133 Armored Division is composed of the 3rd Bersalini Sniper Infantry Regiment, an armored regiment, including 3 battalions 1.3 light tanks, a total of 117 tanks, and an artillery regiment.

The total number of the division is about 5,700.

The so-called l3 light tank is actually the original cv33 tank. This kind of weak chicken tank, which is regarded as a treasure by the Italian armored forces, has long been outdated in Europe.

But now, Messer had to bite the bullet and set off according to Mussolini's orders. Moreover, Mussolini asked his troops to attack, attack, and attack again like the German armored division!

Do you have that ability?

Looking at the funny little tanks around him, Messer felt that when he came out this time, it was just a sense of presence, maybe it would be counterproductive.

"Master, it's Pinia Pass in front of you." Beside him, the adjutant said to him.

When Mussolini declared war on France, their army was already activated, moving forward from the border area, crossing the national border, and continuing to move forward.

Along the way, no French border guards were seen.

There are two explanations for this. One is that the French continuously deployed border guards to block the Germans in the north and set up the Weigang line of defense, which led to a defensive vacuum in the border area here I am afraid the entire border here. In the region, the French didn't have a few battalions of troops, so they immediately retreated after discovering their own invasion.

The second is that the French set up a trap in front, waiting for him to drill forward! If there are any traps, Pinia Pass is the best location.

This is what Messer has always worried about. The first difficulty in their march is the Pinia Pass!

"Order the Bessalini sniper infantry regiment to ascend the commanding heights of the mountain pass first, and prepare to cover our army forward!" Messer said.

The armored division focuses on the powerful maneuverability of tanks, but if it is placed in the Italian army, it will not be established. Their offensive forces are not tanks, but infantry.

In the mountainous area, only the infantry can occupy the surrounding commanding heights before they can protect their own tank troops and pass normally.

Therefore, the formation of mountainous areas is almost all mountain infantry divisions, and there is no mountainous armored division.

At his order, the Italian soldiers of the infantry regiment, holding the Carcano m1891 rifle in their hands, began to climb up the hillside.

The hillside is not particularly steep, and there is also the intestinal path that the shepherds stepped on. They bent their bodies and ran up slowly.

Wearing a steel helmet on his head, sweat soon oozes from his forehead. As the infantry in the armored division, they prefer to squat on the small l3 tank and move forward with the tank.

This kind of march on foot is quite uncomfortable.

Holding the rifle, Amor felt his legs stagger a bit, but the top of the mountain was already in sight.

Work harder!

Amor plucked up the courage and wanted to continue climbing, but at this moment, he felt a dark shadow fly by, and then, under his feet, there was something smoking.