Chapter 86: 86
"Shoot!"
"Shoot!"
"Soaaah!"
June 19, 1940
0:30.
Germany's invasion of Italy, Operation Hannibal, began.
Starting on June 8, the German army moved troops, equipment, and supplies toward Austria for the invasion of Italy.
In addition, through constant aerial reconnaissance, the Italian military's defense lines were identified and weak points were analyzed.
The Italian army worked hard to build a defensive line, but was lacking in time, materials, and manpower.
From the Germans' perspective, the Italian army's defense line created in this way was overall very sloppy.
The defensive line of the 131st Armored Division Centauro and the 132nd Armored Division Ariete, which were considered the only elite units in the Italian army, was quite strong with heavy weapons such as tanks and anti-tank guns deployed in the right places.
However, most Italian divisions were of poor quality.
"It's a defensive line with only a few machine guns, let alone anti-tank guns. "They still think World War I is not over."
Senior General Lothar Rendulic, who served as the commander-in-chief of the Italian invasion force, laughed at the Italian army's incompetence and began preparing for the offensive.
A large number of mountain divisions that had been sent north to help Norway returned to the mainland, and tanks and artillery used in the invasion of France also arrived in Austria. The Air Force was also fully prepared.
Rendulik decided that the time was right and launched Operation Hannibal on the 19th, three days earlier than originally planned.
Concerns about whether it would be better to proceed with the offensive as originally planned were dismissed with the reply that the enemy's defense line would become stronger as time passed.
A salvo of 15cm plain fire artillery struck the Italian army positions first, with the Hummel self-propelled howitzer making the second hit and the Vespe and Grille making the third hit.
In the famously rugged Alps Mountains, self-propelled howitzers capable of self-driving were much more useful than towed artillery, and Vespes and Grillets, which were small in size and weighed less, were especially welcome.
"Hurry more! You practiced so fucking hard! "You have to show results in real life!"
"Are you tarnishing the proud reputation of the Defense Forces?"
As the officers shouted, the movement of the soldiers carrying ammunition became faster.
Ammunition transport vehicles constantly transported ammunition, and when the ammunition carrier loaded the shells, the gunner fired the gun.
The shell casings, which were bulky and wasted unnecessary space, were thrown outside.
By the time the bombardment was over, there were so many shell casings around the field artillery and self-propelled guns that they could be sold as scrap metal.
"launch!"
Every time Grille's 15cm gun fired, the Italian soldiers under fire screamed.
The Italian army, which firmly believed that the rugged terrain of the Alps would make up for the deficiencies in the defense line, was unable to come to its senses in the face of the German army's fierce bombardment.
"Where are our artillerymen and what are they doing?"
An Italian officer, exhausted from the bombardment, cried out as if he were screaming.
The Italian artillery unit he was desperately looking for was destroyed about 10 minutes after the German bombardment began.
The performance and range of the cannons were inferior to those of the German army, and to make matters worse, the Italian artillery, which was lacking in quantity, was no match for the German artillery.
The artillery bombardment that lasted for an hour created large cracks in several places in the Italian defense line. As soon as the bombardment ended, Ren Dulik moved his infantry and tanks forward.
"Charge forward!"
"We're having dinner in Rome tonight!"
"Wow"
***
"Oh, the German army is coming!"
"Everyone prepare for battle!"
The Italian soldiers who barely survived the hellish bombardment had to fight against the onslaught of German troops.
Antonio roughly shook off the snow and dirt that had accumulated on his military uniform, then checked to see if there was anything wrong with the rifle.
In some cases, foreign substances such as dirt or snow could enter and cause malfunctions, so it was important to check the weapon before shooting.
If the gun broke down during combat, there was no answer.
Because there is no enemy in the world who will wait for you to repair your firearm.
Antonio could see things wriggling up in his eyes. Austrian mountain division soldiers armed with light submachine guns were climbing a steep slope.
Antonio swallowed without realizing it. He pressed his body against the outer wall of the trench and had his finger on the trigger.
"Start shooting!"
Although the Germans were still out of range, the company commander gave the order to fire. When the company commander gave the order, his soldiers pulled the trigger in unison.
Antonio strapped a pickaxe and spare ammunition to his back and fired, aiming at the helmets of German soldiers coming up the slope.
When the enemy lowered his head, Antonio thought he had hit him.
"Hit... Huh?"
The enemy who thought he had been shot simply lowered his head reflexively as the shooting began.
Antonio pulled the trigger again, but this time it was unknown. When the enemy soldier he was targeting hid behind a large rock, Antonio burst into anger.
"shit!"
He did not forget that Corporal Karel, who had cared for him like his own brother, was killed by the Germans.
I wanted to avenge Corporal Karel by killing at least one more person. However, despite his will, his skills did not keep up.
