Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 341: The Eagle of the Alps (Part 1)

Climbing the Apennines from the Po River Plain, there are really too many routes to choose from. Italian merchants and mountain people have opened up dense cobweb-like roads in this mountain for centuries, feudal lord We have established countless mountain villages and built a busy trade network between major city-states.

The Apennines in autumn are exquisite and beautiful. Although it has entered late October, the mountains and plains are still full of greenery. The swift Sevena Creek flows from the bottom of the valley on the side of the mountain. Although you can't see the small river while standing on the mountain road, you can clearly hear the roar of the river water hitting the rocky embankment.

Sergeant Tulio Martino sits in the shade of a beech tree on the side of the mountain road, holding his Carcano rifle in his arms, and staring blankly at the texture of a collapsed rock not far away On the steep cliffs, thinking of the troublesome things in his own home.

The army he served was the Italian Army's 2nd [Tolittina] Alpine Division. At present, this mountain elite should be under siege by French mountain infantry at the border between Italy and France. Compared to the other units in the division, Martino’s Verona battalion was obviously lucky. Two weeks before the outbreak of the war, they were removed from the front by the command and transferred to Pisa for reorganization, which caused them to hide. It passed the fate of being surrounded and annihilated with other troops. Although no one can figure out the purpose of the headless command of the High Command, the officers and soldiers expressed their gratitude and gratitude in their hearts.

These Alpine eagles almost broke their wings on the cold and **** battlefield on the border, leaving aside the physical pain, the greater is the mental pressure and fatigue.

They were no longer fearless hairy boys when they were in their twenties. Most of the officers and soldiers had already formed families in their hometowns.

Martino saw too many deaths and sacrifices on the battlefield, and what made him and his comrades angry and helpless is that most of them died can be said to be worthless, they are generals Cheap cannon fodder pushed out after drinking two glasses of wine, or on a whim.

The terrain occupied by Italy on the border is not conducive to combat. The French built a series of fortresses and fortresses on both sides and ridges of important mountain passes. On those narrow mountain roads, Italian forces could not be deployed at all.

In many critical locations, the French only need one or two machine gun teams with sufficient ammunition, and relying on solid fortifications, they can easily block an infantry battalion's attack. At that time, every time such a French bunker was conquered, Italy would have to pay the lives of dozens or even hundreds of brave soldiers.

The mountain troops in Italy are divided into two types, one is the Alpine division, and the other is the conventional mountain infantry division.

The most elite of these are the Alpine Divisions called Alpini. These are the mountain troops in the true sense. The soldiers are strong and well-trained, able to carry heavy weapons and carry over steep mountains. All their maneuvers rely on their own legs, only with the help of an ice axe and a bundle of ropes, they can climb most of the cliffs with bare hands.

They are the most elite infantry unit in Italy. The Italian people call them "the eagles of the Alps", and their cap badges carry the wings of the eagle logo. People who don’t know the information will mistake them for which country they are. Of the air force.

They wore Alpine-style mountain felt hats during combat, with the iconic black crow hair inserted on one side of the hat wall, and they wore special mountain combat boots and woolen leggings on their feet. They used ordinary infantry. The same Carcano long rifle.

However, no matter how sharp and brave soldiers, they are treated equally in the face of modern firearms, and they will not have one more life than the soldiers of the conventional infantry division.

When the French army began to counterattack across the board, the Second Mountain Division, who was covering on the flanks of the front, was too late to withdraw and suffered heavy losses in the battle.

The two companies of the Edono battalion of the fifth [Toli Tentina] Mountain Regiment were annihilated by the establishment. The Tirano battalion was surrounded and surrendered to the French army. Only the Morbenio battalion successfully withdrew. At that time, the Verona camp happened to be in the rear to rotate supplementary supplies, and they successfully escaped.

Many people in the mountain division are secretly rumoring that this camp is favored by the goddess of luck, but Martino never sees it this way. He always thinks that people cannot survive by luck, and this kind of lucky , There will often be a day for you to repay.

Sure enough, Martino’s words were spoken. This rare elite unit was spotted by the Roman Commander and transferred to the Apennines to build a line of defense against the German attack, thinking that it was about to compete with the German Army, which was several times stronger than the French. Fighting, you may even encounter the legendary German mountain troops, Martino doesn't know whether he should be depressed or excited now.

"Lieutenant Piero asked. We will stay here until three o'clock in the afternoon before leaving." Corporal Emberto, in the same platoon with Martino, walked to Martino with a box.

