Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

[Wings]

February 27th, 1941

Sardinia - Despite the crushing of the convoy the night before, Italian troops try to advance westwards with the support of the Stukas of the IVth FliegerKorps and the Italian fighter-bombers. The Polish vanguard goes into action for the first time at Ozieri.
Those who do not know the Polish cavalrymen yet are surprised to hear them call themselves "Uhlans", a name of Turkish origin, but which the French would tend to associate with bad memories of the Prussian invasion. Fortunately, their song, "Somosierra", evokes a joint victory of the French and the Poles under Napoleon*.

* Somosierra : battle of the Peninsular war (1808) where the light horsemen of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw distinguished themselves.

 

[Wings]

February 27th, 1941

Capraia - With the sun barely rising, the Italian fleet returns to Capraia. The Monzambano and Calatafimi attack Fort San Giorgio, while the Curtatone and Castelfidardo are ready to support the Black Shirts, taking care to adjust their shots carefully, because Italian civilians are caught in the middle of the fighting. Thus supported, the Black Shirts gradually take over part of the village.
12:40 (GMT+2) - The commander of the French garrison decides to stop resisting. The sailors take the time to sabotage the pieces of the two remaining batteries: they had little opportunity to fire on the enemy, except for the 100 mm battery which was able to send some salvos on the Monzambano, which came for a moment - a little unwisely - in its field of fire.

 

[Wings]

February 27th, 1941

Rome, 13:50 (GMT+2) - Quickly informed by Supermarina of the recovery of Capraia, Mussolini rejoices for a short while, only to ask Admiral Arturo Riccardi: "When will it be Lampedusa's turn?" A question that does not fail to embarrass the chief of staff of the Regia Marina. Since September 1940, a plan for the reconquest of the Pelagie has been studied, and the necessary materials and men evaluated. But it is one thing to get your hands on an island located in an area from which the enemy is being driven out; it is another to take back Lampedusa and the other Pelagie which are - and will remain! - caught in a pincer movement between Malta and the enemy bases in Tunisia... and Tripolitania. In addition, the recent entry into the war of Greece has complicated matters by forcing the Regia Marina to devote part of its forces to the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea.
Riccardi replies to the Duce that the operation is ready, but that it cannot be carried out until the strategic situation is clarified and the Regia Aeronautica is able to support it. However, as the Chief of Staff of the Regia Aeronautica, Gen. Francesco Pricolo, confirms a little later to Mussolini, all its resources are either already engaged in Merkur, or will have to be on the Albanian front. The Duce has to be content with the promise that the Pelagie would be reconquered "as soon as possible".

 

[Wings]

February 27th, 1941

El Adem - Following the Casablanca conference, on February 22nd, the British obtain the agreement of the French to engage in Greece their four Wellington squadrons present in the Mediterranean. Leaving Sorman (in Tripolitania), Sqn 37, 38 and 70 join Sqn 148 on February 25th at the main air base of Cyrenaica, El Adem.
Today, Sqn 70 leaves for Menidi airfield, in Attica, where it will be integrated into the Royal Air Force (in Greece), entrusted to the Air Vice-Marshal J.H. D'Albiac. The three squadrons remaining at El Adem are used for bombing raids on Italian rear bases in the peninsula and in Albania. Until August 1941, there is no more question of strategic bombing from the south: only the Bomber Command will continue to harass, from England, the cities of northern Italy.

 

[Wings]

February 27th, 1941

Bouches de Bonifacio, 23:30 - Five small French torpedo boats of the La Melpomène class (12th Division: Bombarde, L'Iphigénie, La Pomone; 14th Division: La Flore, La Melpomène)
engage themselves between Corsica and Sardinia to attack the Italian ships which continue to bring reinforcements and supplies to Olbia.

French torpedo boat MN La Melpomène, Operation Merkur, 1941

 

[Wings]

February 27th, 1941

Extracts from the logbook of the Groupe de Chasse I/3 - The situation deteriorated in the north, near Bastia.
We cover with 12 planes a formation of 9 Glenns which is going to attack the makeshift airfield that the Italians had built near Aléria. Poor visibility and a lot of flak.
The results of the bombardment were uncertain.
Captain Challe led 4 planes over the Col de Mutarano and, in the absence of any opposition, fired at the Boche, but without any visible results.

 

[Wings]

February 28th, 1941

North-West: the Belgian-Sudanese offensive - Blue Nile area - The East Arab Corps, supported by elements of the 2/6 KAR, forces the passage and takes the Afodu Escarpment, which protects access to Asosa.

