Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

[Wings]

November 19th, 1942

In the heart of Germany - The Amerika, the Führer's private train, while running between Berlin and Rastenburg, welcomes a distinguished guest, Marshal Ion Victor Antonescu. The pretext of the visit is a short ceremony where the Romanian dictator receives the "Odessa arm plate" in gold. This plate is not really a decoration, but a kind of testimony which (in another metal) will be given the following days to all the Romanian and German soldiers who participated in the Odessa campaign.
It is only then that the serious things begin, in one of the luxurious lounges of the train. It is a question of taking stock, with two weeks of hindsight, of the strategic perspectives opened by the capture of Odessa. This meeting of the two despots has since been the subject of many comments, since Adolf Hitler's translator, Paul-Otto Schmidt will tell it after the war. However, the veracity of Schmidt's words has been too often disputed to be trusted, beyond the twenty minutes of the tape recording made in secret by one of the SS men present.
After an interminable monologue on the necessary conquest of the Lebensraum (living space) of the Aryans in the east, and the equally necessary destruction of Judeo-Bolshevism, the Führer enters into the heart of the matter. According to Schmidt, to the great astonishment of the participants, Hitler would have recognized to be mistaken by underestimating the military capacities of the USSR. Diplomat, Antonescu would have then affirmed that he would have made the same error.
To Schmidt's astonishment (as the latter will tell us), Hitler then asked the Romanian marshal's advice as to the strategy to adopt on the southern front, while declaring that he still intends to seize the whole Ukraine, because of its raw materials.
- So", Antonescu replies, "first we must take Kiev. Our troops in Odessa will continue to advance to the river Bug, forcing the enemy to hold the river. In this way, we will force them to immobilize troops in the south and we will serve as a diversion. You will then launch a pincer attack to encircle the defenders of Kiev and seize the entire region.
According to Schmidt, a unique event occurred: Hitler accepted a campaign plan proposed by someone else, without adding anything to it or taking anything away from it! General von Schobert's 11th Army, along the Black Sea, would be the right blow for the advance towards the Bug. The XI. ArmeeKorps of General von Kortzfleisch will be the left hook. Meanwhile, the 4th Romanian Army will take over the defense of Odessa.
In spite of the military morgue displayed by the Romanian, the Führer shows himself to be very friendly throughout the rest of the conference. It is true that the two dictators share a taste for long litanies on the greatness of their country and its glorious history.
Hitler easily forgives Antonescu for his hatred of Hungary, because he himself deeply despises the Magyars.

 

[Wings]

November 19th, 1942

Guadalcanal - Exhausted, the 2nd and 5th USMC Rgt pass the baton on the front to the 7th and 8th Rgt (for the 8th, it is the baptism of fire).

Henderson Field - At dawn, with a roar that contrasts with the usual roar of the Wildcats and Dauntless, the four engines of a B-24 carries General Vandegrift to Nouméa, where three days of conferences await with Admiral Halsey and a visitor, Lt. General Henry Arnold, head of the Army Air Corps. Vandegrift leaves the command temporarily to Major General John Marston. Marston had been in command for ten days, under his orders, of the regiments of the 2nd Marine Division (2nd, 6th and 8th Regiments - infantry - and 10th Regiment - artillery), while Brigadier-General Louis Woods replaced Geiger at the head of the Cactus Air Force since November 7th. As Guadalcanal and the Solomons fade away under his wings, Vandegrift vows to get his troops replaced, at least the 1st, 2nd and 5th Regiments, who had been on the line for more than three months.
...........
Cape Esperance - Upon learning of the interruption of the American offensive, Kawagushi reviews the development of the battle and comes to the same conclusions as Vandegrift: the existence of fortifications (or what took the place of them locally) considerably simplified the task of his men, who were often too exhausted, malnourished or ill to provide anything other than a static defense. But this does not mean that his troops can go on the counter-offensive, and the Japanese general is well aware of this. For that, he needs reinforcements!

