Although General Baxter was a little sad about not being able to lure the French army into a decisive battle with him, he was definitely an excellent commander. Since the French army was unwilling to show his face, then he would be beaten until he showed his face.
So on the second day after capturing the small town of Menton, the Southern Group Army launched a massive offensive. Eight divisions with 140,000 troops marched towards Tennegne, Donde Valley, Amblain Pass, and Basrotte respectively.
Pass, launched an attack on the defending French army.
This time the Southern Group Army was very powerful. In addition to all kinds of artillery in its hands, it also dispatched airship troops to bomb several key areas.
As for the bombing effect of airships, it is somewhat unsatisfactory. Due to the chaotic airflow in mountainous areas, airships are not suitable for flying in mountainous areas, and the accuracy of airship bombing is not high. Although the altitude can be reduced to improve accuracy, ground anti-aircraft artillery is not
Vegetarian.
On the first day of the all-out attack, an airship wanted to lower its altitude, improve the accuracy of bombing, and open a gap for ground infantry. However, under the care of the defenders' anti-aircraft weapons, the airship was eventually damaged and crashed in the valley.
δΈ. In addition to this crashed airship, five other airships were damaged.
At this time, the disadvantages of the airship also emerged, that is, after the enemy has anti-aircraft firepower, the huge airship and its slow speed are very easy to be hit by the enemy.
Of course, the airship was not suitable for frontline combat, and this was quickly reported back to the Army Headquarters. The Army Department immediately stopped the airship's bombing mission.
A large airship can almost carry a destroyer, and at this cost the Army does not dare to suffer too many losses. After all, in addition to bombing, airships can do many things.
In addition to the Southern Army Group, the Northern Army Group also participated in this offensive on the French border. However, compared with the massive Southern Army Group, the Northern Army Group was much inferior. It launched an offensive with only 40,000 troops.
Because the Northern Army Group is located in the middle of a more dangerous mountainous area, there are fewer roads and checkpoints for the army to pass. The Northern Army Group can only attack the French army from dangerous places such as Lars Pass and Viso Pass.
The places are all mountain passes, river valleys and other places. There is no way to deploy troops at all, so the advantage in numbers does not play a big role here. It depends more on the advantage of weapons, the eliteness of the troops, and the command level of the leading officers.
This massive attack was also very generous for the attacking Italian side. The infantry divisions that launched the attack have been strengthened. In terms of the artillery they are equipped with, in addition to the artillery in each division's establishment,
Each division was reinforced by at least one 105 howitzer battalion.
The most exaggerated example is the 19th Infantry Division responsible for attacking the coastal town of Tenagne. In addition to its own artillery, it also has a military-affiliated 150mm heavy artillery battalion (12-gun system) and the group army's 210-mm heavy artillery battalion (6-gun system).
As well as an engineering regiment and a transportation regiment, the total strength is nearly 30,000. Of course, this is because its tasks are the heaviest and the situations it faces are the most complex.
The coastal areas of the two countries are mountainous, and it is not easy to attack from here. Moreover, it is possible to be attacked by the enemy navy at any time.
The use of such a large army to attack France made General Decaciternot, who served as the Sixth Army, immediately feel that something was wrong.
The Sixth Army is the French army responsible for guarding the border between Italy and France. The Army has 11 divisions and 210,000 troops.
Facing the fierce attack of the Italian army, although it was not enough to shake the defense line, the veteran general had to pay attention. After careful consideration, he sent 4 divisions with more than 60,000 troops to reinforce various ministries. At present, in addition to sending
In addition to the reinforcements and the troops stationed at the position, he also holds the strength of three divisions in case of any unexpected situations.
The movements of the French troops were quickly reported to Italy by intelligence personnel. Facing the news from intelligence personnel, the Italian military took the information very seriously.
Later, airships and aircraft were dispatched for reconnaissance.
One more thing to say here is that the current reconnaissance aircraft in various countries can generally fly more than 100 kilometers. Such faster aircraft are more conducive to reconnaissance than huge airships.
So after the war started, planes from the two countries flew into each other's territory every day, trying to check for any clues. Of course, the military would definitely be dissatisfied with this move of allowing enemy planes to come and go freely.
Don't worry, Siegel Aircraft Factory is already developing an epoch-making product, which I believe will soon surprise enemy aircraft.
But now I can only let the opponent's planes look above my head. But one thing is good, that is, there are more planes on the Italian side. Before the war started, the Italian military already had more than a hundred planes. As for the French army on the opposite side,
Then there are only more than ten, and the difference between the two can be seen at a glance.
Therefore, in terms of reconnaissance, the French army lagged behind the Italian army.
However, reconnaissance by aircraft alone is not enough. The advantage of airships that can stay in the air for a long time can also be used. Prince Filiberto, who is the commander of the Northern Army Group, strongly agrees with this point.
At this time, a small airship slowly landed in the open space outside the town of Aosta, and Prince Filiberto took the lead and stepped out of the airship.
However, he was embarrassed as soon as he got off the airship, because his partner, Lieutenant General Cabrera, the chief of staff of the Northern Army, was standing in front of him and looking at him coldly.
"Cabrera, are you waiting for me here for something urgent?"
Prince Filiberto completely pretended not to see it, and asked his chief of staff curiously.
"Your Excellency, Commander, I have something to ask. Please answer me truthfully."
Seeing Prince Filiberto pretending to be stupid, Lieutenant General Cabrera did not tolerate him and spoke directly.
"Ask, my chief of staff."
"Excuse me, where did you go on the airship this time?"
Faced with the chief of staff's inquiry, Prince Filiberto answered truthfully. "I went to take a look at the French positions so that I could be prepared for the next combat mission."
Upon hearing what Prince Filiberto said, Lieutenant General Cabrera felt his veins pop out. "Your Excellency, Commander, I reiterate that you should stay with your troops instead of going to check the enemy's situation in person. If you
If something unexpected happens, then our Northern Army will have no commander, especially when combat missions are about to be issued. This is undesirable and extremely dangerous, and it is also irresponsible for one's own responsibilities."
Faced with the scolding from the chief of staff, even Filiberto, who was regarded as a prince, lowered his head helplessly. "Follow my chief of staff, I won't take the airship next time, okay?"
Seeing his commander admitting his mistake, Lieutenant General Cabrera did not want to pursue the matter any further.
It's enough to talk about this kind of thing two or three times, but it will get boring if you talk about it too much.
"Commander, I didn't come to see you this time to criticize you. Instead, I just received news that our ally Germany has entered the northern border of France and our plan is about to begin."
"What, show it to me quickly."
After reading the telegram a few times, Prince Filiberto immediately ordered. "Convey my order. Operation Zeus will begin in 24 hours."
