Sousse is a city with a long history. It was founded in the 10th century BC and has been an important trading port along the Tunisian coast since ancient times. It was once a famous Carthage city and was later occupied by the Romans. It fell into the
in the hands of the Arab Empire.
In addition, Sousse is a strategic location in Tunisia and has always been a battleground for military strategists. At this time, two groups of armies were fighting here.
"Attack with me!"
Taking advantage of the fact that the artillery had just subsided and looking at the position where a large number of defensive facilities had been destroyed, an Italian officer shouted an offensive slogan, raised his right hand holding a gun high, and rushed out of the trench towards the enemy's position.
Behind him, scores of Italian soldiers also raised their weapons, shouted and rushed towards the enemy position. If placed on a larger battlefield, it would be found that at this time, the Italian army rushed towards the French position like a tide.
Go, its momentum is like a rainbow, as if it is going to pierce the sky.
Facing the Italian attack, the French officers and soldiers who were defenders were of course unwilling to let them seize the position at their feet. So with the help of the French officer's order, leather shoes and pistols, they shot the trembling soldiers who had been hiding in the trenches before.
Colonial soldiers, rifles raised, ready to fight back.
"Boom!"
"Bah~bah~bah~"
Suddenly a gunshot came from the position, and then a burst of intensive gunfire rang out from the position.
"Damn bastard, whoever is shooting randomly, I will kick his ass."
At this time, a French officer was angrily running towards the location of the first shot, followed closely by an interpreter. It was obvious that the lucky man who suddenly fired was going to be unlucky.
The attacking Italian officers and soldiers must have noticed what happened on the position. At this time, the center of gravity of the attack clearly shifted.
"Bang bang bang..."
At a distance of one thousand meters from the position, mortars were firing shells at the position under the operation of officers and soldiers.
An explosion sounded from the position, shrapnel flew around, and bursts of screams rang out from the surrounding area. These were the soldiers who were hit by shrapnel.
"Fire!"
Seeing that the troops were hit by enemy mortars in the position and unable to fight back, the position commander did not know whether to fight back or not and his morale was lost.
So under his command, a burst of gunfire rang out from the position, and the sound of Lebel's rifle and the sound of Saint-Etienne's M1907 heavy machine gun resounded throughout the battlefield.
Although gunfire from the position was constant, its accuracy was worrying. Look at these colonial soldiers. They either raised their guns so high that some people thought they were going to hit the sun, or they closed their eyes thinking they were too asleep. At this time,
Only one or two out of ten soldiers on the battlefield can use weapons correctly.
All of this is caused by nervousness. Although they know how to use it during training, the bullets and shells flying on the battlefield, the screams of comrades and the corpses in the trenches make the soldiers who have not experienced this soar with adrenaline.
, my mind completely forgot everything the instructor taught me, and I only knew how to play blindly.
Besides, for these colonial soldiers, they had no passion to defend their country when they went to the battlefield. The most important thing was to survive and hold on to the money and promises given by the French master.
The goals were different, and the methods were different. Therefore, the low morale of the colonial soldiers, coupled with the nervousness of entering the battlefield for the first time, was enough to give them a disastrous performance.
As for the Italian officers and soldiers, facing the opponent's feeble counterattack, their morale was naturally boosted. Although the officers and soldiers of the 15th Division had previously informed these French colonial troops of the situation, they could only know the truth and falsehood after facing it in person, so the Italian army's offensive became more
Fierce.
At this time, Lieutenant General Guerrieri, the commander of the 13th Army, who was the combat commander, was in a trench and could carefully watch the battle.
"The attack is good. We can break through the enemy's position in a day at most."
At this time, looking at the fighting situation on the battlefield, Lieutenant General Guerrieri expressed his judgment.
"The army commander is right, the enemies in Sousse cannot withstand our attack."
Major General Sarpath, who used to be the vanguard of the entire army but now sits on the sidelines, responded to his superior's words.
At this time, Lieutenant General Guerrieri, as the commander of the army, put down the telescope in his hand, looked at the veteran general who was his subordinate and said. "Major General Sarpath, your 15th Division was not allowed to participate in the battle of Sousse this time. Is there any
What’s your idea?”
"No, let the officers and soldiers of the 37th Division and the 49th Division feel the combat effectiveness of the French colonial troops. It will be of great help in the subsequent battle in Tunisia. Our 13th Army will definitely be the main attack. If we cannot clearly know the enemy's level,
It’s not conducive to the next battle.”
Facing the question from his army commander, veteran Sarpath answered this casually.
Sarpas saw clearly the reason for not allowing his troops to participate in the battle of Sousse. In addition to the reasons he said, there were also reasons that he did not say. He couldn't eat his own meat and not let others eat the soup. As the forwards, they 15
The division is already glorious enough, and if it continues to live alone like this, it will mean that the friendly forces following behind it will get nothing.
Lieutenant General Guerrieri believed what Sarpath said. After knowing him for so many years, he still knew his temperament very well, and he was worthy of being called a veteran.
At this time, he looked at Sarpath and said, "Sappath, Lieutenant General Tabares will be transferred after he finishes fighting in Tunisia."
The Lieutenant General Tabares whom Lieutenant General Guerrieri mentioned is the deputy commander of the 13th Army, and one of the few deputy commanders who has not been transferred after the outbreak of the war.
As for where these deputy commanders will be transferred, of course they will be newly formed troops.
Commander Guerrieri told him the news, which shocked Sarpath. He had already thought of something because of his experience, but he couldn't ask the commander.
Lieutenant General Guerrieri did not play charades, looked at him and asked directly. "After Lieutenant General Tabares leaves, our 13th Army will be short of a deputy commander. You have the qualifications and achievements and are familiar with our 13th Army.
Are you interested in becoming the deputy commander?"
Lieutenant General Guerrieri's words confirmed his thoughts, but at this time he was not happy to be recommended as deputy army commander. Instead, he asked, "Then who should the 15th Division be handed over to?"
It was obvious that this veteran couldn't let go of the 15th Division. Although he had served in many armies, he was happiest when he was in the 15th Division, so he couldn't let go in his heart.
"The 15th Division is the first-class main force of our army. You can work part-time for now, and then consider handing it over after you find a suitable candidate."
Many troops in Italy are like this now. Due to the rapid increase in military strength and the shortage of qualified senior officers, flexible methods can only be used.
At present, more than half of the Italian army's troops adopt this concurrent deputy position model. As for the effect, it can maximize the Italian army's combat effectiveness.
While the two were talking, cheers came from around them. It turned out that the attacking troops had already entered the position.
"Commander, it seems we can still spend the night in Sousse today."
Major General Sarpath knew the temperament of the colonial troops very well. The battle was already half over, and the enemy would be defeated and then pursued all the way until the enemy was driven out of Sousse.
"This shows that the combat effectiveness of the 36th and 49th divisions is not much behind that of the 15th division. This is good news. You don't need to sleep on tents and cots tonight."
The final result was as they expected. The French colonial troops escaped from Sousse in the afternoon, and Lieutenant General Guerriere had a peaceful sleep at the Governor's Palace in Sousse.
