The Italian invasion of France , the other names of the Battle of the Alps ( fr. Bataille des Alpes ) or the Battle of the Western Alps ( Italian. Battaglia delle Alpi Occidentali (June 10-25, 1940) - a strategic military operation of the Italian troops against the French army during World War II part of the French campaign . It was the first large-scale battle of Italy in the Second World War and the last major battle during the French campaign of the Axis .
Italian invasion of France | |||
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Main conflict: World War II French campaign | |||
French campaign in june 1940 | |||
date | June 10 - 25, 1940 | ||
A place | French-Italian border | ||
Total | French military victory
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Forces of the parties | |||
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Italy’s entry into the war expanded military operations in Africa and the Mediterranean . The Italian leader Benito Mussolini dreamed of crushing the Anglo-French dominance in the Mediterranean, the restoration of Italy in its historical boundaries ( Italia irredenta ) and the expansion of Italian influence in the Balkans and Africa. In the 1930s, Britain and France tried to prevent Italy from an alliance with Germany, but Germany's lightning success in the initial phase of the war prompted Italy in May 1940 to go over to Germany.
On the evening of June 10, Italy declared war on France and Britain, immediately after midnight the countries were at war. On the first day of the war, the countries exchanged air raids, but there was a lull on the Alpine front, as France and Italy held defensive positions along the front line. Along the Alpine line there were several skirmishes of patrols and a shootout at the Italian Alpine shaft . June 17, France announced its desire to conclude a truce with Germany. On June 21, after the signing of the Franco-German armistice, Italy launched a massive offensive on the entire Alpine front, the main attack was directed at the northern sector, the secondary attack was going along the coast. Italians who met strong resistance managed to invade several kilometers into French territory. The offensive stopped, the original goals were not achieved. The greatest success of the Italians was the capture of the city of Menton .
On the evening of June 24, a truce was signed in Rome . It came into force after midnight on June 25 at the same time as the truce of France and Germany (signed on June 22). Italy was allowed to occupy the territories it occupied, a demilitarized zone was created on the French side of the border. Italy established economic control in the southeastern part of the territory of France to the Rhone River. Italy received certain rights and concessions in several French colonies . In order to monitor the truce being held by the French side of the city of Turin , a truce control commission was established (Commissione Italiana d'Armistizio con la Francia (CIAF)).
Background
Imperial ambitions of fascist Italy
At the end of 1920, Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini increasingly insisted on imperial expansion, arguing that Italy needed living space in view of growing overpopulation and therefore it would be better for other countries to help Italy achieve this goal. The Mussolini regime immediately began to seek to establish political hegemony over the Mediterranean region. Balkan and Danube . Mussolini had more ambitious dreams about an empire stretching from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Strait of Hormuz . The idea of hegemony over the Balkans and the Mediterranean was based on the domination of the Roman Empire over these regions. The fascists hatched plans for a protectorate over Albania and the annexation of Dalmatia , economic and military control over Yugoslavia and Greece . The Mussolini regime also sought to establish a protectorate over Austria , Hungary , Romania and Bulgaria , located on the border of the European sphere of influence. Mussolini also wished to challenge the dominion of Britain and France over the Mediterranean, which he considered vital for Italy (because it linked Italy to the Atlantic and Indian oceans), although he did not publicly announce these goals.
In 1935, Italy launched the second Italo-Abyssinian war "colonial campaign of the 19th century in our days." In Italy, they started to talk with optimism about collecting an army from ethnic Ethiopians for “helping to conquer” Anglo-Egyptian Sudan . The war also signaled the beginning of Italy’s more aggressive foreign policy and also "demonstrated the vulnerability" of the British and French. This, in turn, enabled Mussolini to embark on the realization of his imperial goals. In 1936, the Spanish Civil War broke out . From the very beginning, Italy began to play an important role in this conflict. Italy’s military contribution was so powerful that it played a decisive role in the victory of the rebel forces under the command of Francisco Franco . Mussolini was involved in a “full-scale war outside the state” hinting at Spain’s future assistance to the Italian empire and having in mind the goal to translate the internal order of the country on a military basis and create a “warrior culture”. After the end of the war in Ethiopia, relations between Germany and Italy, which had been tense a few years before, were restored, and in October 1936 an agreement on mutual interests was signed. Mussolini referred to the treaty as the creation of the axis Berlin-Rome, around which Europe would revolve. The signing of the treaty was the result of growing dependence on German coal following the League of Nations sanctions, a similar policy of the two countries on the conflict in Spain and German sympathy for Italy against the background of the negative reaction of European countries to the Abyssinian war. Relations between Germany and Italy began to grow, Mussolini fell under the influence of Adolf Hitler, who "could not avoid."
In October 1938, after the conclusion of the Munich Agreement, Italy demanded concessions from France: the free port in Djibouti , control of the Addis Ababa -Djibouti railway, Italian participation in the Suez Canal company , the joint management of French Tunisia and the preservation of Italian culture in Corsica , the prevention of French population assimilation . France rejected the claim, believing that Italy’s true goal is to capture Nice , Corsica, Tunisia and Djibouti. On November 30, 1938, Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano spoke to the Chamber of Deputies and spoke about the "natural aspirations of the Italian people," the audience responded to the speeches with shouts: "Nice! Corsica! Savoy! Tunisia! Djibouti! Malta!". On the same day, Mussolini turned to the Great Fascist Council on the “immediate goals of fascist dynamism”: Albania, Tunisia, Corsica (an integral part of France), the Swiss canton of Ticino and the whole “French territory across the Var ”, which included Nice (but not Savoy ).
Since 1939, Mussolini has often expressed his conviction that Italy demands undeniable access to the world's oceans and shipping lines in order to secure national sovereignty. On February 4, 1939, Mussolini, in a closed meeting of a large council, made a long speech about international affairs and the goals of his foreign policy, "which had similarities with Hitler's famous statement recorded by Colonel Hossbach ." Mussolini began by stating that the country's freedom is directly dependent on the strength of the fleet. This was followed by "the famous complaint that Italy is a prisoner of the Mediterranean". He stated that the bars of this prison are Corsica, Tunisia, Malta and Cyprus, and Gibraltar and Suez are prison guards. To stop British control, it was necessary to neutralize British bases in Cyprus, Gibraltar, Malta and Egypt (which controls the Suez Canal). On March 31, Mussolini declared that "Italy will not be a truly independent country, as long as Corsica, Bizerte, Malta are the bars of its Mediterranean prison, and Gibraltar and Suez are its walls." Fascist foreign policy took for granted that it would ever be necessary to besiege democracies in Britain and France. Italian Libya and Italian East Africa will be joined by the capture of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, and the Mediterranean prison will be destroyed. After that, Italy will be able to move "both to the Indian Ocean through Sudan and Abyssinia, and to the Atlantic through French North Africa ."
