Anti-Japanese War: The whole world is a base vehicle

In that intense and fierce military operation, the weakness of the Italian army's combat effectiveness was fully exposed. The fact was like a loud slap in the face, which hit the so-called "great power" reputation of the Italian army hard.

Apart from other aspects, the Italian army was in a mess in the basic combat link of marching, and problems arose one after another. At the beginning, the soldiers had no discipline at all. They dragged their feet when marching, and the whole team was like a pile of loose sand. The marching speed was extremely slow, as if they were not going to perform combat missions, but taking a leisurely walk. However, the combat mission was urgent, and there was no way to continue to procrastinate like this. Even though the Italian commander was full of helplessness, he could only bite the bullet and urge the troops to continue to move forward.

But with this urging, new troubles emerged. Not long after they had marched, the troops began to suffer from combat casualties. Some soldiers had poor physical fitness and were exhausted after walking a short distance, and eventually fell behind due to lack of physical strength; others encountered unexpected situations on the way, such as falling and getting injured due to the rugged road, or accidentally getting injured due to improper use of equipment, which made them unable to continue marching with the team. These situations one after another worried the Italian commander, and he reported to his superiors more than once, earnestly and anxiously emphasizing that the current situation was not suitable for continuing the march, and hoped to get corresponding support or adjust the combat plan.

But Marshal Graziani was also under great pressure. The combat mission was urgent and there was no extra time to adjust slowly, so he could only grit his teeth and try his best to urge his subordinates to speed up the march, even if it meant coaxing and deceiving them, to make the troops march towards Alexandria as soon as possible.

After a lot of trouble, the Italian army finally arrived at Alexandria. They thought they could relax and have a good rest after reaching their destination, after all, there were constant problems along the way and the soldiers were exhausted. But the situation at that time did not allow them to rest. The British army was waiting on the opposite side. The confrontation between the two sides was imminent. Every second of delay meant more danger for the Italian army.

In desperation, the Italian army could only bite the bullet and launch an attack on the British army without any preparation and in a hurry. At that time, the British army was completely kept in the dark and had no idea what the real combat effectiveness of the Italian army was. When the Italian army attacked France before, the result of that battle was simply terrible, but the Italian army felt too embarrassed. They attached great importance to the face of their "great powers", so they concealed the news of the defeat and covered it tightly. In addition, France surrendered later, and everyone's attention was attracted to other major events, so no one paid attention to this inconspicuous battle. Therefore, the outside world's impression of the Italian army still remains on their powerful image as a great power.

Because of this, when the British army learned that the Italian army had arrived, they did not dare to be careless at all and took quick action. Not only did they put their soldiers on high alert and ready for battle, they even urgently mobilized a large number of heavy artillery and made a very comprehensive defense deployment, waiting for the Italian army to attack.

But the result of this battle was shocking. As soon as the Italian army came into contact with the British army, they were defeated and had no chance to fight back. The soldiers were beaten and screamed, and they were scared and panicked. They ran away in panic, and they looked miserable, without any courage and perseverance that the armies of the great powers should have.

Looking at the Italian soldiers who were running away with their heads in their hands, many soldiers on the British position were stunned at first, then their faces were filled with disbelief, and it took them a while to come back to their senses.

"Is this the Italian army?" A British soldier widened his eyes and could not help but ask loudly in surprise. He really couldn't believe that the team in front of him that was so vulnerable and collapsed at the first blow was actually the Italian army. This was too different from the Italian army with strong combat effectiveness in his impression.

"That shouldn't be the case." The soldier next to him subconsciously agreed. He also felt that this was too unreasonable. In his opinion, the Italian army was one of the five major naval powers after all, and the army should not be too bad. How could it be defeated so easily? Maybe it was not the Italian army.

"I suspect they are pretending." Another soldier frowned and guessed. In his opinion, the Italian army has always had a certain reputation, so how could they perform so badly? Maybe someone deliberately pretended to be an Italian soldier to confuse them, and then take the opportunity to launch some conspiracy.

"I think so too." The other soldiers nodded in agreement. Everyone started discussing the issue on the battlefield. They all felt that the Italian army's performance was really poor and they were totally unworthy of the title of "great power".

"Even worse than those natives." Finally, a soldier said the truth that everyone agreed with. As soon as this was said, many soldiers around him nodded vigorously. Obviously, everyone felt that the fighting power of the Italian army was indeed not as good as those natives they had encountered before. Although the equipment and training of those natives might not be as good as those of the Italian army, they were sometimes quite tenacious in fighting, unlike the Italian army, which collapsed at the first blow.

"Maybe they are trying to lure us out of our positions?" Of course, some individual soldiers expressed different opinions, thinking that the Italian army's fragile performance might be intentional, trying to lure the British army out of their positions and then set a trap. However, this idea was only the speculation of a few people, and most people still felt that the Italian army simply lacked combat effectiveness.

No matter how heatedly the British soldiers were discussing there, Marshal Graziani on the other side was furious. His face was as ugly as it could be, his face was ashen, his eyes were full of anger and disappointment, and his hands were shaking slightly with anger.

"Collapsing at the first blow? Is that how you fight a war?" Marshal Graziani asked coldly in a low voice. There was a bone-chilling chill in his voice, as if it could freeze the air around him. He really couldn't believe that the Italian army had become so weak and vulnerable.

