On October 2, the Italian team began to attack the German troops stationed on the front line of Villach, which was located between Vienna-Wymes and Belgrade-Salburg. The intersection of the railways is of extremely important strategic significance. As long as it is captured here, the Italian army can take trains to Odili continuously.
Villach is a slightly lower gap located in the east of the Alps. There is the Carinthian Valley to cross the mountains. The focus of the Italian attack is here!
When they felt the battlefield, they saw that the German defense facilities were not very tight. Although some forts and fortresses were built in the valley, they did not seem to have many troops. The number of German troops on the frontal defense line was about 1,500.
This discovery made the Italians very happy, because under this kind of terrain, if the enemy deployed heavy troops here, then they would definitely pay a high price if they wanted to take it!
Unexpectedly, the enemy only deployed 1,500 people here. This is really underestimating them!
After seeing this, General Italian didn't hesitate at all and directly ordered the attack.
A brigade of Italian troops took the lead in fighting. Under the cover of a large number of artillery, they began to attack the positions of the German commanders.
Model was lying nervously in a valley fortress, using a telescope to observe the Italian attack at close range.
Although Italy was not the most important country in World War I, the soldiers of this country had fought on the battlefield and fought with the Austro-Hungarian Empire for a long time in the Alps, so they should accumulate Gained a lot of experience in mountain combat!
The Germans obviously do not have this experience, so Model is more worried. If the Italians have stronger combat effectiveness than the Germans, it will be difficult for his tactics to be effective!
If Model had in his hands the elite German troops remaining after disarmament, he would certainly not have such worries. Although the German army in 1919 was much smaller than a year ago, the German army was still very elite. But far more than before.
If Model had regular German troops in his hands at this time, he would not have any worries or concerns at all, and he would not have to risk his life to inspect the forward positions!
Boom –
Although Italy is not an industrial power, it still has a certain industrial foundation, so at the beginning of the war, the Italians' artillery fire was very fierce!
Explosions continued to sound on the German positions. However, because the terrain was relatively steep, the German positions were generally built with consideration to prevent shelling. Some fortresses were also constructed in very clever locations, making it difficult for artillery on the ground to shoot at them at an angle. , Unless the cannon is pulled up to the mountain and aimed straight, it will be impossible to destroy these bunkers and fortresses!
The Italians obviously did not realize this. After they bombarded them wildly, they saw the canyon filled with gunpowder smoke and the sky full of snowflakes stirred up by the explosion. The Italians were generally satisfied with the effect of the bombardment, and even the fire reconnaissance was carried out. Without proceeding, a large number of infantry were sent directly to the field.
Model's worries disappeared after the Italian artillery bombardment began. At this time, when he saw the Italians directly sending infantry to the field, he felt relieved and felt relieved.!
"Isn't it just asking for death to send infantry to attack such a narrow pass?"
The staff officer next to him expressed what Model was thinking. He also felt that these guys were sending themselves to death!
"Pass the order, tell everyone not to fire at will, and only fire after listening to my order!"
Although the enemy performed poorly, Model himself did not take it lightly. He immediately issued the order and then began to wait quietly for the enemy's arrival.
The Italian soldiers did seem to have experience fighting in the snowy mountains. Each of them They were all wrapped in thick cotton clothes and dressed like balls. They looked very clumsy. Moreover, the wind here in the valley was very strong. The soldiers wore too many clothes and were too big. When the wind blew them, they swayed when they walked. It was so shaky that it was easy to lose balance.
Model himself saw several Italian soldiers slipping and falling off the cliff before the Germans could fire.
And Italian officers and even other soldiers saw their companions. After slipping and falling off the cliff, he was unmoved at all. This calmness surprised Model. It seemed that this kind of thing had happened to them more than once or twice, so the Italians were already aware of this situation. I'm used to it!
The performance of the Italians reminded Model that when fighting in the snowy mountains, we must not only consider the threats posed by the enemy, but also the huge threats posed by the climate and natural environment. He decided to make some decisions after returning. Improvement , let the soldiers pay attention to anti-skid and keep warm, reduce non-combat attrition! The
Italian soldiers walked slowly as if they were traveling, and after walking for almost fifteen minutes, the vanguard approached the German defense line.
Approaching the German defense line, regardless of whether they see anyone or not, the Italian soldiers' reaction is the same, that is, pick up the gun in their hands, no matter what, just shoot in the direction of the enemy first! In their opinion, the sound of gunfire can scare away the enemies hiding in the fortress, right?
Because of Villach's important strategic value, before Model led his army to arrive here, the Odili army built many fortresses and Fortifications, this saved Model a lot of time and saved them from the trouble of building fortifications themselves. Of course, in order to improve the defense system of the defense line as much as possible, Model himself also re-planned and built some fortifications, which made the German army The defense line is stronger!
Bang bang bang!
The Italian army is approaching slowly while firing randomly. It is impossible to tell that they are fighting at all.
Model is ignoring the clumsiness of the Italians. He showed that he was calculating the distance in his mind, and only after the opponent was close to fifty meters away did he give the order to fire!
"beat! Hit him hard!"
Following Model's order, the German positions that had been silent for a long time seemed like a dragon awakening. In an instant, extremely violent tongues of fire were sprayed out, completely engulfing the enemies approaching their positions!