Already in early September 1938, the Italian military developed a plan to invade Albania. On April 7, Italian troops landed in Albania and occupied most of the country for three days. Italy seized Albania to expand the “living space”, to ease the situation of overpopulation and to provide a springboard for further conflicts in the Balkans related to expansion. May 22, 1939 Italy and Germany signed the so-called. Steel Pact , according to which both countries united in a military alliance. The signing of the pact was the culmination of the German-Italian rapprochement, starting in 1936. The pact in essence was not defensive in nature. Rather, it was created for a “joint war against France and Britain,” although the Italian leadership understood that such a war would not start within a few years. Nevertheless, Italy’s hopes for such a long period of peace did not materialize, and the Germans began to implement their plans to seize Poland.
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In September 1939, Britain began the electoral blockade of Italy. Coal from Germany immersed in Rotterdam was smuggled . Germany promised to ship goods by rail through the Alps . Britain offered to meet all the needs of Italy in exchange for Italian weapons. Italy could not agree to this proposal without breaking the alliance with Germany. Nevertheless, on February 2, 1940, Mussolini approved a draft treaty with the British Royal Air Force for the supply of 400 Caproni aircraft, but on February 8 he refused the deal. British intelligence officer Francis Rodd believed that Mussolini, during the week of February 2-8, was forced to abandon the transaction under pressure from Germany. This view was also shared by the British Ambassador to Rome, Percy Lorain . March 1, Britain announced that it would block all coal supplies from Rotterdam to Italy. Italian coal became one of the most debated topics in diplomatic circles during the spring of 1940. In April, Britain began to strengthen its Mediterranean fleet to strengthen the blockade. Despite the fears of France, Britain refused concessions in Italy "in order not to create an impression of weakness." In the first month of the spring of 1940, Germany sent 1 million tons of coal to Italy; this number even exceeded Mussolini’s request of August 1939 to provide Italy with six million tons of coal in the first 12 months of the war.
Battle of France
September 1, 1939 Germany attacked Poland . After a month of hostilities Poland was crushed. Followed t. a period of “ strange war ” when the Allies and Germany did not enter military action. On May 10, 1940, Germany put an end to this inaction by launching an offensive against France and also attacking neutral countries for military and strategic reasons: Belgium , the Netherlands and Luxembourg . By the end of May, Belgium and the Netherlands were captured.
On May 13, the Nazis crossed the Ardennes , broke through the French lines and crossed the river Meuse near Sedan . The Wehrmacht quickly surrounded the northern armies of the Allies. On May 27, the Anglo-French units, who were surrounded, began to evacuate from the continent from the port of Dunkirk , throwing heavy weapons at the same time. During the evacuation, the German troops continued to move to Paris . With 60 divisions against the 40 remaining French divisions in the north, the Germans were able to break through the defensive French line on the Somme on 6 June. Two days after the breakthrough, the Parisians could already hear the roar of artillery shots. On June 9, the Nazis entered Rouen in upper Normandy . The next day, the French government left Paris, declared the capital an open city, and fled to Bordeaux .
Italy decides to go to war
On January 23, 1940, Mussolini noted that “even today we could start and maintain a parallel war,” referring to the war with Yugoslavia after G. Ciano met with the Croatian leader Ante Pavelic . It was believed that the war with Yugoslavia would begin by the end of April. On May 26, Mussolini informed the marshals of Pietro Badoglio (head of the supreme general staff) and Italo Balbo (commander of the fascist militia ) that he intends to join the war that Germany is waging against Britain and France so that he can sit at the negotiating table for peace “when the world will be divided "after the victory of the Axis countries. The two marshals tried unsuccessfully to convince Mussolini that he was not aware of the whole situation, arguing that the Italian armed forces were not ready, the divisions were not fully operational, the troops did not have enough weapons, the empire was also not ready and the merchant fleet was dispersed around the globe. On June 5, Mussolini told Badoglio: “I need only a few thousand dead, so that I can participate in the peace conference as a war party.” According to the post-war memoirs of Paul Payol, who was the captain of the French military intelligence ( Second Bureau ) in 1940, he was warned on June 6 that Italy would declare war when he visited the Italian intelligence major Naval in Pont-Saint-Louis for talks on the exchange of captured intelligence officers. When Payol refused the offer of Naval, he warned him that there was only four days to work together, because then war would be declared, although no events had occurred near Juneon near Menton.
On 10 June, Ciano informed the Italian ambassadors in London and Paris that at 16.30 local time he would send a declaration of war to the British and French ambassadors in Rome. As Ciano noted in his diary, when he presented the declaration, French Ambassador Henri-Francois Ponce was alarmed, while his British counterpart Percy Lorain, having received the declaration at 16.45, "did not blink." The declaration came into force at midnight from 10 to 11 June. Shortly after midnight, the embassies of other states in Italy were informed. In his comments on the declaration of war AF. Ponce called it "a dagger strike inflicted on an already fallen person." US President F. Roosevelt made his famous remark: "the hand holding the dagger struck in the back of a neighbor." Francois Ponce and the French military attache in Rome, General Henri Parisot, announced that France would not launch a “sudden war” (guerre brusquée), which meant that France would not launch an offensive against Italy because of diminishing military resources.
Later in the day, Mussolini turned to the crowd from the Venetian Palace . He announced that he had led the country into war in order to correct the maritime borders. The real reasons that prompted Mussolini to enter the war still remain a topic of debate, although historians agreed that the reasons were opportunistic and imperialistic.
Forces of the parties
Britain and France
As of June 1940, only five passes across the Alps between France and Italy were suitable for automobile traffic: Malay St. Bernard , Mont Cenis , Col de Montgenèvre, Madalena (Col de Larche) and Col de Tende. The rest of the way - the coastal road and paths for mules . Until September 1939, the Alpine Front defended the 6th Army under the command of General Antoine Besson , the army consisted of eleven divisions and 550 thousand men, this was more than necessary for the defense of a well-fortified position. In October, the 6th Army was reduced to the level of an army unit (détachement d'armée), renamed the Alpine Army (Armée des Alpes), and was led by General Rene Olry . Since August 1938, in the event of a war with Italy, the plan was "general offensive on the Alpine front" (offensive d'ensemble sur le front des Alpes) [adopted] at the insistence of generals Gaston Biyot and Maurice Gamelin . In September 1939 the army was deployed for offensive (and not defensive) actions. Olry received orders not to engage in battle with the Italians until they opened fire.
