Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 408: Pioneer (2)

Autumn rain is lingering, if it is on the Mediterranean Sea, it is not a bit interesting, but in the Pindus Mountains, which is more than a thousand meters above sea level, this is completely an annoying nightmare.

Most of the soldiers of the 23rd Infantry Division came from the eastern coast of Italy. The latitude is actually higher than the local area, but there is a huge difference in temperature between the two places.

The climate along the Adriatic coast is mild, and the altitude is generally below 100 meters. The current winter clothing of the Italian Army is sufficient for the local autumn and winter seasons. But the problem is that they are currently located in the mountains of northern Greece. Although they are only on the edge of Pindus, the altitude of the mountains generally hovering around 100 meters. In addition, the temperature dropped faster than in previous years in the autumn of this year. In the sudden rain, the Italian soldiers were surprised to find that some of their winter clothes were unable to cope with the current situation.

The original position of the Italian Army was a defensive force, and its combat area was limited to the Apennines. It had not considered frigid combat at all. Corruption and fraud in the logistics system of the Italian military have become widespread. Equipment suppliers can only find ways to save and control costs to offset the cut profits due to kickbacks and bribes. Every Italian army soldier can get a wool-blend military coat, which is their only winter clothing.

At that time, the military coats of European countries were generally double-breasted, so that the placket could have a large area of ​​overlap in front of the chest and abdomen to prevent the body temperature from quickly dissipating from the slit of the placket, but this was not the case in Italy, in order to save fabric and Cost, all coats are single-breasted, and the cheapest fabrics are selected. In the opinion of the logistics officers, the climate of the Apennines is warm, and it is purely a kind of expensive and heavy woolen coats to equip soldiers with Waste, this lightweight blended coat is enough to use, and they can get some rebates from it. The bitter wine brewed by the aloof generals will eventually be tasted by innocent soldiers.

Sergeant Castantino raised his arm and gestured to the men behind him to stop. They are currently on the shallow valley mountain road sandwiched by two hills, where there are such low mountains from east to west. If Castantino could look down from a high altitude at this moment, he would find that there are similar fold ridges and small terraces within 20 kilometers of the surrounding area. This kind of terrain has caused the roads in the mountains to be zigzags running north-south. The roads that are one or two kilometers away in a straight line on the map actually have to go back and forth between the hillsides and ridges, at least five or six times longer.

Of course, you can also choose to climb over those ridges that seem to have a height of only two to three hundred meters. The problem is that light infantry can march like this, but they can only follow the road obediently with the heavy weapons, ammunition and baggage. The task of the vanguard is to explore the marching route of the troops and discover possible hidden dangers early. Therefore, Sergeant Castantino’s infantry squad can only follow the mountain road and bend back and forth between the ridges.

Mountain roads are very difficult to walk. The Greeks are already in a strategic defensive position. From the Greek side, the more difficult it is to pass the mountain roads, the safer it is. Moreover, there is no border trade between Albania and Greece. Border roads are sufficient to meet the needs of border transportation between the two sides. Roads in such mountainous areas are only used by local residents and are also maintained by the residents themselves.

Asphalt roads don’t even have to think about it. Those that can be paved with a layer of gravel are already high-level roads. They are generally earth-rock mountain roads common in the Balkans. Many roads can even be traced back to the Roman Empire. Part of it is a newly opened mountain road during the Turkish rule.

Casantino and others walked on a dirt road opened up during the Turkish era. It has not been maintained all the year round. The roadbed has collapsed so badly that the road is much narrower than when it was built. The sight can only barely make a Fiat The truck passing alone. This worries Castantino a bit. The company’s baggage moves along with the battalion. Food and ammunition are transported by standard two-ton trucks. If the road ahead is also so bad, the troops’ follow-up supplies are very difficult. There may be a problem.

