Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

[Wings]

September 20th, 1942

Kokoda Track - Faced with the strength of the defenses, the RAAF is called in again. All day long, Wirraways and Boomerangs, in a continuous parade, strafe and bomb the Japanese positions, dropping numerous 20-pound anti-personnel bombs. The use of these projectiles is more due to a lack of other ammunition in Port Moresby than to anything else, but these small bombs prove to be effective in sweeping the vegetation and preventing the Japanese from looking up.
In the rear, the first elements of the 21st Brigade arrive in Myola for a day of rest. The energetic Brigadier Potts, who had arrived a little early, is dismayed to find that no one knew his force was in the area. However, the men of the 30th Brigade, who are in charge of Myola's supply depots, would "work miracles" in Potts' words. When his men arrive, a thousand rations await them.
However, they will have no blankets, despite the penetrating humidity. Potts, observing that there are a good number of blankets in reserve, is astonished. Lieutenant Kienzle and Major Elliot-Smith, who recruited and organized the porters on the spot, must quickly explain to him the realities of the local situation. The native porters represent an essential element on the Track: it is simply necessary to take care of them. However, they suffer terribly from the cold at high altitude, so they have priority for the distribution of blankets. The men of the 21st Brigade, like the other Australians, will be given the woven grass mats that the porters had exchanged for blankets, which was all that was available to them.
Baffled, Potts has the good taste to remember the exploits of the "Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels" rescuing the wounded and gives reason to his interlocutors. His men are a little disappointed, but at least they have mats to lie on and plenty of hot food and hot tea.

Milne Bay - At dawn, the Japanese are surprised to see the Australian lines so quiet.
But it was not until they saw the evacuation of Dagama that they sent out a patrol on the other side of Halfway Creek and found that these positions were also deserted. The Japanese, who had not expected it, advance slowly on the footsteps of the Australians, but this does not prevent them from falling into numerous small ambushes.
For his part, Brigadier Fields considers his withdrawal to be very successful. His forces were able to retreat in good order to well located and carefully prepared positions, from which they will dominate the swampy lowlands. His intention is to force the Japanese army to mount its attacks against him from a soggy swamp where only sago trees grow, while his men will be well established in dominant positions, on dry ground, with the benefit of superior artillery and excellent fields of fire.
He may not have enough forces to hold the entire arc of hills, but if the Japanese device thins out enough to make a turning movement of twenty-five kilometers, Fields could counterattack their center, especially since the Japanese forces attempting envelopment would have to cross a veritable swamp before reaching the hills.

 

[Wings]

September 20th, 1942

Guadalcanal - Vandegrift replaces the 5th Regiment on the western front with the 7th Regiment. This front is now well defended by a fresh unit.
The first attacks of malaria occur. Indeed, the men prefer most of the time not to take their daily atabrine pill. This one has the detestable (and undeserved) reputation of making you impotent - and it tastes awful.
The officers of the 1st Tank Battalion, eager to fight, point out to the divisional headquarters that their current arrangement in small packs deprives them of any punch and makes it very difficult to control the sections effectively. They propose regrouping their battalion and counter-attack through the coastal strip.
The division's Construction Battalion completes the repair of the drainage system of the Henderson Field's main runway and begins extending the field. The bulldozers clear a new dispersal and individual cells.

 

[Wings]

September 20th, 1942

Amchitka - Reconnaissance conducted by PBYs and by aircraft based on Adak AA show that the island of Amchitka, although small, can host several airfields. A runway capable of receiving single-engine fighters could - in theory - be built in two to three weeks and a major airfield in three to four months.

 

[Wings]

September 20th, 1942

Operation Typhoon
The northern wing offensive - In the west, leading the forces of the 2. PzG, the 3. Panzer begin to push towards Nejyne. The Soviets held on to a part of Chernigov despite the
incessant attacks of the XXIV. PzK, while the remnants of the 17th Army still block the road to Kozelets and Kiev. Nevertheless, these last resistances do not worry Model, who constantly urges Breith (3. Panzer) and von Weber (17. Panzer), who follow him closely, to reach Nejyne as soon as possible.
In the east, the situation of the 3. PzG of Hoth is more difficult. It has to cross the Desna at Mekochino, under fire from the artillery of the 47th Army. The consumption of ammunition is much higher than expected and the Soviet counter-battery fire sometimes proves to be very dangerous. Harpe (12. Panzer) asks for help from the Luftwaffe, but the men of the LuftFlotte 2 (von Richthofen) are at the limit of exhaustion and the VVS are still present in number above the battlefield. In spite of everything, precise air attacks silence the Soviet artillery and, in the afternoon, the German troops start to cross the Desna, but the fighting around the bridgeheads continues throughout the night.
At the end of the day, Marshal Shaposhnikov calls Stalin and asked to be relieved, because his health has seriously deteriorated. Stalin, who holds Shaposhnikov in high esteem, is initially annoyed, but he has to admit that the upcoming battles require a leader in good physical condition. During the night, he recalls Shaposhnikov to Moscow and assigns his command to Vasilyevsky.
...
The offensive of the southern wing - Von Kleist, aware that the weather is in favor of the Soviets, decides to attack southward, to defeat the 14th Army. But to do so, he has to coordinate his effort with an attack by the Hungarian Army Corps. However, the latter will not occupy its starting positions before the next day. It is necessary to give up. In any case, the tanks damaged during the previous battles have not yet been completely repaired. On the other side, Rokossovsky has time to partially replenish his two armored brigades with an assortment of brand new T-34s and BT-5s from the depots.
As the hours pass, the various echelons of the 58th Army arrive in their deployment zone, behind the Dovator Corps, near the Dnieper.
In the air, on both sides, the missions continue, but at a much slower pace than in the previous days. The VVS lose 17 planes and the Luftwaffe 9.