In December 1939, all mobile units were withdrawn from Olry’s army and sent north to the main front against Germany, Olri’s headquarters were also reduced. After that, Olry was left with "three Alpine divisions, separate Alpine battalions, semi-brigade of the Alpine fortress and two semi-brigade of Alpine shooters ", altogether about 175-185 thousand people. Of these forces, only 85 thousand were deployed at the front: 81 thousand fighters in 46 battalions stood against Italy, with the support of 65 artillery groups and 4.5 thousand stood against Switzerland with the support of three artillery groups. Olry's remaining forces consisted of a series of reserve divisions of the B series: second-line troops, usually consisting of 40-year-old reservists. In general, Series B divisions had a low priority on the distribution of new equipment, there were also questions about the quality of the training of soldiers for many years. Nevertheless, in the Alpine army there were 86 detachments d'éclaireurs-skieurs (SES) (reconnaissance skiers), platoons of 35-40 people each. in each. These were elite troops prepared for mountain war, trained in rock climbing and having the appropriate equipment.
On May 31, the Anglo-French Supreme Military Council came to the decision that if Italy entered the war, then it would be necessary to proceed with air raids on industrial and oil-related targets in northern Italy. To facilitate this, France provided the British Royal Air Force with two airfields, one north of Marseille , as a forward deployment base for bombers arriving from Britain. According to the plan of Operation Haddock Force, on June 3, the headquarters of the air wing No. 71 arrived in Marseille. The air forces involved in the operation consisted of Whitley and Wellington bombers from squadrons No. No. 10, 51, 58, 77, 102 and 149. France, in turn, detached part of its Air Force in preparation for the possible entry of Italy into the war. These units formed the zone of air operations in the Alps (Zone d'Opérations Aériennes des Alpes, ZOAA). The headquarters is located at Valence-Chabeuil Airport. Fortunately for France, intelligence officers from the Italian Army Information Service ( Servizio informazioni militare (SIM)) overestimated the number of ready-to-fight aircraft in the Alpine and Mediterranean theaters by June 10, while in reality many aircraft were deployed to fight the invading German forces. ZOAA There were 70 fighters, 40 bombers and 20 reconnaissance aircraft, in addition, 28 bombers, 38 torpedo bombers and 14 fighter planes of French naval aviation were present. Also in Corsica there were 3 exterminate Italian intelligence estimated the number of French aircraft to over 2 thousand, and the British in the Mediterranean Sea - at 620, the number of alpine army - 12 divisions, although in June there were only 6 divisions.
Fortifications
In the 1930s, France along the border with Germany built a series of fortifications - the Maginot Line , with the aim of deterring the German offensive along the Franco-German border. According to the plan, Germany had to redirect the troops and attack Belgium, where the best French divisions would have met the invaders. Thus, a future war was to take place outside of France, and the country would avoid a repetition of the situation with the red zones (war-torn lands, literally turned into exclusion zones).
In addition to this, France built a series of fortifications called the Alpine Line or the Small Maginot Line. In contrast to the Maginot Line on the German border, fortifications in the Alps did not constitute a continuous line of forts. In the fortified sector, the Dauphinis between France and Italy could be passed through several mountain passes. To protect these passages, France built nine artillery and ten infantry bunkers. In the fortified sector of the Maritime Alps, the terrain was less rugged and provided a more convenient invasion route for the Italians. In this area, at a distance of 56 km between the coast and the more impassable mountains, France built 13 artillery and 12 infantry bunkers. Numerous blockhouses and casemates were erected along the border in front of the main fortifications. Nevertheless, by the beginning of the war only some of the fortifications of the small Maginot Line had been completed, in general the fortifications were smaller and weaker than the fortifications of the main line of Maginot.
Italy had a series of fortifications along the entire land border: the Alpine shaft (Vallo Alpino). By 1939 in the section opposing France (Western Front) there were 460 fully prepared fortifications (opere) with 133 artillery pieces. While Mussolini was preparing to enter the war, construction continued around the clock all along the line, including on the line opposing Germany. The Alpine shaft was defended by border guards (Guardia alla Frontiera (GAF)). The western front was divided into ten sectors and one autonomous subsector. When Italy entered the war, sectors I and V were placed under the command of the X corps, sectors II, III and IV were placed under the command of the II corps, sectors VI, VII, VIII, IX and X under the command of the I corps.
Italy
In the period between the two world wars and in 1939, the power of the Italian armed forces changed dramatically due to waves of mobilization and demobilization. By the time Italy entered the war, more than 1.5 million people had been mobilized. From this influx of recruits, 73 divisions of Regio Esercito (Royal Italian Army) were formed. However, only 19 of these divisions were at full strength and ready for battle. The other 32 divisions were in various stages of formation and, if necessary, could be used in battles. The rest was not ready for battle.
In the event of war, Italy was ready to defend both on the Italian and Yugoslav fronts, to repel French aggression and to attack Yugoslavia if France remained neutral. There were no plans for an attack on France after mobilization. 300 thousand people were concentrated on the French border. - 18 infantry and 4 alpine divisions. These troops occupied defensive positions mainly at the entrances to the valleys. The artillery of these troops was intended for striking within the border in case of an invasion. The Italians did not plan to storm the French fortifications, the deployment of troops did not change until June 1940. Of these troops, the 1st and 4th armies were formed under the command of the Western Army Group (Gruppo Armate Ovest) of General Umberto of Savoy . The 7th Army was in reserve in Turin, ten mobile divisions of the Po army were ready (later renamed the 6th army ). Nevertheless, most of these divisions were in the process of mobilization and were not yet ready for battle. Six thousand artillery pieces and two separate armored regiments were allocated to support the 6th Army. With the start of the campaign, the Littorio armored division was allocated for support, thanks to which the total number of tanks increased to two hundred. Shortly before the declaration of war, the Littorio division received seventy medium tanks of the new type M11 / 39 .
Despite their large numbers, the Italian armed forces experienced many problems. In the 1930s, the army developed the operational doctrine of a lightning-type war of maneuver with the support of heavy artillery. Beginning in 1938, General Alberto Pariani embarked on a series of reforms that radically changed the army. In 1940, the structure of all Italian divisions was changed from triple to double. Now the divisions consisted not of three but of two regiments, the total number of the Italian division was 7 thousand people, which was less than the number of the French division of that time. The number of artillery also decreased, in each division there was a single artillery regiment, while in the divisions of that time there were 3-4 regiments. Pariani reforms also favored a frontal attack. In addition, the army front commanders were forbidden to directly communicate directly with the commanders of the Air Force and Navy, because of which the interaction of different types of troops became almost impossible.
