Father of France

Chapter 38 A Preview of the Saarland
“Well deserved. He had an outstanding record against the German Afrika Korps in North Africa.” That was the only answer Koeman could give. What else could he say? He was just a second lieutenant, and had only recently been promoted. “Actually, keeping an eye on the Italian Communist Party’s movements might be of some help to us.”

Although Koeman had just used force against the French Communists in Marseille, the situation needs to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Ultimately, the Italian Communists are an Italian matter and do not pose a threat to France.

There was no need to wait for Admiral Dragon's reply; Corman had his own way of getting along with people, and Dragon, as his father, must have taken it to heart.

Leclerc was a renowned figure in France during World War II. He fought against the German army in North Africa and was able to hold his own, rising from captain to major general. He was probably the most accomplished general in the French army.

However, Koeman remembers that Leclerc was very unlucky and died young in a plane crash. At that time, Leclerc was still a major general and the commander of the 22nd Panzer Division.

He was appointed commander of the newly formed Fifth Army by the provisional government, and was put in charge of the war against Italy, which showed that he was highly regarded.

“Since you’re mentally prepared, go back and rest early,” Admiral Dragon said without beating around the bush. “I need to say a few words to Commander Raphael.”

Koeman looked at Major General Raphael with the microphone in hand, and Raphael took the microphone directly from him. "Battalion Commander, what is it?"

There was no response from the microphone, but Major General Raphael knew perfectly well that there was no malfunction. He suddenly turned to Coman and said, "Coman, I'll arrange a car to take you back to camp. There won't be such an easy time in the future, so get some rest."

After Koeman left the office, Major General Raphael said helplessly, "Battalion Commander, Koeman is gone. Don't worry about me looking after him."

“You’re already a major general, don’t use the old title.” General Dragon seemed to recall his time serving in Syria, but stopped reminiscing in an instant. “My eldest son hasn’t grown up yet, but I’m very proud of Koman. The Youth Division is a military police unit, so you can arrange things according to the normal procedures.”

General Dragon knew that it was unrealistic to completely isolate the Youth Division on the battlefield, but if they were included in the second wave of troops entering the battlefield, no one would say anything.

“No problem,” Major General Raphael replied readily. “The Youth Division has no combat experience and only has two battalions, so it’s not appropriate to put it in the first echelon.”

Leclerc arrived in Marseille a day later. Wearing a French army black top hat, he immediately drafted a battle plan. The attacking forces were divided into two routes. On the northern route, the 5th French Mountain Division would seize the Petit Saint Bernard Pass, establish a forward base, capture the Aosta Valley, and control the Italian side entrance.

On the southern front, the 22nd Armored Division, which he had commanded for many years, advanced along Freires, captured Badonecia, and launched an assault on Turin.

This was part of the operational plan on the Franco-Italian border. On a larger scale, there was also the US landing in Ventimiglia and the northward advance of Italy's million-strong Allied forces.

There are three peaks over 4,000 meters high in the Valle d'Aosta region alone. While they may not be particularly high by world standards, they stand out in Europe, thus requiring the assistance of mountain engineers.

Over the next few days, countless supplies of ammunition were transported to Marseille by rail. The provisional government in Paris did its utmost to ensure that the attacking forces had sufficient supplies for this operation.

The battle began on October 25, after the British delegation's visit to Paris ended. In the early hours of that day, British and American bombers took off from airports in the Mediterranean and the Apennine Peninsula and southern France to carpet bomb military targets in the German-Italian-controlled areas of northern Italy. For the first time, formations of thousands of planes flying over Germany were seen in Italy.

Along the hundreds of kilometers of frontline along the Franco-Italian border and the Gothic Line, tens of thousands of artillery pieces roared, turning the German-Italian positions into a sea of ​​fire. Sherman and Cromwell tanks, under the cover of air force and artillery, launched a full-scale offensive.

