Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

[Wings]

July 8th, 1940

Liverpool - The British are preparing their next offensive in Africa. The fast convoy AP.1 (15 knots) sets sail for Alexandria, via Gibraltar. The AP.1 has four transports, the liner Duchess of Bedford (20,123 GRT, 18 knots), the mixed liner Sydney Star (11,095 GRT, 16 knots) and the cargo ships Denbighshire (8,983 GRT, 18 knots) and Waiotira (12,823 GRT, 17 knots). These ships carry weapons, ammunition and 152 armored vehicles for the Western Desert Force.
Escorted by the auxiliary cruiser Asturias and three avisos of the 2nd Division (HMS Deptford, Leith and Sandwich) to the south-western Isles of Scilly, the convoy then passes under the protection of the French battleship Courbet, arriving from Portsmouth, and four destroyers from Gibraltar, HMS Douglas, Velox, Watchman and Wishart.

 

[Wings]

July 9th, 1940

Sardinia - Alghero and its airfield, on the west coast of the island, are shelled by the battleship Bretagne and its escort. The moral effects far exceed the material effects, which are minimal: other than minor damage to the harbor and the city, one Breda 88 is destroyed and two damaged beyond repair, according to the Italian archives. It is true that along with the effects of the aerial bombardment of June 26th, this is enough to eliminate the 19th Independent Ground Attack Group as a fighting force.

 

[Wings]

July 9th, 1940

Sicily - The airfields are violently attacked, because the Bloch 174/175 reconnaissance aircraft detect the arrival of reinforcements from the Regia Aeronautica. Comiso is bombed by 36 LeO-451 then by 18 DB-7. The Curtiss H-75s of the escort take advantage of the situation to make strafing passes. The second attack is intercepted by eleven Fiat CR.42 of the 9th independent Stormo which had arrived from Gorizia to reinforce Libya. The Fiat manage to shoot down two H-75s and a DB-7 bomber, but they lose five of their own. Six other planes are destroyed on the ground and five severely damaged. At dusk, reduced to seven operational aircraft, the 9th Stormo withdraws to Reggio Calabria, where it is waiting for new planes and new pilots.
These attacks are part of a general increase in the activity of the Armée de l'Air units based in North Africa, who fly 412 offensive missions during the day.

 

[Wings]

July 9th, 1940

Libya (Tripolitania) - On the Tunisian-Libyan border, the Italian positions are once again harassed by the Armée de l'Air and shelled by the French artillery. A very modest shelling compared to those of the First War, but very worrying for the Italians.

 

[Wings]

July 9th, 1940

France - If the German army is still far from having reconstituted all its potential (it would need several weeks), it becomes strong enough for the OKW to decide that the advance could be able to resume. But the logistical problems will reappear with the progression towards the south, especially for heavy weapons (generally towed, and often by horses; there are very few self-propelled guns). In short, this advance will once again encounter numerous difficulties against the generally very weak but motivated French defenses.
To try to counter these difficulties, the Heer chooses a system that only puts into action the available units.
In the west, Army Group B aligns the 4th Army on the Charente, the 18th Army between Angoulême and Confolens and the 6th Army on the upper reaches of the Vienne and in the Limousin mountains; in reserve, the new Panzergruppe Guderian (XIV. AK (mot) of von Wietersheim and XV. AK (mot) of Hoth, reinforced by the 29. ID mot) is ready to exploit the first breakthrough. In the center, the 9th and then the 2nd Army are deployed in the Massif Central, forming the right wing of Army Group A; on the left wing of this army group, the 16th Army (reinforced by mountain units) replaces the 12th Army in its effort towards the Alpine valleys. Meanwhile, the 12th Army covers the Rhone valley to occupy the ground gained by its spearhead, PanzerGruppe von Kleist. In the east, the 1st and 9th Armies, grouped in Army Group C, completes the reduction of the fortified sectors of the Maginot Line.
Finally, several units of the XXXIX. and XLI. AK (mot) of the former PanzerGruppe Guderian, stars of the month of May, are enjoying a well-deserved rest. Part of their equipment is redistributed to the Panzer Divisions of Hoth or Kleist.

 

[Anarch King of Dipsodes]

While the fast ships (liners and banana boats) sail almost without escort on direct routes to Algerian ports and make three or four daily rotations, the slower cargo ships continue, as has been the case since Italy's declaration of war, to form convoys which first move westwards towards the Balearic Islands, before plunging southwards towards Oran...

Up until here, I had followed this TL with interest, despite grave doubts that any army could conduct an intricate fighting withdrawal with such agility, much less the French army of 1940, which had serious communication and control deficiencies. But I put those reservations aside in the face of the authors' intimate knowledge of the French army's TO&E and deployments.

However, the passage above calls into question whether they are working from actual history or just making stuff up as needed.

First, the distance from Marseilles to Algiers is 750 km. No ship ever built could "make three to four daily rotations" of that distance (assuming "rotations" means "round trips"). That would require a minimum speed of 187.5 km/hr for three (250 km/hr for four), with no time for loading and unloading.