Marshal Rodolfo Graziani complained that due to a shortage of vehicles, the Italian army is not capable of waging mobile war as provided for, not to mention the level demonstrated by the German army. To the already used equipment also had questions. In general, the Italian troops were poorly equipped, samples of Italian equipment were worse used by the French. After the invasion began, a circular was circulated that troops should be placed in private houses due to the absence of tents. The overwhelming part of the Italian tank fleet consisted of wedges L3 / 35 , armed only with a machine gun and protected by light armor, unable to protect from machine-gun fire. They were outdated by 1940, Italian historians described them as "useless." According to one study, 70% of engine failures were due to insufficient driver training. The same situation reigned in artillery. In the whole arsenal of 7,970 guns, only 246 were modern. The remaining part of the guns was 40 years old and included a lot of guns received in 1918 from the Austro-Hungarian army in reparations.
By the time of entry into the war, Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) had the third largest bomber fleet in the world. Bomber aviation was a convincing symbol of fascist modernization and the most prestigious of all Italian branches of the armed forces; it also underwent battle hardening in the recently ended Spanish civil war. The most powerful and well-equipped of all Italian air groups was the 1st Air Group (1a Squadra Aerea) in northern Italy, responsible for operations on the Italian front.
The air defense of the Italians was weak. By the beginning of August 1939, Italy requested 150 batteries of 88-mm anti-aircraft guns from Germany. In March 1940, the Italians repeated the request, but on June 8 the request was denied. On June 13, Mussolini offered to send one of the Italian armored divisions to the German-French front in exchange for 50 anti-aircraft batteries, but this proposal was rejected.
Invasion
On May 26, General Olry informed the prefect of Menton, the largest city on the French-Italian border, that according to his order, the city should be evacuated at night. The order was given on June 3 and over the next two nights the city was evacuated. On the evening of June 10, after the declaration of war, French troops were ordered to move out of the kazernas (in French-speaking countries — barracks in garrison cities) to defensive positions. French sappers destroyed transport routes and communication lines along the border with Italy. In the course of the brief Franco-Italian conflict, the French did not take any offensive action.
On May 29, Mussolini convinced King Victor Emmanuel III , who according to the constitution was the supreme commander of the Italian armed forces, to transfer these powers to him and on June 4 Badoglio appealed to Mussolini as supreme commander. On June 11, the king issued a proclamation to all troops, where he called Mussolini "the supreme commander of the armed forces operating on all fronts." It was just a proclamation, not a royal decree, and accordingly it had no legal force. In addition, technically this measure limited the command of Mussolini to the troops participating in the battles, but in practice this restriction did not apply. On June 4, Mussolini issued a new charter with an overview of the new responsibility of the Supreme General Staff (Stato Maggiore Generale or in brief Stamage), to transform his strategic directives into actual orders for the heads of arms of service. On June 7, Superesercito (the supreme command of the Italian army) ordered the Army Group West to provide “absolute defensive behavior both on the ground and in the air” due to doubts expressed in Mussolini’s commentary on the message of Badoglio about several thousand dead. Two days later, the army general headquarters (Stato Maggiore del Regio Esercito) ordered the army group to increase its anti-tank defenses. However, the day after the declaration of war, no offensive was planned and no corresponding orders were given.
After June 10, the head of the army headquarters, Marshal Gratsiani, went to the front to take over the general leadership of military operations. He was joined by non-secretary of the war ministry Ubaldo Soddu . He did not carry out operational command of the troops, but embodied the connection of Mussolini with the front. On June 13, he was appointed to the post of deputy chief of the supreme general staff. Marshal Graziani’s adjutant, General Mario Roatta, stayed in Rome to send Mussolini’s orders (partly limited by Marshal Badoglio) to the front. Graziani immediately refuted many of the orders of Roatta, such as "to follow the heels of the enemy, and then with boldness to rush at the enemy." At a meeting of his headquarters in June 1940, Gratsiani justified himself and condemned both his subordinates and chiefs the failure of the offensive he expected.
Air Campaign
The first to enter the war were the Italian Air Force. On June 11, the Savoy-Marchetti SM-79s bombers from the 2nd Air Squadron (located in Sicily and Panteleria ) with escort fighters inflicted two air strikes on Malta, thereby beginning a long siege of the island, which lasted until November 1942. The first morning raid was attended by 55 bombers, but representatives of Malta’s air defense said that 5-12 aircraft participated in the raid and suggested that most of the bombers could not find their targets. 38 aircraft participated in the daytime raid. On June 12, SM-79s bombers from Sardinia attacked the French in northern Tunisia. On June 13, 33 SM-79s from the 2nd Air Squadron bombed Tunisian airfields. On the same day, Fiat BR-20s and SR-42s airplanes from the first air squadron located in northern Italy struck the first strikes on the territory of the French metropolis, bombarding the airfields of ZOAA (alpine air force operations zone), while the 3rd a squadron from central Italy struck at the French shipping on the Mediterranean.
Immediately after the declaration of war, the Haddock group began preparations for the airstrike. To prevent retaliatory attacks by the Italians, the French blocked the runways and prevented Wellington from taking off. But it did not scare the British. On the night of June 11, 36 aircraft of the Royal Air Force Wheatley went up into the air from a base in Yorkshire on orders to bomb Turin, the heart of Italian industry. On the way, the bombers refueled in the Channel Islands . Most had to turn back over the Alps, due to icing and turbulence . On the morning of June 12, ten bombers reached Turin and the other two attacked Genoa . The Italians did not manage to detect the planes until they were bombed. The personnel of the airfield in Caselle took British bombers for their planes from Udine and lit up the runway for them. In Turin, no air raid was announced until the Whitley flew off. The results of the air strikes were not impressive - 15 civilians were killed, no industrial targets were hit.
On June 15, the French finally allowed the Haddock group to operate. In the evening, eight Wellingtones attempted to strike at industrial targets in Genoa. Due to thunderstorms and problems with navigation, only one aircraft managed to bombard the city the next morning, the rest returned to base. On the night of June 16/17, the Haddock group's aircraft struck their final blow. Nine "Wellington" went to bomb targets in Italy, but only five managed to find their targets. Subsequently, in view of the worsening situation in France, 950 people of the Haddock group were sent by ship from Marseille, their equipment and warehouses were abandoned. British bombers periodically dropped leaflets over Rome.
France has nothing against you Drop your weapons and France will do the same
Women of Italy! Your husbands, sons and loved ones did not leave you to defend their country. They suffer and die to fill one man’s pride.
