Menton is a small town on the Italian-French border, and the coastal railway connecting Nice to Genoa passes through the town, bringing trade convenience to the town.

Of course, the deterioration of relations between the two countries and the growing power of Italy led the French to build a large number of fortifications in the Alps. As for Menton, which is a border town, it is certainly no exception.

In the northern part of the town, the French built three batteries here, equipped with 38 cannons of various calibers, the most powerful of which was the French 170 mm gun, which was dismantled from a retired naval ship and could cover all parts of the town, and even hit the sea.

Today, however, the town of Menton is not ordinary, as the Italian army crosses the border to attack Menton.

According to the plan, the Italian side should attack at the same time as Germany. However, due to insufficient preparations, Simeone explained to Moltke Jr. and then delayed it for a week.

How could little Moltke be satisfied with the actions of the Italian Army. But after all, it was the Italian army that cooperated with the German army, so the dissatisfaction could only be endured.

Actually, I don't blame Simeone, because it's really difficult on the Italian side, and there are more things to prepare.

After all, the Italian-French border is a continuous mountainous area, and this mountain attack and the plain are two different concepts. Inadequate preparation means that you may not be stuck on which mountain, so you have to

"Woo Woo ......"

"Boom, boom, boom......"

The crisp and melodious sound of gunfire was mixed with the deafening sound of shelling, as the French defenders were resisting the attack of Italian soldiers.

Facing the French defenders, the officers and men of the Italian 17th Infantry Division attacked their positions.

In addition to the division's 75-mm field guns and 105-mm howitzers, the 17th Infantry Division, which was responsible for the main attack, was also supported by 150-mm howitzers and 120-mm cannons. In addition, in order to deal with the 170-mm naval guns of the fortress, the 350-mm siege guns deployed by the Italian military for Army Group South were also among them.

As the largest caliber siege artillery on Italian land, the Italian military also has high hopes for it.

This siege gun was built by the Italian military specifically to deal with fortified fortresses, with a barrel length of 6.8 meters, a caliber of 350 mm, and a maximum range of 14.7 kilometers. The total weight is 81.4 tons. The gun can fire armor-piercing shells, high-explosive shells and ordinary grenades, etc., and its 350-mm armor-piercing shells weigh 573 kilograms, and high-explosive shells weigh 467 kilograms.

It is divided into railway models, as well as road models. Thanks to Italy's developed internal combustion engine technology, this heavy gun can be driven by a diesel engine, but due to the weight of the gun, its road transportation requires bridges and roads to be not low, and engineers need to strengthen the road bridges in advance.

Although this heavy artillery was inferior to Krupp's Great Beta, it was enough for Italy, and they did not have to face the first fortress in Europe.

Of course, in the process of research on this heavy artillery, Italy received technical support from Germany. After all, with heavy artillery technology, Italy was far less good than Germany. But in terms of numbers, because Italy had to face the numerous fortifications on the French border, Italy built 8 siege guns, of which 4 were allocated to Army Group South.

The cannon is now being used to fire the deadly shells at the Menton Battery.

"Boom"

On the position of a 350-mm siege gun, a loud bang that resounded through the sky was roaring into the ears of many artillerymen.

A 350-mm shell came out of its chamber and flew towards the enemy battery in the distance.

The shell flew over a distance of more than ten kilometers, and finally landed on the top of a secondary fort with precision. The French troops in the battery did not even react to what was going on, and were vaporized by the huge explosion. The explosion then triggered a chain reaction of shells in the battery, and a deafening sound rang out from the battery. The shattered fragments of the explosion swept across the surrounding area more deadly than bullets.

All this was seen by the airship hanging in the sky, which immediately informed the artillery position of the result.

"Missed."

The officer, who received the telegram, immediately ordered the artillery to be adjusted.

After several shelling attempts, the shell finally landed on the target's head, and an explosion that far exceeded the previous one was repeated.

Then it was the turn of the 350-mm heavy guns to be named one by one.

With the help of 350 mm guns, the attack on the border town of Menton went well, and the next day, the French rule in Menton collapsed. The commander of the 17th Infantry Division, Major General Sholak, reported to Army Group South that the division had taken the small town of Menton.

However, General Baxter, who was the commander of Army Group Yugoslavia, looked at the ammunition consumed and the casualties, and fell into deep thought.

In the short battle of Menton, the 17th Division and its attached units suffered a total of 5,381 casualties, lost 17 artillery pieces, and consumed more than 2,000 tons of various ammunition.

It can be said that this battle made the 17th Division have to be repaired.

So how many enemies were eliminated at such a cost?

According to the report of Major General Schorac, they eliminated and captured 2,871 French troops, as well as 8 artillery pieces, as well as 17 tons of ammunition and some other military supplies.

This was still a battle on the border, and Italy was well supplied on all fronts.

"This battle is not easy to fight!"

Putting down the report in his hand, Admiral Baxter sighed for the battle that followed.

"Admiral, this casualty is indeed a little bigger, but we also need to take into account that after all, Menton is a strong stronghold built by France, and it is relatively good in all aspects, so it is normal for the casualties to be large."

It was Lieutenant General Espinosa, chief of staff of Army Group South, who spoke. He had previously been friends with Admiral Baxter, who had served as director of the military school in Turin, and had been transferred to the post of chief of staff of Army Group South.

Don't get me wrong, the good relationship between the two is not a reason why they can be partners, but a military ability to competent.

In the face of his friend's persuasion, Admiral Baxter then opened his mouth to defend himself. "I'm not lamenting the heavy casualties of the 17th Division, but I'm lamenting the next battle. As you can see, I originally wanted to attract the French army, preferably in a big battle with them in the border area, and the other side would rather watch Menton be taken by us than send reinforcements. The commander of the opposing side is a steady person, then next, the battle of our Southern Army Group will be difficult to fight. ”

For his friend's words, how could Lieutenant General Espinosa not know what they meant. This is not to use the most convenient means to solve or severely damage the opponent, but the opponent is not fooled.

"That's true, but we have to keep fighting no matter what we say, or General Simeone won't be able to pass it, and the allies won't be able to say it."

Speaking of this, Lieutenant General Espinosa thought of something, and then said. "Actually, we are good, Army Group North has a heavier task, and they are also tasked with seizing the Savoy region. In fact, if we think about it from another angle, our Army Group South can only contain the enemy's main force on the southern front, so that Army Group North will have the opportunity to seize the Savoy area. ”

"You're right, in a way, this prince is more daring than we are. After all, the other party is from the Savoy family, and he needs to take on more pressure. ”

Admiral Baxter feels much better this time, and sometimes the simple approach just works.

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I don't think it's very well written, so please forgive me