 

[Wings]

February 28th, 1941

Hammaguir - It is in this village lost in the middle of the Sahara that lands a Stinson, humble but robust American biplane, which carries, in addition to its pilot, the aviator and technician André Jacob, two other men passionate about high speed flight: commander Jean-Jacques Barré and engineer René Leduc. "It may be hard to imagine!" exclaims Barré, his beard quivering with excitement, "but in a few months, my rockets will be shooting up into this sky. And in a few years, this lost place will become the first French space port!"

 

[Wings]

February 28th, 1941

Bouches de Bonifacio, 00:15 - The French torpedo boat flotilla is ambushed by Italian (MAS) and German (S-Boots) speedboats. La Pomone and La Flore are hit by several torpedoes. L'Iphigénie, with a broken bow, has to be scuttled, while the speedboats disappear into the night at full speed.

 

[Wings]

February 28th, 1941

Corsica - As the weather continues to improve, the Luftwaffe establishes a permanent presence over the north of the island, while small Italian fighters from Aléria carry out missions of close support "on demand".
The German troops storm Saint-Florent, while the French withdraw from the outskirts of Borgo and the Bastia-Poretta airfield, in order to establish a last line of defense at the Col de Teghime and south of Bastia. The units that are defending the Col de Mutarano retreat towards Corte, which further isolates the defenders of Bastia. De Gaulle asks however that the city be defended as long as possible, in order to prevent the Germans to have a port on the island right away (the one in Calvi is small and not equipped to
equipped to unload heavy equipment).
North of Corte, the first encounter between French and German tanks since the beginning of the battle of Corsica takes place. Six German tanks, Pz-38t and 35t ex-Czech, are destroyed, against two French M2A4.
Potez 63-11 light bombers, escorted by Hawk-75A4s (which will be replaced by D-520s), bomb the improvised landing zone around the airfield in construction of Solenzara.

 

[Wings]

February 28th, 1941

Sardinia - Threatened with encirclement, the French troops begin to withdraw from the Berchidda line and to prepare the evacuation of the northwest, either by the small ports of Porto Torres and Alghero, or by the railroad. Some sections of the latter are still usable, with trains running only at night to avoid air attacks.
A line of defense is planned on the Tirso River, which cuts the western plain of the island in two, and around Nuoro, provincial capital inconveniently located in the heart of the Barbagia mountains.

 

[Wings]

February 28th, 1941

Extracts from the logbook of the Groupe de Chasse I/3 - The Boche used a makeshift airfield near Aléria to refuel, which allowed him to extend his presence above his troops. Two Potez 63-11 of the I/52 Fighter Group made the experience.
In the morning, a group of 8 planes escorted a mixed formation (3 Glenn and 3 Potez) which was to bomb the German troops in the region of the Col de Mutarano. The 109s were there, but, well covered by the altitude element of the device, they are sandwiched. Between the ham and cheese, Captain Challe, who has been in a bad mood since his forced bath, shoots down one of them while our national Marcel Albert destroys a second one, then goes to shoot a Hs 126 which had the misfortune to pass by. All without losses.
At the beginning of the afternoon, immediate take-off of 6 planes, plus 8 from GC II/3 and ten from I/10 (finally, the Poles remained !) to intercept a major raid on Ajaccio. Big fight in which we lost Major Thibaudet who had to parachute out, wounded, plus another pilot and two planes seriously damaged, but repairable. In exchange, the group offers itself collectively a safe He 111, a safe 109 and two probable 109s. On the other hand, the bombardment breaks a plane on the ground.
We recover Durand, who complains about his ankle, but who considers himself healed.

 

[Wings]

February 28th, 1941

Italy - Part of the V FliegerKorps is redeployed from Sicily to the Grossetto area to compensate for the losses suffered by the VIII FliegerKorps. This movement significantly reduces the pace of operations against Malta and Tunis.

 

[Wings]

February 28th, 1941

Italian press - In the newspapers and on the radio, the reconquest of Capraia overshadows the battles in Albania and even Sardinia. The communiqué of the General Staff, which is published and commented on by the newspapers, celebrated the combined action of the Regia Marina and the Black Shirts. For the latter, it is specified in a few words that the affair had not been a walk in the park. In fact, if the French garrison was put out of action or taken prisoner (119 killed and wounded, 277 taken prisoner), the attackers have 18 dead and 49 wounded. But, for the most enthusiastic fascists, this is the just price of Glory!

