Vida's 3rd company did not wait long, and the other two companies of the 1st battalion immediately reached the defensive line and began to organize the defense.

The commander of the first battalion was a very young officer, two years younger than Vida, and after Eric's coming to power, the Wehrmacht, which spoke by strength and merit, never ranked by age, and seniority was often something that was considered civilian.

Captain Drassey and the three companies of the headquarters re-marked the balance of forces on the map with the information they received.

"Second Lieutenant Vida, can you be sure that there is only one battalion on the other side?" De Lacey seemed reluctant to believe that the three battalions that had been beaten back and their first battalion had encountered only one division, and that the 231st Division's combat effectiveness was not covered, and that President Eric's reinforcements for the 231st Division for this weapon test were the elite of the recruits.

Under the leadership of half of the veterans, the combat effectiveness of the 231st Division was twice as strong as that of a division of the Italian army of the same level, because the number of this division was half more than that of the average division headquarters.

"The people below me reported like this, it should be the vanguard." Vida was still struggling with the Italian army this time, which was very different from usual.

While everyone was still discussing, the communications soldier on the side held up a huge walkie-talkie and motioned for everyone to listen.

"I'm Paulus, the advance regiment of the 231st Division will not stop advancing and deploy on the spot after hearing this, reinforcements will arrive soon." Everyone heard that this was the division commander Paulus.

After Paulus finished speaking, Captain Drasy no longer bothered about how many people were on the other side, and went straight to the battlefield to see the real chapter.

"The first company is responsible for the direction of the river on the left, the second company is responsible for the Italian troops on the front path, and the third company is well connected with the second battalion and will report to me at any time." Captain Drassy jumped into the jeep after completing the assignment of the troops.

"I'll go to the regiment headquarters, Calvin, you are here to command, I have a hunch, the opposite side is definitely not a battalion, it is not a division, if you are not prepared, you will suffer." Calvin was a lieutenant and a contemporaneous alumnus of Delasci.

The jeep then swept away in dust.

The position of the 1st Battalion was at the foot of the Chimone hills, facing west, and on the left in the direction of Pistoia, the salient of the Italian army on the defense line of the peninsula, where the heavy forces were concentrated, and here was the end of the Renault River. The three regiments of the 231st Division attacked in three directions, and the whole army was dispatched, and the task of the first regiment was to take the town of Abetone and hold on, preventing the Italian army in Pistoia from attacking the flanks of the second and third regiments.

It's just a coincidence that Pershing is leading two Italian legions with a total of 140,000 people from Florence and Pistoia to bypass the Sergio River and carry out a surprise attack on Bologna.

Neither side expected to encounter each other in the area of Abetone, and the encounter between the German 231st Division and the Italian 59th Infantry Division was purely an accident.

In the headquarters of the 231st Division, Paulus and Schellner deployed three regiments 15 kilometers along the line below the Chimone Mountains through the reports of various units, and although 21,000 men were not enough, it was found that the width of 15 kilometers was not enough after this spread.

"Why don't you report to the Chief of Staff?" The first time Schellner commanded a division-level operation, he inevitably felt some pressure, and he wanted to be promoted, and he was even more reluctant to be smeared with failure on his resume.

Paulus was actually very hesitant, the position of the 231st Division was too embarrassing, the enemy troops suddenly encountered in front temporarily understood a division, but in the south, there was still a regiment of the Italian army with 70,000 people in Pistoia, if the 2165 heights were not taken as soon as possible, the 231st Division would have to bear the enemy encirclement several times its own alone.

Fortunately, it was getting late at this time, and the Italian offensive had stopped, and the 231st Division had the opportunity to deploy calmly.

It was already dark in Berlin, there were still many pedestrians on the streets, and the German-Italian war lasted for three months, and the people's lives were not affected at all.

"Didi-Di-"

"Stop honking and walk off the sidewalk!" Brauchitsch said in a snarling voice.

Sitting next to him sat Klug, who looked like he had just socialized from his dress.

The car was soon inside the Hanseatic Palace, and Eric had just come out of his office when he saw Brauchitsch approaching briskly to signal that he had something to say.

"Say it." Eric hung his coat on the hanger again, and he knew that the matter was not small, and he couldn't finish it for a while.

"Pershing has gone to Italy." Brauchitsch said for no reason.

"Which Pershing?" Not to mention that Eric didn't understand, even Kluge felt that Brauchitsch was a little flustered.

"The former commander of the expeditionary force sent by the United States to Europe, John Joseph Pershing." Klug said calmly.

"What is he doing in Italy? Travelling? Eric didn't think about military aid, after all, Germany and the United States are still in the honeymoon period.

"Military advisers, private status." Kluge said for sure.

"How do you know?" Eric was puzzled.

"Because this afternoon, Pershing made a public appearance and was seen by our people." Kluge did not say who it was, keeping it a secret from the informant.

"How reliable is it? Could it be that I am mistaken? Eric was reluctant to believe that the United States would make a fool of Germany at this time.

"One hundred percent sure, they have a conversation." Kluge trusted his informants.

"And what are you doing here?" Eric said to Brauchitsch.

"Paulus's 231st Division was carrying out an offensive plan and came across an Italian army, which was the unit of our informant." Kluge replied for Brauchitsch.

"How many? Paulus's 231st Division was a reinforced division, and the average troops could not help them. "Eric is very confident in this force, Paulus Gaschelner's command lineup is not ordinary luxury, even if it encounters an army, the 231st Division does not dare to say that it is completely annihilated, and it is no problem to repel it.

As far as Italy's logistics and armaments are concerned, the artillery of the 1st Army is not necessarily as much as that of the 231st Division, and the combat effectiveness on the surface is simply crushing.

"No less than 100,000 people, this is a preliminary estimate, this operation is too fast." With the help of Anata, Kluge found a map and carefully marked the current intelligence and the direction of the Italian army.

"This is going for Bologna, but it just happened to encounter the 231st Division." Brauchitsch pointed to the area around Bologna.

"There are defensive positions built by 40,000 troops of the First Field Army, as well as twelve bomber squadrons of the Air Force, and Rommel's 502 tank battalion is 20 kilometers to the north, and the Italian army will definitely not be able to break through here, and what I am worried about is that the 231st Division will encounter the retreating Italian army, and there is a risk of being surrounded on three sides." This is where Brauchitsch is nervous, because the equipment of the 231st Division covers almost all aspects of the equipment system of the German Wehrmacht, and once it falls into the hands of Italy, it will be taken away by the United States by all means, which is very detrimental to Germany.

"Does Hoffman know?" Eric doesn't know how to fight at all, let alone meddle in these command matters, he cares about the whole. Like what is needed, what is wanted, what can I provide.

"I already know, the deployment is being adjusted, I just came here to ask for instructions, is it temporarily canceling the plan to let the 231st Division test weapons? Withdraw first? Brauchitsch probed.

"Where is the closest unit to the 231st Division?" Eric didn't answer.

"On the way of the Italian offensive, Vergato, Colonel Caron's 1st Panzergrenadier Division and Colonel Kleist's 102nd Infantry Division, Lieutenant General Watt's 12th Mixed Corps." Brauchitsch pointed to Vergato and said.

"Where is Guderian's 502 tank battalion?" In addition to the 1st Panzergrenadier Division, there is only a 61st Cavalry Division in the 12th Mixed Army, Eric does not know how to fight, but he also knows that a cavalry division rushing forward is no different from sending him to death, not to mention that the person on the other side is not a fool, it is an American fierce general Pershing who wants to come to shame.