Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 439: Venice Palace

Freed from the drag of Badoglio and Ziano, Mussolini tried his best to calm his emotions. In the twenty-four hours after the declaration of war with Germany, no one could understand the heavy pressure on him.

Mussolini is proud. He believes that he has a talented mission. He will save Italy from sinking in ignorance and chaos. He is destined to be the savior of this country. He is Caesar and Augustus. It is a great person who should be recorded in history and let children and grandchildren sing for thousands of years.

But the reality is extremely cruel, and Italy under his leadership cannot withstand the test of war at all. This country has poor resources and no conditions exist for European society. In three centuries, Italy has exhausted the character accumulated by its ancestors, the once great city states have all become a cloud of smoke, and the last glimmer of the Roman Empire has been buried in the dust of history.

"Notify the military police and arrest Cavgliani!" Mussolini said, pointing to Giano.

Then the imperial leader turned his attention to the face of the chief of staff. He frowned and asked, "If I give you the ships and **** fleet you need, can the army guarantee to retake Sicily!"

"No!" Badoglio replied very simply, while shaking his head vigorously to make changes.

"Why! We have fifteen infantry divisions there..." Mussolini's eyes became dangerous and sharp.

"I told you that this is not just a matter of numbers. The nearest infantry divisions lack ammunition and supplies, and the shortage of weapons is also very serious. If we decide to support Sicily... it will probably take three to three. In about four days, it is estimated that a force of five infantry regiments can be assembled. And as I pointed out earlier, without the support of the navy, we can't send them to the island at all." Badoglio said. Walked to the front of the long table.

"The navy will be dispatched. After dealing with the current problem...it won't take too long, I can guarantee." Mussolini said, but hesitated in his words.

"With the support of the navy, the army should be able to solve this...Yes, this is the responsibility of the army." Mussolini reached out and gestured to the map.

"It is true in theory, Prime Minister, but in fact, no matter what plan we have now, time is too late. The Germans will not give us time to rest." Badoglio took from the table Picked up a red pencil and drew a few lines on Sicily.

"At present they have broken through the beachhead. I don't know how they did it, but considering the combat effectiveness of the German Army, well... let's not talk about this." Looked at Mussolini's ugly With his face, Badoglio decided not to irritate Caesar too much before ending the talks.

"This is the defense line of the Aosta Infantry Division, and this is the defense line of the Naples Infantry Division. You can see that it should be connected here." Badoglio drew a line behind the southern coast of Sicily Arc.

"But we don’t know what happened. The connection between the two divisions has been disconnected. The German Army is very good at breaking through weak points in the position, then developing in depth and wings, and destroying supplies to the assault troops in depth. Point and the command center, and then coordinated with the roundabout forces of the two wings, annihilated the troops in the encirclement in one fell swoop. The weak position where the two troop positions meet is the German favorite breakthrough point." Badoglio put the red pencil on the map. fling.

"The training level of the other infantry divisions in the south is no different from these two infantry divisions. If we send them to the island now, it is equivalent to letting these soldiers go to die."

"The Italians are not afraid of sacrifice. We have firm belief and determination." Mussolini lowered his head and stroked the map and said, his mood finally calmed down, and what was left after the intense excitement was success. Times frustrated.

"Your Excellency, with all due respect, I am afraid we must abandon Sicily now. This is the wisest choice at the moment." Badoglio put the military cap on the table.

"No, we can't give up Sicily. As long as I'm the prime minister of Italy, I will never make the decision to give up the land." Mussolini's eyes fixed on Badoglio, and the field marshal could clearly see his pupils. Red bloodshot around.

"The current retreat is temporary, otherwise we will lose more, Prime Minister." Bagdoglio picked up the red pencil and drew a huge circle on the toe of the Italian map.

"We only have two poorly equipped coastal divisions here. Like the four coastal divisions on Sicily, those troops are said to have collapsed in the first place. So if the Germans are ready to land in Italy from here Locally, we have no way to stop it."

