Compared with the German-French border, which only occasionally fired a single shot, the Franco-Italian border at this time was obviously more lively.

France and Italy deployed a large number of troops on their respective borders, opening up a 1v1 model within France and Italy.

It was clear that the French still had an advantage in the war with Italy.

To the west of the border between France and Italy is the vast territory of France. Large numbers of French troops were massing towards the southern border, which was not good news for Italy.

On the Italian side, the mainland is more of a T-shape, plus two islands across the sea from the mainland, Sardinia and Sicily.

This made it difficult for Italy to deploy a large army on its northwestern frontier, and it had to be prepared for a possible surprise attack by the French.

After all, the island of Corsica, to which France belongs, is just over 200 kilometers from Rome. If the French had deployed a large number of air forces on the island of Corsica, French planes could attack Rome at any time, which the Italians did not want.

The French government's first reaction to the German ultimatum was not to help the Belgian government, but to frantically mobilize troops to protect its Paris.

After all, Belgium is only a small and medium-sized country in Europe, and in terms of land area, industrial economy and population size, Belgium is completely unlikely to be an opponent of the French, nor can it pose a threat to the French.

Austria was in danger of being wiped out, which made the French government anxious. Under the orders of the French government, in addition to the French army, a large number of war supplies, including tanks and aircraft, were constantly moving towards the Franco-Italian border.

In order to confront the French head-on, Italy mobilized more than 1,500 aircraft, 1,200 of which were the latest fighters and reconnaissance aircraft.

Under the cover of a large number of aircraft, the French army resumed its large-scale offensive. After gaining air supremacy, the French army also launched the first major bombardment of Italian territory.

As long as the French lands in these directions did not fall, the French were able to detect the attack of the air force with the help of radar systems in all directions and prepare in advance.

In the first three days of the war, the Italian army was stubborn, except that the Italian casualties were greater than the French army.

But Paris is only about 170 kilometers from the border with Belgium, which is about half the distance from the German-French border.

The other route starts from the port city of Nice in the south and follows the coastal plain in the southernmost part of the border towards the Genoa region of Italy.

But that's where the problem comes to Italy. Once the Italian army was unable to resist the French attack, important cities in northwestern Italy, and even all of northern Italy, could face a French attack.

Although Britain and France were not prepared for war, their industry still allowed Britain and France to produce large quantities of aircraft, tanks, and other important weapons and equipment in a short period of time.

At the same time, the French government sent a note to the British government, asking the British government to fulfill the covenant in time and send troops to join the war.

Two hours after the German ultimatum, the Belgian government urgently contacted the British and French governments, demanding that Britain and France abide by the Neutral Treaty and give Belgium the support it deserves, and guarantee Belgian neutrality.

Mussolini, who learned of the results of the battle, sent more strategic materials and food to the front-line troops, and even generously transported a large number of spirits and cigarettes, which were distributed to every soldier for free.

Germany's meaning is also very simple, Belgium just agrees, and if it doesn't, it has to agree.

The first line of armies consisted mainly of infantry and aircraft, and their combat missions were more difficult, requiring them to confront a large number of Italian troops head-on.

After a massive French military dispatch, the Italians finally panicked.

Italy is a country with a strong north-south streak. Northern Italy is relatively industrially strong and has a large number of famous cities.

The railway to Turin was patronized by French planes at least four times, causing at least more than two kilometers of damage.

Without the Austrian Empire, neither France nor Britain and France could defeat the union of Germany and Italy in the army.

If the Belgian government does not accede to the German government's request within 24 hours, German troops will enter Belgian territory without any consultation with the Belgian government.

On 19 May, 11 days after the French troops were deployed, France had advanced more than 40 kilometers along the border.

And, because of the entry of the British, in the Mediterranean, the Italian navy remained at a disadvantage. As a country with its entire coastline in the Mediterranean, this is a heavy blow to Italy.

