Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

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6554
December 26th, 1942

Gironde
- Daybreak and a thick fog drowns the mouth of the Gironde. The German ships have all the difficulties of the world to discern the buoys which mark the entrance of the navigable channel. In this thick cotton, anything can happen, boarding or grounding...
Around 07:15, the Osorno hits the wreck of the Sperrbrecher 21 Nestor, which had blown up on a mine on the evening of June 14th. The resulting water ingress is significant and the safety of the ship is at stake. But the Osorno is a lucky ship: the fog lifts. Without hesitation, Captain Hellmann grounds his ship on the beach of Le Verdon. It is unloaded on the spot with the help of a noria of barges and barges. Having succeeded three times in forcing the blockade, Captain Paul Hellman is awarded the Iron Cross by order of Gross Admiral Dönitz: he is the only civilian to have been promoted to a knighthood in this order.
 
6555
December 26th, 1942

Ports of Japan and China
- With a delay of one day, Japan settles the fate of Italian warships and merchant ships in its ports or those it controlled, but with a little less success than the Germans - it is true that the Imperial Navy had not been warned!
Warned of the armistice by the radio, the aviso Eritrea, which was at sea to meet a U-boot, is able to set course for Ceylon without hesitation and surrenders to the British. In Japanese ports, the Italians are able to scuttle some of their ships.
In Shanghai, this is the case for the gunboats Lepanto (CC Morante)* and Ermanno Carlotto (LV De Leonardis) and the partially militarized liner Conte Verde (18,383 GRT, CC Chinea)**. At Kobe, the Pietro Orseolo is also scuttled.
However, none of these ships are destroyed. Japan will be able to put them back into service within a good month for the Carlotto gunboat (renamed Narumi) to eight months for the Lepanto (which became the Okitsu). The liner became the Kotobuki Maru, used as a transport, and the Orseolo will be used again under the name of Ikutagawa Maru.
For the rest, Japan seizes the seven ships it had been chartering since December 1941, as well as the three that had been added in 1942, namely the cargo ships Carignano (5,753 GRT) and Comandante Paolini (1,104 GRT) and the liner Marco Polo (3,068 GRT)***.

* Former Ostia class minelayer.
** The Conte Verde was chartered to the Japanese since 1942.
*** The Carignano was renamed Teiyu Maru and the Marco Polo (of the Sino-Italian Shipping Company, not to be confused with the namesake liner of Lloyd Triestino) became the Maruko Maru. No Japanese name known for the Comandante Paolini.
 
6556
December 26th, 1942

Buna area
- Vasey's division begins a series of exhausting night attacks. It is to take and hold the area between Tarakena village and Coconut Grove, to cut off Buna from Sanananda, and the area between Waitutu Point and Wye Point, to cut Gona from Sanananda.
 