 

[Wings]

September 20th, 1942

Between Tarove (west of Odessa) and Odessa - Despite heavy losses during the last few days, the Soviets intend to counterattack once again. This time, they aim at the area of fields and woods between Odessa and the small town of Tairove, which had fallen without a fight two days earlier.
The Fascists dug two trenches occupied by infantry on either side of a wood and flanked by a sandbag bunker. Behind them, the reconnaissance planes have spotted tents with the red cross and vehicles - trucks and semi-trailers. The Flak was weak, and only two artillery positions were spotted. First, 81 mm Grw 34 mortars near a farm in the western part of the front (not far from the first houses in Tairove). More worrying, five 21 cm Nebelwerfer 42 rocket launchers are installed in the back, not far from a fuel depot.
Such defenses are rather crude, even if the Germans can count on heavy artillery support on a simple radio call. But this part of the front is very quiet, compared to Burlacha Balka. However, a cargo ship that arrived the day before in Odessa has landed a dozen armored vehicles that arrive at the right time to launch an attack that should take the Germans by surprise... at least we think so.
Because the Wehrmacht is not surprised. The multiplication of observation planes has been reported. And the arrival of tanks in this sector of the front was discovered by scouts who ventured to the suburbs of Odessa. The previous nights, four Marder anti-tank guns of various models and two Stug IIIs have reinforced the defense.
.........
At the first light of dawn, the sound of engines and tracks echoes to the south. In the autumnal mist, the low-angled sun reveals six T-50s advancing across the fields, ahead of a large infantry force. The presence of German armor surprises the Soviets and despite the support of the Sturmoviks of the VVS, two consecutive assaults are stopped without any attacker reaching the trenches, leaving the ground devastated and covered with multiple craters dug by the Nebelwerfer.
The third assault is launched against the western trench, which had been spared until then. But it is stopped like the others, with heavy losses.
The fourth and fifth assault waves are launched against the eastern sector. Despite the support of three T-34, effectively countered by the Marders, both fail.
The sixth assault wave hits the western section of the trenches and succeeds in breaking through. It is stopped by the fire of the Stug IIIs which flanked the Soviet armoured vehicles.
The seventh and last assault wave smashes on the same sector at about 18:00. It is mowed down like the others.
The Soviets lost more than a thousand killed and seven tanks out of nine. The Germans have less than 200 dead and lost two Marders, one of which will be repairable.

 

[Wings]

September 20th, 1942

Operation Torch - D-Day+1
The night
Despite the darkness, the landing continue without interruption on the various beaches, where the allied ships put ashore the "floating reserve", first element of the second echelon, and supplies for the troops already engaged. The warships continue to provide tactical support, in particular to the forces of Montagne, near Licata (Rouge beaches), and De Lattre, in the Niscemi sector (Blanche beaches).
Sporadic fighting continues throughout the night.
In Enna, General Alfredo Guzzoni does not remain inactive. He spends the night redeploying his units, well aware of the fact that, from daybreak, they would be unable to move from one position to another without suffering heavy losses under the blows of the allied airmen.