The company commander’s judgment was correct. The autumn rain began to fall more and more densely. Soldiers put on 1929 camouflage ponchos over their coats. Several pieces of this poncho can be combined to build a military tent. The German Wehrmacht was Inspired by this poncho, the German 31 tarpaulin was developed. The difference between the two is that except for the camouflage coating, Italy is square, and Germany uses triangles to save materials. It seems that Italians can always come up with very good inventions as long as they have something to do with food, clothing, housing and transportation.

After the team stopped advancing, Castantino whispered an order to guard him on the spot, and then called a rifleman to climb along the ridge to the ridge.

Standing on the ridge, you can see the main ridge of the Pindusi Mountain Range with an average elevation of 1,200 meters from a distance. Although it is in the hilly area on the edge of the mountain, the nearby hill is almost 600 to 700 meters high.

This area is full of such soil-covered mountains, there are not many tall vegetation growing, most of the ground is covered with various pastures and tracts of mountain shrubs, and there are also many areas where the dark brown soil is barely exposed. On the slopes of the mountains, there are rows of shallow trenches formed by the washing of natural rainwater, which look neat and tidy as if they have been combed, and the wonderful scenery of the foreign country in front of them surprised the Italian sergeant.

Casantino raised his binoculars and carefully searched the villages marked on the map. He soon saw the red roof of the building on the edge of the hill in the distance. It was obvious that the troops’ marching route was correct. This discovery made Castantino finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Two Italian army soldiers rolled down the slippery **** and returned to the mountain road. Castantino conveyed the good news to his men. The target of the order is already in sight, which means With dry and warm rooms and steaming food, waiting for them right in front.

The morale of the Italians could not help being lifted. The grievances accumulated before because of cold, dampness and fatigue turned into the driving force for their advancement at this moment. Everyone was struggling and striding forward along the mountain road. .

Each Italian infantryman carries his own backpack, which in accordance with the Army regulations, is equipped with their own changing underwear, blankets, work clothes, spare shoes and socks, toiletries, emergency dry food, various personal tools and supplies, and spares The ammunition and weapon accessories add up to almost 35 kilograms.

Under normal circumstances, these backpacks will be transported by special trucks for each battalion company, but in fact, the trucks owned by the troops are not enough. Mussolini, who is so happy, ~IndoMTL.com~, also came up with a reform called "small mechanization", that is, adding a small number of trucks to the infantry unit, and the soldiers of each regiment will take turns to ride, and some bicycles have also been distributed. A backpack designed to carry soldiers, and bicycles are indeed a kind of machinery, which is true.

Mussolini and his generals believed that this method could effectively increase the marching speed of the army, but the result after the actual organization was completely different from what they expected. Because of the scarcity of trucks, whoever rides and who does not ride, who rides first and who rides second, and how far they ride before rotation, has become the most concerned issue of various infantry units. Italians naturally like to take advantage of themselves, but they also don’t want others to take advantage of themselves. , Mussolini’s invention of the head shot became the fuse that triggered conflicts among soldiers, and seriously affected the friendship and unity within the combat unit.

It should be said that the 23rd Infantry Division was also a "small mechanized" unit, but by the time of the invasion of Greece, the trucks in the division were transferred to fill the gaps in artillery and heavy units, and all front-line infantry could only be renewed. Pick up their backpacks and march forward on foot.

When the second battalion of the 47th Firana Infantry Regiment where Castantino was rushing across the Shia border, they were not hindered at all. In fact, they did not even encounter a Greek soldier. The tail is rushing forward sullenly.

I heard that the 48th Regiment on the left fought a battle with the Greek border guards. The border checkpoint with only a few soldiers stationed in front of the Italian army was completely vulnerable. The 48th Regiment quickly smashed the opponent’s resistance, but the truth is Whether it is as rumored or not, Castantino is currently unable to judge.

: The low-grade fever has not gone away, and the cough has not stopped. I changed Chinese medicine to take it, I hope it will be effective.

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Thank you. To be continued.