Truk - The Imperial Navy staff, around Yamamoto, Ugaki and Yamaguchi (for the aircraft carriers), continues its examination of the situation. Yamamoto must have noticed that the strategic horizon is darkening. As he recounts in his memoirs: "It became clearer every day that we could not afford to deploy as many forces to Guadalcanal as the enemy and that the war of attrition that was imposed on us at sea could only turn to our disadvantage. We said nothing about it, but we all knew that the war was at a turning point that was inexorably unfavorable to us. And yet, the Army continued to ask for support that was impossible to provide for, impossible, at least, without jeopardizing the Fleet's last chance of securing a negotiated end to the conflict with a decisive victory."
To meet the Army's demands, Ugaki once again proposes to conduct raids against Allied positions on Guadalcanal with one or two of the fast battleships.
Yamamoto stubbornly refuses: "We have four large aircraft carriers and two light aircraft carriers to cover. The Haruna, Hiei and Kirishima [the latter is under repair until February] should only join the battle line for the decisive confrontation. Until then, they may be the only ones able to save our carriers from the fate of the Glorious, as the enemy has three battlecruisers and numerous cruisers in the area... Plus all the others," he adds darkly. And as Ugaki and Yamaguchi look at him, surprised, he explains himself: "You know what happened less than three weeks ago in Italy. How long do you think our enemies will be forced to leave a large part of their fleets in the Mediterranean?
Everyone looks at each other. At that moment, they were asking themselves only one question: how, without losing too much face, to convince the Army that Guadalcanal should be evacuated?

San Diego, California - At the end of the day, the cruiser HMAS Hobart arrives at the shipyard. The modification work will last about six months.

 

[Wings]

November 19th, 1942

Operation Zvezda - As the snow showers subside, the leaders of the two Baltic Fronts would like to rest their troops a little, but the Stavka does not hear it that way.
So the Soviets once again attack the Germans, who defend themselves energetically.
In the north, the 4th and 7th Armies are pinned down.
In the center, an attempt by the remnants of the 4th Shock Army to move forward makes some progress towards Balvi, but at the cost of very heavy losses.
In the south, the Shestopalov Maneuver Group advances a few kilometers, but by noon, the arrival of the 36th ID (mot) on the front line smothers the last hopes of the Soviets.
Both opponents are exhausted and the fighting almost stops by itself at the end of the day. The front now forms a vast German salient, from Alüksne (south of Vöru) in the north to Rezekne in the south, passing through Balvi and Ludza (east of Rezekne).
Although the Soviets failed in their plan, they nonetheless severely punished the 16. Armee, forcing AG North to commit all its reserves. On the side of the Wehrmacht, the worst has been avoided, but the Soviets now border Russia and eastern Latvia, while German forces now control only a small piece of southern Estonia. The forces still partially occupying these two Baltic countries are directly threatened.
In addition, the situation in Ukraine is such that there is little hope for reinforcements.

 

[Wings]

November 19th, 1942

Kiev region - Severe weather deterioration. The VVS make only 125 offensive flights, losing 4 planes.
On the German side, the Gomel railway station is repaired, but the railroad only goes as far as Chernigov and remains cut off further south.

 

[Wings]

November 19th, 1942

Lisbon - Finally, General Castellano has his first talks with General Bedell Smith. They focus on the clarification of the mandate of the Italian emissary.
.........
Rome - General Ambrosio meets with Marshal Badoglio to ask him for clarifications on the proposal of Ribbentrop to make the German troops sent to Greece pass through Ancona and Pescara. "This transit, if it is to take place, must respect very precise deadlines. It is of the utmost importance not to let the Germans accumulate troops on Italian territory," he asks the head of government.
In the late afternoon, Ambrosio meets with General Baldassare, commander of the XX Corps, whose first units (those of the "celere" division Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro have just taken position in the suburbs of Rome. This movement was officially presented as a guarantee against demonstrations and disturbances to civil order.
In the meantime, the planes of the 7o Fighter Gruppo, coming from Taranto, arrive at Fiumicino, where awaits a partial re-equipment in the form of... five Macchi MC.202.
In the evening, the military attaché of the German embassy sends a cable (encrypted) to Berlin, in which he indicated that the Italians arejealously guarding the fighters they have received from the Germans and avoid using them against Allied bombers.

Genoa, Milan - Trains (mostly made up of SNCF wagons) disembark during the night the first units of the 10 Panzer and the Das Reich division. Among them the 1st Battalion of the 25th Panzer Regiment, equipped with French Somua S-35 and Hotchkiss H-39 tanks, captured in 1940 and laboriously repaired.

Milan - During a new demonstration organized, as in many Italian cities, to ask for coal and bread, one hears clearly slogans of the committees of the National Front. The new leaders of the Confederation of Industrial Workers announce that they would go to Milan the next day.