The Italian dispositions
At dawn, the Italian forces are organized as follows.
- On the east side of the island, the XVI Corps divides the 54th D.I. Napoli into two combat groups. The group, around the 76th Regiment and most of the divisional units, was reinforced by D, F and H mobile groups. The other two mobile groups of the Corps, E and G, are in Catania. This is all Guzzoni can muster against Montgomery, but he knows that on the slopes of Mount Etna, the geography would favor the defenders. The Western Group, composed of the 75th Regiment, holds Chiaramonte and Vizzini and is linked to the 4th D.I.M. Livorno, transferred to the XII Corps.
- The center and west of Sicily are under the responsibility of XII Corps. Its commander, General Mario Arisio, is ordered to hold on tightly around Caltagirone, to prevent an enemy breakthrough towards the northern coast.
The 4th D.I.M. Livorno, which had already been heavily engaged the day before, has to hold the front between the east of Caltagirone (where it was linked up with the 54th D.I.) and north of Licata, protecting Enna. Its commander, General Domenico Chirieleison, points out to Guzzoni the weakness of its position and its urgent need for reinforcements.
During the night, the 28th D.I. Aosta (General Luigi Manzi) begins to move from the west of the island towards Enna. The lack of transport prevents a very rapid redeployment, but the 171st Black Shirt Legion Vespri, which has trucks at its disposal, and the two motorized gun groups of the division are able to reach Caltanisseta before daybreak, as well as A and B mobile groups, assigned to the XII Corps.
The 26th D.I.M. Assietta is to hold the west of the island. General Perugi deploys the 29th Regiment around Porto-Empedocles and Agrigento. The 30th Regiment, stationed near Castelvetrano constitutes Guzzoni's last reserve, in case the Allies carry out a new landing near Marsala or Trapani.
.........
In the east: the British settle down
On the side of the 1st British Army, Ritchie's X Corps enters Priolo Gargallo at the end of the evening. Allfrey's V Corps does the same at Noto and the British 6th ID is sent from Modica to Palazzolo (on the Noto-Vizzini road), to cover Bradley's right flank.
.........
In the center: the Americans see fire
The battle begins at dawn in the Vizzini-Chiaramonte sector, where the forces of General Omar Bradley's forces attack.
The men of the 26th Regimental Combat Team (General Theodore Roosevelt), who had taken Comiso the day before without any real opposition, comes up against a much stronger defense and their heavy weapons, delayed by the traffic jams on the beaches, are conspicuous by their absence. The GIs are pinned down by mortar and artillery fire. However, from 10:30 onwards, the light and medium bombers begin to pound the Italian troops without mercy. At noon, the American medium tanks (mostly M3 Medium, but also a handful of brand new M4 tanks) appear on the front, engaging the Italian resistance points with 75 mm cannon. Ragusa is taken shortly after midday, but Chiaramonte is the scene of a very close struggle until the end of the afternoon.
At 15:30, as the heat begins to weigh on the shoulders of the fighters, a small "task force" formed for the occasion by men of the 82nd Airborne and the 1st Ranger Battalion, cut the Vizzini-Chiaramonte road. The men of the 26th RCT enter Chiaramonte at dusk, but the Italian 75th Infantry Regiment still defends Vizzini energetically and launches strong counter-attacks towards Chiaramonte in the evening. Only the action of the tanks, firing machine-gun fire at point-blank range, block these attacks and allow the Americans to hold the small town.
Further west, the French of the 14th ID complete the cleaning of Niscemi and come to the aid of the inhabitants who come out of their cellars in terror, while the 2nd AD takes a break before heading for Caltagirone. Short but necessary rest for the crews after a sleepless night, maintenance and summary repairs for the vehicles.
Around noon, a radio contact is established with the 2nd Brigade, which has disembarked and took the road via Ponte Olivo to take the SP 194 towards Caltagirone from the west...except for a Dodge command-car that leaves for Niscemi to find its regular occupant.
The 1st Brigade leaves shortly afterwards, but the retreating Italians have laid a few traps on the SP 10, in particular 5 km from Niscemi, where the road descends from the plateau and passes under the railway bridge. The bridge is blown up, creating a 4-meter hole in the road. This does not bother the tanks, which cut due east through the fields, moving away from the rails to go up on the road that winds along the hills. An off-track shortcut, so to speak, that allowed them to avoid - without knowing it - an ambush in a bend in the route. Disgusted, the Italians set off again on foot along the paths...
For the trucks of the 14th ID, however, it will take the intervention of the engineers. Of course, this kind of inconvenience is foreseen, but it delays somewhat the progression. Bordered by fields and dry pastures, the road then winds between low hills.
Leclerc takes advantage of this slowing down of the infantry to make his light tanks take the small side roads, for safety. But he is all the more impatient as his Dodge is also blocked.
Five kilometers are thus covered at low speed before emerging on the plain leading to Caltagirone. Two hills a little higher are the scene of clashes between M3F and Italian infantrymen equipped with mortars, but the latter quickly fall back. From then on, not wanting to relive the previous night, we bivouack while waiting for the infantry to arrive.
A little further west, from Ponte Olivo, the Gela-Enna road is the scene of a succession of bloody micro-battles. Guns and howitzers of the 3rd RAC, landed during the night, are continuously in action, as well as the light bombers and the first tanks of the 2nd Brigade.
In the evening, the Italian 34th Infantry Regiment is in retreat, but the French units are getting closer to Caltagirone. The first reconnaissances give rise to some skirmishes.
.........
Progress on the Western Flank
To the west, in the Licata sector, the 83rd DIA does not encounter strong opposition before reaching Caltanisseta. On the coast, strongly supported by naval artillery, the men of the 14th DBLE Ebro and the 1st REP progress at a good pace towards Porto Empedocle. Meanwhile, the port of Licata proves to be more useful than expected. The landing of the 86th DIA was faster than expected and the second echelon (7th Chasseurs Ardennais and 4th BMLE Saigon) begin to disembark during the day.
.........
Superaereo plays its last cards
While the ground fighting is going on according to the allied forecasts, this Sunday, September 20th, one of the most intense naval air battles of the campaign takes place.
Early in the morning, Mussolini meets with the Italian General Staff. Everyone is now convinced that Sicily is the target of the main allied attack. Several meetings with Generals Guzzoni and Ambrosio persuade Mussolini that a strong reaction is needed to avoid a further deterioration of the situation. The staff of the Regia Aeronautica (Superaereo) only learns at dawn of the German hesitations concerning the assignment of the Xth FK. Its chief, General Fougier, has no other choice than to launch an air strike as massive as possible against the invasion fleet stationed in the Gulf of Noto, as the XVI Corps seems unable to stop the enemy's progression towards the east. Fougier and his staff hope until the last moment to be able to have at least German fighter units to protect his bombing squadrons, but without success. Under pressure from Mussolini, they are forced to launch an attack without any real protection against the Allied fleet off Syracuse and against the Purple beaches, because the shelling of the previous weeks has exhausted the Italian fighter units.
