Battle of the Third Reich

The autumn rain is lingering, like the Mediterranean Sea, but it's a bit of fun, but in the Pindus Mountains above a thousand meters above sea level, this is an annoying nightmare.

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

The Adriatic coast has a warm climate and the altitude is generally below 100 meters. The Italian army's existing winter clothing is sufficient to meet the local autumn and winter seasons. But the problem is that they are currently in the mountains of northern Greece. Although it is only the edge of Pindus, the mountain altitude is generally hovering at about 100 meters. In addition, this year's autumn temperature has fallen faster than in previous years. To the sudden rain, Italian soldiers were surprised to find that some of their winter clothes were unable to cope with the current situation.

The original positioning of the Italian Army was a defensive force, the area of ​​operation was limited to the Apennine Peninsula, and no cold zone operations were considered at all. Corruption and fraud in the logistics system of the Italian army have become the norm. Equipment suppliers can only try to save and control costs in order to offset the profits cut by rebates and bribes. Every Italian Army soldier can get a wool-blend military coat, this is their only winter clothing.

At that time, military coats in 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 opening of the placket, but Italy did not. In order to save fabric and cost, all The coats are all single-breasted, and the fabric is also the cheapest variety. In the view of the officers of the logistics department, the Apennine Peninsula has a warm climate. It is a waste to equip soldiers with expensive and thick woolen coats. A light-weight blended coat is enough, and they can get more rebates from it. Those bitter wines made by the tall generals will eventually let innocent soldiers taste it slowly.

Sergeant Castantino raised his arm and made a stop gesture to the men behind him. They are currently on the two shallow hills surrounded by hills, where low-lying mountains of this kind of things are everywhere. If Castantino can look down from high altitude at this moment, he will find that within twenty kilometers of the surrounding area, they are all similar fold ridges and narrow terraces. This kind of terrain has caused the roads in the mountains to be zigzags that run north and south. The roads on the map that are linearly separated by one or two kilometers are actually going back and forth between the hillsides and ridges, at least five or six times the distance.

Of course, you can also choose to climb over the ridges that appear to be only two or three hundred meters high. The problem is that light infantry can march like this, carrying heavy weapons, ammunition and weight but can only obediently follow the road. The task of the vanguard is to explore the route of the troops marching, and early to find the dangers that may be hidden, so Sergeant Castantino's infantry squad can only follow the mountain road and bend back and forth between the layers of ridges.

The mountain roads are very difficult to walk. The Greeks were originally in a strategic defensive situation. From the Greek side, the mountain roads near the border line are more difficult to pass, the safer it is, and there is no border trade between Albania and Greece. A national highway is enough. As the need for border transportation between the two sides is met, the roads in this mountainous area are only used by local residents and are also maintained by the residents in the mountainous areas.

Asphalt roads do not have to be thought about. Those that can be paved with a layer of gravel roads are already considered high-grade roads. They are generally common mountain roads in the Balkans. Many roads can even be traced back to the Roman Empire, and some are Turkey. The newly developed mountain road during the reign.

Castantino and others walked on a dirt road that was developed during the Turkish period. They were not maintained all year round, and the subgrade collapsed so badly that the road surface was much narrower than when it was built. Visually, it could only barely let a Fiat truck pass alone Looks like. This caused Castantino to be a bit worried. The company’s load was with the battalion. The standard two-ton truck was used to transport food and ammunition. If the road ahead was also so bad, the follow-up supply of the troops was very good. There may be problems.

The company commander's judgment was correct. The autumn rain began to get denser and thicker. The soldiers put m1929 camouflage ponchos on their coats. Several pieces of this poncho can be combined to build a military tent. The German Wehrmacht is affected by this poncho Inspired by the development of the German Army 31 tarpaulin, the difference between the two in addition to the camouflage coating is different, Italy is square, Germany uses a triangle in order to save materials. It seems that the Italians can always make very good inventions as long as they are in contact with clothing, food, housing and transportation.

After the team stopped advancing, Castantino whispered a command to alert the men in situ, then called a rifleman, and climbed down the side of the mountain towards the ridge.

Standing on the ridge, you can see the main ridge of the Pindusi Mountains at an average altitude of 1,200 meters. Although it is located in the hilly area on the edge of the mountain, the visual observation of the nearby mountain is almost six or seven hundred meters.

This area is all covered with mountains and there is not much tall vegetation. Most of the ground is covered with various forages and mountain shrubs. At the same time, there are many places where the dark brown soil layer is barely exposed and the mountain slopes Lined by shallow trenches formed by natural rain, it looks as tidy as a comb, and the strange scenery in front of the country surprises the Italian sergeant.

Castantino picked up his telescope and carefully searched the village marked on the map. He soon saw the red tile roof of the building on the edge of the hill in the distance. Obviously the army's marching route was correct. This discovery order Castantino was finally relieved.

The two Italian Army soldiers climbed down the slippery hillside and back down the mountain road. Castantino conveyed this good news to his men. The target in the order was already in sight, which meant dryness and warmth. The room and the steaming food are waiting for them in front.

The morale of the Italians could not help but revive. The grievances accumulated in the past because of the cold, dampness and fatigue turned into the motivation for them to move forward at this moment. All of them blazed their spirits and marched forward along the mountain road.

Each Italian infantryman carried his own backpack, which contained his own changing underwear, blankets, overalls, spare shoes and socks, toiletries, emergency dry food, various personal tools and supplies, as well as spare ammunition and Weapon accessories add up to about 35 kilograms.

Under normal circumstances, these backpacks will be transported by specialized battalions in each battalion company, but in fact there are not enough lorries owned by the troops. Mussolini, who was very happy, also came up with a reform called "little mechanization", that is, a small number of trucks were added to the infantry unit, and the soldiers of each regiment took turns to take the ride. It is true that bicycles carrying soldiers’ backpacks and bicycles are indeed a machine.

Mussolini and his generals believed that this method could effectively increase the army's marching speed, but the actual results after the establishment were completely different from their expectations. Because the number of trucks is scarce, who sits and who does not sit, who sits first and who sits back, how far they ride and then rotate, has become the most concerned issue of each infantry unit. The Italians naturally like to take advantage of small ones, and they also don’t want others to take advantage of themselves. Mussolini’s invention of the pat on the head has become a fuse that triggers conflicts between soldiers, which seriously affects the friendship and unity within the combat units.

It must be said that the 23rd Infantry Division was also a "little mechanized" unit, but by the time of the invasion of Greece, the trucks in the division were transferred to fill the gaps between the artillery and the heavy troops. Backpack, marching forward on foot.

When the second battalion of the 47th [Filana] Infantry Regiment, where Castantino was, ran across the border with Shia, they were not hindered at all. In fact, they did not even encounter a Greek soldier, from beginning to end. They are rushing forward with their heads sullen.

It was said that the 48th Regiment on the left had a battle with the Greek border guards. The frontier checkpoint where only a few soldiers were stationed in front of the Italian Army could not withstand a single blow. The 48th Regiment quickly shattered the resistance of the other side, but is it true? As rumored, Castantino was temporarily unable to judge.

ps: The fever has not retreated, and the coughing is not stopped.

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Thank you. (To be continued.)