Konstanz (Germany) - Princess Mafalda of Savoy, daughter of Victor-Emmanuel, celebrates her own birthday with her children and her husband, Prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt. Mafalda chose to organize the festivities not at the Fasanerie Castle in Hesse, but at the home of her cousin Prince Michael of Montenegro (Mafalda's mother is Elena of Montenegro, daughter of the last king, Nicholas I Petrovic-Njegos). The prince stays in Constance, near the Swiss border, and everyone pretends to ignore that he is in fact a captive since he refused his grandfather's crown, which Mussolini wanted to offer him in 1941.
Prince Philip retires early. Mafalda and Michel chat between the laurels of the park. "Michel, how do you support to remain here? The border is two steps away, Switzerland is full of French agents, they have already made escape I don't know how many generals. I have my children, but you?" Michel turns his head away. He prefers not to reveal to his cousin that a Montenegrin commando sent to free him had been arrested in France a few days earlier.

 

[Wings]

November 19th, 1942

In the south of Grytefjord, 23 km in the north of Vemork, 00:05 - The pallid moon leaves Jens-Anton Poulsson wondering. The leader of the Grouse commando (renamed Swallow by the English, to confuse the enemy - but that of Europe or Africa?... The question has not yet been asked). It does not snow - for the moment - but the clouds coming from the west that are piling up do not tell him anything worthwhile. London has warned of a possible airdrop tonight, so everyone is ready. Poulsson with his flashlight to emit the signal light at the approach of the plane, the others on their skis to meet the arrivals. They will be welcome, because one starts to mope.
The inaction of the days spent watching the Norsk Hydro factory and the German patrols, noting the schedule of rounds, is wearing them out, as is the anxiety of the nights spent on the lookout through the white canvas square of the parachute silk that admirably hides the entrance to the den of branches where the companions sleep.
Fear twists the guts at the approach of a patrol. The snow hides everything, the recent traces are erased by the last falls, but it does not remove the almost irresistible desire to shoot at the abhorred grey-green silhouettes which pass quietly a few meters away. How can you not want to sweep away the bastards who killed your loved ones and burned your houses?
They're suffering from hunger, too, and deprivation. Don't make a fire on the (rare) days of clear weather as the smoke could be seen. To improve rations, hunt game by snaring it (no shooting, especially!) or fish in a hole drilled in the ice. Here again, the snow proves to be a precious ally, covering with its white coat any trace of a passage. Therefore, in addition to the absence of fire, one avoids going out in good weather, in spite of the understandable desire.
So, welcoming the comrades would be a relief. By their presence, the news they would bring and especially the action that would follow. Perhaps one will die of it, perhaps one will be able to mke it safe and sound to Sweden, then to England. In any case, it will be something new.
Around two o'clock in the morning, after hearing twice the hum of the Merlin engines, Poulsson signals to his companions to return. Obviously it will not be for this time. It is necessary to hope that the few nights of full moon which follow will allow the return of the plane. If not, we will have to wait another month... or two.

 

[Wings]

November 20th, 1942

Rastenburg - The Führer summons the Czar of Bulgaria Boris III to his East Prussian lair. On the agenda: the annihilation of the Balkan maquis. Hitler has had more than enough of this rebellious center in the heart of his Fortress Europe. The German army is very tested in battle in the Russian plains, and the Italian ally, threatened on its own soil, can hardly provide any additional effort. In fact, the loyalty of the Italians to the Tripartite Pact becomes more and more doubtful... These difficulties are for the Führer a good reason to call upon the minor partners of the Axis - and, as Hungarians and Romanians are already paying (and dearly) the price of blood on the Russian front, there is hardly anything left but the Bulgarians!
At the end of December, it seemed to him the ideal season for the aptly named Operation Weiss (White): the traces of the fugitives would be perfectly visible in the snow. General von Brauchitsch had already prepared the map, but the Führer hardly let him get a word in edgewise. In a choppy voice, Hitler states his plan of operation. The Bulgarian army has 21 operational divisions, six of which are on ex-Yugoslavian territory (the 6th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 21st and 24th IDs, recalls politely Brauchitsch). By having them relieved by reserve divisions, at least two thirds of these forces will have to move towards the west of Bosnia where they will participate in the encirclement of the Titian territory. Once this "den of bandits" has been destroyed, the Bulgarian divisions will be equipped with new equipment, thanks to German factories that will provide them with the best of their material, Hitler promises, and they will go to the Dniester to prepare for the great spring offensive which, this time, will be the final blow to the Russians...
The unfortunate czar, stunned by the Führer's logorrhea, tries in vain to object to the under-equipment of his army, the threat of the Franco-British, who advance in Greece, and that of the Turks, always ready for a bad blow against their neighbors. Finally (a very good argument but particularly clumsy), he invokes the Russophilia of the Bulgarian people.
Hitler then rages against his little ally, who had not shone by his zeal since the beginning of the conflict, against the Slavs, "miserable dwarfs without culture", against the Jews, who were too tolerated in Bulgaria and who were doing their usual undermining work, and finally against the Italian relatives of the sister-in-law Mafalda, "the most troubled carrion of the house of Italy", whose small family diplomacy did not escape the ears of the Abwehr. That the tsar deviates from the straight path of the Axis, and he and his kingdom will be crushed without mercy! Boris III takes the plane, trembling and pale as a dead man. Back in Sofia, he has to go to bed.