Even after the Italians opened fire, the Germans refrained from returning fire and focused on advancing.
When the Italian positions finally came within range, the German commander gave permission to open fire.
"Khaak!"
The soldier who was shooting the Breda M30 fell down, holding his shoulder. He had been hit by a bullet fired by a German sniper.
"It's a sniper! careful-"
A soldier who was trying to warn of the danger of a sniper fell to the ground with blood spraying out.
Two soldiers have already been hit by snipers.
The Italian soldiers could not raise their heads due to the threat of snipers.
Meanwhile, German soldiers who had climbed the mountain threw grenades toward the Italian trenches and fired submachine guns. There was a lot of drinking and screaming.
"Put your heads up, you bastards! Will you tremble like a dog? "
When the company commander became angry, the soldiers stuck their heads out and responded to the Germans' attack. Antonio also mustered up courage and fired his rifle.
A German soldier who was exchanging magazines for a submachine gun was shot in the thigh by Antonio and fell to the ground.
Antonio pulled the trigger again and put a bullet in the center of the enemy's helmet.
"Good!"
I finally caught one.
Considering the size of the enemy army that was coming at them like a swarm of ants, it was a new blood blow, but Antonio gained courage.
The courage that he could do it, and the pride that he had avenged Corporal Karel.
But his courage did not last long.
"There are enemies behind you too!"
"what?!"
The German army appeared and attacked not from the front but also from the rear. The Italian army was taken aback when the German army attacked from the rear.
"Huh, the 3rd platoon must have been guarding the rear, right?"
"I can't contact 3rd Platoon! "It looks like something happened!"
The 3rd platoon, which was in charge of the rear, was destroyed without even having time to announce the surprise attack.
The Italian company, which had not heard that the enemy had infiltrated the rear, was immediately on the verge of annihilation.
"1st platoon, block the enemy in the rear! "If you make a mistake, you will be surrounded!"
"Antonio! Take charge of the heavy machine guns!"
"All right!"
Antonio followed the squad leader's instructions and grabbed the Breda M37 heavy machine gun. Since both the gunner and second-in-command were killed, there was only one person in the squad, Antonio, who could handle the machine gun.
After inserting a new bullet plate, I pressed the trigger and sparks flew out of the muzzle.
After seeing that heavy machine gun fire had resumed, the German soldiers hurriedly ducked to avoid the bullets.
Two German soldiers were knocked out by a grenade thrown by an Italian soldier in the trench.
"Okay, everyone's doing great!"
The soldiers gained strength from the company commander's praise. When Antonio restricted the Germans' movements with heavy machine guns, the soldiers in the trenches threw grenades.
When the bullets ran out, Antonio replaced them with new bullets.
Although the performance of the Breda M37 was decent, it had the disadvantage of being difficult to fire continuously because the ammunition supply method used a bullet plate rather than a bullet belt.
In particular, in cases where the machine gun had to be fired alone without a second gunner, the shortcomings of the bullet plate became more prominent.
Just as I finished replacing the bullet plate and was about to fire the machine gun again, something fell at my feet.
Antonio looked down and noticed a grenade rolling across the floor.
"!!!"
Before the grenade exploded, Antonio picked it up and threw it out of the trench.
When the grenade exploded and the smoke cleared, he stood up again and tried to fire the machine gun.
"100 million!"
The moment he pressed the trigger, a bullet flew out and pierced his neck.
Antonio felt no pain.
However, I felt a hole in my neck and blood pouring out.
I tried to stop the bleeding by covering the hole in my neck with both hands, but it wasn't easy. Just as his mind was fading, he saw a medic running towards him.
"I'm straining my hands. "I'll stop the bleeding now."
The medic pulled out a bandage and tourniquet from his backpack. Antonio tried to say thank you, but he couldn't because he was afraid the bleeding would get worse.
-puck!
The head of the medic who was trying to stop Antonio's bleeding suddenly turned to the side, and he fell down with both hands outstretched.
The bullet came from behind.
Antonio looked at the medic who had fallen to the floor in surprise. Blood flowed from a hole in the medic's head, soaking his pants.
Then a grenade flew out and fell on the ground.
I couldn't use my hands to stop the bleeding. Other soldiers in the trench were so busy shooting that they didn't realize the grenade had landed.
Antonio's eyes widened as he fixed on the grenade.
A short, violent explosion struck the trench. The screaming continued for a long time.
***
After the hellish bombardment, Roberto looked out of the trench and saw a German mountain division creeping towards the camp.
"It's the enemy!"
Roberto hurriedly reported the appearance of the German army, but because many soldiers were sacrificed in the artillery fire, the number of soldiers left to fight was less than 50.
Only one-third of the 120 company members survived.
In contrast, the number of German soldiers was more than 300.
Even the soldiers who survived suffered from shell shock due to the shock of the artillery bombardment and were unable to fight properly.