This raid includes three waves, with a total of 153 aircraft for what Francesco Folcini (La Caduta dell'Italia Fascista) called "the swan song of the Regia Aeronautica". First, the planes of the Raggrupamento Tuffatori (dive-bombing group): 36 Ju 87B2 (96°, 97° and 101° Gruppi Tuffatori) and 12 brand new Reggiane Re.2002, escorted by 14 Macchi MC.200 and 8 MC.202, that is to say almost all the planes still available to the 4° and 51° Stormi Caccia Terrestre.
The second wave includes 51 SM.79B (including 33 torpedo boats) of the 104° and 87° Gruppi Bombardamento and of the 90°, 131° and 132° Gruppi Aerosiluranti. These planes are escorted by 8 MC.200 and 6 MC.202 of the 3rd Stormo CT, based in Bari.
Finally, the third wave is composed of 18 CANT Z.1007b of the 104° and 87° Gruppi Bombardamento, based in Brindisi, without escort...
The Allied forces deployed in the Gulf of Noto are strongly protected. Rear Admiral Ken Hewitt (USN) commands two aircraft carriers, HMS Furious and USS Ranger, with a total of 51 F4F-4s, 11 Martlet IIs and 6 Fulmar IIs operational. In addition, the RAF maintains a permanent patrol of 4 Beaufighter TF-VI and 8 Bristol Banshee II from Sqn 227, 235 and 248, in addition to the contribution of the French Air Force: 12 Mustang IIs from the 7th Fighter Squadron, based in Gozo. That is 24 land-based fighters and many more in reserve.
As important as the fighters are the two Hewitt Air Command ships: HMS Sirius and MN Marseillaise and the Fighter Direction Officers (FDOs) of the aircraft carriers, now fully trained and integrated into the defense system, on both the Ranger and the Furious.
13:04 - The first wave is detected by the Sirius type 279 radar and the Mustang IIs are put on an interception course while the alert is given in Gozo, where 16 other French fighters are launched, as well as 8 twin-engine Banshee fighters. The FDO of Sirius keeps the twin-engine fighters of the RAF and the Fulmar of the Furious to intercept possible torpedo bombers and the Wildcat and Martlet as a last line of defense.
13:19 - The 12 Mustangs intercept the first wave, but have to face a very tough escort, although technically outdated. The French lose five aircraft and shoot down twelve of their adversaries (seven MC.200, three MC.202 and two Ju 87). The Italian fighters py a high price for their dive bombers to get through this first curtain almost without breakage. Useless sacrifice...
13:25 - The 24 F4F-4 of VF-9 (Lt-Cdr John Raby) fall on the bombers which have almost no escort and the Wildcats have a field day, massacring 17 Ju 87 and 4 Re.2002 for the loss of two of theirs. Most of the other bombers have to get rid of their their bombs to survive. Almost alone, four Re.2002s persist and target the destroyers USS Trippe and Rhind, which they just miss. Two of them are shot down by naval flak, including the one of Lt-Col. Nobili, commander of the 102nd Gruppo Tuffatori.
13:42 - The allied radars detecte the second wave, that of the torpedo bombers, supposed to attack once the Allied fleet was disorganized by the dive bombers. The Banshees attack a little bit early, before the planes of VF-41 (Lt-Cdr C.T. Booth II) attract the escort fighters; the twin-engine fighters lose three planes but shoot down three MC.200 and one SM.79 trailing the group. The Wildcats then arrive and top the torpedo bombers long before they reach the screen: Browning .50s wreak havoc on the poorly protected Sparviero, fourteen of which are shot down, before three are killed by Beaufighters on patrol and two by Fulmar bullets. Most of the surviving SM.79s launch their torpedoes from too far away to be dangerous, but seven aircraft of the 132nd Gruppo, led by Captain Buscaglia, manage to launch at a good distance at the Furious, which they just miss, and on the Exeter, which they hit with a torpedo at B turret level. The heavy cruiser is to withdraw to Malta, escorted by the destroyers MN Mameluk and Siroco.
14:12 - The second wave created enough confusion to allow the 18 CANT Z.1007b to approach at medium altitude without being spotted until they reached the outer screen of the fleet. Italian bombs flank the LSTs Misoa and Bachaquero, but these two precious ships get away without any trouble. Then the inevitable happens: the CANTs are intercepted by the 16 Mustang IIs which arrived as reinforcements from Malta and it is a new massacre. Out of 18 Z.1007b, 14 are shot down, and the four others have to land in Catania.
In less than two hours, the allied combination of fighters and fighter direction scored an impressive victory. However, the Regia Aeronautica succeeds in mounting new attacks at dusk, a feat that must be credited to the sense of duty of the Italian aviators.
18:55 - The radar of the Sirius detects an enemy formation and the 12 Mustang IIs that are on the last patrol of the day to the north-east of the fleet are sent to check it out. They discover 15 Ju 87 and 6 Re.2002 escorted by 4 MC.200 and 4 MC.202. The ensuing battle results in the destruction of 4 Ju 87s, 3 MC.200s and 2 MC.202s, in exchange for three Mustang IIs.
The surviving Ju 87s, having had to drop their bombs to escape from the French fighters, retreat, but the six Re.2002s, which had dived low over the waves, manage to cross the screen without being seen by the American fighters. They then spot the heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa and start to climb as best they can to attack it. Taken by the entire fleet's flak, they lose three of their number. The survivors manage to place a 250 kg bomb on the Tuscaloosa, causing a serious fire in the seaplane hangar. Nevertheless, at 20:05, the flames are under control and the ship remains on station.
This episode is not the last attack of the day.
19:24 - Eleven SM.79 of the 131° and 132° Gruppi appear at low altitude, heading for the USS Ranger. A violent flak is unleashed instantly. The cruiser Marseillaise, rebuilt in CLAA, shows the quality of its new made-in-the-USA armament and shoots down two of the attackers, including the leader of the formation, Captain Buscaglia, who was trying his luck for the second time of the day (seriously wounded, he was rescued with his navigator by the USS Ludlow). At the same time, three Fulmars from the Furious dive in the middle of the flak and and destroy three other SM.79s, losing one aircraft to "friendly fire". Six aircraft remain, and they are stubborn; the commander of the USS Ranger, Captain C.T. Durgin, has to maneuver to escape their torpedoes.
When night finally falls, it is time for a reckoning. The "first naval air battle of the Gulf of Noto" cost the Regia Aeronautica 90 aircraft (plus 21 damaged beyond repair) and... 14 to the Allies (plus five severely damaged - one Mustang, two F4F-4, a Banshee and a Fulmar). This was undoubtedly an outstanding success and the allied admirals (Rawlings, Hewitt and of course Cunningham) were perfectly confident at the end of the day.
The failure of the Italian planes to obtain hits against the Allied ships was in no way linked to a lack of courage or professional quality. In fact, the crews of the ships and aircraft crews were impressed by the sense of duty and dedication of their opponents. Both the SM.79 and the Re.2002 attacks were potentially very dangerous. However, the lack of an effective fighter escort prevents the bombers to hope for real success.
.........
Mussolini calls for help
The results of the day's raids are a painful shock for the Italian command, who expected a lot from them. Even if the Italian aviators claimed in good faith to have sunk the Exeter, damaged the Ranger and severely hit an unnamed American battleship (in fact the heavy cruiser Tuscaloosa), these results are far too low compared to the destruction of most of the air forces concentrated in Southern Italy.
22:30 - Mussolini, swallowing his pride, decides to call Hitler to beg for the deployment of the Xth FK as soon as possible in Southern Italy. This call first causes some confusion in Rastenburg. But finally, the decision is made to support the Italian ally.
On the 21st, at 00:30, Kesselring receives a phone call from Jeschonnek, who informs him that the Xth FK has been ordered to be sent to Italy and has to be redeployed "as a matter of urgency" to the airfields of Cosenza and Reggio Calabria.

