The train station is the transportation hub of Nice, where people go to and from Nice. The charming sunshine and comfortable temperature make Nice an ideal place for winter vacation in France.
Although this was the beginning of the 20th century, there were not many people visiting Nice.
However, after the war broke out, few people came to Nice to travel, and the train station was too clean. Today, the train station is lively, with crowded people and various vehicles inside and outside the station.
At this time, a rumbling train came to the station, and the platform that had just been cleared was about to welcome a new crowd. When the train stopped, the soldiers on the platform immediately opened the doors of the boxcars and came over from Marseille.
The officers and soldiers who spent most of the day immediately went down to the platform.
The officer leading the team looked at the time and loudly ordered his soldiers to line up and count the number of people. After spending three minutes to solve these problems, under the guidance of others, the teams lined up and walked quickly outside the station.
These officers and soldiers who got off the train were all from the 23rd Division, which was the reinforcement sent by General Ebbett this time.
Outside the station, there are various vehicles arranged by Lieutenant General Fast, the top commander of the Nice region and the commander of the 16th Army, including the most advanced Sophia trucks and horse-drawn carriages that rely entirely on charging. These vehicles are designed to allow them to
Rushing to Lescarenes faster, they want to join their defenders there to jointly block the fierce offensive of the enemy's 11th Army.
At this time, Lieutenant General Fast was talking with Major General Costa, the commander of the 23rd Division, on the second floor of the station.
"Major General Costa, this is the intelligence about the enemy's 11th Army as of two hours ago. In addition, I have sent a regiment of troops to reinforce Lescaren. I hope it can be of help to you."
At this time, Major General Costa took over the document containing the intelligence and opened it without hesitation. At this time, fighting a dangerous situation was like putting out a fire. He could not stop for a moment, so there was not much time left for him. And Lieutenant General Fast also
I understand it quite well, so I am not dissatisfied with his approach.
However, when Major General Costa saw the intelligence, his expression suddenly turned cold and he said, "The Italians are already less than eight kilometers away from the Colin Bridge. Why hasn't the bridge been blown up?"
When faced with Major General Costa, Lieutenant General Fast searched for a stack of telegrams and handed them to him. "Look, this is a telegram from the commander of the garrison occupying the east side of the bridge."
After receiving this stack of telegrams, Major General Costa finally saw the reason why the bridge was not blown up. The reason why the bridge was not blown up at first was because he wanted to recapture the bridge and ensure the retreat of the Bulo Pass defenders. For this reason, he stopped it several times in a row.
Suspicious behavior of Italian soldiers.
When the Burro garrison was defeated and defeated, they wanted to blow up the bridge again, but the Italians on the opposite side were unwilling. Put it this way, the two sides were only separated by the Colin Bridge, which was more than 100 meters away. This distance determined who wanted to have ideas about the bridge.
Both sides will be stopped by the other side. Even at night, flares from both sides turn night into day, and no one has a chance.
After reading this stack of telegrams, Major General Costa finally understood the reason why the Colin Bridge was not blown up. At this time, he just sighed and said, "I hope the 71st Division can capture the Italians who cut off the bridge and save the retreating friendly forces."
After reading the latest intelligence, Major General Costa certainly knew the battle situation of the 71st Division. Several consecutive attacks failed to capture the enemy's position, and he suffered greater losses. Although the enemy's position had a complex structure and air superiority, this
It is enough to prove that it is impossible for the 71st Division to conquer the enemy's position in a short time.
So according to the latest intelligence, the enemy is only eight kilometers away from the bridge, so the fate of the French army east of the bridge has been doomed.
When Major General Costa, commander of the 23rd Division, was talking to Lieutenant General Fast, a new situation emerged on the east side of Colin Bridge.
At this time, in the mountain col to the east of Colin Bridge, a large number of gray-headed French officers and soldiers smelling of gunfire were sitting here to rest. There were nearly a thousand people. If you observe carefully, you will find that these people are basically bare-handed.
, very few people have weapons in their hands. In addition, there are almost no heavy weapons. The real number is miserable.
Yes, this was the vanguard of Bro's defeated army. It carried no heavy equipment, had low morale and was in panic. This was all caused by having no retreat and being pursued by the 11th Army.