"I got a ration, do you want to add a meal." Emberto sat cross-legged across from Martino and placed the box between the two.

"Still thinking about your family? I heard that the Germans did not destroy the town this time. Elena and the children should be fine. Old Paul is taking care of them. When the battle is over, You must be able to see them." Emberto opened the carton and took out a can of can.

"You still have your knife. Let me use it." The corporal stretched out his hand towards Martino.

"I have been praying to God, hoping that they will be safe and sound. I also know that worrying will not help, but when I think that Nina is only three years old, my mother's health is not good, and the family didn't have much money left. I knew this. I should send some more salary back." Martino took out a pocket knife from his uniform pocket and handed it to his comrades.

"Prepare a lunch box. There is a lot of oil in it, just to fry the sausages. I don't think this battle will last too long. You will see your Elena soon, Tulio. "Emberto opened the can opener on the folding knife and pressed it firmly into the tinplate lid.

"Don't talk nonsense, how do you know that this battle will be over soon, be careful not to let Piero hear it." Martino leaned his rifle against the tree trunk and pulled out his cutlery from his rucksack. This is the lunch box he bought when he was traveling in Rome, and it was much better than the material distributed by the army.

"What's the matter? Is it possible that Piero can still send me to a military court? I don't believe these officers will not be able to see the problems that even a corporal can see. Yes, Piero. He is indeed a hard-core fascist, but his brain is smarter than all of us combined." Emberto pried open the can of sardines and poured the olive oil that exuded the scent of fish fat on Martino carefully. In the lid of the lunch box.

"Preparing to make a fire, I also have a potato and half an onion, chopped up and fry them with sausages. That taste... Tsk tsk." Embeto put his fingers in front of his mouth and made a Tasty gesture.

The local Italian army’s food is actually quite plentiful, basically bread, various vegetables, cured meats and fresh fish, as well as jam and honey as seasoning. Soldiers usually get some beer and wine, while officers You can drink some strong alcohol. Generally speaking, the food standard is middle-class in European countries.

As for the pasta, since professional cooking utensils and a lot of fresh water are required for cooking, it can only be served when the resident is resting.

Of course, the above are only limited to the troops guarding the mainland. The troops fighting overseas have a lot of sadness. When the battle is fierce and the supply is difficult, the soldiers can only eat compressed biscuits and eat canned meat. Because canned food in tropical regions Soon it will go bad, and Italian soldiers called the smelly canned meat "Mussolini's butt".

Martino and the others do not need to eat that kind of food. When they marched through some villages, they also specially purchased some vegetables to supplement their daily nutrition.

They are the Alpine infantry battalion, equipped with only some mules and horses for mountain use. At this time, most of the luggage is transported by carriage. For the upcoming battle, those heavy carriages are now full of ammunition and weapons, and the soldiers can only carry most of their personal rations.

Fortunately, the mountain soldiers have long been accustomed to these. In addition to the basic weapons and ammunition emergency rations and personal items, each person also carried more than 15 kilograms of supplies. This obviously slowed the marching speed of the troops, but judging from the performance of the battalion commander along the way, it seemed that he didn't want to hurry at all.

Martino dug a shallow pit in the mud, and used the axe end of an ice axe to cut some dead bark as fuel, and cut a small piece of wool felt from an old leggings to use as a flame. Sergeant of the Army A kerosene lighter was used to light the fire.

"I've seen it a long time ago. There is a problem with the battle plan this time." Emberto was peeling the potatoes with a jackknife.

"On this road, we only encountered two infantry regiments, one of which was still a black-shirted army. I heard that there were also two black-shirted infantry battalions ahead of us. I did not see tanks, artillery, or even trucks. I haven’t encountered a few. You and I have participated in the pre-war preparations. Think about what it was like at that time. "Emberto put the chopped potatoes in the lid of the lunch box~IndoMTL.com~ I also think something is wrong. , It’s not like preparing to fight a big battle, but maybe a large army will follow us. Didn’t you listen to the battalion commander, we are the first line of defense. "

"Then the heavy weapons attached to us, let us use your old rifle to stop the German tanks?" Embeto wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his military uniform, and quickly Cut the onion.

"So, this time you listen to me, I don’t want to put my life in the hands of those unreliable generals. I have to live anyway. I have a lot of things to do. You Same, Tulio. You must live, and then go home to see your Elena." Emberto put the onion and two small sausages in the lid, then held the handle to lift the lid and put it on the fire. Pile up.

"Of course I will go back. I promised them." Martino nodded vigorously to encourage himself.

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