In the city defense headquarters of Tirana, Lieutenant General Javad Pasha was listening to a report from the commander of the 16th Division, Major General Hashem.
"Lieutenant General, our current defense in Tirana is mainly divided into two parts. One part is deployed at the key points of the two mountain passes of the Dinara Mountains, Wola and Vachali. This is mainly responsible for my 16th Division, and the other
Part of it is deployed in Tirana as a mobile force, which is under the responsibility of Major General Halder's 31st Division, and is ready for reinforcements at any time."
When Major General Hashem was talking, he couldn't help but glance at the Lieutenant General. After seeing that he had no objections, he continued to speak.
"The reason for this arrangement is that although the Dinara Mountains are not high and not very wide, only about five kilometers, there are only small roads in the mountains and heavy weapons such as artillery cannot be passed at all, so we only need to send a small number of troops to monitor
."
Major General Hashem then explained the weapons and ammunition reserves of the garrison in Tirana, as well as the training of new recruits.
As he introduced these situations, Lieutenant General Javad Pasha, the supreme commander of Albania, had a preliminary understanding of the situation in Tirana.
"Very good, you did a great job."
After praising the two men, Javad Pasha continued: "Next, you need to consider the arrangements for retreat if the war goes wrong in the future."
Lieutenant General Javad Pasha's direct words made the two of them look at each other.
In fact, Lieutenant General Javad Pasha said this because he had no choice but to do so.
Early this morning, after receiving the news that Major General Ataturk had returned with the 21st Division, Javad Pasha was shocked by the huge number of casualties.
There were over 10,000 casualties, and only over 6,000 people returned. How could he not be surprised by such heavy casualties.
Although Durrës is located on the seaside, which is not conducive to defense, such heavy casualties made Lieutenant General Jawad Pasha feel that he could no longer fight like this.
Facing the words of their immediate superior, the two of them were very moved. Who wants to see their opponent suffer heavy casualties, and as generals, they also know that Tirana, where they are stationed, is not a place to stay for a long time.
So after hearing what their boss said, the two of them nodded at the same time after a brief silence.
After seeing the actions of the two men, Javad Pasha was also very satisfied. As long as the two men could make the troops suffer little losses, this would be very beneficial to the subsequent defense based on the Dinara Mountains.
Just when Javad Pasha wanted to continue chatting with the two, an announcement came from outside the door. "Your Excellency, Commander? Major General Ataturk has arrived."
Now that the person the boss wants to summon has arrived? Naturally, the two of them were not blind and immediately chose a reason to escape.
When he met Ataturk when he walked out the door, he even stepped forward and patted his shoulder to show encouragement.
After Ataturk took a deep breath, he stood at the door and said loudly, "Report? Ataturk, commander of the 21st Division, came to report."
"Come in."
The tone is obviously different from the previous two teachers.
Faced with this situation, Atatürk could only bite the bullet and walk in.
"Do you know why I called you here immediately?"
Jawad Pasha, who was sitting motionless on his chair, asked him in a calm tone.
Facing Javad Pasha's question, Atatürk lowered his head and replied apologetically, "I know."
"Why is that?"
"I didn't lead the troops well this time."
When facing Atatürk? Jawad Pasha stood up immediately? He threw the documents aside casually. His head was covered with scattered documents, and Atatürk stood there without daring to move.
.
"Ataturk, you are very capable, right? Have I taught you before that you should not be so desperate in Durrës and be smarter when the terrain is at a disadvantage? Exit early. How did you lead the 21st Division? Casualties
So big."
Faced with Jawad Pasha's scolding? Atatürk was ashamed. "Teacher, I was wrong."
That's right? Jawad Pasha was the former commander of the 21st Division, but this happened several years ago? But how do you say it? There is still such a thing as feelings. Seeing the troops he led before? He was beaten in half
Being disabled and getting angry are inevitable.
As for Ataturk, although he was scolded by his old superior, he felt much more at ease inside. As long as he was scolded, it was better than being polite. This meant that he was not treating himself as an outsider, but still treating him as a confidant.
Sure enough, his confidants were different. After some scolding and after Javad Pasha had calmed down, he said, "Next, you take the 21st Division and retreat to Prilep, and I will let the newly sent
Six thousand men will be drawn from the batch of reinforcements, and priority will be given to replenishing the 21st Division, and the same will apply to weapons and equipment."
Prilep is already in the North Macedonia region. It can be said that the 21st Division only needs to restore its combat effectiveness as soon as possible, because they are already about to withdraw from the Albanian region.
This is a kind of treatment that can be supplemented as needed. If the motley crew of future generations of anti-Japanese war soldiers saw it, I don’t know how their eyes would turn red.
But after getting the benefits, you still have to do something. Then Javad Pasha said again. "This time I will replenish you with soldiers and equipment. You must train these new soldiers within a month and be ready to be recruited by me again at any time. When
At that time, if the 21st Division’s combat effectiveness cannot rise, I think you, the division commander, should stop doing it.”
Give a sweet date and sound the alarm. Jawad Pasha holds the key to employing people.
Faced with his encouraging words, Atatürk stood up and made up his mind as if he had been given a shot of blood. "Teacher, please don't worry. If something goes wrong, you don't have to ask, I'll take off the clothes myself."
Wearing military uniform."
"Very good, I see your determination, and now it depends on your performance."
Javad Pasha, who put on a friendly expression, then pulled Major General Ataturk down and sat down. "Currently, the 21st Division is the only unit that has fought against the Italian army. Tell me about the battle with the Italian army."
Feel.”
Faced with the teacher's inquiry, Ataturk certainly knew why. Although he had already learned about the situation of the Italian army from the information, the paper and the actual feeling were two different concepts. It was obvious that Javad Pasha needed him
Information known to this person.
So regarding the specific situation of the Italian army, Atatürk told his superiors based on his own feelings. This lasted for more than half an hour, and most of the time it was him who spoke, while Javad Pasha listened and took notes.
Sometimes I will also think about his words and ask questions that interest me.
After Atatürk finished speaking, Javad Pasha said to him, "You haven't slept all day. You are probably very tired. Go and take a rest."
After sending Atatürk away, Javad Pasha made a summary. In total, Atatürk said a few points. The first Italian army had very good weapons and equipment, and the Italian soldiers had a higher shooting accuracy at medium and long distances than they did.
Be high.
Second, the Italian army has very good tactical coordination and likes to use insertion tactics.
Third, the fighting will and morale of the Italian army are very good, similar to that of the 21st Division. They can often launch offensives even after suffering more than half of the casualties.
Of course, there are many other points, but Jawad Pasha believes that the points he summarized are the main factors.
Of course, he also learned from Ataturk that the 8th Division of the Italian Army was fighting against him. He knew that this unit was considered elite in the Italian army, so the status of other units was slightly reduced based on the above situation, that is
The strength of the Italian Army.
After feeling the bottom line, Javad Pasha believed that he needed to make corresponding deployments based on the characteristics of the Italian army.