French Navy Anti-aircraft Light Cruiser MN Marseillaise, First air battle of the Gulf of Noto, September 1942

 

[Wings]

September 20th, 1942

Albania - Escaping the attacks of the Allied air force, old Siebel ferries (Siebelfähre) from Trieste disembark at Durrës/Durazzo the first elements of the 19th Flak Division (102nd and 135th regiments) of Lieutenant-General Gotthard Frantz. A few days later, among other elements of the 19th Flak, a very discreet "Construction Battalion" will arrive from Salonika. It is in fact the Brandenburg Battalion of Baron Adrian von Folkersam: the commandos of the Abwehr. Flak and commandos are divided between Durres and Tirana.

 

[Wings]

September 20th, 1942

Peloponnese - In spite of a rather poor weather, the Allied planes harass the Axis positions around Tripolis. These raids are less intended to weaken the enemy defenses for a future ground offensive, but rather to prevent reinforcements being sent to Italy and Sicily. The attacks, carried out by light and dive bombers, are however deadly enough to force Marshal Kesselring to commit the Luftwaffe.
The afternoon raids, carried out by the Vultee Vengeance of the IV/22 group, the DB-73 of the 19th EB and the Blenheim and Beaumont of the 238th Wing suffer heavy losses under the blows of German fighters. Two Vengeance, three DB-73, two Blenheims and one Beaumont, as well as four Hurricanes, two P-40Es and a Spitfire V of the escort (all from the 239th Wing, based at Molai) are shot down between 14:50 and 17:15, in three separate air battles. The Germans lose only five Bf 109Fs.
If the loss ratio is very favorable to the Luftwaffe (3 to 1), the ground troops complain energetically about the Allied air attacks and Rommel, who is taking a rest near Salonika, decides to return to Athens, in case the Allied forces launch an offensive coordinated with the operations in Sicily.

 

[Wings]

All detailed maps & illustrations courtesy of 1940lafrancecontinue.org

 

[Wings]

September 21st, 1942

Shoreham, England - The Miles M-38 Messenger is successfully evaluated by Capt. Redon, French Army, and four British Army officers. Although this small aircraft is well done, it is the beginning of a violent controversy within the United Kingdom services.

 

[Wings]

September 21st, 1942

Boeing Field, Seattle - It's a very different plane from the little Messenger that's making its first flight. The B-29 is a monster with a 43-meter wingspan, which will carry more than 9 tons of bombs at a distance of more than 5,000 km, at an altitude of more than 9,000 meters and at a speed that can exceed 560 km/h. The whole with a crew comfortably installed in a vast pressurized cabin...

 

[Wings]

September 21st, 1942

The battle of the DDCH-100 convoy (1)
The DDCH-100 is a large slow convoy (8 knots) departing from Durban (D) to Britain (H for Home). On its way, it stops in Dakar (D), where it is reinforced by vessels of convoy PLDC-87 (coming from the Rio de la Plata area, PL) before leaving for Casablanca (C), where some of its vessels are to stop. On 21 September, 54 merchant ships crawl across the Atlantic between Dakar and Casablanca. The escort from La Plata consists of Escort Group A3 (Cdr Heineman, US Navy) with the cutters USS Campbell and Spencer and the corvettes HMCS Bittersweet, Lunenburg, Mayflower and Weyburn. The escort coming from Durban is the GEAS (South Atlantic Escort Group), with the two modernized Aigle class destroyers Epervier and Vautour*, the two Bougainville-class avisos Savorgnan-de-Brazza and Rigault-de-Genouilly and the three Flower class corvettes Arquebuse, La Dieppoise and La Malouine. The two destroyers Albatros and Milan, which have just arrived from Great Britain after Operation Rutter/Routier, join the escort off Dakar.
However, the Kriegsmarine's Service B (listening to and deciphering enemy messages) decodes part of the DDCH-100's instructions. Two "packs", the Gruppe Lohs (9 submarines) and the Gruppe Pfeil (8 submarines) are deployed between Dakar and Casablanca.
On the night of the 20th, two hours after leaving Dakar, the convoy is spotted by a U-boot of the Lohs Group, but its message is detected by HF/DF and the Albatros attacks immediately, while the convoy starts an escape maneuver. The German submarine is not hit, but it is pushed back and loses contact. The Gruppe Lohs is therefore unable to attack that night.
At dawn on the 21st, the seaplanes of the E 7 and E 21 Flotillas of the French Navy begin to patrol over the convoy.. The Sunderland n°4 of the E 7 spots a U-Boot and drops two depth charges - without result, but the threat of an air attack forces the German submarines to remain in the water all day. In the evening, Gruppe Lohs' chances run out.
But the DDCH-100 does not get out of the danger zone.
Shortly before midnight, the Allied ships begin to detect new German emissions at high frequency. However, the escorts are too busy rallying the stragglers to attack each HF/DF "cut" (signal). Gruppe Pfeil will be able to go on the attack.