This was the largest battle to date fought on the Italian front, involving more than one million troops from various countries, including French troops on the Franco-Italian border.

During the Eastern Front of the Soviet-German War, the deployment of a million troops was not uncommon, but in other theaters, it was extremely rare for a single campaign to involve more than a million troops. The entire northern Italy seemed to be teetering on the brink of collapse under such an intense offensive. The German-Italian positions along the Franco-Italian border received special attention, and throughout the day, American, British, and French aircraft never stopped bombing suspected targets.

The 22nd Armored Division advanced along Freire. This division was equipped with British Churchill tanks, which were most famous for their almost non-existent shock absorption. However, in mountainous terrain, this shortcoming was mitigated by the geographical environment of the Franco-Italian border.

Faced with the Allied offensive, Heinrich von Wittenberg, the German commander in Italy, immediately devised a counterattack plan. However, the German forces in Italy were the weakest of the three fronts, with severe organizational gaps. They faced huge disadvantages in artillery, tanks, and aircraft. From the very beginning of the battle, Wittenberg received a constant stream of urgent telegrams.

This was the first time, outside of the Eastern Front, that the German army had faced such overwhelming firepower. The emergence of airborne and amphibious operations also stirred up the battlefield.

The biting wind swept across the ridges of Valle d'Aosta like knives. By the end of October, the Alps were already covered in snow, which crunched ominously under the feet of the marching troops. Each soldier carried more than thirty kilograms of equipment—rifles, ammunition, grenades, and the ice axe that Trotsky was very familiar with.

It wasn't until they received the order to attack that the soldiers of the 5th Mountain Division realized that the Golan Heights were a whole level below the Alps.

In the distance, a dark, imposing ridgeline marked the presence of Italian fortifications. Intelligence indicated that this high point was guarded by the Italian 5th "Corsican" Infantry Battalion, numbering approximately three hundred men, equipped with four Breda machine guns and two mountain guns.

The reason the Italians set up this outpost here was that if the French wanted to attack from here, they would have no choice but to see it.

If an outpost reports being attacked, it means the attack has already begun, giving him enough warning time to prepare for the battle.

This was a last resort; the Axis air force was exhausted and had not received any aerial reconnaissance intelligence for a long time.

His brother units on his left and right flanks possessed towering cliffs along the riverbanks and sprawling wetlands and hills.

The Italian outposts were positioned in this way because the German-Italian forces were now entirely supported by the Germans, so the Italian troops had to make sacrifices and act as bait.

Faced with this arrangement that clearly involved sacrificing themselves to protect the Germans, the Italians, besides praying that no fighting would break out on the Franco-Italian border, were also ready to demonstrate their flexible stance.

"Charge! For France!" The mountain troops' commander, Bertrand, had intended to approach the outpost undetected, but he was discovered and had no choice but to draw his revolver and be the first to charge.

Eighty French mountain soldiers followed him as they charged toward the Italian lines. The charge through the snow was exceptionally difficult; every step felt like trudging through molten lead. When Bertrand heard the first roar of a machine gun, a soldier three meters to his left suddenly flew through the air like a rag doll, his blood splattering across the snow like glaring red flowers.

The battle on this ridge was just a microcosm of the entire Italian campaign. It seemed to be an attempt to salvage Operation Market Garden. With an absolute advantage in both manpower and firepower, the Allied offensive was unprecedented in intensity, especially in the areas controlled on the Apennine Peninsula, which were quickly breached.

Italy was engulfed in war. After several days of fighting, the French army had broken through the most difficult border defenses in Valle d'Aosta. At this time, Koeman also received orders that the two battalions of the Youth Division would be incorporated into the 8th Infantry Division to launch the second wave of offensive.

"This battle that never happened has begun." Koeman received orders to immediately report to the 8th Infantry Division and enter Italy with his troops. This will be a rehearsal for the future in the Saar region.

　Whenever there's a battle scene, I feel like I'm in a nightmare.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)