Second, as the included map shows, the course from Marseille to Algiers passes right by Minorca, the easternmost Balearic island. The course from Marseille to Oran, which is 320 km W of Algiers, passes right through the Balearics. Thus, "move westwards towards the Balearic Islands, before plunging southwards towards Oran..." makes no sense.

I won't be reading any further.

 

[Wings]

First, the distance from Marseilles to Algiers is 750 km. No ship ever built could "make three to four daily rotations" of that distance (assuming "rotations" means "round trips"). That would require a minimum speed of 187.5 km/hr for three (250 km/hr for four), with no time for loading and unloading.

This is actually an error in translation. What it should read is:
"sail almost without escort on direct routes to Algerian ports and make rotations in three or four days" and not three or four daily round trips which would be completely impossible. It has been corrected.
And I think the route taken by the slower cargo ships (I could be wrong) is the one in black (which is mentionned to take 7-8 days), and does go to the west until it crosses Ibiza, then southbound to Oran. The Algiers route would be the orange one. So I'm not sure where the route contradicts what is said, it does go westwards to the Balearics, then south to Oran.
Edit: I've just calculated myself. The Marseille-Algiers route at 25 kts would take about 16 hours to complete one-way, so 32-36 hours for a round-trip. If you take 12 hours for loading/unloading, then the 3-4 days for a full rotation between Marseille and Algiers is perfectly believable.

 

[phil03]

Up until here, I had followed this TL with interest, despite grave doubts that any army could conduct an intricate fighting withdrawal with such agility, much less the French army of 1940, which had serious communication and control deficiencies. But I put those reservations aside in the face of the authors' intimate knowledge of the French army's TO&E and deployments.

However, the passage above calls into question whether they are working from actual history or just making stuff up as needed.

First, the distance from Marseilles to Algiers is 750 km. No ship ever built could "make three to four daily rotations" of that distance (assuming "rotations" means "round trips"). That would require a minimum speed of 187.5 km/hr for three (250 km/hr for four), with no time for loading and unloading.

Second, as the included map shows, the course from Marseille to Algiers passes right by Minorca, the easternmost Balearic island. The course from Marseille to Oran, which is 320 km W of Algiers, passes right through the Balearics. Thus, "move westwards towards the Balearic Islands, before plunging southwards towards Oran..." makes no sense.

View attachment 727683

I won't be reading any further.

To add to what @Wings is saying a direct course for Oran would be too risky politically considering Franco at least toying with entering the war with the Axis at this stage (we know of its reluctance but that's hindsight). I also disagree with your characterisation of France conducting a fighting withdrawal: they are being smashed from one line to another, its just that they are managing to delay the Germans by putting up a fight and not collapsing or being surrounded while a few units here and there are starting to be handipck to run due south to be evacuated.

The Germans stopping for a while after the Battle of the Loire isn't about the French holding them off but instead due to the limitation of WWII-era logistics.

 

[Mister Mister]

About that recconaisance flights to Taranto using MB.174, isn't that a bit stretched? I mean, MB.174 has range of 1650 km, and Tunisia-Taranto is about 750 km one way, or 1500 both ways. With only 150 km flying time left, I seriously doubt that they will use precious fuel on running from Italian fighters.

 

[Wings]

About that recconaisance flights to Taranto using MB.174, isn't that a bit stretched? I mean, MB.174 has range of 1650 km, and Tunisia-Taranto is about 750 km one way, or 1500 both ways. With only 150 km flying time left, I seriously doubt that they will use precious fuel on running from Italian fighters.

Wouldn't they fly from Malta ?

 

[Mister Mister]

Wouldn't they fly from Malta ?

That's definitly better idea.

 

[Wings]

July 10th, 1940

Sudan - In spite of limited means and without the prospect of any reinforcements, Aosta is ordered to continue his offensive, to relieve Graziani's forces in Libya.
However, the advance of the Italians towards Khartoum comes to a halt, due to a lack of fuel and the extreme length of their supply lines. The roads leading to the Sudanese capital are blocked by the British army, which has concentrated its three battalions (1st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment, 1st Battalion Essex Regiment, 2nd Battalion West
Yorkshire Regiment) and most of the Sudan Defence Force.
Further east, towards Port Sudan, the efforts of the RAF slow down the Italian column.
The British cannot prevent the Italian advance in the rest of the country, especially south-west of Khartoum in particular, but this is mainly the work of irregular cavalry units, sometimes followed at a distance by a few infantry units, when they can benefit from trucks for their transport.
General Frusci then decides to fortify Kassala, with machine gun nests and anti-tank ditches, and to leave there a garrison of the size of a brigade.

Eritea - Three Gladiators and a Blenheim from Aden attack Assab airfield. Two CR.42 are destroyed on the ground. This episode marks the end of the 414th Fighter Squadron,
which had already lost two other planes (plus two others damaged) during a similar attack on July 2nd.