 

[Wings]

September 21st, 1942

Battle of Singapore - IV
All morning, the Japanese artillery shells the city. Some batteries target military objectives, but most of them do not have any and bomb randomly. The shooting only stops long enough to let the air force bring its share of explosives to the deluge of fire that falls on what was once the pearl of the British Empire.
11:55 - The guns fall silent.
12:00 - Six Japanese divisions attack in a concerted manner, with the same rage to finish...
13:10 - In one hour, the 5th and 33rd Japanese divisions dislodge the 11th Indian Division from Mont Faber and force it to withdraw completely into the city of Singapore.
13:20 - The 27th ID. takes Government House. Yamashita, who had hoped to sign the surrender of the British forces in this more symbolic than strategic place, has to give it up as the building was totally destroyed by fire*.
13:45 - The Japanese 56th Division advances into the eastern suburbs of Singapore. But it has to fight violent street battles that slow it down seriously.
14:30 - Passing through the Kallang airfield, the 18th I.D. enters Singapore itself. Following Yamashita's instructions, it waits until the other divisions have also entered the city before making a new push (which will be the case half an hour later, with the 9th ID.). No divisional general can claim to have taken the city!
16:00 - The Japanese forces begin the final cleanup. The fighting at the end of the afternoon is indescribable, like all street fighting, especially in a large city.
The last Australian armoured vehicles, ambushed at some crossroads, create pockets of resistance around them and make the Japanese pay dearly for the slightest progress. Only one tank is captured intact.
The professional soldiers of the Indian Brigade, the Highlands Brigade, the artillery or armor, fight to the last cartridge, often literally, but the Singaporean, Malayan and especially Chinese volunteers will not consider surrendering.
Only regular battalions or companies of the Indian or British forces offer their surrender. Their Chinese and Malay comrades have, unfortunately, good reasons to fight to the death.
Indeed, all Chinese and many of the Malays caught in arms, or even just in uniform, are massacred immediately. But this is not enough for the Japanese. The very evening of the fall of Singapore, General Tomoyuki Yamashita orders, in addition to the establishment of normal prisoner of war camps, the creation of assembly centers where Chinese males between 18 and 50 years old have to go to be evaluated. Those identified as "anti-Japanese" (according to the definition chosen by the assessment officer) will be taken to a discreet corner and shot without sentencing. In the first days of the occupation, at least ten thousand Chinese are killed in this way, not to mention the exactions committed in an unorganized way against the whole civilian population, whatever their ethnic origin, sex or age. It is likely that the total number of civilian victims is between 50 and 100,000 dead.
.........
From our special correspondent in Singapore - Lord Gort died last night while trying to cross Japanese lines. I ran into his orderly, who escaped. The general died as he lived, as a soldier.
In the city, the sappers who could not find anything else to destroy use their explosives to slow down the advance of the Japanese soldiers. The latter infiltrate slowly and cautiously - no soldiers like street fighting. They bypassed the pockets of resistance and headed for the heart of the city. Already they have invaded Chinatown and the runaways tell of the abuses they have witnessed. Incredulous, I went there to do my job as a journalist. Alas, words fail to describe what is happening in Singapore right now. I thought I had seen the worst twenty-five years ago in Ireland. Unfortunately, I was far from it.
With nothing left to loot or destroy, the Japanese are taking it out on the people. Very young children were thrown in the air and caught on the point of the bayonet. Older children are thrown against the walls, some several times. The luckiest men are shot on the spot while others are tied up for bayonet training. The women and nubile girls (or even younger ones) are raped in a chain. Often the last one finishes his task with a bayonet.
The officers do not wield the bayonet, but the sword. It seems that they have a contest to see who can cut off the most heads.
Men have been seen playing ball with human heads. They also roasted men and women on improvised grills.
The contempt of the Japanese for human life, added to the memory of the humiliation suffered in April and the exasperation of this interminable siege is apparently at the origin of these behaviors.
Some soldiers surrendered individually or in small groups, but the Japanese despise those who surrender, especially men who surrendered without the order of an officer - and this contempt can result in immediate execution. This is why soldiers who have lost their units try to join another one or, if they are isolated, decide to resist until the end and to drag some Japanese to their deaths.
I am now in the cellar of the Grand Post Office where Mynheer Wim continues to work. I dictate this article to him. Mr. Wim is Dutch, he is old and widowed, he is also terribly short-sighted. He held the telex station during the whole siege and we share our last moments.
He prepared several grenades to destroy his installations at the last moment.
On my last outing, the Mikado soldiers were less than a quarter mile away. I heard only sporadic shooting and explosions. All organized resistance seems to have ceased. I think about my witnesses of the last few days. How many are still alive? Did they manage to reach the jungle? I barricaded the cellar entrance with a table and some rubble. I've ducked behind with my Webley. We hear voices, it's the Japs. That's it, footsteps in the cellar.../ Transmission interrupted, end of transmission, end of transmission, end of
end of transmission.
Ray O'Brady, for The Times of London
.........
Editor's note accompanying the above article in the Times - "This is the last report received by our office. Raymond O'Brady has not been heard from life since. To date the Japanese have not forwarded to the Red Cross any list of prisoners taken in Singapore.
Ray worked for the Times for ten years. Our thoughts are with his wife and children.
In his last moments, Ray ceased to be a witness and became an actor of the events, however briefly. He was a good man and no good man could stand by and be inactive in the face of the acts perpetrated by the Japanese and reported by him.
It is in his honor that I conclude: Long live Ireland and the Irish."
...........................
Report of Lieutenant Masahiro to his superior, Captain Tashi (5th Division) - As per orders, we took the Grand Post Office. No resistance, except in the basement, defended by two men, shot down. Casualties: one killed, one wounded.
Transmission equipment captured, but trapped with grenades. Deadly explosion in this confined space. Casualties: two killed. Long live the Emperor!"