Whether you win or lose, you will know hunger, poverty and slavery.
Original Text (Eng.)France has nothing against you. Drop your arms and France will do the same. "
"Women of Italy! Defeating their country.
"Victorious or defeated you will have hunger, misery and slavery
- [2]
The French Air Force struck from bases in North Africa: Cagliari , Trapani (June 22) and Palermo (June 23). Twenty civilians died in Trapani and 25 in Palermo - These were the most powerful French bombardment of targets in Italy. These cities had no strategic significance, and many bombers flew out of France, fleeing the threat of a German offensive. By June 22, over 600 airplanes gathered in North Africa when the commander of the French forces in this theater, General Charles Nogge, applied for permission to launch an offensive against Italy or Libya and was first refused.
On June 15, the command of the 3rd air squadron sent several SM.79 and G.50 to bomb Corsica, and on June 16 sent several “ Brad Ba.88 ” airplanes to strike with a low-level flight at airfields. The most intense air battle in the campaign occurred on June 15 over southern France, when the Italian BR.20 and CR.42 aircraft engaged the French D.520 and MB.151 . Several BR.20 and CR.42 aircraft were lost, several French aircraft were shot down. On June 17, the Italians bombed the center of Marseille, killing 143 people, injuring 136 people. At dawn on June 21, the Italians bombed the port and then launched a night air strike. Air battles took place over Tunisia, each side claimed to have been killed. On June 17, CANT Z.506B hydroplanes from the 4th air zone (southeastern Italy) joined the SM.79 aircraft during the bombing of Bizerte in Tunisia. The last Italian air operation against France was launched on June 19, when planes of the 2nd and 3rd air squadrons from Sardinia attacked targets in Corsica and Tunisia. On June 21, nine Italian bombers attacked the French destroyer Le Malin , but failed to hit. On the night of June 22-23, twelve SM.81 aircraft took off from Fr. Rhodes and inflicted the first during the war airstrike on the British naval base in Alexandria . One of the bombers on the way back ran out of fuel and was forced to land in a ditch.
During the general offensive on June 21-24, Regia Aeronautica was bombed by French fortifications on the Alpine line, but the bombing caused only slight damage. According to General Giuseppe Santoro, this strategy was wrong: the fortifications were designed to withstand heavy shelling, and were partially deepened into the thickness of the rocks. He also noted incorrect maps, fog and snow, which complicated the definition of targets, the unavailability of crews for such operations and the lack of a preliminary study of targets. Only 115 of the 285 sorties by Italian bombers found their targets, only 80 tons of bombs were dropped. On the morning of June 23, Italian pilots in search of French artillery on Cap-Martin firing on Italian troops near Manton inadvertently bombed their own artillery near Capo-Mortola, 10 km from the French.
The French Air Force in the southern part of the country did not take part in the defense of the Alpine line, preferring to defend their own airfields from the Italian air strikes. The stories about the Italian aircraft that struck the columns of refugees from Paris to Bordeaux on the facts are not confirmed. Regia Aeronautica never flew to Provence in June 1940, and struck only military targets. The stories of witnesses who saw the red-white-green identification marks of Italian aviation are not reliable, because by 1940 all the tricolor identification marks had been replaced with emblems with fascias.
Initial battles
On the afternoon of June 12, the French SES groups crossed the border and engaged the Italian units on the Maddalena Pass. The Italian outpost team was taken aback, an Italian non-commissioned officer was killed, two soldiers were injured. Italian plans changed after the collapse of the Paul Reynaud government on June 15th. It was known that Reynaud's successor, Marshal Peten, was trying to negotiate with Germany, so Mussolini felt that Italy should seize French territories until a truce was signed. On the same day, he ordered the group of armies "Zapad" to prepare for an offensive for three days. It was a completely unrealistic term. Badoglio insisted that only transferring troops from defensive to offensive positions would take 25 days. Therefore, the General Staff divided the order of Mussolini into two directives. The first allowed the Italians to carry out attacks on French territory, and the second canceled the interim plan that had come into force and ordered the army group to be ready to take advantage of the potential after the collapse of the Alpine army. On June 17, Petain made the announcement: “With a heavy heart, I tell you today that we must stop fighting.” This gave rise to the conviction among the Italians that the Alpine army is in the process of dissolution, if not already disintegrating. The Italian General Staff also mistakenly assumed that the German offensive, according to the Roth plan, would force the French to begin evacuating Alpine forts. In the order on the troops of June 18, General Paolo Micheletti from the 1st Alpine Division, Taurinenze, reported that "stubborn resistance [of the enemy] is not expected due to the shaken fighting spirit of the French." Micheletti was more worried about the armed gangs of fuorishi (fuoriusciti) from Italian political exiles, according to rumors operating in the area than about the French.
On June 16, Marshal Graziani gave the order to prepare an offensive within 10 days. The following actions were planned: “Operation B” through the small St. Bernard Pass, “Operation M” through the Maddalena Pass and “Operation R” along the Riviera . On the same day, the Italians launched an offensive near Briançon . In response, the French began to fire at the Italian fortress of Bardonecchia from Fort d'Olive. In response, the 149-mm cannon of the Italian fort at the peak of Mont-Shaberton (“an imposing structure hiding in clouds at an altitude of 3130 m”) began firing at Fort d'Olive. On June 18, guns at the height of Mont-Chaberton, dominating Col de Mongever, fired at the small French fortification of Gondran near Briançon, in order to support the Italian offensive. The shelling did not entail serious damage, but strongly shattered the morale of the French. During the day, the Army Group "West" received two seemingly contradictory orders: "immediately stop hostile actions against France" and "preparation for previously announced actions should continue at the same pace." The purpose of these orders is still unclear, but the message quickly spread among the Italian front-line soldiers, many began to mark the end of the war and even fraternize with the French. The front commanders were ordered to explain the exact situation to their troops, the fighting continued as a result. On this day, Mussolini met with Hitler in Munich, where he was told that the Italian claims to Nice, Corsica and Tunisia impede the German armistice negotiations. The meaning was clear: it was understood that the Italian claims should be supported by military successes, if they wanted German military support for their claims.
French Navy Actions
Anticipating the entry of Italy into the war, the command of the British and French fleets planned to force the Italian fleet to accept the battle. The British Mediterranean Fleet was supposed to be sent to Malta (this campaign of the British fleet also had to check the effectiveness of the actions of Italian aviation and submarines). The French fleet was to attack coastal targets in the Gulf of Genoa , the Tyrrhenian Sea , southern Italy, Sicily and the Dodecanese . The combined forces of the British and French fleets in the Mediterranean had superiority over the Italian fleet in ships of the main classes 12: 1. The chief of staff of the Italian fleet, Admiral Cavagnari, believed that with such superiority of the enemy, a decisive battle should be avoided. Instead, Cavagnari decided to use his surface ships to set up minefields in the Sicilian Strait , while numerous Italian submarines would lose the Anglo-French fleet.
