Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 430: Crushing (Part 1)

The German Ninth Armored Division was upgraded from the original 4th Light Armored Division, and it was also the last light armored unit upgraded to an Armored Division before the start of the Western Front. The Fourth Light Armored Division, the predecessor of the Ninth Armored Division, was incorporated into the 14th Army under Liszt in 1949 and participated in the German invasion of Poland.

At that time, this lightly armored division with only 57 tanks was the weakest among all the armored forces participating in the war. However, this small armored force was in the hands of Dr. Hubiji (this lieutenant has a doctor Under the command of the title), he participated in the battle to encircle and annihilate Poland's Krakow Group Army, and cooperated with the friendly forces to wipe out this heavy Polish group within a week.

After the Polish campaign, the German army began a new round of military expansion and preparation. In January 1940, the German Command upgraded it to a standard armored division, adding a large number of tanks and equipment to the original lightly armored division. When it appeared on the French battlefield again, it was already a main armored division with 153 tanks.

At that time, the Ninth Armored Division belonged to General von Bock’s Army Group B, joined the attack sequence against Belgium, and participated in the Battle of Dunkirk, and was subsequently transferred to the Kleist Armor Group in France. In the battle, as the main German assault force in the middle of the road, it rushed all the way to the south, and finally the soldiers came to Lyon. If the high command had not reined in time, it might have rushed to the Port of Marseille.

After all, it was originally the foundation of the light armored division. At that time, the equipment of the 9th armored division was mainly light tanks. Among them, the old type I and II tanks were more than two-thirds of the total number of tanks in the division. about. After the French battle, the Ninth Armored Division immediately participated in the Battle of England, and finally completed the renewal of some armored vehicles before the battle.

The No. 1 tank has been proven to be unable to cope with the fighting under modern conditions. This kind of iron car has no merits except for the degree. The 30 No. 1 tanks originally retained by the Ninth Armored Division were all eliminated. At the same time, 30 No. 2 tanks were eliminated. This was almost half of the number of No. 2 tanks in the division at that time, and these equipment were subsequently replaced. There are 38 brand-new No. 3 tanks and 22 No. 4 tanks, but the latter are all early models with short-barreled 75-guns.

At that time, a large number of armored units were waiting to be upgraded, and the production of new tanks was extremely limited, so the armored units that participated in the first wave of British London 6 could only be supplemented first. The Ninth Armored Division can be strengthened because of the merits it has established before. If you don’t believe it, you can turn your head and look at the Eighth Armored Division in the same cluster as it. Up to now, it has dragged more than 100 38t tanks in Denmark. rock.

Captain Conrad bent down, picked up an Italian officer uniform from the gravel road, and shook the dust contaminated on it vigorously.

"It's an air force major, a very good souvenir." The captain took out his uniform pocket, then folded the uniform randomly, turned and threw it to the loader who leaned out from the side door of the turret.

"Martin! The battalion has begun to advance, and the second company and third platoon have already turned fire to the Italian infantry." Deputy company commander Captain Dorman poked his head out of the turret of the command tank, and shouted to the company commander. Report to.

"Really, what's the battalion's order?" Conrad looked down at the paper he took out of the major's uniform pocket.

"Lieutenant Colonel Geisler congratulates us on our successful occupation of the Italian military airfield. Let us leave some people here to wait for the handover with the infantry. The main force of the company accelerates to the set goal. That's it. There is no other explanation." Man half body leaned out of the commander's tower, and replied loudly to his boss.

The captain of the armored soldier is wearing a black ship-shaped battle cap at this time, and only a white shirt on his upper body. A black tie is loosely tied to the open neckline, his sleeves are pulled up to his elbows, and his chest is soaked with sweat. And back.

From the towering Alps to the plains, as the altitude and latitude decrease, the temperature begins to rise rapidly. The German armored soldiers quickly found out that their beautiful autumn uniforms were no longer worn. The Po River Plain was clear and sunny. Soon the temperature in the tanks soon became similar to that in summer. The officers and soldiers would continue to sit there. Sweating outside.