 

[Wings]

February 28th, 1941

Athens - A first inter-allied staff meeting brings together Generals Papagos, Wilson and Dentz. All the allied forces in Greece are placed (at least in theory) under the orders of General Alexander Papagos, Chief of Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Greek army. The British Expeditionary Force in Greece (BEFIG) is commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir H. Maitland Wilson, and it is Pierre Dentz, Lieutenant-General and head of the Groupement Mobile des Forces du Levant, who commands the French forces coming from Lebanon to the aid of the Greeks.
The plan of operation is primarily aimed at defeating the Italian troops as quickly as possible and conquering Albania. This objective is entrusted to the 1st Greek Army, with a strength of nearly 400,000 men. It is progressively reinforced by the British elements that have landed: very quickly, the first armoured brigades of the 7th Armoured Division, then the two infantry divisions of the XIII Corps.
In order to be ready for any eventuality during this offensive, the rest of the Greek forces cover the east of the country (in Thrace, in front of the Bulgarian border, with the weak corps of General Bakopoulos) and the north (in Central Macedonia, in front of the Yugoslavian border, with the corps of general Kotoulas). These units are gradually reinforced as the general mobilization of the Greek army, but it will take several weeks before these forces are in sufficient number, and both their equipment and their training will remain poorly equipped and trained for many months.
The Allied plan therefore calls for other British and French forces would be deployed in the mountains of Macedonia, to cover the north of the country. This Franco-British army, formed from the British Expeditionary Force in Greece and the Groupement Mobile des Forces du Levant, is placed under the command of General Wilson. It has to cover the Yugoslavian border by ensuring the link with the 1st Greek Army on its left, and to rely on defensive positions to be prepared along the Aliakmon river. Faced with the indecisive attitude of Yugoslavia, and as long as their forces are not sufficiently deployed, the French and the British refuse to advance towards Salonika, where they could easily be flanked by a German attack through Yugoslav Macedonia.

 

[naraht]

If I was in the Yugoslav foreign ministry, now would be a *great* time to take a vacation in a place that *nobody* could find me. Tierra del Fuego is lovely this time of year. And I'm laying *no* bets as to who is in charge in Yugoslavia 6 months from this point.

 

[Wings]

Allied losses
MN Naiade (Sirène-class submarine), sunk by the MM Monzambano and Calatafimi off La Spezia (OTL scuttled in Toulon in 1942)
MN Aréthuse (Argonaute-class submarine), lost in the Gulf of Taranto to unknown causes (possible Italian mine) (OTL survived the war, decom.1946)
HMS Southampton (Town-class light cruiser), sunk by German Ju-87 bombers in the Strait of Sicily (OTL sunk in the same fashion earlier in January)
MN Georges-Leygues (La Galissonnière-class light cruiser), sunk by German Ju-87 and Ju-88 bombers off Corsica (OTL survived the war, decom. 1959)
MN Chevalier-Paul (Vauquelin-class destroyer), sunk by German Ju-87 and Ju-88 bombers off Corsica (OTL sunk off Beirut in June 1941)
MN Béarn (Béarn-class aircraft carrier), sunk by German Ju-87 and Ju-88 bombers off Solenzara (OTL survived the war, decom. 1967)
HMS Gallant (G-class destroyer), sunk by German Ju-87 and Ju-88 bombers in Malta (OTL beached in 1942, used as a blockshp in 1943)
MN La Pomone (La Melpomène-class torpedo boat), sunk by Italian MAS and German S-Boots in the Bouches de Bonifacio (OTL seized by the Italians then the Germans and sunk in September 1943)
MN La Flore (La Melpomène-class torpedo boat), sunk by Italian MAS and German S-Boots in the Bouches de Bonifacio (OTL survived the war in the FNFL, decom. 1950)
MN L'Iphigénie (La Melpomène-class torpedo boat), ran around after damage by Italian MAS and German S-Boots in the Bouches de Bonifacio (OTL seized by the Italians then the Germans and sunk by Italian MAS in September 1943)