A soldier who is in a dazed state, a soldier who goes crazy like a crazy person, and even a soldier who cries out at the top of his lungs.
"Prepare for battle, you idiots!"
Roberto shouted, but the command had no effect on the soldiers who had lost their senses.
Roberto became angry, pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the crying soldier.
"Pick up your gun, you bastard! "Do you want to die?"
"Stop it, Roberto!"
Pablo, who was worse off, tried to dissuade Roberto.
However, Roberto, who had lost half of his senses due to anger and excitement, could no longer hear Pablo's words.
"A baby like this dog!"
Roberto's Beretta M1934 burst into flames, blowing a hole in the head of a soldier who was crying out in shell shock. The soldier no longer cried.
"Everyone, if you don't want to die by my hands, pick up your guns. The Germans are right in front of us. "Anyone who hesitates to fight will be punished mercilessly."
The soldiers quickly raised their guns and took a shooting stance. Before we knew it, the Germans had come within range.
"Start shooting!"
Sparks flew out from about 50 gun muzzles at once. Three or four German soldiers fell, and about a dozen others fell to the ground or took cover.
Roberto also holstered his pistol, raised his Carcano rifle, and fired. Pablo spoke like he was thinking.
"Did you really have to do that?"
"Shoot your gun. "Let's deal with those guys first and then talk about it."
"You fucking bastard."
Pablo also fired at the German soldiers with a MAB 38 submachine gun. The two silently focused on shooting without saying a word.
The Italian army fought hard, but the distance to the German army narrowed in real time, down to 40-50m.
A stick grenade thrown by a German soldier tumbled into a trench and sent an Italian machine gunner flying into the air.
"grenade! Throw a grenade!"
Following Roberto's instructions, the soldiers threw grenades in unison.
Several explosions rang out, and a body with its head ripped off was left where the grenade exploded.
The uniforms were torn and blown away by the oppression, so it was impossible to tell whether they were German or Italian soldiers.
"It's the Germans on the left!"
"help me!"
Despite the Italian army's resistance, the German army eventually penetrated the trench.
German mountaineers who infiltrated the trenches threw grenades and fired MP38s, knocking down Italian soldiers like pins in a bowling alley.
As the war situation became extremely unfavorable, some soldiers surrendered.
They decided that it was too late to retreat now, so they had a better chance of survival if they surrendered.
Roberto's eyes widened when he saw the soldiers abandoning their weapons and surrendering.
"Um, those traitorous bastards...!"
Roberto was furious and aimed his gun at the surrendering soldiers. He pulled the trigger and put a bullet into the back of the surrenderer's neck.
"Stop it, Roberto! "It's murder!"
"You're out!"
Roberto roughly pushed Pablo, who was trying to dissuade him.
There wasn't even a shred of reason left in him. In his eyes, all the surrendering soldiers also appeared to be German soldiers.
"Those who surrender will die by my hand! Fight to the death! "If you're Italian, fight like an Italian."
When the gunshot rang out, Roberto's words were cut off.
Roberto, who had a hole between his eyes, fell forward and hit his face squarely on the ground.
I heard the sound of my nose being broken and my teeth being smashed by a stone sticking out of the floor.
The soldiers looked at Pablo in surprise. The bullet that made a hole in Roberto's head came from Pablo's pistol.
Pablo glanced at the body of the friend he had shot dead with cold eyes, then threw the pistol on the floor.
As he raised his hands, the soldiers followed him, putting down their weapons and raising their hands.
***
The Alpine defense line, which the Italian army had built with great effort, was helplessly breached when the friendly forces began their attack.
Although the rugged terrain of the Alps put a damper on the advance, the Italian army, with low morale and poor armament, could not even take advantage of the terrain.
Due to the nature of the mountainous area, passageways for heavy equipment such as tanks and vehicles are limited, so the Italian military command's decision to focus on defending only these areas was generally correct.
Whether the Italian military was capable of doing so was a separate question.
Prior to the attack, our forces pounded the Italian army's positions with artillery fire, deployed engineers to remove various vessels, including mines, laid by the Italian army, and then deployed armored units.
The Italian army's tanks were no match for our tanks. To put it bluntly, the report even says that there is no problem with the Italian tanks, but that cleaning up the debris left after they are destroyed is more troublesome.
Poland and France each lasted 4 weeks, but how long will Italy last? Our current concern was not how to force Italy to surrender, but how long it would take for Italy to surrender.
From the moment the Alpine defense line was breached, Italy could not avoid surrender at any cost. The only two options left to them are to be beaten and surrender, or to be beaten further and surrender.
A normal leader would choose the former, but since the opponent was Mussolini, it seemed unlikely that he would choose the latter.
We need to take this opportunity to make it clear that every country has a government appropriate for it, and what happens if you move your fingers incorrectly.
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