Since France suffered heavy defeats on the land front from the German troops and was almost defeated, the planned Allied naval offensive did not take place.
After the beginning of the war with Italy on June 10, 1940, four French cruisers and three destroyers conducted patrols in the Aegean Sea . In addition, most of the French submarines went on combat patrols. The British fleet, instead of going to Malta, continued to remain on the African coast.
On June 12, the units of the French fleet sailed, receiving a message that German warships had entered the Mediterranean. This message was erroneous. French ships were discovered in the sea by the Italian submarine “Dandolo” , which launched torpedoes on the French light cruisers “Jean de Vienne” “La Gallisonier” and “Marseillaise” . Torpedoes did not hit the target. On the same day, another Italian submarine Alpino Bagolini sank the British cruiser Calypso south of Crete. On June 13, the French fleet began the so-called “Vado” operation. The French 3rd squadron (4 heavy cruisers and 11 destroyers) departed from Toulon and headed for the coast of Italy. June 14 at 04:26 French heavy cruisers opened fire on coastal targets. From a distance of 16,000 yards (15,000 m), the heavy cruiser Algeri achieved hits on fuel depots in Vado Ligure . Further shooting became difficult because of the thick smoke from burning fuel tanks. The cruiser Foch shelled a steel mill in Savona , and the Colbert and Duplet fired from a gas plant in Sestri Potente from 14,000 yards (13,000 meters). In response, French coastal batteries and an armored train for coastal defense opened fire on French ships. A 6-dm (152-mm) projectile from the Mameli battery in Peglie got into the boiler department of the French destroyer Albatross , 12 French sailors were killed. The crew of the Italian destroyer Calatafimi who accompanied the minelayer in the area of Genoa was taken aback by the attack of the French fleet. The destroyer commander decided that under the cover of fog he would be able to approach the French ships and launch torpedoes. "Calatafimi" went into a torpedo attack under the fire of French destroyers and received damage from close gaps, but was able to release 4 torpedoes. Not a single torpedo hit the target. Another torpedo attack on the Colbert and Duplet cruisers was also unsuccessful, and the Calatafimi took refuge in the port of Genoa. Under heavy fire of the Italian coastal artillery, the French cruisers retreated. While the French cruisers were retreating, the destroyers accompanying them were able to suppress the Italian coastal battery at Cape Vardo with their fire. To the south-east of Savona, French ships were attacked by Italian torpedo boats of the 13th MAS Flotilla. The boat MAS-539 went up 2,000 yards (1,800 m) to the cruisers Algerie and Foch, and fired torpedoes on them, but without success. The MAS-534 and MAS-538 boats each fired two torpedoes at the retreating French cruisers, but did not hit either. The boat MAS-535 was damaged, having been hit by a French projectile, three people from its crew were killed. The French fleet retreated in an orderly manner and returned to Toulon by noon on June 14. In total, the French ships in this operation fired 1,500 shells, the Italian coastal batteries - about 300 shells. The French reported that they "subjected coastal targets to effective and long-term fire", although they later admitted that "the results of the shelling ... were almost zero, causing the enemy only minor damage." The crew of Calatafimi believed that "the projectile hit the Albatross destroyer caused an explosion of its torpedoes." This statement was used by Italian propaganda and created an exaggerated reputation for the effectiveness of Italian coastal defense. Interacting with the French fleet, 8 French LeO 45 bombers attacked Italian airfields, and 9 Soordfish torpedo bombers of British naval aviation , based in Jer, attacked Genoa. The actions of the French fleet forced Mussolini to give an order to Italian aircraft to strike at European territory of France; before that, the Italians only made reconnaissance flights over France.
On June 17, the French sloop-minesweeper La Curière made it to surface and sank the Italian submarine Provana in the Oran area with a ram attack. In this case, "La Curiès" also received heavy damage. The Provana became the only Italian submarine sunk by the French fleet. The following launches of the French cruisers and destroyers on June 18 and 19 did not lead to military clashes. On June 21, the French battleship Lorraine, accompanied by the British cruisers Orion and Neptune, the Australian cruiser Sydney and four British destroyers fired upon the Italian port of Bardia in Libya. French naval aviation then bombed Livorno . These were the last active actions of the French armed forces against Italy.
Italian offensive on June 21-24
On June 19, 1940, General Roatt wrote to the headquarters of the Western Army Group: "Perhaps the French troops still occupy the fortifications, but most likely, the mobile units in their rear are already retreating." This (erroneous) information about the retreat of the French troops was not confirmed by the commanders at the front, but the opinion was strengthened about the low fighting spirit of the French. Therefore, when the offensive began, the Italian soldiers, confident of victory, began to storm the French forts in orderly columns.
On June 19, Mussolini ordered his generals "to impose battle on the enemy", and at 8:50 pm Roatt sent a directive "to immediately launch local offensive operations, attack the enemy everywhere, as decisively and stubbornly as possible." The main attack was to begin "as soon as possible, and no later than June 23." On the morning of June 20, Mussolini ordered Marshal Badoglio to launch an offensive the next morning, saying: “I don’t want such a shame that the Germans would take Nice and then graciously give it to us.” Badoglio ordered: “Tomorrow, June 21, at 03:00, the general offensive should begin, the 1st and 4th armies should decisively attack along the entire front. The goal: to penetrate as deeply as possible into French territory. At 5:45 pm Marshal Graziani issued an order for the Western Army Group: “The Germans occupied Lyon , and it is absolutely unacceptable that they be the first to reach the sea. Tomorrow at 03:00, an offensive on all fronts should be launched, from St. Bernard to the sea. Aviation should deliver massive strikes on French fortifications and cities. Tomorrow or the day after, the Germans will send armored columns from Lyon in the direction of Chambery , Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse and Grenoble . ”
Gratsiani changed the directive of June 16: now the main purpose of the offensive was Marseille . In the final version, the offensive plan included two main operations: Operation M (offensive through the Maly St. Bernard pass) and Operation R (an attack in the Riviera region). The offensive in the vicinity of the Maddalena Pass was to be just a distraction. The main goal of Operation M was Albertville , and Operations R was Menton . On June 20, at 20:00, Mussolini canceled the order for an offensive, but before the order for cancellation reached the troops, the Duce received confirmation that the German troops were continuing the offensive in the Rhone Valley, although the signing of a truce was expected soon. After that, Mussolini withdrew the order to cancel, and ordered the offensive to start as scheduled, only focusing on the northern sector of the front, as the generals insisted.