"Then what is your plan." Mussolini looked down at the map and was silent for a while, apparently he was persuaded by the facts told by Badoglio.

"My...should be the plan proposed by the High Command after deliberations. The plan is to immediately gather forces from several major southern provinces to build a line of defense between Salerno and Mesa Ponte. It is estimated that it will take about five days. Time. We estimate that the Germans will not be able to launch the second landing operation for the time being, and it will take time for the deployment of materials and the organization of the fleet.

We can strengthen the defense lines of the southern provinces in the gap left by the Germans. Moreover, only one line of defense cannot stop the Germans. We also need to establish second and third lines of defense in the rear. This requires the mobilization of all the Italian army’s troops in the south. We calculate roughly thirty-two infantry divisions. ...".

"God, this is almost half of the total army." Ciano exclaimed.

"The actual strength is not that much. We need to recruit more Italian men of the right age to join the army. Although there is not much time to train them, we can at least teach them to pull the trigger." Badoglio marked out on the map The position of the subsequent two lines of defense.

"This plan is very good, I am very satisfied." Mussolini glanced at Ciano, then nodded approvingly at the Chief of Staff.

"I am glad that you will agree with this plan, but if you want to complete this plan, I need to obtain your written authorization, because we need to mobilize the five major southern provinces of strategic material reserves, the need for civilian transportation , But also a sum of money as the salary of the recruiters." Badoglio said with some embarrassment.

"No problem, you will get my power of attorney, materials, supplies, personnel, ammunition, vehicles, funds, everything you can think of, I will give it to you, as long as you can guarantee to stop the Germans Step forward." Looking at the sincere expression on Mussolini's face, if he had not figured out the details of the leader, Bagdoglio would have been almost moved by him.

"Thank you very much, Prime Minister, I will give you a written application and a list of items needed when I go back." Bagdoglio greeted slightly.

"But what about the enemy in the north, have you forgotten the enemy in the north?" Ciano was a little bit unable to see this kind of small theater of harmony between monarchs and ministers, he interjected again.

"Of course I did not forget, Minister of Foreign Affairs!" Badoglio replied loudly. The Field Marshal gave the Minister of Foreign Affairs a glance. This is indeed a little bastard, who deserves to be taken care of by his husband.

"As far as the forces at hand are concerned, we have assembled four infantry divisions on the Apennines defensive line. Just in Florence, our Fourth Army is ready to go." Badoglio used a red pencil to stop in the north of Italy's central mountains. Draw a horizontal line.

"From Pisa, through Florence, Arezzo, and Castello to the Adriatic, we will build a solid line of defense. The Roman High Command unanimously decided to call it Musso Rini’s defense line expresses the determination of the Italian people to resist, as well as their support and respect for the national leader." Badoglio once again owed him~IndoMTL.com~Mussolini's face looked better at that time.

"How much force is the command going to put here." Mussolini asked, touching his chin.

"Twenty-two infantry divisions, we need to assemble all the troops in central and western Italy and around Rome...including the black shirts." Badoglio replied respectfully.

"You mean to mobilize the Roman Garrison? The 10th Motorized Infantry Division? Plus all the Black Shirts?" Mussolini hesitated, these troops were the last national reserve he had prepared.

"We have been unable to withdraw the troops on the French border, Prime Minister, the French have broken through the defenses on the border." After speaking, Bagdoglio glanced at Ziano again, the foreign minister. It was half short on the spot.

"These **** Gauls." Mussolini also turned his face and gave Ziano a glance, it seemed that the other party was the culprit who caused all this.

"If you follow your plan, how long will it take to build this line of defense." Mussolini asked.

"About four to five days, before we could mobilize some troops in front of the [Mussolini] line of defense to build a slightly crude line of defense. It only takes four or five days to hold the Germans. Believe this. We can still do it." Badoglio replied.

ps: Sorry, this chapter is late today, thank you for your understanding.

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