 

[Wings]

November 20th, 1942

Guadalcanal - The 7th and 8th Marine Regiments take their turn in the desperately slow recapture of the island.
.........
Truk - What Yamamoto and his staff feared has happened. The Army lobbied in Tokyo at the highest level and the Navy is forced - or at least compelled - to do so, a supreme humiliation, by an edict of the Emperor! - to provide it with the means for its "victorious offensive" by transporting two regiments safely to Guadalcanal. At least it is forced to try...
Yamamoto has only one solution to cover the operation effectively: to use the four operational carriers stationed at Truk. The Combined Fleet will be the centerpiece of the complicated operation that will be developed in a few days, in a hurry.
.........
Guadalcanal (Cape Esperance) - General Kawagushi receives confirmation of the arrival of the bulk of the 28th Division with a joy tempered by a long practice of Bushido... and a three-month stay on Guadalcanal. The failure of the previous offensives haS taught him that he could not rely on the individual superiority of the Japanese soldier over his American counterpart - a superiority that he himself was beginning to doubt in view of the latest battleseven if he refuses to admit it publicly. Experience has also taught him that, on Guadalcanal, the notion of "fresh troops" is only valid for a few days: mosquitoes, climate and bad food wear down a regiment in two weeks. So he plans to attack quickly, if possible one week after the reinforcements arrive.
After the loss of part of his defensive line west of Mount Austin, his best chance of success is to attack on the Matanikau: wedged between the river and one of its tributaries, as has been the case since their last advance, the American troops will not be able to evade; it will be enough to break through in one place for the Marines' front to collapse and they will be cornered at the Matanikau - and annihilated. It is likely that Kawagushi is well aware that in previous offensives, the Marines preferred to cower in place rather than retreat, but he dismisses this minor concern. Is he aware that the troops targeted by his offensive represented only a fraction (less than a third, in fact) of the American troops present on the island? It is possible. But no doubt he would be satisfied with a partial success!
Moreover, Kawagushi does not neglect his southern flank. He orders that the position that the Americans call "Seahorse" (seen from the sky, it looks vaguely like a seahorse) be fortified in the manner of Gifu, to attract the attention of the Marines and provide a strong foothold in the area. The survivors of the Oka Group and the remnants of the 2nd Division would garrison these fortifications, with a battalion of the 28th in support.

Solomon Islands - The submarine USS Stingray attacks the seaplane tender Sanyo Maru, which had just left the Shorland Islands to reach Rekata Bay, escorted by the destroyer Amagiri. Lt-Cdr R.J. Moore estimates that two of the four torpedoes launched hit the target, but they did not explode and the Sanyo Maru suffers only light damage. By precaution, the two Japanese return to the Shortlands, where the Sanuki Maru comes to assist them.

Truk - The submarine I-175, brutally rammed by the tanker Nisshin Maru, has to be beached. It has to return to Japan to be repaired.

 

[Wings]

November 20th, 1942

Tarawa - Four G3Ms take off from the atoll to attack an isolated cargo ship spotted by an H8K far west of the Equatorial Islands (or Line Islands). The ship, a Liberty ship, is taken by surprise by the planes arriving from the west at the end of the day. It is set on fire by several bombs, but does not sink immediately and the crew's distress call is heard. The following day, the surviving sailors, who had spent the night in their lifeboats near the burning ship, are picked up by a Pan-Am Clipper usually tasked with carrying mail.
The wreck is reported several times in the following weeks, drifting across the Central Pacific. Then it is forgotten until, three months later, it is spotted by the Chilean battleship Almirante Latorre, maneuvering off Valparaiso. Towed to shore, the burnt hull still testifies to the solidity of its welded construction.
It is finally used as a target and sunk by the Chileans in 1944.