* After the war, it will be rebuilt identically. It is now the famous Singapore War Museum (which only deals with the 1941-1945 war in Malaysia and Singapore)

 

[Wings]

September 21st, 1942

Guadalcanal - On the Matanikau front, Colonel Kuma notices that his men arehaving a hard time acclimatizing to the climate of Guadalcanal - just because an island is tropical, green and bathed by an ocean of ever-warm waters does not mean that the environment is paradise. The lack of mosquito nets and medicine has a catastrophic effect on the fighting capabilities of his unit. Although they are now relatively rested, the Japanese soldiers can at best hold a position. It is out of the question to send them to attack again. He orders everyone to retreat to several lines reinforced with carefully camouflaged bunkers, in order to protect his supply base, located near Cape Esperance.
On the American side, at the 1st Marine Division HQ, the idea of an armoured charge from the coast appears more and more attractive, but the same argument comes up again and again: what if the Japanese took advantage of the situation to fall back on the open flank of the armored tanks, on the jungle side, to cut them off from their bases? The whole day is spent in discussion to compare the relative merits of an attack on a wide front and that of a lightning thrust.

 

[Wings]

September 21st, 1942

Kokoda Track - Despite the blow to morale from the fall of Singapore, the exhausting task of moving through the jungle in search of the Japanese flanks continues, in the face of determined opposition. A small breakthrough is achieved at Leaney's Corner. A platoon of the 2/10th moves out more than 1,500 yards from the Track and discovers a shallow stream, barely swollen by the usual rain, which the men follow until they hear Japanese voices. At about 18:00, they attack and come upon a small Japanese position from which they dislodge the enemy. From there, they have a very good view of the track, where it crosses a stream. The position is apparently some sort of headquarters or medical pot: the Australians find bags of rice, barrels of canned prunes, rice alcohol and medical supplies: morphine (in quantity), quinine (very little), bandages, mercurochrome - all very useful. Alerted, the battalion quickly reinforces this position, which is to become crucial.
The darkness finds the Australians in a delicate but promising situation. The three battalions, widely spaced, have overrun the enemy on the Gorari, Leaney's Corner and Waju. They are about to surround the Japanese. The Japanese are aware of this - in fact, the troops holding Leaney's Corner already have Australians in their rear at the old Japanese medical post. The only way out is for them to break through to the northeast to bypass this position and find the Unjiki Trail. They attack in this direction at dusk and a savage battle rages all night in this sector. The 2/10th suffers severe losses, but this action gives a chance to the 2/12th, on a side track, which decides to attack shortly after midnight.

Townsville (Australia) - Arrival of the "Brisbane River Amphibious Carrier Battalion". This unit was formed with sixteen vehicles landed in Brisbane in August by a cargo ship from England and trained in a hurry. The vehicles are armored personnel carriers Mk X, a modern version of the Mk IX of the First World War. The United States having been unable to send LVTs to Australia, the British sent these sixteen Mk Xs, initially intended for the Greek front. Perhaps the machines were too advanced for the work required, but it is an opportunity to know how they behave in tropical conditions, while waiting for a larger scale use in Malaysia! The crews are recruited in the Brisbane area by the specialists accompanying the vehicles in the local garrison and the 3rd AMF Division units.

 

[Wings]

September 21st, 1942

Tonkin - With a significant delay compared to the forecasts of the Occupiers, the Bac-Son blast furnace goes into operation. It will produce 10 to 12 tons of cast iron per day for the needs of the Japanese industry.

 

[Wings]

September 21st, 1942

Saaremaa - A Soviet air raid sinks the Nymph, the former Norwegian coastal defence ship Tordenskjöld, converted into a flak ship. Released from the Newcastle shipyards in 1897, it was probably one of the oldest ships of the Kriegsmarine. But, even in tow, its floating and its riddled and dented silhouette was constantly present on the beaches through which the island's supplies pass. For the veterans of Saaremaa, its loss is a bad omen. They do not know that their evacuation is already decided.

 

[Wings]

September 21st, 1942

Moscow - In view of the bad news from Ukraine, the Stavka orders that the first phase of the Baltic Front offensive (Operation Iskra), scheduled for October 11th, be brought forward to the 1st.

 

[Wings]