On June 20th, the guns of the Italian fort, Chaberton , nicknamed by the French the "battleship in the clouds" ( cuirassé des nuages ), opened fire on the French fortification Jeanus . The French because of the location of the position and heavy clouds could not bring their battery of 6 guns at the Italian fort and respond with fire. With the support of the guns of Fort Chaberton, the Italian forces were able to advance and capture the village of Montgenèvre . However, the rest of the position of the French stubbornly held, and more in the sector of Briançon , the Italians could not advance. The next day, on June 21, the French transferred a 280-mm mortar gun to the 154th artillery regiment to the fort of Infern to attack Fort Chaberton. Over the next three days, the French were able to crush 280 of the 8 armored towers of the Italian fort with a 280-mm mortar. The remaining two towers, hidden by fog, continued to fire at the French positions before the signing of the truce. On June 21, the Italian offensive began. Early in the morning, Italian troops crossed the French border at all points along the front. At first, the Italian offensive had some success. The defense of the French was weakened, as the French command sent troops to the north in an attempt to stop the advance of the Germans. Italian troops advancing in the Riviera (a total of about 80,000 soldiers including reserves) on 21 June advanced approximately 5 miles (about 8 km). On the coast, the French had the largest number of troops (38,000 soldiers).
4th Army
The main attack was to be delivered by the Italian 4th Army under the command of General Alfredo Guzzoni . The Alpine Corps , reinforced by artillery of the 4th Army Corps on the left flank, launched an offensive on a front 34-40 km wide from the Col de la Seine to the Col du Mont. The main direction of its offensive was to pass through the Small St. Bernard Pass. It would be the most accessible direction if the French had not destroyed the bridges. This direction covered the French fort "Ruined Redoubt" (Redoute Ruinée), built on the ruins of an ancient fort, it was occupied by 70 French soldiers with machine guns, and an outpost in the area of Celoj. In total, the French in the region of Bourg-Saint-Maurice (part of the Tarentaise sub-sector) had 3,000 soldiers (according to other sources, 5,500), 350 machine guns and 150 guns. These troops supported another 18 battalions and 60 guns. The main purpose of the attack of the Italian Alpine Corps was to occupy the settlements of Bourg-Saint-Maurice , Le Chapeau, See and Tignes . After completing this task, the Alpine Corps was to attack Beaufort and Albertville . On June 21, the right column of the Alpine Corps occupied the Col de la Sen and advanced a few kilometers on glaciers, but was met by strong French fire from Celoj. The Italians bypassed the French fortifications and continued the offensive from Corme de Roislin , but they did not have time to complete the encirclement of the French by the time the truce was signed. The central column of the Alpine Corps passed through the Small St. Bernard Pass, but was stopped by the fire of the “Destroyed Redoubt” fort. To strengthen the advancing Italian troops from Piacenza , the 101st motorized division of Trieste approached. At 11:00, the motorcycle battalion of the Trieste division broke through the pass and advanced 2 km. After that, the motorcyclists forced the river under heavy fire of the French, and the Italian sappers repaired the blown-up bridge, suffering heavy losses. On June 22, the tank battalion of the Trieste division passed through the positions of motorcyclists and continued the offensive, but stopped at a minefield. Two L3 tankettes were stuck in wire fences, another wedge underwent a mine attack while trying to bypass them, while the other fell into an anti-tank ditch. Two more tankettes had engine malfunctions. On the same day, the battalion of the 65th motorized regiment of the Trieste division, while attempting to attack the Destroyed Redoubt from the rear, came across the position of French infantry with field fortifications. Later the motorized rifle unit was replaced by the machine-gun part, and they headed for Zeya. The left column of the Alpine Corps met only weak resistance and on June 22 reached the right bank of the River Isere . By the time of the signing of the truce, the central column occupied Zee, but the Italians did not have time to pull up enough artillery to suppress the fort “Destroyed Redoubt”, which received reinforcements. Although the fort was damaged, its guns continued to impede the advance of the Italians through the Small St. Bernard pass until the signing of the armistice. Thus, the Alpine Corps did not fulfill the main task - the occupation of Bourg Saint Maurice. After the truce, the Italians allowed the “Destroyed Redoubt” garrison to leave, retaining their weapons and banner.
To the south of the Alpine Corps, the 1st Army Corps was advancing, on the front about 40 km, from Mont-Cenise to Col D'Etash . The purpose of the Italians was to break through the defenses of the French forts of Bessins , Lanlebourg and Soller-Sardières and the fortifications of Saint-Gobain , Saint-Antoine and Sape , defending Modane, then turn north in the direction of Albertville. The battalions "Val Seniski" and "Sousa" under the command of Major Constantino Boccalatte from the 3rd Alpine Regiment of the Taurinenze division were temporarily subordinated to the Cagliari division. The main attack was to be led by three columns of the Cagliari division, their goal was to capture Bessan and Brahman, after which they were to attack Modan. The central column consisted of the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 64th Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the 62nd Regiment. They were advancing through the Col de Lac Jaset pass and along the Ambin valley. The 2nd battalion of the 63rd infantry regiment of the Cagliari division passed the Small Mon-Senise pass towards the village of Le Plaine, where it joined the central column, and the 1st battalion of the same regiment, passing the Pas de Bellcombe, strengthened central column in the village of Le Villett. The left column was the battalion "Val Seniskia", moving through the Col d'Etash. According to the plan, his attack on the left flank of the French forces at Modan should be synchronized with the advance of the central column. The Susa battalion under the command of Major Boccalatte made up the right column and moved through Pas de Chapo and Novaleza, and further along the river Ribon towards Bessan. After this, the Susa battalion was to advance towards Lancelure and unite with the 3rd Battalion of the 64th Infantry Regiment of the Cagliari Division, advancing through the Col de Mont-Senise. The French garrisons of the forts, opposing these forces, comprised about 4,500 soldiers, besides they were supported by 2 divisions and 60 tanks behind the line of the forts. The French also had an outpost in Arcellen, consisting of three block-houses and hidden most of the time by fog. In reserve, the Italians had a Brennero division, stationed in the area of Lake Mont-Senise. The Italian Central Column began advancing through the Col de Lac Zaset, shortly after noon on June 21, and on the approach to the Ambin River faced strong resistance. The 2nd Battalion of the 63rd Regiment of the Cagliari Division, passing through the Small Mont-Cenise, overcame the weak resistance of the French and united with the central column. Several small groups were left for the stripping, and the main forces of the column continued the advance towards Brahman. All battalions of the Cagliari division concentrated on the outskirts of Brahman and after the Italian artillery defeated the French field fortifications, the Italians took the city by the end of the first day of the offensive. After that, one battalion was sent to Terminion to join the Sousa battalion, while the rest continued the offensive against Modan. The Val Seniscian battalion met no resistance when advancing through the Col d'Etasch and the Col de Bramanett and went to the rear of the French Fort de la Balme. Its fortifications were taken on June 23 by the forces of the Cagliari division, but the forts that defended Modane — Saint-Gobain and Barrier-de-Esselon — were much stronger. The Italians began to bypass the forts from the south, and their artillery tried to suppress the guns of the forts. But for the signing of a truce, the forts were not neutralized, although the advanced units of the Cagliari division were already three kilometers from Modan. The Susa battalion occupied Lanlebour and advanced to Termionon, while the 3rd Battalion of the 64th Regiment was delayed. The path of its offensive was heavily mined and equipped with a multitude of anti-tank and anti-personnel obstacles. In support of the 3rd Battalion, the battalion of the 231st Infantry Regiment "Avellino" and the tank battalion of the division "Brennero" were sent. Two L3 wedges undermined mines on a narrow mountain road and detained the entire convoy, which allowed the French heavy artillery to fire at it and inflict heavy losses. The Italian infantry could continue the attack only very slowly under heavy fire from the French. Sometimes Italians passed by well disguised French machine-gun nests, which then fired at them from the rear. Nevertheless, the Italians were able to surround the strong fort of the Fort de la Turra, but until the signing of the truce, this fort and outpost at Arcellen continued to fire. The convoy of the Cagliari division did not reach Lanlebur, who had previously been occupied by the Sousa battalion of Major Boccalatte.