It is the place where the Italian army is most numerous, and it is also the place where the French Air Force visits the most.

Germany also felt the helplessness of having a pig teammate. If Italy had held out longer, Germany and Italy would have easily defeated the Austrian Empire.

Genoa, an important coastal city in northwestern Italy, is within reach, and plans to outflank Turin seem to be on the horizon.

In just five days, from May 13 to May 17, France flew more than 220 bombers, bombed more than 2,275 sorties, and dropped nearly 135,000 bombs.

This also made Belgium, located in the north of France, one of the gaps in the Maginot Line. If the German army marched south from Belgium to France, it would indeed be a crisis for France.

"We have to attack France and force France to withdraw some of its troops back to defend in order to relieve the pressure on our ally Italy." At a meeting of the German General Staff, the German Prime Minister said with a firm face.

The French army came up with more planes, many of which were even made in the United Kingdom, and the rice flag on the tail of the plane was clearly visible.

But if Belgium did not agree to the German army's excuse, it would be a clear violation of Belgium's original intention as a neutral country. The German Reich would not recognize such neutrality, and would do whatever it took to defeat the French, to accomplish its purpose through Belgium.

In a meeting with the French Air Force, the Italian Air Force suffered a major loss for the first time, and more than half of the aircraft was damaged.

The French army marched from Annecy in the northern part of the border and attacked Turin, an important city in western Italy, in two directions.

The question is, will the Belgian government believe what the Germans say that this military action was only against France, and not against Belgium?

The southern coastal plain was pushed by the French army for several kilometers, but it didn't hurt. More importantly, on the northern border, west of Turin, the Italian army stubbornly resisted the French attack, and was stunned that not even the first line of defense was broken by the French army.

As long as Italy did not regain air supremacy, such attacks would have occurred from time to time, and the Italian government would never have repaired the railway to Turin.

On May 21, 1936, when the war in Europe was extremely anxious, the German government suddenly issued an ultimatum to Belgium, asking the Belgian government to allow German troops to pass through Belgian territory to achieve the purpose of attacking the French through the channel.

Although Italy has a good number of armored forces, after all, it is a coastal area, and under the premise that the French army has two major advantages in sea and air, it is naturally impossible for the Italian armored forces to beat the French army.

Looking at the Polish and Austrian empires surrounding Germany, the Belgian government shook its head firmly, saying that it did not believe the Germans.

Britain and France also instantly understood what the Germans were thinking. The Maginot Line was located on the German-French border, and it was naturally impossible for the French to take the initiative to defend Belgium.

In fact, this also means that the bombing of northwest Italy by the French Air Force can greatly affect Italy's industrial production.

Especially after the destruction of the road and railway to Turin, it became very difficult for the hundreds of thousands of Italian troops here to get enough supplies.

And that's not all, the railways and roads around Genoa and Milan were also attacked by the French army, and were generally damaged to varying degrees.

To make matters worse, having mastered air supremacy, the advance of the French armored forces was much smoother than before.

"However, Your Excellency Prime Minister, if we easily open the war on the Western Front, doesn't it mean that we will face the situation of 20 years ago and enter the dilemma of fighting on two fronts again?" A general of the War Office stood up and said: "Moreover, if we cannot solve the Maginot Line of the French and rashly start an offensive against France, it will only increase casualties." ”

What's worse is that there are not too many military fortresses on the Franco-Belgian border, and once the German army moves south from Belgium, according to the terrible record of the German army, the fall of Paris will be a matter of time.

Although the Italian government can also repair the railway in a short time, this does not mean that the French air force has only one attack.

Unlike the German bombing, France showed no mercy to the bombing of Italy, and the purpose of the bombing was simple and pure, that is, Italy's transportation hub, military town, industrial base and logistics warehouse.

The Italian navy cowered in the port of Rome and did not dare to move, which allowed the British and French fleets to support the French army with impunity.

Why?

