Trento is located in the middle of the Alps and is the capital of the Trentino region in Italy. Although it is one of the thirteen regions, the population of the Trentino region is very small, with currently less than 20 people.
Everyone. Compared with other regions with millions of people, it can be described as vast and sparsely populated. Moreover, the Trentino region has always been at the bottom of the economic rankings, and the locals are used to it.
However, although it is located in a mountainous area, it is very strategically important to Italy. Because it is a barrier to the three major northern industrial towns, there are not many troops stationed here.
Of course, there are also many army training bases here. At least the army's mountain combat training is basically conducted here.
Among them, the Valsugana training ground located fifteen kilometers east of Trento is the largest mountain warfare training ground in Italy. The training ground covers an area of 38 square kilometers and has the most complex mountain terrain. It is a great place for training officers and soldiers.
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But today, the Valsujana training ground was very busy because two troops were conducting a military exercise, simulating offensive and defensive drills in the mountains.
Among them, the 8th Division of the Third Army was responsible for the attack, and its commander was Major General Pascal, who had made great achievements in the Ethiopian War.
In addition to the Eighth Division, the troops under his command also strengthened an artillery regiment. The officers and soldiers of the Eighth Division were attacking the mountain under the guidance of their commander. Their offensive movements were extremely skillful, and the cooperation between the soldiers was also very tacit. It can be seen that the
Under the leadership of his commander, the division worked hard.
As for the defensive troops, the 11th Division from the Fourth Army was also not weak. Under the leadership of the division commander, Major General Carlo, they had been stubbornly resisting the 8th Division's attack.
The two sides were busy going back and forth, while Carlo and other military generals at the exercise headquarters used high-powered binoculars to carefully observe the fighting process between the two sides.
The messengers, on the other hand, kept reporting the current situation on the battlefield to the exercise headquarters.
"Reporting that the 1st Brigade and 2nd Regiment of the 8th Division have broken through Position 1057, and they are detouring towards the right flank of the defenders under the leadership of their regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Haring."
"The number of casualties on both sides?"
"The attacking Eighth Division suffered 614 killed, and the defending Eleventh Division suffered 749 killed."
Following the messenger's report, a staff officer immediately appeared in front of the sand table and changed position 1057 to red, representing the attacking side. As for the casualty figures, they were registered on the casualty panels of both sides.
This panel is very user-friendly and marked with red and blue colors. The numbers on it are red 4571 and blue 5843. This can completely intuitively see which unit has more combat effectiveness. Of course, this is only the current situation, and the final result is still uncertain.
No one will know until the fight is over.
At the observation platform, Carlo took his eyes off the high-powered telescope and patted the shoulder of Lieutenant General Simeone behind him. "The battle was exciting. You trained very well."
Although Carlo is suspected of making up for it, after all, he doesn't know much about military matters. But no matter what, there are some things that even ordinary people can feel who is stronger between the two sides.
Although the Eighth Division is equipped with an extra artillery regiment, it is the offensive side. The casualties of the attacking side can be less than that of the defending side. Doesn't this explain the problem? Not to mention that this is a mountain offensive and defensive battle, which can deepen the
Impressed.
I didn't see Lieutenant General Bazel, the commander of the Fourth Army on the other side, who looked unhappy. This was obvious evidence.
Faced with Carlo's compliment, Lieutenant General Simeone smiled slightly and did not speak. It was best not to speak at this time, otherwise it would be interpreted too much in front of everyone.
Carlo had no intention of making it difficult for Simeone. He only praised him and then looked at General Saraget who was still observing beside him.
"Admiral Saraget, this kind of drill needs to be done more often."
Carlo's words made the Minister of War take off his lookout glasses. He looked at the king in front of him and said helplessly. "Your Majesty, such a division-level confrontation exercise requires a cost of 2.6 million lire. The maximum the army can do in a year is
Hold four such drill confrontations."
Yes, the Army is very rich this year and can spend 10 million liras for exercises.
Hearing the complaints from the Minister of War, Carlo simply ignored them. Neither the navy nor the army were fuel-efficient. Currently, Italy's finances are limited and it is impossible to give an extra lira to both sides.
"General Saraget, why didn't you see the throwable grenade I mentioned last time being used in this exercise? Didn't you say it has been developed?"
Yes, what Carlo was talking about was the grenade that would be a must-have for future soldiers. This weapon was actually very common eighty years ago. The image that describes the heroism of the Emperor is that Napoleon marched with the tall grenadiers.
Grenadiers throw grenades. In modern times, this thing gradually disappeared from sight until the range of guns and guns became farther and farther. However, with the development of the times, hand-held grenades that were originally very large can now be designed to be very small. Currently, according to the
The grenade Carlo requested to develop was less than 1kg, which could allow an ordinary soldier to throw it 20 meters away.
This grenade is tentatively named M89. It is a handle-shaped grenade, which is divided into a charge body, a detonation device and a wooden handle. Its total weight is 0.78kg, warhead weight: 0.23kg, total length: 385mm, diameter: 75mm
, Detonation time: 5 seconds.
That's right, it's the long-handled grenade that everyone is familiar with. This kind of grenade has the advantages of long throwing distance and accurate throwing, which is very important for the current Italian army.
Facing Carlo's question, General Saraget shook his head and replied. "Your Majesty, this weapon has only been developed for more than a month. The soldiers are still getting familiar with it. In order to avoid accidents, this weapon is
It has not been used since the first drill."
Facing the explanation of the Secretary of War, Carlo acquiesced. "Well, I hope that in the next exercise, I can see the soldiers using it skillfully."
Unexpectedly, Carlo's words made the Minister of War feel embarrassed.
"That might be a little difficult."
"Why?"
Carlo was surprised by what the Minister of War said.
"Your Majesty, please listen to me. At present, we are still exploring how to use this grenade. How should we use it? Should we concentrate it or distribute it to each soldier? In addition, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this thing for our tactics?
, this is very important.”
Facing the words of the Secretary of War, Carlo took a deep breath and replied. "The Secretary of War is right, we do need to be more cautious. But I think one year should be enough."
"Almost, that's enough."
After talking about this grenade, Carlo's original intention of asking about the mortar faded away. He was just worried, what could others do if they were not anxious.
At that time, everything will depend on the results. It's too early to say anything now.
After discussing with the Minister of War, Carlo, who felt a little bored, returned to Rome after watching the exercise. It was a great honor to the Army that he could take time out of his busy schedule to come and watch the exercise.