6557 - Operation Ke, Order of Battle
December 26th, 1942

Guadalcanal, opposite the Seahorse, 08:00
- Colonel Moore is furious, and his subordinates have a front row seat to his wrath. The reason for his anger? The inability of the 164th I to ensure as planned on December 25th the crossing points on the "wet cuts" of the sector in order so that the I and III/164th could attack the Seahorse. It appears that the Japs are holding on to the ground more than they should! The bad mood of Colonel Moore is amplified by the attitude of Colonel Jackson, commander of the 6th Marines, who attended all the staff conferences and regularly indulged in some undiplomatically ironic on the air of "I told you so, you didn't want to listen to me, now you're on your own...".
So Moore passes a soap on to his staff and to his battalion and even company commanders. Not only did his regiment suffer significant losses during the skirmishes of the last two days, but rumors are now circulating of the presence in the enemy ranks of a "guy with a sword," a sort of terrifying ogre who had single-handedly repelled the assault of an entire company of GIs three times. "What kind of nonsense is that?" he shouts. "You think the Japs have a yellow Superman and that they brought him to this bloody island just to mess with you!"
Desperate to make his subordinates understand that it's time to stop reading Action Comics, Moore finally says with calculated contempt: "If I understand correctly, I have to ask for Captain America as a backup?" But because of the lack of superheroes, he is forced to commit the II/164th, which he had originally intended to keep in reserve, to secure these crossing points for good. This is done during the day, but too late to launch the planned assault, which is therefore postponed to the 27th.
.........
Guadalcanal, on the Seahorse, 20:00 - Captain Onishi finishes compiling the reports of the sentries who had been monitoring the American advance all day.
The day before, as no one seemed to react in the Japanese ranks, of his own initiative, he took the responsibility of counter-attacking to block the enemy's attempts to cross the rivers. He succeeded beyond his expectations, with a simple tactic: locate the most likely crossing points, concentrate his forces nearby, wait for the enemy to cross the steep banks of the river without attracting the enemy's artillery and then take advantage of the slight relaxation of the soldiers who have just reached their objective without too much trouble to throw themselves on them, bayonet to the gun (in his case, a sword) and push them back to the other bank.
From the last two days, Onishi has three important points. Firstly, he has once again proved once again that he was the best officer in his regiment and the Seahorse combined, by personally leading, despite the distances involved, despite the fatigue, despite the bullets and grenades, three counter-attacks, all of which are successful.
Secondly, while he thought he could only count on the twenty-four... no, twenty... eighteen... ah, yes, fifteen survivors of the 28th Recon (who would now follow him to hell and back), which would have condemned him to death within days, several remnants of units commanded by mere lieutenants put themselves under his orders. The small number of men thus gathered not only allowed him to survive, but above all to fulfill his mission.
Third, the American obstinacy in seizing these crossing points, with forces that he estimates, from the reports, to be a whole battalion, can only mean one thing: the Yankees have decided to liquidate the Seahorse as soon as possible. Before going to bed, Onishi carefully cleans his sword and shares his thoughts with his men. He concludes that it is sweet for the warrior to see an obviously presumptuous but after all honorable enemy coming at him, sparing the bushi the painful task of flushing him out. He falls asleep the heart swollen with the satisfaction of a job well done, with a last thought for the Emperor.

Rabaul - "Since the failure of the offensive at the beginning of the month, the staff of the Imperial Army finally accepted (not without ulterior motives) that the Navy's assessment of the situation was correct. After five months of fighting, the Allies had gained a firm foothold in Guadalcanal and Tulagi and the war of naval attrition had decidedly turned in their favor, although their losses were more numerous. The Japanese aircraft carriers, while still a powerful squadron, were in the process of repairing or rebuilding their air groups, and the pride of the Imperial Navy, its battleship fleet, numbered only eight ships out of twelve. Moreover, the Royal Navy had to be confronted in the Indian Ocean, in order to remove any desire to reconquer Malaya. The Navy staff therefore considered that it was time to move on to the second phase of the war and to organize a solid line of defense in the Pacific islands occupied by Japanese forces. The Americans would come to break their teeth there until they were sick of it, that is to say until they agreed to negotiate a peace that would preserve the essence of the Japanese conquests. This was at least the hope of the Tokyo government...
At Guadalcanal, the only thing to do was to evacuate as many people as possible.
That is why Operation Ke was decided and entrusted to Vice Admiral Goto. A fleet of precious ships, until then carefully kept away from the fighting, was to be assembled on the night of December 28th to 29th, to reembark as many troops as possible from the beaches northwest of Tassafaronga. It was expected that seven to eight thousand men would be recovered in this way., the rest to be evacuated later by destroyers. The transports would be accompanied by a small close escort and above all by two covering forces, the main one would be constituted around six heavy cruisers. While the the evacuation was going on, this force would go and bomb Henderson Field in order to avoid that American bombers would not pounce the next day on the transports that would be en route to Rabaul." (Jack Bailey, An Ocean of Flames, op. cit.)
.........
Operation Ke
Transport and escort force