 

[Wings]

November 20th, 1942

Tokyo - Five B-17Fs of the ROCAF, each carrying 2,500 pounds of bombs, execute a new raid, this time against the Japanese capital! The city center (the attack was aimed at the War Ministry buildings) suffers significant damage: the bombs and the fires they set cause the death of 120 civilians. The bombers are first intercepted by Ki-43s, but they do not suffer any losses and even shoot down two of the fighters! While they are on their way back, they are caught by some of the new Ki-61s assigned to the defense of the metropolis. The latter are more successful, shooting down one of the four-engine planes and seriously damaging another, which returns to its base but will be irreparable.
This attack crowns a great deal of work in adapting the aircraft. To obtain the necessary range the B-17s had to be lightened and provided with additional tanks. The two lateral machine guns, those placed in the nose and that of the radio were removed (saving also the weight of two gunners), a gasoline tank was mounted in the bomb bay and drop tanks hung between the internal engines and the fuselage.
This work is important but can be done in the field. Thus modified, the B-17F can carry up to Tokyo a significant bomb load, provided they have benefit from a good wind in the back on one part of the route and to avoid the wind in the nose on the other part. To achieve this, the Chinese have a data collection network, but they mainly take advantage of the weather forecasts of the Imperial Army, transmitted in a code that the Americans easily broke.

 

[Wings]

November 20th, 1942

Operation Zvezda, the aftermath - The partial failure of Zvezda will not remain without consequences for the structure of the Soviet high command in the Baltic.
Popov will be reproached for having poorly coordinated the actions of his three armies, while the two objective that had been assigned to him obliged him to do so... In addition, he was also cumulating the positions of head of the 1st Baltic Front and the DSNO since October 21st, when Vatoutin, who commanded the the 1st Baltic Front, had been appointed to the Kiev Front - hence an overload of work harmful to both missions. Despite these extenuating circumstances, the confidence placed in him bythe Stavka will be affected and his command was reduced to the 1st Baltic Front only - the coordination function, when necessary, would henceforth be the responsibility of the Stavka envoys.
Among Popov's subordinates, Romanenko will lose the command of the 4th Shock Army.
He will be demoted to corps commander.
As for Sobennikov, he will be reproached for his reluctance to support the 1st Baltic Front and the "softness" of his command when Rezekne was "within reach". He is replaced at the head of the 2nd Baltic Front by K.I. Meretskov, whose 7th Army had seized Tartu during Iskra and played a full role in the capture of Vöru.

 

[Wings]

November 20th, 1942

Kiev region - The weather remains very bad, especially for the air force.
On the ground, sporadic attacks takes place both in the Bakhmash sector and towards Lubny.
Guderian considers that these are tests and that the Soviet forces will have to reconstitute their air strike force before going on the offensive. However, the LVII. PzK is put on alert because of the insistence of enemy troops on Bakhmash.

 

[Wings]

November 20th, 1942

Ptrivka (north-east of Odessa) - LIV. ArmeeKorps (Hansen) has completed its regrouping and reorganization. It will now be able to leave for its first objective, the village of Sakharove, in the north-east, in order to flank the action of XI. ArmeeKorps (von Kortzfleisch).

 

[Wings]

November 20th, 1942

Lisbon - Second meeting of General Castellano with his American counterpart Walter Bedell Smith. The latter clearly indicates that the Allies intend to receive a complete surrender of the Italian forces to grant an armistice. Very disappointed, Castellano agrees, however, to transmit these conditions to Rome.

Milan - Buozzi and the two other new leaders of the CTI begin negotiations with the organizers of the demonstration of the day before, but the news are not good. Germany resumed its coal deliveries at only a quarter of the quantities it has delivered before. Even using strategic stocks, there is not enough for the industry.
Moreover, power cuts are expected in Turin and Milan.
But as soon as they arrived, Buozzi and his companions make an even more alarming observation. The central station is entirely occupied by German troops, under the pretext of organizing the transfer of Heer units to Yugoslavia and Greece.

Rome - The King confides in the Duke of Acquarone: "We must save the monarchy at all costs! And that means saving it from all its enemies. Know that I do not want to imitate Leopold of Belgium and be a prisoner in my own country."

Bologna, Reggio dell'Emilia - These two cities are struck by violent bombardments. Once again, the Italian fighters do not show up.

 

[Wings]