Paris, the capital of France, is close to 300 kilometers from the German-French border, which is a relatively safe range. Coupled with the Macedonian defense line, the French government is still relatively safe in Paris.

Important cities in northwestern Italy, such as Turin, Genoa, Milan and La Spezia, were on the French Air Force's list of bombardments.

On 18 May, after the bombing, the surroundings of Turin were still covered with smoke, with deep pits and dilapidated houses everywhere telling of the city's suffering over the past few days.

"We really can't solve the Maginot line of the French." The German Prime Minister nodded, and said calmly but very confidently: "So, why should we solve the Maginot Line?" ”

Southern Italy has a stronger agriculture and is far inferior to Northern Italy in terms of urban size and popularity.

The second army was mainly tanks and infantry, with naval support in terms of firepower. The main task of this army was to advance quickly from the plains, to threaten the Genoa region of Italy, and to complete the encirclement of the entire Turin region.

As long as Genoa is conquered, the so-called military city of Turin will become an island. This is also the strategy of the French General Staff, which draws on Germany's operational concept in Poland to achieve the goal of containing and outflanking on the one hand.

Although the damage of the French air force was not small, the number of French aircraft was much higher. Under the advantages of each other, the French air force soon occupied air superiority on the battlefield.

The German government said that the excuse was only an act of war against the French and not any ill will towards neutral Belgium.

Unlike Italy, France's capital, Paris, is located inland. Regardless of which direction the air attack on Paris is carried out, it must pass hundreds of kilometers of French territory.

But on the fourth day, the situation on the battlefield ushered in a huge change.

As a result, France instantly surpassed Italy in the number of aircraft, and even briefly became the country with the largest number of aircraft in Europe.

But not in Italy. Rome was a coastal city, and it was simply impossible for Italy to deploy a large number of radar systems in the ocean to detect a possible French attack.

The French government says it has been more than a month since the war broke out. The British Empire, as the most powerful country on the Anglo-French-Austrian front, did not send land units to the war until now, and did not fulfill its duties as an ally.

At the same time, a large number of troops were also moving towards Turin and Genoa, and Mussolini even said before sending troops that the Italian army would not fear any enemy.

The ultimatum caught the Belgian government off guard. What's more, the German government only gives the Belgian government 24 hours to think.

This also reflects the advantages that an industrial power like Britain and France has in the face of such a large-scale war.

Obviously, this is naked banditry.

In order to compensate for the Austrian government, Britain and France reassembled a batch of weapons, equipment, and strategic materials, and used their air forces to transport them through Yugoslavia to Austria.

Among them, the heavy losses are definitely Turin, a military town in northwestern Italy.

In order to protect its capital, Paris, the French government decided to mobilize a large number of troops from the central and western parts of France.

It has also been said before that the longer it drags on, the more unfriendly it will be for Germany and Italy. The German government also understood the implications, and they had to find a way to help Italy, at least stabilize the situation in Italy.

It was also mentioned in the reply telegram from the French government to the Austrian government, which stated that it would launch a full-scale attack on Italy at all costs, solve Italy as soon as possible, and let the Austrians out of the situation of fighting on two fronts.

After all, the problem at this time is still Belgium's problem. As long as the Belgians can hold their territory, there will be no danger on the Franco-Belgian border.

Italy, under such pressure, must have withdrawn its troops from attacking Austria. Once Austria lost the pressure to fight on two fronts, although it was impossible to defeat the German army, it would certainly drag on longer.

Faced with such a situation, the Italian army was a little panicked. They also tasted the feeling of the Austrian government half a month ago, and could only hurriedly ask for help from their powerful ally, the German Empire.

The French government demanded that the British government should send at least 100,000 troops to France within half a month. Within a month's time, at least 250,000 troops were deployed on the Franco-Belgian border and helped the Belgians defend their territory.

However, the French did not believe that the Belgians could really hold their land. This is also the reason why the French government asked British troops to land in France.

I'll leave it for now.

(End of chapter)