For the defeated French troops now gathered at Colin Bridge, if they want to get out of this predicament, they can only start from two aspects.
The first is to open up the Colin Bridge and allow the troops to have a way out. However, this is not easy. Although the 71st Division is attacking on the opposite side, they can cooperate with the Italian army on the west side of the bridge to attack, but now there are two problems.
There is a terrain restriction. If you want to seize the west side of Colin Bridge, it is definitely best to pass over the bridge. However, the bridge is only ten meters wide and the width is limited. If you attack from here, the casualties will be heavy. And if you attack from the valley below the bridge, the terrain is very difficult.
It is steep and the difficulty of attacking from above is not much better than attacking from the bridge.
The other is time. Even if a lot of troops are left behind to defend in Docktail Survival, it can still be delayed for up to 6 hours. If you want to capture the Colin Bridge within this time period, it is very difficult for the French army on the east side of the bridge.
Very difficult.
In addition to opening up the bridge, there is another way, which is to go over the mountain. Climb over the remaining Alps on both sides to avoid the danger of being wiped out. However, the path up the mountain is not easy to walk, and some people may leave gaps.
(give up) after (abandon).
These two methods also represent radicalism and conservatism. The defeated French army now does not know how to choose when faced with these two options. The main reason why the army does not know how to choose is the appearance of two commanders.
Disagreement.
"Major General Beckett, I disagree with you. The terrain on the left side of the bridge is too disadvantageous to storm. I have learned from Lieutenant Colonel Kaman before that the enemy's firepower on the opposite side is very fierce. In addition, the attack channels are limited.
It is a very difficult task to conquer within a few hours. Don’t forget, the soldiers are very tired and cannot defeat it for at most three attacks. They will definitely riot.”
"Major General Aquino, I know your thoughts and I also understand the dangers involved, but do you understand the dangers of climbing over the mountains? As far as our location is concerned, the mountains are full of small roads and there is no way to use vehicles. What is needed
We need to carry food and ammunition ourselves. Moreover, the small road also means that we move slowly. As long as the enemy is faster, it is very likely to cut off our road.
In addition, the slow movement also determines that if we take small roads next, we will not only increase the risk of being annihilated by the enemy. In addition, if we plunge into the mountains, then the next battle will have nothing to do with us. Major General Aquino, you know this.
What consequences will it have for us?”
"Of course I know."
Facing Major General Beckett's words, Major General Aquino immediately retorted. "Doing this is at least better than being prisoners. Look at our soldiers. They had no confidence in defeat after passing through the mountain pass. Many of them even lost their weapons."
. You rely on them to help you capture it.
I think I have overthought the position on the opposite side. As soon as the enemy chasing behind them appears, they will definitely surrender immediately. And our two divisions were all captured by the Italians. This is not good news, even if we return home in the future, it will not matter.
Eat the good fruit."
It was obvious that Major General Aquino did not think that Major General Beckett's forceful attack method was effective. Although he was only the deputy commander, he would not stand idly by when faced with the life and death of his troops.
"Major General Aquino, your view is too pessimistic."
"No, this is my result after comprehensive consideration based on our current situation."
At this time, the dispute between the two commanders allowed the retreating troops to rest here temporarily. However, both of them knew that continuing to argue like this would not bring good results to them, so they both tried to speed up the persuasion.
At this time, a piece of news brought the dispute between the two to an end.
"Report, Lieutenant Colonel Jire sent news that their blocking position was breached by the enemy."
This news immediately silenced the two generals who were arguing. The two battalions led by Lieutenant Colonel Gire were their second line of defense. If the enemy broke through the third line of defense 3 kilometers away from them, then they would
Become a turtle in a urn.
"Now order the troops to retreat via the trail, and ask the defenders here to withdraw as well. Each person will carry three days of rations. We will evacuate from the northern trail to Lewan. And inform the 71st Division on the opposite side of the news of our evacuation. In addition, let the soldiers
All the heavy weapons we cannot take away will be destroyed and will not be left to the Italians."
At this time, faced with a series of orders from Major General Aquino, Major General Aquino did not refute. It seems that this radical general also agreed with this.
The defeated soldiers at Bulo Pass did not wait for the road to be opened and chose to cross the mountain.