November 21st, 1942

Guadalcanal (Henderson Field) - When his aircraft lands in the middle of the afternoon before taking off again immediately for Nouméa, Vandegrift is struggling with conflicting feelings.
On the positive side, he finally got his Marines replaced with fresh troops. Within a month, the first three regiments to land and their support troops should be relieved by the Americal Division (23rd ID-US), whose regiments (132nd, 164th and 182nd IR-US) are now as well trained as possible.
On the negative side, he could not get Marston, the commander of the 2nd Marines Div, to take over command of the troops operating on Guadalcanal. On an inspection mission in the South Pacific theater on behalf of the President himself in order to prepare the great conference scheduled for the end of the year, Arnold put all his weight in the balance to ensure that the Army, in the person of General Patch, the current commander of Americal, obtain the command of the future XIV Corps. This entity should bring together Americal, the 2nd USMC Division and a second Army division, to be chosen from those based at Pearl Harbour or in formation on the West Coast. However, as Arnold brutally reminded us, the Army and the Navy had agreed, from the beginning of the Pacific War, on the principle that "he who provides the troops commands". And Arnold intends to take advantage of the campaign in the Solomons to put Patch forward, a protégé of General Marshall, in the perspective of the future landing in Europe - a theater of operations that he continues, with a certain morgue, to qualify as a "priority" in front of his interlocutors.
Well aware that his troops have reached the breaking point, Vandegrift has no other solution than to sacrifice his deputy. Worse, since Marston is more senior than Patch, Arnold feels it necessary to make him leave the island quickly, in order to avoid any conflict of authority; he is replaced by Brigadier General Alphonse DeCarre, the current Chief of Staff of the 2nd Marine Division, who will be given command of all Marine units attached to the XIV Corps. In order to get the ball rolling, Vandegrift suggests that Marston be placed in command of the 3rd Marine Division, currently in formation, and that "at least one major operation be assigned to him in 1943" (Bougainville, Tarawa and Wake were among the objectives cited at the meeting). Halsey pledged his firm support for this proposal to Nimitz and King. It remains for Vandegrift to get his deputy and friend to agree to this - which, he thought as he jumped onto the tarmac at Henderson Field, might not be the most pleasant part of his day...

Malaita - The seaplane supply ship Zealandia, exhausted by three months of incessant activity, is forced to go to Sydney for repairs. Its aircraft (Floatfire, Swordfish and Walrus) are redeployed to Tulagi to continue operations, but the assistance of an American supply ship would be welcome.

 

[Wings]

November 21st, 1942

Tokyo - Shortly after sunset, three B-17Cs of the ROCAF attack Tokyo. These three machines were stripped of all but their tail guns in order to carry 4,000 pounds of bombs and enough fuel to return to their base with a good supply.
The bombs (and a few biting leaflets) fall all over the city, causing little real damage. By pure chance, one of them hits the outer wall of the Imperial Palace, opening a large breach in the masonry without causing any injuries.
Too bad for Yamamoto: if this sacrilege that the Army Air Corps could not prevent had happened two days earlier, it might have prevented the decision to require a major Navy effort at Guadalcanal...
The outburst of Japanese fury over the airwaves gives great pleasure to many Chinese, but causes massacres in the Peking area, where columns of soldiers "acting spontaneously", according to the (perhaps true) statements of the general staff, set fire to several districts.

 

[Wings]

November 21st, 1942

Central Ukraine - The weather is dry, with localized morning fogs, but quite cold (-2°) on Kiev and its surroundings. The forces amassed by the Soviets, in secret or under the cover of an elaborate maskirovka, are now in place. Each of the two major operations has divided into sub-operations to facilitate management.

 

[Wings]