Axis losses
KGM Wolf (Type 24-class torpedo boat), sunk by a British mine off Dunkirk as OTL
MM Naiade (Sirena-class submarine), sunk by the HMS Hasty and Hereward off Benghazi (OTL sunk in December 1940)
MM Glauco (Glauco-class submarine), sunk by a British patrol in the Strait of Gibraltar (OTL scuttled in June 1941)
MM Perla (Perla-class submarine), lost between Massawa and Bordeaux (OTL captured by the British, transferred to Greece, decom. 1954)
MM Leone (Leone-class destroyer), scuttled by the MAS-213 off Massawa (OTL beached in April 1941)
MM Cesare Battisti (Sauro-class destroyer), scuttled in Massawa Harbor (OTL scuttled in April 1941)
MM Daniele Manin (Sauro-class destroyer), sunk by British Swordfish off Port-Sudan (OTL sunk by air attack in April 1941)
MM Nazario Sauro (Sauro-class destroyer), ran aground off Port-Sudan due to bombing by British Swordfish (OTL sunk by air attack in April 1941)
MM Alberto di Giussano (Giussano-class light cruiser), sunk by the MN Chevalier-Paul and Dupleix during the Naval Battle of Calvi (OTL sunk during the Battle of Cape Bon)
MM Alberico da Barbiano (Giussano-class light cruiser), sunk by the MN Kersaint, Tartu, Vauquelin, Cassard and Chevalier-Paul during the Naval Battle of Calvi (OTL sunk during the Battle of Cape Bon)
MM Luca Tarigo (Navigatori-class destroyer), sunk by the MN Georges-Leygues and Montcalm during the Naval Battle of Calvi (OTL sunk by British destroyers in April 1941)
MM Ugolino Vivaldi (Navigatori-class destroyer), sunk by French Martin Maryland off Olbia (OTL scuttled in 1943)
MM Aldebaran (Spica-class torpedo boat), sunk by the MN Foch and Dunkerque during the Naval Battle of Solenzara (OTL mined in October 1941)
MM Altair (Spica-class torpedo boat), sunk by the MN La Galissonnière and Strasbourg during the Naval Battle of Solenzara (OTL mined in October 1941)
MM Canopo (Spica-class torpedo boat), sunk by the MN Marseillaise, Foch and Dupleix during the Naval Battle of Solenzara (OTL sunk by British bombers in May 1941)
MM Vega (Spica-class torpedo boat), sunk by the MN Strasbourg and La Galisonnière during the Naval Battle of Solenzara (OTL sunk by the HMS Hereward in January 1941)
MM Pleiadi (Spica-class torpedo boat), sunk by the MN Foch, Dupleix and Dunkerque during the Naval Battle of Solenzara (OTL sunk at Tripoli in October 1941)
MM Armando Diaz (Condottieri-class light cruiser), sunk by British destroyers and the MN Dupleix during the Battle of Cape Figari (OTL sunk by the HMS Upright in February 1941)
MM Alvise da Mosto (Navigatori-class destroyer), sunk by British destroyers and the MN Dupleix during the Battle of Cape Figari (OTL sunk by British cruisers in December 1941)
MM Baleno (Folgore-class destroyer), sunk by the MN Cassard and Vauquelin during the Battle of Cape Figari (OTL sunk off the Kerkennah, April 1941)

 

[skarosianlifeform]

Most Allied naval extra-losses come from the MN, which IOTL wasn't in the fight anyway. So it doesn't really reduce the Allied naval strength compared to OTL.
On the other hand, the Regia Marina has taken a serious beating...

Also, isn't it "RM" (Regia Marina) instead of "MM" ? Is it a typo ?

If Merkur fails (which isn't certain but very possible), and Italians lose Albania (or are rescued at the very last minute by German intervention in Albania but clearly have lost), Mussolini will likely be ousted, and the new government likely will ask for a separate peace with the Allies. Which might force Germany to launch not one but two land campaigns : one in Italy (to restore/save the fascist government), and one in Greece (and Yugoslavia in the way), to stop the Allies from strike at Ploiesti from Greece...

Even if those campaigns are a success, combined with Merkur, they might deplete the German stockpiles of weapons and ammo, and force Hitler to either abandon Barbarossa or push it to 42.

Honestly, this scenario is basically Stalin's dream (the two capitalist alliances bogged down in a fight to the knife, and battering each other down).

 

[Wings]

Also, isn't it "RM" (Regia Marina) instead of "MM" ? Is it a typo ?

Yes, I used the new MM for "Marina Militare", by force of habit. A bit far gone to chnge it now, though...

 

[Wings]

March 1st, 1941

East: the Franco-British offensive - From Dire-Dawa to Addis Ababa - The first elements of the 2nd Rgt of Zouaves enter Addis.