Menton is a small town on the border of Italy and France. The coastal railway connecting Nice to Genoa passes through the town, bringing trade convenience to the town.
Of course, as the relationship between the two countries deteriorated and Italy's strength increased, France built a large number of fortifications in the Alps. As for Menton, a border town, it is of course no exception.
In the north of the town, France has built three forts here, equipped with 38 cannons of various calibers. The most powerful of them is the French 170mm cannon, which was dismantled from a retired navy warship.
, can cover all parts of the town, and can even hit the sea.
But today, the small town of Menton is unusual, because the Italian army crossed the border to attack Menton.
According to the previous plan, Italy should launch an attack at the same time as Germany. However, due to insufficient preparations, Simeone explained to Moltke that the attack was delayed for a week.
How could Moltke be satisfied with the actions of the Italian Army? But after all, the Italian Army was cooperating with the German Army, so he could only endure his dissatisfaction.
In fact, I don’t blame Simeone, because it is indeed more difficult in Italy and more things need to be prepared.
After all, the Italian-French border is a continuous mountainous area. Attacking in mountains and plains are two different concepts. If you are not prepared enough, you may get stuck on which mountain, so you must
"Bah, bah, bah..."
"Boom boom boom..."
The crisp and sweet sound of gunfire was mixed with the deafening sound of shelling. This was the French defenders resisting the attack of Italian soldiers.
Facing the French defenders, the officers and soldiers of the Italian 17th Infantry Division attacked their positions.
The artillery support from the Italian side in the distance was also very fierce. In addition to the division's 75mm field guns and 105mm howitzers, the 17th Infantry Division, which was responsible for the main offensive mission, also received support from the army's 150mm howitzers and 120mm cannons.
In addition, in order to deal with the 170mm naval guns of the fortress, the 350mm siege guns configured by the Italian military for Army Group South are also among them.
As the largest caliber siege gun on Italian land, the Italian military also has high hopes for it.
This siege gun was specially built by the Italian military to deal with solid fortresses. The gun barrel has a total length of 6.8 meters, a caliber of 350 mm, and a maximum range of 14.7 kilometers. The total weight is 81.4 tons. The gun can fire armor-piercing projectiles with high altitude
Explosive bombs and ordinary grenades, etc., the 350 mm armor-piercing bomb weighs 573 kg, and the high-explosive bomb weighs 467 kg.
It is divided into railway models and road models. Thanks to Italy's advanced internal combustion engine technology, this heavy artillery can be driven by a diesel engine. However, given that the weight of the artillery is too heavy, its road transportation has high requirements on bridges and roads, and requires engineers.
Reinforce roads and bridges in advance.
Although this heavy artillery is not as good as Krupp's Big Beta, it is enough for Italy, and they do not have to face the first fortress in Europe.
Of course, during the research process of this heavy artillery, Italy received technical support from Germany. After all, Italy is far less advanced than Germany in terms of heavy artillery technology. But in terms of quantity, because Italy needs to face many fortifications on the French border, this attack
Italy built 8 city guns, 4 of which were assigned to Army Group South.
This heavy artillery is now being used to fire deadly shells at the Menton Fort.
"Boom"
On the position of a 350mm siege gun, a loud noise that resounded through the sky was roaring in the ears of many artillerymen.
A 350mm artillery shell escaped from the barrel and flew towards the enemy's fort in the distance.
The shell flew over a distance of more than ten kilometers, and finally landed accurately on the top of a secondary fort. The French troops in the fort did not even realize what was happening, and were vaporized by the huge explosion. The explosion then caused the fort to explode.
As a result of the chain reaction of the shells, a deafening sound rang out from the fort. The fragments that were blown apart were more deadly than the bullets and swept across the surrounding area.
Everything that happened was seen by the airship hanging in the sky, and the results were immediately notified to the artillery position.
"Missed."
The officer who received the telegram immediately ordered the cannon to adjust.
Several subsequent shellings finally landed the shells on top of the target, and an explosion far greater than before reappeared.
Next it was the turn of the 350mm heavy artillery to be called out one by one.
With the support of the 350mm heavy artillery, the attack on the border town of Menton went smoothly. The next day, the French rule in Menton collapsed. Major General Scholak, commander of the 17th Infantry Division, reported to Army Group South that the division had
Occupied the small town of Menton.
However, General Baxter, as the commander of Army Group South, fell into deep thought when he looked at the ammunition consumed and the casualties.
In the short battle of Menton, the 17th Division and its accompanying troops suffered total casualties of 5,381, lost 17 artillery pieces, and consumed more than 2,000 tons of various ammunition.
It can be said that this battle required the 17th Division to undergo repairs.
So how many enemies were destroyed at such a cost?
According to Major General Chaulac's report, they eliminated and captured 2,871 French troops, and also captured 8 cannons, 17 tons of ammunition, and some other military supplies.
This is still a battle taking place on the border, and Italy has sufficient supplies in all aspects.
"This battle is not easy to fight!"
Putting down the report in his hand, Admiral Baxter sighed for the upcoming battle.
"Admiral, the casualties are indeed a bit high, but we also need to consider that after all, Menton is a strong stronghold built by France and is relatively good in all aspects, so it is normal for the casualties to be high."
The person who spoke was Lieutenant General Espinosa, the chief of staff of Army Group South. He was a good friend of General Baxter, who was the director of education. He previously served as the principal of the Turin Military School and was now transferred to serve as the staff officer of Army Group South.
long.
Don't get me wrong, the good relationship between the two is not the reason why they can become partners, but the reason why they are competent in military ability.
Faced with his friend's persuasion, General Baxter then defended himself. "I am not lamenting the excessive casualties of the 17th Division, but I am lamenting the coming battle. As you can see, I originally wanted to
To attract the French army, it is best to have a battle with them in the border area. The other side would rather watch Menton be captured by us than send troops to reinforce. The other side's commander is a steady man, so next, we
The battle for Army Group South will be difficult."
How could Lieutenant General Espinoza not know what he meant when it came to his friends? This was not about wanting to use the most convenient means to solve or severely injure his opponent, but the other party would not be fooled.
"That's true, but we have to continue fighting no matter what, otherwise General Simeone won't be able to pass, and the allies won't be able to say anything."
Speaking of this, Lieutenant General Espinoza thought of something, and then said. "Actually, we are pretty good. The Northern Army has a heavier task. They are also responsible for capturing the Savoy region. In fact, if you think about it from another angle, our Southern Army
Only by containing the enemy's main force on the southern front can Army Group North have a chance to seize the Savoy region."
"You are right. In a way, this prince is more courageous than us. After all, he is a member of the Savoy family and needs to bear more pressure."
Admiral Baxter feels much better now. Sometimes simple methods work.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
I feel like I didn’t write it very well, please forgive me.