November 21st, 1942

Operation Mars (against the 1. PanzerArmee)
07:10 - The artillery opens fire.
The Desna Front concentrates its fire on the articulation between the XLVII. PanzerKorps and the LVII. PanzerKorps on the one hand, and around the Desna on the other. Here also, the fire is intense with two artillery divisions (the 34th and 241st), reinforced by nine "High Power" regiments. In addition to the guns, the 5th Brigade of "Special Mortars" (Katyouchas), reinforced with two regiments and three independent battalions, fire as well.
For the Seym Front, the 4th Artillery Division and the four "High Power" or "Special Power" regiments associated with it by the Stavka concentrate their fire on the German positions northwest of Romny. The violence of the barrage surprises the German army, first by its intensity, but also by its target. Expecting an attack on the axis Konotop-Bakhmash, the German staff has tended to consider that it is a diversion, an opinion that is not shared by the soldiers and officers of the LVII. PanzerKorps, subjected to a hellish fire.
The artillery of the 3rd Ukrainian Front (mainly the 269th Artillery Division, 415 guns strong) covers small groups of assault sappers infiltrating the Sulo River.
The Kiev Front (21st and 209th Artillery Divisions) focuses its efforts on the junction between the XXIV. PzK and the XLVII. PzK.
.........
After a period of 30 minutes where the shelling was very intense, the Soviet fire is divided into artillery destruction fire (for the positions that the Soviets identified) and fire aimed at the command posts. After one hour of this regime, the fire becomes intense again for 30 minutes, then gives way to a rolling barrage. It is then 09:10.
The assault aircraft begin to intervene in the battle at 09:00, also targeting the command posts. The Luftwaffe cannot intervene, as it has to deal with a succession of waves of heavily escorted bombers that hit Pryluky, Nijyne, Chernigov and, of course, Gomel.
.........
09:20 - Pushing the traditional "Uras", the Soviet troops go on the attack.
North of the salient, the Desna Front launches Sirena. The 15th and 54th Armies, which are charging towards Mena, break through the first lines of the XXXIX. PzK, while the 50th Army advances southwest along the Desna River to seize the railway bridge south of Mena. South of the Desna, the 61st Army attempts to advance toward Borzna along the road.
South of the Desna Front, the Seym Front triggers Karusel. On the right, the 44th Army launches a frontal attack on Backhmash. On the left, the 1st Shock Army (Lt.Gen. R.Y. Malinovsky) rushes to the attack, led by the 7th Shock Group supported by three tank brigades, one of which is heavy.
From Romny, it moves towards Pryluky. In the center, the 60th Army covers these two movements.
At the southern tip of the salient, in front of Lubny, the 56th and 57th Armies of the 3rd Ukrainian Front continue their attacks (limited but noisy) to catch as many units as possible of the LVI. PzK - this is the Dojd operation.
Finally, the Kiev Front forces launche the 17th Motorized Army (S.I. Oborin) towards Nosivka. In front of it, the XXIV. PanzerKorps of General von Langermann-Erlencamp is weakened by the long campaign, but its troops are able to block the Soviet attack. However, the Zvonok operation is a diversion.
.........
The German generals are relatively surprised by the axes of attack.
Von Manstein (LVI. PanzerKorps), at the vanguard of the salient, is informed at 08:15 of the Soviet infiltrations on the Sulo, and he gives orders to the Totenkopf and the 290th to reduce them. Learning around 09:40 that a major attack is taking place to the north, practically at his back, he immediately realizes the importance of this attack and decides to shift two KampfGruppen composed from the resources of the 6th Panzer.
On the western flank of the salient, Model (XLVII. PanzerKorps) decides to send in reinforcement the 255th ID (reduced to less than 7,000 men) to close the hole that the Soviets try to dig between the XLVII. PzK and the XXIV. PzK. Manstein and Model, who speak twice on the phone between 09:30 and 10:15, are confident in the capacity of their troops to face the situation.
Guderian then asks Manstein to join him in Pryluky. This one arrives there around 11:00 under a Soviet air attack, to be informed that Kirchner (LVII. PzK), on the eastern flank of the salient, seems in difficulty. Indeed, the LVII. PzK must hold a lot of ground with only the 18th ID, the 12. Panzer and the 19. Panzer, which are deployed for the most part in the northern part of the sector, around Bakhmach. However, the main axis of attack seems to come from Romny and to target the center of the LVII. PzK. Von Manstein agrees to shift the 6. Panzer (Raus) and the SS Totenkopf (mot.) (Eicke) to the northeast, on the Romny-Pryluky road, to reinforce the Pryluky defenses.
While Guderian asks the Luftwaffe to intervene in force, he is confronted with the scattering of the German air forces, which have to do a lot to intervene on all fronts. In fact, the Luftwaffe can only produce 2,095 sorties in a day against the 5,735 of the VVS, and it loses 52 aircraft against 115 lost by the VVS. These figures correspond to percentages that are fairly close to the number of sorties. An important part of the Soviet losses (39 planes) is caused by the Flak. This balance is partly the result of the wear and tear of the Luftwaffe, not only since the beginning of Barbarossa, but campaigns against the Allies, in France and over England, then over Corsica, Greece and Crete.
The right wing of the Desna Front is met with little resistance from the XXXIX. PanzerKorps, which had concentrated some of its best forces further south (north of Bakhmash). By the end of the day, Sirena's troops are almost half way to Mena. On the other hand, on the left, the 61st Army meets strong resistance.
On their side, Malinovsky's troops threaten to crush the 18. ID, which tries to block them the road to Prylucky.
Around noon, it becomes clear to Guderian and Manstein, who are still in Pryluky, that the enemy objective is to achieve a double encirclement by cutting the salient of the 1st PanzerArmee on the one hand at Pryluky and on the other hand at Mena. Guderian insists on the imperative need to keep the Chernigov-Nijyne-Pryluky road open. Then, around 14:00, he leaves by road to Nizhne. On the way, his car is machine-gunned three times. If he gets out of it without a scratch, he can see the chaos created on the roads by the constant attacks by the VVS.