1st Army
The Italian 1st Army was not supposed to deliver the main attack, because of the sudden order to attack was not sufficiently prepared, and about this on June 20, commander General Pietro Pintor asked for it. This task was assigned to the 4th Army, which operated to the north. The southern front of the 1st Army from Monte Grammondo to the coast was held by the 37th Modena Mining Division and the Cosseria 5th Infantry Division . The 1st Army's reserve was the 52nd Torino Motorized Division . On June 20, the Italian troops launched an offensive on the entire front, but in most points it was repelled by strong French artillery fire.
On June 21, the Italian units advancing through Val Roya successfully occupied the Fountain . The Cosseria division, which was advancing on Nice , was supposed to join up with alpine rifle units, advancing in the Vesubi Valley, and the San Marco Marine Corps , which was to land from the sea in the rear of the French fortification of Cap Martin . Landings from the sea had to be canceled due to technical reasons - due to congestion of ships, faults of their engines and strong seas at sea. The Italian Royal Navy lacked special landing ships, and had to use requisitioned pleasure yachts and fishing vessels. The Italian fleet tried several times to land, but after several improvised landing ships were stranded, the whole landing was canceled. The offensive of the “Cosseria” division was met with strong artillery fire from the Cap-Martin and Mont-Achel fortification complexes. The fire of the French artillery destroyed the armored train of the Italian fleet . Under cover of storms and fog on June 22, the Italians were able to occupy part of Saint-Paul-de-Vence and La Grange. Mussolini ordered the Cosseria division to attack at any cost.
On the night of June 22/23, still under cover of fog, part of the Cosseria Division went around the fortifications of Cap Martin and entered the Garavan quarter of the city of Menton. French troops, bypassed by the Italians, continued to resist, and the artillery of the forts of Cap Martin fired before the signing of the armistice. The fighting in the streets of Menton was fierce. On June 23, the Italians were able to make their way through the quarter of Bosset and occupy a Capuchin monastery on a hill. Scheduled for June 24, the sea landing of parts of the black-shirts in Menton had to be canceled due to strong waves at the sea and the bright light of the moon. The French troops gradually retreated from Menton, with the exception of the garrison of the advanced fort of Pont Saint-Louis.
On June 24, the Italian infantry reached the valley of Karnole, but there its advance was stopped by French artillery (and not by the Senegalese arrows, as is sometimes claimed). Italian aircraft bombed the French barracks located there. On that day, the fort of Pont Saint-Louis last opened fire on the Italians. The capture of Menton, the "pearl of France" and the popular resting place of wealthy tourists, was "an undoubted success, although it cost dearly." Mussolini visited the battlefield on July 1 and later said on the radio: “Our infantry was supported by an armored train that passed through a tunnel at La Mortola and fired at a heavily fortified city [Menton], in which the enemy put up stubborn resistance.”
The northern flank of the Italian 1st Army was occupied by the 33rd Acqui Mining Division, located near Valle-Stura di Demonte. The forces of the Acqui division consisted of 6 infantry battalions, 1 legion (battalion) of black shirts, 30 mortars of 81 mm, 24 mountain cannons of 75 mm and 12 howitzers of 100 mm. Division vehicles included 3,500 mules and horses (carrying artillery), 68 cars, 71 motorcycles, and 153 bicycles. Initially, the location of parts of the division was defensive, and it was assumed even the likely use of mustard gas from the French. On June 20, the division received an order to advance and advance 60 km deep into French territory along a single road in a mountain valley. Radio communications did not work due to bad weather. Soon the division's train with supplies of food and artillery was far behind, remaining in the rear. On June 23, units of the Acqui division reached the Maddalena Pass and began to descend into France’s Ube Valley, while they had only one 100-mm howitzer mounted on a horse. Heavy snowfall and fog significantly slowed the advance of the Italians, but also did not allow the French artillery to conduct accurate fire. The division "Akkui" did not have time to reach the French fortifications before the end of the day on June 24, by which time the truce had already been signed. The division lost 32 people killed and 90 wounded. Also 198 people suffered from frostbite and 15 were missing. Since the Italians did not have time to pull up the artillery in the valley of Yube, they did not shoot at the French forts.
Summary
On June 22, 1940, the Germans forced the French to sign the Compiegne Truce . On June 24, the Italians signed a truce with the French. In the southeast of France, the Italian occupation zone was created, which was further expanded in November 1942 .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Shirer (1969) , p. 772
- ↑ Packard, 1940 , p. 9.
Literature
- Shirer, William (1969), Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into France in 1940 , Simon & Schuster, ISBN 9780671203375
- Packard, Reynolds . Italy Advances in the French Alps, Rome Asserts (16 June 1940), p. 9.