Fast transports: Kiyozumi Maru and Kongo Maru (8,000 gross tons each), Bangkok Maru and Saigon Maru (5,000 gross tons each), all capable of 15 to 16 knots.
Light cruiser Kashii (this vessel, which does not make more than 18 knots, is intended for schooling and its armament is mediocre; on the other hand, it will also embark soldiers to be evacuated).
Escort destroyers Hasu, Kuri, Tsuga and Yunagi.
...
Close cover force
CL Kiso, CL Oi, DD Kawakaze, Suzukaze, Umikaze (24th Division) and Makinami, Naganami, Takanami (31st Division)
This force was in fact Tanaka's famous South Sea Squadron, but in his absence, exhausted by months of incessant activity, by the wounds received in November and probably by various parasitosis, the six destroyers were commanded by Rear Admiral Ohmae, on the Kiso. Ohmae was Tanaka's chief of staff, who had made him rear admiral when he left for Japan to be treated. Tanaka also arranged for his favorite light cruiser, the Jintsu, to receive the "treatment" it deserved after months of campaigning and a lot of damage!
To these seven ships was added, not the Kitakami (sunk in November) but its twin, the Oi (with 24 Long Lance torpedoes and two Daihatsu landing craft). The Oi must start by dropping its Daihatsu in front of Tassafaronga, to help evacuate the soldiers.
...
Remote cover and bombardment force
CA Aoba and Furutaka (6 x 8 inches, 8 Long Lances)
CA Haguro and Myoko (10 x 8 inches, 16 Long Lances)
CA Atago and Takao (10 x 8 inches, 12 Long Lances)
15th Destroyer Division: CL Kinu and DD Hayashio, Kuroshio and Oyashio
10th Destroyer Squadron: CL Nagara (Rear Admiral Susumu Kimura), DD Maikaze, Samidare, Tanikaze and Tokitsukaze (4th Division), DD Akigumo, Kazagumo, Makigumo and Yugumo (10th Division).
Vice-Admiral Aritomo Goto, on "his" Aoba, just repaired (like several other cruisers of the squadron), was in charge of the whole operation, but it was Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura, on the Atago, who commands the distant cover and bombardment force.
.........
Rabaul, 08:00 - According to the Japanese plan, the three forces set sail and head for Guadalcanal, but without passing through the Slot. The squadron makes a wide detour to the south, which allows it to avoid most of the reconnaissance, but forces it to travel about 700 nautical miles. Goto has decided that the fleet will average 13.5 knots, which should put them south of Savo Island on December 28th at around 20:00.

Nouméa - "At the same time, the Allies were far from certain that the Japanese had resigned to evacuate Guadalcanal Island. They dreaded a new bombing raid by battleships, especially by one or two of the remaining Japanese fast battleships. In fact, the Imperial Navy had considered such an operation, before giving up in order not to risk going below eight ships of the line for a future "decisive battle" - the skirmish that had opposed the Hiei to the Dunkerque remained a painful memory.
To avoid any surprise, the allied staff decided to position south of Guadalcanal, near the Rennell Islands (out of reach of Rabaul's Betty), a surface squadron in charge of facing any eventuality and in particular to prevent the Japanese from bringing reinforcements and/or bombing Henderson Field. This squadron is powerful, but multinational and is only partially trained to operate in formation. Its leader, the British vice-admiral John Crace, is well aware of this, as well as of the danger represented by the Japanese torpedoes - the ongoing study of one recovered from a beach at Guadalcanal had only confirmed his fears. The Americans, on the other hand, are very confident in the firepower represented by the thirty 6-inch and sixteen 5-inch rapid-fire guns of their two St-Louis class cruisers - these guns had already proved their worth in the Mediterranean, to the great displeasure of the Italians, they were to prove their effectiveness on this side of the globe. Rear Admiral Norman Scott is so convinced of this that he insists, in order to see them in action, on embarking in person on the Helena, even if it meant being under the command of Crace (Crace had been promoted to vice-admiral after the Second Battle of Savo Island, where he had narrowly escaped death on the Shropshire). (Jack Bailey, op. cit.)
.........
ABDF-Fleet
BC HMS Renown (Vice Admiral John G. Crace) (6 x 15 inches and 20 x 4.5 inches)
CA HMAS Australia (8 x 8 inches, 8 x 4 inches and 6 x TT)
CA MN Tourville (8 x 203 mm, 8 x 3 inches US and 6 x TT)
CL HMAS Brisbane (ex Jamaica) (12 x 6 inch, 8 x 4 inch and 6 x TT)
CL HMNZS Achilles (8 x 6 inch, 8 x 4 inch and 8 x TT)
DD HMAS Arunta and Warramunga (6 x 4.7", 2 x 4" and 4 x TT), HNLMS Van Ghent, Van Nes, Witte de With (4 x 4.7" and 6 x TT) and Isaac Sweers (5 x 4.7" and 8 x TT), MN Le Hardi, Foudroyant, L'Adroit, Casque (6 x 130 mm and 7 x TT)
Most of the ships of the ABDF-Fleet are now fully trained to maneuver together, including the four French destroyers (which have seen their range, radar and flak equipment greatly improved by a stay in the United States). The latest addition, the Warramunga (whose repairs after the damage suffered in the waters of New Guinea were completed earlier this month) is doing her best to fit in!
...
Task-Group Scott
CL USS Helena (Rear Admiral Norman Scott)
CL USS Nashville (15 x 6 inches and 8 x 5 inches, like the Helena)
DD USS Blue, Helm, Jarvis and Ralph Talbot (4 x 5 inches and 16 x TT)
These six ships never had the opportunity to maneuver with the ABDF-Fleet. At night, there was no question for Crace to organize a unique formation.
 