The temperature of the day was about 30 degrees, which in theory should be quite comfortable and pleasant, but for the German soldiers who have just put on their autumn and winter clothes, this becomes a bit embarrassing. The command department made a small mistake on this issue. Fortunately, it did not have any impact on the combat effectiveness of the troops. After receiving feedback from the frontline troops, all subsequent troops have already carried summer clothes.

The armored company is the unit with the largest number of light tanks in the entire division. Except for the company platoon equipped with two No. 3s, the remaining four light platoons are all No. 2 tanks. The advantage of this light company is that it has very fast progress, strong off-road capability, and low requirements on the road. Although the firepower is a little weaker, it has no problem with ordinary infantry units. Therefore, it is often given some forward fire detection and quickness. Interspersed with assault missions.

In this battle, the first battalion and company of the 33rd Armored Regiment were assigned to the right wing of the entire battalion, bypassing the periphery of Verona towards the east of the city, cutting off the retreat of the defenders in the city, and blocking possible Face reinforcements.

To be honest, this task seems a bit heavier for a light armored company, but at the moment the Ninth Armored Division can use a limited amount of troops, and everyone knows the truth of the God of War. The whereabouts of the troops should have been exposed. To seize the strategic advantage in one go, there is no time left for the Italians to respond. There is no reason for the overall situation. The fighters only need to follow the instructions of their superiors to act.

After entering the plain from the mountain pass, the German army passed through many Italian villages along the way. The German armored forces did not have the time to occupy these villages. This is the task left to the subsequent infantry.

The iron-clad torrent rushed along the plain road network of Italy, attracting the onlookers of many curious Italian villagers. They stared at the iron-grey army blankly, wondering what it was. Where did the army come from, and how did it subdue the difference seen in the weekdays.

When these Italian villagers realized that these were Germans, the gray uniforms of the wilderness filled their vision, and German troops had covered the entire surrounding area.

The Italians don’t know how to face these invaders. Although their previous rhetoric is still echoing in their ears, the strength of the German army is so powerful that the Italians are not fools, and most of them went out immediately. The idea of ​​armed resistance, if you want to die, you can go to the river and hang yourself. Attacking the Germans at this time will only cost you your own life in vain, and it may also affect your neighbors and villagers.

It’s not that the Italian farmers are not without spirit, but they don’t have any weapons at the bottom of the society~ IndoMTL.com~ Some only have the grass rake and the rusty sickle left by their parents. How can a toy-like thing confront the fully armed and regular 6th Army?

Immediately these Italians found out that the Germans seemed to be just on their way. Apart from asking for some fresh water from the wells in the village, they did not harass the villages along the way. This is somewhat different from the content advertised on the radio in Rome. same.

In recent years, Italy’s economic situation is getting worse and worse. Although Mussolini claimed to have eliminated the deficit and announced that the government has begun to have a surplus, in fact the wool is on the sheep, and the Italian government’s financial burden has all shifted In the eyes of ordinary people, for example, the life of the middle and lower classes in rural Italy is not as easy as it is advertised in the fascist party manual.

The situation of land annexation in Italy is very serious, especially in the fertile Po River plains. Due to long-term repeated cultivation, the quality of the cultivated land has been severely reduced. Nowadays, we can only rely on a large amount of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to maintain normal production.

In order to improve the fiscal deficit, the Italian lira has continued to depreciate, so that the cost of agriculture has also increased year by year. Many farmers have no choice but to declare bankruptcy. They have changed from original landlords to tenant farmers who rent farmland. The proportion of this kind of land-lost farmers in the Italian rural population is soaring.

At this moment, seeing the Germans look like a strong soldier, many Italian farmers have made up their own small calculations in their hearts. This may be an opportunity to get them out of this poverty-stricken day.

So, just nine hours after the German invasion of Italy, the first Italian leaders appeared.

ps: The first chapter will be delivered, and the next chapter will be a little later, about ten thirty. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Thank you. (To be continued.)

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