The undertow in Crete has not yet been revealed, but the dawn in Durrës can already be seen.
However, the dawn of Durrës is more for the Italians, because the Italian troops who landed from Zinia, six kilometers away from Durrës in the north, and Golemi, six kilometers away from the south, have already invaded the city of Durrës.
.
The 21st Ottoman Army Division, which is responsible for the defense, and the local security forces are fighting stubbornly in the city relying on buildings.
"Retreat, retreat!"
In front of a street fortification, the Ottoman officer leading the team shouted loudly to his soldiers to retreat. They had repelled three enemy attacks, but the cost was high. There were only a dozen people left in the team of more than 40 people.
, and even connected with the new recruits assigned to them.
As he shouted, more than a dozen soldiers in khaki Ottoman uniforms poured out from different buildings. They bent over and trotted towards the officer with their weapons in hand.
Behind them, several young men in civilian clothes also held weapons and ran with the soldiers. However, judging from their upright bodies and panicked expressions on their faces, they must be signs of new recruits in the area.
"Crack!"
There was a sudden gunshot, and a bullet fired from an unknown source hit one of them. The recruit who was shot in the thigh screamed and fell to the ground, which frightened the recruits behind him to stop.
As for the soldiers running in front, they quickened their pace without any intention of stopping.
"Don't stop, keep up and keep running."
Seeing the performance of the new recruits behind him, the commander shouted anxiously.
No one knows what it means to stop on the battlefield. It's just that these new recruits, who have been in the army for less than a week, should not go to the battlefield at all. It just makes the defenders too weak and there is no time to train them.
The officer's shout attracted fire from an unknown source, and a gunshot was heard, and a puff of smoke bounced up from the ground in front of the officer.
This frightened the officer and he immediately rolled around and hid behind the obstacle in the corner. This made an Italian soldier in a building 400 meters away shake his head and quickly turn his gun to another location.
But thanks to the officer's shout, the recruits immediately imitated the other soldiers and hurried over here. There were even two people carrying the injured recruit, trying to bring him over with them.
Faced with such a person who suddenly appeared brave? The officer had something to say but held it back.
But although these two men were commendable for their courage, it was obvious that they did something reckless.
"Crack!"
There was another gunshot, hitting one of them in the neck. Blood spurted out from his neck instantly, dyeing the ground under his feet red. But he could only fall to the ground helplessly without saying a word, and his whole body began to twitch.
stand up.
Everyone knows? He is hopeless.
As for the other one, his face turned pale with fright. The sight that flashed before his eyes caused him to run towards the officer quickly, regardless of the wounded soldier he had rescued before.
"The enemy is over there."
The sound of a gunshot caused one of the sharp-eyed soldiers to immediately spot the target.
Now that we know the enemy's location, it's easy to handle. The officer immediately ordered. "Shoot him immediately? Go and pull the one who is not dead."
Following his order? There was a loud sound of gunfire for a while, making the Italian soldier responsible for sniping unable to raise his head. After knowing that he was exposed, the soldier quietly left with his beloved M88 Carcano rifle. He was not willing to stay any longer.
in this position that has been exposed.
After the wounded soldiers were picked up, the officer continued. "I have received an order? We are required to immediately leave Waddell Street where we are stationed and retreat toward Walsh Street."
Facing the officer's order? Some soldiers were puzzled. "Why are we retreating to the edge of the city?"
"Where's all the nonsense? Just obey the order."
The complaining soldier was immediately silenced after being reprimanded by the officer.
The others, led by officers, retreated toward Walsh Street along the area still under their own control. The sound of gunfire and gunfire fighting along the way never stopped? The fighting on both sides was still going on.
In the entire city of Durrës, there are many teams like this officer. They all continued to retreat after resisting for a while.
Faced with the actions of the defenders, how could Major General Pascal, the commander in charge of the attack, not feel it.
"It seems that the enemy wants to escape."
In a safe area in the city, Major General Pascal looked at a newly hung map of the city of Durres in the temporary headquarters and expressed his judgment.
Colonel Babol, chief of staff of the 8th Division, asked, "Then what should we do?"
Of course Major General Pascal knew the meaning of the Chief of Staff's words. This was asking him whether to keep or let go of the enemy.
If you stay, there is nothing to say. Just send troops to surround the entire Durrës. In this case, if the enemy wants to break out, they will have to pay the price with blood. However, if you surround the enemy, it will make it more difficult to capture the city.
, and it will also delay their time.
As for letting go, there is nothing to say. Intensify the offensive on the front and both wings to make the enemy feel that they cannot stay any longer and flee immediately. The advantages and disadvantages of staying are the opposite.
However, this will also make Pascal feel a little unwilling. You must know that in the last war in the colonies, he led the 8th Division and achieved great military exploits, making himself famous in the army. And in this war
, he still had high expectations for himself. After gaining the trust of the army commander and being appointed as a vanguard by his juniors, he actually had little success. How could he bear it?
So when faced with the words of his chief of staff, Major General Pascal hesitated. One side was mission and the other side was military exploits. You couldn't do both at the same time.
"Hey, forget it."
After a long time, Major General Pascal sighed, he had made his choice.
"Order the troops to increase their offensive and drive these Ottomans out of Durrës. In addition, send a message to the following 14th Division, asking them to speed up the pace, and the troops who have landed will be given priority to come over for reinforcements."
In the end, he aimed to complete the task and suppressed his expectations.
"I'll give the order right away."
After receiving Major General Pascal, the chief of staff immediately prepared to issue orders to each unit.
Following Major General Pascal's order, the officers and soldiers of the Eighth Division on the front line immediately launched a more violent attack. The Italian army's offensive was immediately felt by the defenders.
Facing the incoming Italian army, the defenders desperately used various weapons to fight back, but the Italian side had an absolute advantage in terms of firepower. Although the new Italian rifles performed no better in close-range street fighting than the old weapons of the Ottoman army.
Much better, but after the Italian small-caliber artillery was pushed into the city by the army, it became a deadly weapon.
Except for a very few fortress-like buildings, other buildings were like paper in front of them. The two small-caliber guns, 37 and 57 mm, caused the Ottoman officers and soldiers to suffer a lot.
Faced with this situation, Major General Ataturk, who was guarding the city, knew that it was time to retreat. So that night, the local garrison of more than 7,000 people withdrew from the west under the cover of darkness.
Faced with the retreat of the defenders, the Eighth Division had no intention of stopping them.
So the next morning, the Eighth Division captured Durrës, and Italy gained its first port in Albania. This would greatly promote the subsequent battle.