September 21st, 1942

Operation Typhoon
The northern wing offensive - In front of the 2. PzG, elements of the 3. and 17. Panzer attempt shortly after dawn to cross the "Little Seym". This tributary of the Desna flows north of the Ost'or marshes; although "small", it is 15 to 20 meters wide and its bottom, very soft, imposes the passage by boat or the installation of bridges. The German sappers and pontoon boatmen have to deal with the 241st ID, deployed around Veresotch by Major-General A.I. Lopatin (47th Army). The cavalrymen of the 126th DC (2nd Cavalry Corps, Belov) hasten to join the fight. It is only at 08:40 that the first tanks of the 17. Panzer cross the Little Seym on boats; those of the 3. Panzer have to wait until 09:30. All of them advance cautiously in the morning mist, which could hide an ambush. But from 10:00, when this fog dissipates, the 589th Artillery Rgt, which supports the Soviet infantrymen, makes its presence felt by engaging the troops concentrated on the northern bank.
At 10:30, it becomes clear that the crossing would be more difficult than expected. Reinhardt makes the Luftwaffe intervene to muzzle the Soviet guns, but the first Stukas do not attack before 11:30. At this moment, one of the three German bridgeheads undergoes a counter-attack so ferocious that the Soviet cavalrymen reach the river bank and are repulsed only by direct fire from tanks and assault guns posted on the northern bank. Von Weber and Breith cannot announce that the situation is under control until 12:30.
In the early afternoon, the German tanks transported to the south bank are numerous enough to eliminate its defenders, but the first boat bridge is not put in place before
16:00.
In the east, in the sector of the 3. PzG, German troops manage to consolidate their positions on the south bank of the Desna, at Mekoshino. Early in the morning, Lopatin, who commands the 47th Army, launches a counter-attack with the 141st Mechanized Brigade and the 139th Div. Mot. As on the side of the 2. PzG, visibility is very poor until 09:30.
In the fog, Soviet tanks infiltrate in the middle of the German bridgeheads and arrive dangerously close to the boat bridges that the Germans had built during the night.
But they are stopped and destroyed one after the other by the anti-tank guns and the efficient action of teams armed with grenades, before they can seriously interfere with the crossing. However, the battle around Mekoshino delaysthe 12. Panzer (Harp), which does not start to march on Bakhmach until mid-afternoon.
.........
In view of the difficulties encountered on both fronts, Guderian orders small armored detachments to be sent to take Nejyne and Bakhmach before the Soviet positions are stabilized.
On the other side, General Alexander M. Vasilievsky meets with Marshal Shaposhnikov in Kiev before his departure. He is ill and has to return to Moscow at his request. After having received the command of the Western Strategic Direction, Vassilievsky talks on the phone with M.P. Kirponos and I.S. Konev, commanding the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts, to get a clearer picture of the situation on the ground.
...
The southern wing Offensive - The weather will deteriorate as the day progresses. Low clouds will bring rain, which prevent aircraft from both sides from flying in the afternoon.
It is under these conditions that Kleist launches his operation against the Soviet 14th Army.
The KampfGruppe Hube and the SS Wiking Division attack from the north, while the Hungarian Corps has to attack from west to east. However, the Hungarians have some difficulty in getting into position and attack southeast toward Uman', which is controlled by the Soviet 45th Army.
The German tanks are initially met with little resistance. But, around 10:00, as they approach Jashkiev (Zhashkiv), they encounter the 32nd and 61st Soviet Armored Brigades. A fierce fight takes place, which lasts until noon and sees the almost annihilation of the two brigades, but at the cost of about fifty German tanks.
These two hours of respite allow Rokossovsky to bring his artillery up to the frontline and, when the German armored vehicles wante to resume their advance around 13:00, they are the object of very precise fire from anti-tank guns and even from the rest of the artillery, operating in direct fire. After more than two and a half hours of bloody hide-and-seek, 27 additional tanks are destroyed or damaged. General Hube decides to stop the attack.
On the Hungarian side, the attack is launched by the Armored Division (Pancelos Hadosztaly) and the 7th and 9th ID. They are confronted by the units of the 45th Army: 4th Anti-tank Brigade, 40th and 131st Armored Brigades and two rifle divisions. The Hungarian tanks, although of good quality, are too light to break through such defenses. The losses will quickly rise - in the evening, not less than 69 Pz-38t and 11 Turan-I are destroyed and the Magyar command admits the failure of the operation. In counter-attack, the two Armored Brigades will even succeeded in breaking through the Hungarian position; however, the Soviets do not push their advantage. Worried about Rokossovsky, Bagramyan recalls his tanks to send them towards the north. They reach Jaskhiev around 17:00, constituting a welcome reinforcement.
.........
Under a driving rain, the calm returns on the battlefield where, on both sides, one finds subject to reflection. For the Germans, the half-victory over the 14th Army has cleared Kleist's right flank, but at a very heavy price. On the Soviet side, if the clear victory over the Hungarians has strengthened morale, the losses suffered by the 14th Army - which has almost no tanks of its own - are worrying. This army will have to move eastwards to establish more solid contact with the remains of the Dovator group. However, an additional day is gained, and it is used to land the heavy elements of the 58th Army as well as the first elements of the 59th Army.

 

[Wings]

September 21st, 1942

Between Velyka Balka and Usatove (south of Drachne, northwest of Odessa) - Despite the repeated failures suffered around Drachne by the Axis troops, Salmuth's XXX. ArmeeKorps prepares a new offensive to the south of this city ruined by the previous fighting. The goal is to break the defense line established by the 157th ID between the villages of Velyka Balka and Usatove, then to fall back behind Drachne, in order to encircle the Soviet troops who are entrenched there.
The day before, a Fieseler Storch sent out on reconnaissance reported numerous track marks in the fields, suggesting the presence of enemy armor hidden in the woods near the front line. But this is not a problem for the Germans. The 198. ID, severely shaken by the fighting of the last weeks, has indeed received a gift - for lack of replacements: two Pz-V Ausf C Leopards equipped with a 75 mm/L46 gun. As for the Romanians, they take the opportunity to test the newly created 61 TACAM company. This unit is attached to the 1st Tank Rgt, but it is autonomous and intended to be sent to hot spots. It is equipped with several TACAM T-50 (Tun Anticar pe Afet Mobil T-50 or anti-tank gun on mobile mount T-50): these are tank hunters made from captured T-50 chassis and put back into service by the Romanian armourers.
In the early morning, the two Leopards, supported by a Marder II, reach the first lines: a network of trenches held by the troops of the 39th Romanian Infantry Rgt. Three
and four ZB vz.26 machine guns reinforce this thin line of defense, as well as a single Panzer IV D generously offered to the Romanian army by the Reich. In second line, a 75 mm CA Mle 1917 1 cannon and two ZB Vz.30 machine guns ensure a symbolic flak.
This zone of the front is rather quiet, the fighting taking place further north. A good half of the Romanian soldiers are busy having breakfast or smoking a cigarette when the alarm sounds. Far from being surprised by the preparations of the German-Romanians, the Red Army takes the initiative. During the whole morning, several waves of Soviet infantry attack the Romanian lines, with or without armored support.
Informed of the attack, General Orasanu orders the 12th and 17th Artillery Rgt to support the defenders and the two sides engage in an artillery duel. In this game, the Soviets take the advantage, but this does not compensate for the destruction of most of the red star tanks by the Romanian Leopards and tank hunters - the Marder is eliminated in the first assault. Finally, a lucky shot dislodges one of the Leopards, which is destroyed by a heavy artillery barrage, but it is too late. The attack fails. The Soviets have nearly 800 killed against a little less than 200 dead (mostly Romanians) in the Axis ranks.
But the Soviets at least manage to prevent the Axis offensive. In any case, General Orasanu, having lost a good part of his armored elements, cancels the attack planned for the next day.