6558 - Battle of Rome (cont.)
December 26th, 1942

Gulf of Gaeta, 00:45
- The command group, two AMD squadrons and the 2nd Spahis leave the beaches and move quickly towards Rome.
.........
Naples, 01:30 - The torpedo boats Palestro and San Martino enter the harbor, after having been escorted in the last part of the journey by the cruiser Savannah and the destroyers Hambleton, Parker and Roe. The night has somewhat masked to the eyes of the passengers of the two old Italian destroyers the importance of the Allied fleet in the Gulf of Gaeta (where the landing operations were still going on), but what little the King and his government could see of it is no less edifying. As soon as they arrive in Naples, they are greeted by Generals Ritchie and Clark.
.........
Rome, 02:30 - Two marching battalions, made up of armed civilians and supervised by soldiers of various services gathered under the command of officers designated by General Carboni will reinforce the units of the Ariete, the Emanuele Filiberto Testa di Ferro and the American paratroopers who are guarding the northwestern outskirts of Rome.
03:40 - German artillery fire suddenly intensifies and many shells fall on the north of the capital and the Vatican City. The divisional artillery of the Hermann-Göring has just gone into action.
General Ambrosio gathers General De Stefanis and Colonel Vincenzo Boccacci Mariani (commander of the Genova Cavalleria, who temporarily replaced Kellner at the head of the Filiberto division), together with Gavin and Glaizot, to decide what to do to do to protect Rome. All agree that the risk is that Rome would now be attacked on at least two axes: the city cannot be held permanently by the Germans, but it is likely to suffer a lot in the fighting. Ambrosio asks the allied officers to do their utmost to obtain reinforcements as soon as possible and to try to organize a diversion with the naval support they have at their disposal.
04:00 - Gavin contacts Clark, who is in Naples, and asks him to organize a naval bombardment against the Hermann-Göring forces. Clark then calls Admiral Derrien, whose forces, formed as a screen at a distance from Avalanche-North, are the closest to the Roman coast. Derrien agrees to detach the heavy cruisers Algérie and Tuscaloosa, the light cruiser Gloire and the destroyers Volta, Cassard, Kersaint and Tartu.
For his part, Clark tells Gavin that he is going to go to Rome in person to get an exact idea of the situation and that units of the 1st Armored Division (US) should arrive soon as reinforcements.
04:55 - Combat Command A of the "1st Armored" Division arrives in Rome after a rapid night (the 170 km were covered in 6 hours and 30 minutes). It includes one of the two tank regiments of the division (one battalion of M3 and M3A1 light tanks and two M4 Sherman medium tank battalions), one of the three mechanized infantry battalions and one of the three self-propelled artillery battalions (18 M7 Priest self-propelled guns). One of the two M4 battalions will reinforce the defenses in the northwest, while the rest will concentrate on the eastern suburbs of Rome, threatened by the 10. Panzer and the Das-Reich.
05:30 - The second element of the 2nd Spahis arrive in turn. It is immediately sent to the northwest of Rome.
07:00 - The troops of the Hermann-Göring go on the attack in the sector of Fiumicino, towards Rome, and on the coast, towards the Lido di Roma.
07:20 - Between Fiumicino and Rome, the Hermann-Göring comes up against the Shermans of 1/CCA and elements of the 2nd Spahis. The presence of the Americans and the French on the battlefield surprises the Germans, who thought they only had infantry and a few Italian tanks to face them! A confused encounter battle develops, where the German tankers benefit from their experience, far superior to that of the Americans, and the quality of their Panzer IVs, which have the advantage over the first models of M4, but their margin of superiority is insufficient. At 08:45, if half of the American tanks are out of action, the German attack is contained.
07:50 - On the coast, the fire of the cruisers and destroyers, regulated by the paratroopers, stops the German advance. The fighting concentrates on the mouth of the Tiber: if the Germans control the right bank, they are unable to cross.
.........
Reggio Calabria, 08:00, operation Bedlam - The whole 6th British ID is now advancing by road 18, the most northern road. The leading elements are already in Rosarno.
