Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 342: The Eagle of the Alps (Part 2)
Just as the two mountain veterans were feeding themselves, the Lieutenant Piero in their mouth was leading the company's adjutant to conduct a routine inventory of the supplies on the heavy carriage carried by the troops.
The second lieutenant had his thirtieth birthday on the Alpine Front two months ago, and he also celebrated the third anniversary of his service in the Verona camp, since then he has truly become a veteran, fusion Joined this small group and became a member of the brave mountain eagle.
It can be said that the grassroots soldiers of the Italian army were very united at the time. The soldiers watched and helped each other to live and die. Many German troops could not do this. If the Germans were not restricted by strict discipline, internal fighting would have long been a pot of porridge.
The Italian Alpine troops have long established their own style because of their special mission types. The soldiers in the troops are as close as brothers. Because on those icy mountain peaks, all you can rely on is the ice axe in your hand, only your comrades-in-arms brothers. It was in this harsh environment that forged the soldiers' unreserved trust and friendship with each other, as well as their willingness to sacrifice themselves for collective dedication.
The interpersonal relationship built under this special condition is extremely strong, and at the same time it brings a strong fighting force to this group. But correspondingly, this kind of group has also become extremely exclusive. It is difficult for outsiders to integrate into this group. They have to spend a lot of time to prove their worth to the veterans, and pass harsh tests to gain everyone’s approval. .
The grassroots power of the Italian army is not only in the hands of the officers. It is the volunteer veterans and middle and lower-level non-commissioned officers who really maintain the operation of the Italian army. If the low-level officers do not follow the rules, they will easily be used by their subordinates in various names This point is very similar to the Japanese army. This is a common problem that occurs when the classes in the army tear apart military discipline.
The Italian officer class and the soldier class are simply creatures of two planes. Although Mussolini publicly expressed his opposition to the noble treatment of high-ranking officers in the army, the extravagant life he personally enjoyed made these orders unconvincing. Power, let alone any constraints on officers.
The soldiers will seriously obey the orders of their superiors, but don't expect them to show the slightest respect to the colonels and generals in private. This situation is very dangerous, because once the restraint and deterrence given by military ranks are lost, the organization of the army will not be able to withstand too much pressure.
Pierro’s rank is too low, so it’s easy for the soldiers to regard him as his own person, plus his usual personality and personality are pretty good, and at the same time he respects those "unwritten rules" in the army, on the battlefield After showing brave enough quality and command ability above the standard, this ensign was finally accepted by all veterans and became a member of the Alpine Eagle.
Different from other officers and soldiers, he is one of the few members of the Fascist National Party in the Verona Mountain Camp, and he is the only officer in power among them. Of course, this little lieutenant is not enough for the Fascist National Party to pay attention to it, but this status has given him a lot of right to speak in the middle-level command of the army.
No one knows that this second lieutenant has already completely lost trust and expectations of the party he joined. In his opinion, if this organization is not completely changed, then one day it will drag the kingdom of Italy to death. . And what happened now had obviously verified this ensign's prediction.
The battalion commander is a dead-headed Savoy barbarian, but this time he was extremely agile. If it wasn't for the master major to see the problem in the command plan, then he must have obtained it from those private channels. What internal news.
Anyway, Lieutenant Piero can’t control that much now. As an officer, he can obey the orders of his superiors, but it doesn’t mean that he will sacrifice his life like a fool. He is not alone. He also commands a mountain infantry company, which means that he must be responsible for the lives of these seventy-four brothers.
It is the mission of the soldiers to die for the country, but letting the soldiers die for Mussolini and the Fascist National Party is definitely not a reason to cheer people up.
The Germans have already publicly shouted slogans. The head of state declared that he was not an enemy of the Italian people. The Third Reich had no territorial requirements on the Kingdom of Italy. They only wanted to overthrow the current Roman government and set freedom. The Italian people of Italy were liberated from Mussolini’s evil dictatorship, let the glory of freedom shine again on the ancient land of Apennines, and return power to the Italian royal family, parliament and free Italian people.
Speaking of the bunch of German slogans, it is very appetizing to some Italians, and it even makes people feel that the person who wrote these slogans is an Italian.
Mussolini has offended a lot of forces in the past ten years, not only those socialists and conservatives who hated him from the beginning, but also his former comrades in arms. For those far-right veteran party members who opposed him, Mussolini began to act mercilessly.
What’s more serious is that when Mussolini was still trying to perfect his dictatorship system, he did not know that some of his actions had violated the Savoy royal family who had always stood behind and supported him. .
Mussolini really envied the German head of state. Although we all know what was going on in Germany at the time, Mussolini didn’t know. He only saw Hitler’s monopoly and no one could influence this. The idea of the head of state, and no one can contain and limit the power of the head of state. In the eyes of this Caesar, this is what a dictator really should have.