"Marshal, after a long journey, many soldiers have not recovered their strength." An officer stood up to defend himself, trying to find an excuse for the terrible battle situation. Many people around him also nodded in agreement, hoping that the marshal could understand their current difficulties. Hearing this, Marshal Graziani laughed out of anger. He was so angry that he thought that they did not rely on their own legs to walk step by step. The vanguard came by car. How could they be so tired after such a short distance? These soldiers are really spoiled and lazy. They usually enjoy generous treatment. Now, is this how they repay the trust and expectations of him, the marshal? It was only then that he suddenly realized why the divisions that attacked France before were defeated so miserably. With the lazy and unmotivated appearance of these soldiers in front of him, it was normal for them to lose the battle.

Perhaps they could see that Marshal Graziani was almost unable to suppress his anger, so the officers panicked and said that they would take a night off and regain their spirits and adjust their conditions. They would continue the attack the next day and fight a good battle to save face. Marshal Graziani frowned and thought for a while, thinking that if they were given some time to adjust, the situation would improve. So he gritted his teeth and agreed to their request and allowed them to rest first.

But who could have thought that the Italian army would not show any improvement the next day when they went into battle again, and they were defeated at the first blow, just like yesterday. Marshal Graziani was furious, and his face became even uglier, as black as the bottom of a pot, and the veins on his forehead were bulging.

"Assholes, you are not even as good as a group of natives." Marshal Graziani was furious and roared angrily. The roar was deafening and echoed throughout the battlefield. The soldiers around him trembled with fear when they heard the roar. You know, the position they are in now was originally won by a group of natives after a hard battle. The natives relied on their own bravery and tenacity to fight back and forth with the British army here. As a result, after the Italian army, which claimed to be a great power, came, they did not gain any results, but suffered heavy casualties. Where would Marshal Graziani put his face? He was really embarrassed. If this matter got out, he would be really embarrassed. He would become a laughing stock in the entire army and even in the international community.

"Marshal, these British are too strong. They have a large number of artillery." An Italian officer was still trying to find excuses for the disastrous defeat. However, before he could finish his words, he looked up and saw Marshal Graziani's extremely angry expression, as if he wanted to eat someone. He was so scared that he quickly closed his mouth and dared not even breathe.

On the battlefield filled with tension and anxiety, Marshal Graziani's face was so gloomy that water seemed to drip out of it. His eyes were wide open, veins bulged on his forehead. He suppressed the rage that was about to burst out, took a deep breath, and almost roared, "Bastards, find a way to take down the British position immediately." His voice was full of majesty that could not be disobeyed. Although he had tried hard to restrain himself, his words were still filled with deep resentment and eagerness. He was really disappointed with the Italian army's poor performance, but he also hoped that they could regain some face in the next action and take down the British position.

"Yes." The Italian officers were so frightened by the Marshal's harsh rebuke that they dared not even breathe. They straightened up and answered in unison. They knew that if they talked about difficulties or made excuses at this moment, it would only anger the Marshal even more. So no one dared to say anything more this time. They just gritted their teeth and prepared to carry out this difficult task. However, they were worried. Facing the powerful firepower and tight defense of the British army, it was not easy to take the position. However, the military order was as firm as a mountain, so they could only grit their teeth and go ahead.

Time passed quietly, and soon, the Italian army's disgraceful combat performance spread quickly to Wang Jun like a gust of wind. After Wang Jun learned the details of the situation, he instantly showed an extremely surprised expression on his face, his eyes widened, full of disbelief, and he couldn't help but muttered in a low voice: "I didn't expect the Italian army's performance to be so poor." He couldn't help but recall that when Lu Yuhua specifically told him to be prepared, he still felt quite puzzled at the time, thinking that the Italian army was at least a powerful army with a certain status in the international community, why did it need to be specially prepared, and once thought that Lu Yuhua was a little too cautious. But now seeing the real combat effectiveness of the Italian army on the battlefield, it suddenly dawned on him that Lu Yuhua had long been familiar with the actual situation of the Italian army, so he reminded him in advance.

"It looks like they still have to rely on us." Wang Jun frowned slightly, his expression became solemn, he slowly took a deep breath, as if to encourage himself, and said with a bit of helplessness and determination in his tone. He knew very well that the Italian army was in its current state and could not be relied on at all. If they wanted to achieve the important goal of taking over the port, the next burden would undoubtedly fall on their shoulders.

"Let the logistics troops speed up the transportation of supplies. We don't have much time left. I'm afraid we will have to go on the field in a few days. This time we must take the port in one go." Wang Jun said, while unconsciously clenching his fists, his eyes became sharp and firm, he paced back and forth, and ordered loudly in a serious and unquestionable tone. He knew that the outcome of this battle had a crucial impact on the entire situation, and whether the logistics supplies could be supplied in time and in sufficient quantity was the key factor in determining the success or failure of the battle. Time was running out, every minute and every second was precious, and there was no room for delay. The logistics troops must transport the supplies as soon as possible and make full preparations. When it was their turn to go on the field, they must go all out to take the port in one go, and there must be no more mistakes.

"Yes." After hearing Wang Jun's order, the subordinates immediately became energetic and responded promptly. Then they turned around quickly and conveyed the order without stopping, urging the logistics troops to speed up the transportation of materials.

For a moment, the entire camp became busy. Soldiers came and went, each doing their own job, making tense and orderly preparations for the upcoming crucial battle.

As it turned out, the Italian army's subsequent combat performance was just as Wang Jun had worried.

Several consecutive failures had allowed the British army to see through the Italian troops in front of them and realize that these troops were strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

Naturally, they began to mock him, which made Marshal Graziani look extremely unhappy. (End of this chapter)