 

[Wings]

November 21st, 1942

Operation Uranus (against the 2. PanzerArmee) - Konnitsa / Kosa
Operation Uranus is launched in a slightly staggered manner. In the north, operation Konnitsa (Cavalry), targeting the LII. AK, at the base of the salient of the 2. PanzerArmee, starts at 10:00, while in the south, Kosa (False), which targets the southern base of the salient, begins at 11:00.
Meanwhile, the 4th Ukrainian Front (Rokossovsky) tries to fix the German forces facing it by a series of diversionary attacks. Composed of units that had suffered a lot during Typhoon and units from the reserve, it will however fulfill its mission.
- Konnitsa (Cavalry)
It is the 1st Ukrainian Front (Kirponos) that attacks.
After a short artillery preparation (35 minutes) where the 248th Artillery Rgt, supported by the 333rd, 335th and 341st Independent Brigades, the 6th Army (Muzychenko) goes on the attack. Its six infantry divisions are supported by two armored brigades, one of them heavy. The shock, very violent, is very difficult to bear by the 1st and 2nd Slovak Divisions, which defend the sector. It is no coincidence that the Soviet attack is precisely directed against them: many deserters had indeed expressed the reluctance of their compatriots to fight with the Germans.
At the end of the morning, Kirponos is able to decouple the mobile group of Major-General Katukov - a group of three IDs (including one motorized) and three armored brigades (including two heavy), plus an artillery division. Kirponos takes the risk of launching his maneuver element very early,given the weakness of the opposition, and this gamble pays off. Very quickly, the breakthrough of the Soviet troops becomes a large breach and Andryushivka falls around 15:30.
The LII. AK is cut in two. The 101st Division of Jäger (General Marcks), which tried to oppose the Soviet breakthrough, is driven in. Its leader is seriously wounded.
- Kosa (False)
The 2nd Ukrainian Front (Bagramyan) falls on the Hungarian Corps after an intense preparation by the 31st Artillery Division, the 67th and 107th Brigades, the 437th and 507th Regiments, plus a brigade and two special mortar regiments. The 45th Army goes on the attack, supported by the 10th Army.
The Hungarians put up a more solid resistance than the Slovaks, but they bend under the number of their opponents and the quality of their armor. Around noon, the 1st Division (Pancelos Hadoszatly) has lost nearly 80% of its tanks, too light to face the T-34s and KV-1s.
At 15:00, Bagramian gives the order to the Don Cavalry Corps (Pliev) to attack the breach thus opened with its three cavalry divisions and its two armored brigades (one of them heavy).
.........
At Vinnytsa, at the headquarters of von Rundstedt, it is soon panic. Reached around 12:30, von Kleist designates the XXIX. ArmeeKorps of General Henrici to try to oppose the breakthrough of the 2nd Ukrainian Front through the Hungarian corps. At 13:00, Henrici commits himself to turning over the 13th Panzer, but the latter is more than 60 km from the breakthrough site. A desperate call to the Luftwaffe to slow down the Soviet troops will result in engagements of great intensity; nearly 200 German aircraft confront more than 550 Soviet aircraft.
At 16:00, when the news of the capture of Andryushivka falls, von Rundstedt becomes aware that a disaster threatens the entire 2nd PanzerArmee. At 18:30, while the Soviet tanks continue to advance by the light of the headlights, he calls the OKH and discusses successively with Keitel, then with von Brauchitsch and finally with Halder. He emphasizes the seriousness of the situation, which was at first minimized by his interlocutors. The latter are still under the impression of the conversation they had had around 17:15 with Guderian, who had told them that a serious attack was underway, but that he thought he could overcome it.
Why would the 2. PanzerArmee have more difficulty? Although Von Rundstedt claimed that the German forces were in fact facing two major offensives, the leaders of the OKH and the General Staff are at first incredulous.

 

[Wings]

November 21st, 1942

Kobleve (east of Odessa) - ZiS-6 trucks line up from north to south, about 10 meters apart. On their backs, fixed two by two on rails, long projectiles point towards the sky - the Germans call these machines "Stalin's Organs", the Soviets affectionately call them "Little Catherines" (Katyushas).
Suddenly, tongues of flame appear at the base of the BM-13 multiple mortars, throwing RS-132 rockets into the sky in a series of shrill whistles. Organs, really?... Eight kilometers further west, the 7th Romanian ID, advancing towards the Soviet lines, suddenly experiences a foretaste of hell. The shattering explosive charges of 22kg self-propelled projectiles throw shrapnel and debris in a radius of 20 meters, chopping up bodies all around them.
The men of the 7th ID know what awaits them.