According to orders, the progression is cautious, but no resistance is to be reported.
This morning, the self-propelled guns of the 5th Indian Division's reconnaissance regiment set off from Reggio, this time along route 106, further south, in the direction of Crotone and Taranto.
.........
08:30 - Other battles, less noisy, are no less deadly... Released from prison "for Christmas" a few days earlier thanks to a new intervention of the king, marshal Ugo Cavallero is however put back under arrest in the Palazzo Madama. On the morning of the day after Christmas, while the battle rages at the gates of Rome, he is found deadin his apartment. He had shot himself in the right temple with a revolver - a fact which will surprise some people: Cavallero was left-handed...
.........
Gulf of Gaeta, 08:50 - The Xth FK tries to repeat its success of the day before. Guided by the reconnaissance aircraft of IV/ZG 26, a first wave attacks the Rawlings aircraft carriers which are cruising about 35 nautical miles from the coast. It is composed of 21 Bf 109 F Jabos, which carry a 250 kg bomb and are covered by 32 Bf 109 Gs from I and II/JG 77.
Flying at low altitude, the attackers are detected late and only the systematic coverage patrol (CAP) can intercept them. Six Seafires from Sqn 844 (HMS Victorious), 4 from Sqn 880 (HMS Indomitable) and 4 from Sqn 807 (HMS Furious) take off before the attack.
The 12 Martlets II of the CAP are quickly overwhelmed and if they shoot down three Bf 109 (including two Jabos) it is at the cost of five of their own. The attackers suffer more from the concentration of fire from the escort's flak, which shoots down five Jabos. The latter climb to 1 500 m then dive at about 60° before dropping their bombs around 800 m, concentrating on the two large aircraft carriers. But, dropped from a low altitude, the bombs are ineffective against the armoured flight deck of the British carriers. The Victorious receives five bombs (one of which does not explode), which all hit the armoured part of the flight deck and have little effect on its three inches of steel. The Indomitable is hit by three bombs which have no more effect. The carrier screen, however, is more vulnerable. The CLAA Marseillaise is hit by a bomb that hits the front deck at the level of the four 20mm pieces, killing twelve sailors and wounding as many, before exploding in one of the crew quarters. The destroyer HMS Raider is hit by two bombs, one in the engine room and the other on the bridge; in flames, it has to stop. As they are withdrawing, the German planes are attacked by the 14 Seafires that were able to take off. This time, seven Bf 109s (including three Jabos) are destroyed, in exchange for four Seafires (a fifth is lost on landing). The Raider sinks around 10:20, while the Marseillaise is sent back to Oran to repair.
.........
Rome, 09:00 - Fighting resumes in the east of the city, where the 10. Panzer and the Das-Reich still hope to break through the defenses, but the presence of tanks, mechanized infantry and artillery of the 1st US-AD is a very bad surprise for the attackers! The American tanks pay a heavy price (31 M3A1 and 27 M4 are put out of combat), but the defenders, in spite of their heterogeneous composition (survivors of two Italian divisions, American and French paratroopers, Franco-Algerian spahis, US tankers) manage to repel the attack, which loses its strength after an hour and a half of fierce fighting.
.........
Off the Lido di Roma, 09:30 - The ships that have just shelled the troops of the Hermann-Göring are attacked by 16 Do 217 (eight K2 and eight K3), escorted by 16 Fw 190 A4. The German planes drop their missiles (2 Hs 293 or 2 FX-1400 per plane) in poor visibility conditions because, warned by the radar watch, the destroyers had time to set up a smoke screen. Seven Hs 293 and five FX-1400 are lost as soon as they are launched.
The Algérie avoids six Hs 293 by maneuvering very brutally, the cruiser is only slightly damaged by the explosion of two other missiles which hit the sea at about ten meters from it. The Tuscaloosa is attacked by FX-1400s, it avoids five of them, but a sixth hit it in the middle: the bomb goes through the hull and detonates in the water, but the explosion shakes the cruiser violently and inflicts additional shock damage.