So Mussolini tried to learn from Hitler and began to wield power. During that time, his titles continued to increase. The Italian dictator used all means to concentrate all the scattered government power on himself.
This change in Mussolini's body made the Italian royal family feel worried, even with some panic. The royal family and members of the Royal Guard began to worry that the prime minister had been too much influenced by the German head of state. If this continues, it is difficult to say that he will one day want to become Hitler of Italy, and then overthrow the royal family and become the leader of the country like Germany. He has 2.6 million members of the Fascist National Party. If he wins over the army, the change of regime will not be too difficult. Since then, the royal family has gradually distanced itself from Mussolini, and they have maintained a high degree of vigilance against the leader's every move.
"When you arrive at Alok Village, add some fresh water. Don't let the soldiers go to the valley alone to fetch water. The current of Savannah Creek is very fast and accidents are easy to happen." Piero tightened the rope at the mouth of the sack. It was filled with crusty white bread baked in Florence, which was the main ration during the march of the Verona Battalion's third company.
"Second lieutenant, how long do we have to stay here?" a corporal on the side asked.
"Are you in a hurry?" Piero said with a smile.
"No, I just want to know when I can get to the destination." The corporal touched the back of his head and said, just now he had a brainstorm with his colleagues.
"To be honest, I don't know. Even if you ask the battalion commander the answer is the same, we can only obey the order of the Roman High Command. We can only go wherever they let us go." Piero took from his pocket. He took out the cigarette case and gave the men around him a circle.
"It's not going to work like this. We must build a defensive position before the enemy attacks. It's impossible for the group of generals above to understand this." The veteran finished speaking and stood by his comrades. On his shoulder, he leaned on the other's lighter and lit the cigarette.
"How can the generals not understand the truth that even you know, or I will submit an application to the above and assign you to be the general's staff." The second platoon leader smiled and patted the man's shoulder. .
"Forget it, Sergeant, the report you wrote doesn't even understand the ensign."
"Nonsense, I just don't know how to use modifiers."
"Well, there is nothing wrong with what Marlowe just said. Get to the defense line early. We can take time to build a position and familiarize ourselves with the surrounding terrain. But I also have a message to tell you now." Piero stopped the soldier. Our frolics.
"Is it good news? If it's bad news, don't talk about it. We have heard enough in these two days."
"I don't know whether it is good news or bad news. When I went to the camp just now, Major Robert..." Piero said that he stretched his head and looked around, then lowered his voice.
"It's the bald scoop from Rome." The ensign's words caused the surrounding officers and soldiers to chuckle.
"The bald man told me that the Germans had completely occupied Bologna in the morning."
"Why so fast? Didn't it mean that we assembled three infantry divisions in Bologna?" The face of the second platoon leader became a little ugly. One of his brother's troops was now stationed on the outskirts of Bologna.
"The specific situation is not very clear. You also know the strength of the German Army. Besides, they also have air force and armored units." Piero took a breath.
"Only three days after the war began, the Germans took Bologna, and their advancing speed was too fast." A soldier said, shaking his head.
"Sicily has also fallen. I can assure you that the Germans will land in the south." Another soldier said that he knew how to strategy.
"Of course they would do this, otherwise why would it take so much time to occupy Sicily." Someone sneered at this kind of hindsight.
"I heard that the French have taken Genoa~IndoMTL.com~a soldier said.
"Where did you hear it, why didn't I know this news." The comrades on the side were surprised.
"I passed the village in the morning and I went to buy cigarettes. The owner of the store told me. According to him, it was mentioned on the French radio."
"This must be a rumor from the French." Conspiracy theories have always had a market.
"If Gena also fell, wouldn't they be attacking along the coastline." Someone expressed concern.
"Well, wouldn't it be meaningless for us to stick to the Apennines?" It's rare to have a point.
"The coastline of Genoa by the sea is full of mountains, and the terrain is very complicated. It is not so easy for them to break through." This is obviously a geography expert.
"Enough, okay, let's not talk about these unconfirmed news, Lieutenant, I didn't understand what you said earlier. The fall of Bologna is obviously bad news that can't be broken." Second platoon leader He clapped his hands hard to stop the soldiers from discussing, he turned his head and asked Piero.
"At last someone asked, I thought no one cared about this." Piero took a hard breath of cigarette.
"Well, it’s very simple to say. The Germans captured Bologna, which proved that the Roman High Command’s judgment was correct. The German offensive route has been determined. We can now adjust our deployment and concentrate our forces on this direction. The enemy army. The German vanguard should have entered the mountains at this time. We may not have to rush to the front line to build a position. For us, it can be regarded as good news."
Piero threw the cigarette **** on the mountain road, then stretched out his foot and smashed it out.
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