Djibouti - The bombs of the first raids having done only little damage, the Italians decide to attack again, this time by giving an escort to their bombers. That day, three Fiat CR.32 escort nine SM.81. Three Potez 631 intercept them, but one of the twin-engine fighters is shot down, surprised by the Fiat escort. On the other hand, one of the small
biplanes is shredded by a burst of 20 mm shells, while a bomber falls in flames.

Kenya - After some skirmishes and reconnaissance on both sides in the previous weeks, the Italian troops from Ethiopia cross the border in force towards Moyale, preceded by some artillery fire. The Commonwealth forces in this Crown dependency consist of two East African brigades comprising the King's African Rifles (KAR). Two additional brigades are currently in training, while the 1st South African Brigade is on its way (its first elements arrived in Mombasa in early June), as well as a brigade from West Africa (Royal West African Frontier Force). To slow down the Italian troops, the Rhodesians of Sqn 237 undertake reconnaissance and ground support missions in this bitterly disputed area, in cooperation with the South African Air Force.

 

[Wings]

July 10th, 1940

Western Mediterranean, 19:30 - The submarine Scirè (L.V. Adriano Pini) spots, to the west of the island of Asinara (in the north-west of Sardinia), a small French convoy heading for Marseille or Toulon and composed of three cargo ships accompanied by a single aviso. It manages to approach within firing range and sinks the Cheik (1,058 GRT) with two torpedoes, one of which hit the cargo.

 

[Wings]

July 10th, 1940

Libya - With 477 combat missions, the Armée de l'Air remains very active. Benghazi is attacked by 54 LeO-451s and the port is severely damaged, as well as the neighbouring warehouses.
On the Tunisian border, the French artillery constantly pounds the Italian positions.
During the night, the battleship Provence adds its 340 mm shells to this concert by bombing the positions close to the coast.

Tripoli - The commander-in-chief of the Africa Settentrionale Italiana (ASI), Marshal Graziani, warns Rome: "a general offensive by the French is obviously being prepared for the next few days". As his artillery is short on ammunition, he requests authorization to withdraw the troops defending Tripolitania to Benghazi, while making Tripoli a "fortress", but the Commando Supremo refuses. It is true that it is mainly through Tripoli that one can hope to send reinforcements to the ASI!

 

[Wings]

July 10th, 1940

Beirut - The convoy that landed on July 2nd in Alexandria with a large part of the 86th ID and other units returns empty. It begins to embark for Egypt the rest of the division and two companies of the 68th BCC (37 R-35 tanks). A third convoy will be necessary to transport the last elements of the 352nd Heavy Artillery Regiment and other units.

 

[Wings]

July 10th, 1940

Southern France - The Wehrmacht goes on the attack again. To reduce the constraints on its logistics, the OKW decides to focus its efforts alternately on one front, then on another.

Rhone Valley - The German offensive resumes at first in this sector.
In the Rhone valley, List's 12th Army attacks on the west bank of the river and on the other hand, east of the river, at four points where the Isère river is crossed (Romans, Saint-Nazaire, Pont-de-l'Isère and Châteauneuf).
In the Alps, Busch's 16th Army, whose motorized vanguards are joined by the bulk of the troops, attack at Voreppe towards Grenoble, as well as towards Chambéry, with the support of the 1. PzD.
Kleist's Panzergruppe - XVI. AK (mot) (3. PzD, 4. PzD, 13. ID mot), 20. ID mot and SS Totenkopf division - must exploit any breakthrough, depending on the bridges captured intact or repaired.

Cote d'Azur - After four days of relentless effort, heavy losses and no results, the Italians have to interrupt their attacks against the Fortified Sector of the Maritime Alps. The
units of the XVth Corps, decimated, are relieved by the divisions kept in army reserve (5th Division Alpine Pusteria, 7th DI Lupi di Toscana and 22nd DI Cacciatori delle Alpi).

 

[Wings]

July 11th, 1940

Gibraltar - The AP.1 convoy, still accompanied by the Courbet, arrives at the foot of the Rock for a short stopover.

 

[Wings]

July 11th, 1940

Central Mediterranean - At the end of the day, an MB-174 reconnaissance aircraft flies over Taranto at 18:45 and reports that the two large ships have left the port.

 

[Wings]

July 11th, 1940

Libya (Tripolitania) - French planes are now concentrating their attacks against the Italian fortifications along the coastal road. Curtiss SBC-4 and Loire-Nieuport 401/11 dive bombers are used by the French Air Force to destroy fortified points and artillery positions. The French heavy artillery (especially the six large railguns) is also very active in this sector.
At the end of the afternoon, the French troops start to advance at various points despite intense small arms fire. However, the French officers observe that the Italian artillery fire is relatively weak. In fact, the Italians lack ammunition...
During the night, Marshal Graziani orders the Sirte infantry division, which had been maintained in the second line, to deploy on the front. Indeed, he expects a large-scale French attack in the near future.

 

[Wings]

July 11th, 1940

Libya (Cyrenaica) - Troops of the 2nd CC.NN. Division move towards Fort Capuzzo and Ridotta Maddalena. Nevertheless, the division is not yet reorganized after its crossing of Libya. Moreover, it lacks worthy transport and armoured support.