The Gloire sees several FX-1400s coming, and manages to avoid all of them except one, which crosses the rear deck and explodes underwater, but the explosion is of low intensity (probably due to a faulty ignition). Finally, the Tartu dodges without difficulty an isolated Hs 293.
The German planes withdraw without losses, while the small squadron forms a block around the Tuscaloosa, whose speed is reduced to 12 knots. Escorted by the Tartu, the Kersaint and the Gloire, the American cruiser sets a course for Oran while the Algérie and the two other destroyers join the main squadron. The two damaged cruisers are repaired in the United States: the Gloire will be operational at the end of January, the Tuscaloosa at the beginning of April.
.........
Naples-Rome road, 09:30 - The first elements of the French 3rd armoured division, i.e. the tanks of the 1st Cuirassiers Regiment and the men of the 4th Regiment of Mounted Dragoons and the GRDC of the 6th Cuirassiers Regiment clash with the GrossDeutschland brigade at about 25km north of the abbey of Monte Cassino, on the road leading down from Avezzano. The Germans expected to encounter Allied troops and hoped to easily cut off communications between Naples and Rome. They arerepulsed.
Albano (south of Rome), 09:40 - The parachute drops resume, to supply the paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne and the 2nd REP.
Avezzano, 09:45 - Escorted by P-38s of the 1st and 14th FGs, 72 American B-26s of the 17th, 319th and 320th BG bomb the German communication routes.
At the same time, a Franco-American formation of B-25s (48 from the 12th and 310th BG and 24 of the 31st EB), under the protection of P-38 of the 82nd FG and Mustang II of the 7th EC, attack the communication lines of the Hermann-Göring between Civitavecchia and Rome.
.........
Rome, 10:00 - General Clark enters the Italian capital, applauded by a small crowd. He goes to General Ambrosio's headquarters, where he is to meet with Colonels Gavin and Glaizot and the officers commanding the 1st Armored CCA. It is from there that a little later, he witnesses a new attack by 12 Fw 190 Jabos against the City itself.
A few minutes later, Ambrosio, looking very grim, tells Clark that the fighting in La Spezia and Turin had ended. Together with Genoa, they had cost the former allies of the Italians more than a thousand killed and twice as many wounded, provoking their fury. A ferocious repression falls on the three cities concerned and all the captured officers of the Legnano and Rovigo divisions are put to the sword, something the Germans would later come to regret.
.........
Massa Maritima and Piombino - Cesare Maria De Vecchi's 215th Coastal Division is disarmed by the Germans without even a hint of resistance. It is true that a good part of its men did not wait to demobilize on their own, and, dressed in civilian clothes, melt into the background.
The example comes from above. Suspecting that he had no indulgence to expect from either the Germans or his former fascist comrades back in the saddle around the liberated Duce, De Vecchi seeks salvation in flight. Thanks to his good relations with the Salesians*, he is able to reach his native Piedmont and remains hidden there until the end of the war and beyond.
The rest of the 215th Division, in this case the garrison of Piombino, will however save its honor by confronting the Germans. It is true that, in the small industrial city** and port, the sailors, the working class population - which was finally able to let its long-standing anti-fascism show, and even the artillerymen of the former Militia of Maritime Artillery and Anti-Aircraft Defense Militia refuse to surrender. Although they do not involve the staff of the garrison, their example galvanizes the infantrymen of the 215th. When the Germans arrive in the middle of the afternoon, the Piombino square resists, under the de facto authority of the commander of the Navy, Commander Amedeo Capuano. All the better because, the torpedo boat Orione came out of Portoferraio to support its cannons: well directed from the observatories around the city, its fire causes the attackers to fall back.
.........
Malta, 10:30 - The battleships of the Italian squadron of Naples drop anchor in front of Valletta. At about 14:00, the cruisers and light units present themselves before Bizerte. At the end of the day, it is the turn of the survivors of the Roma group to reach Malta. Most of the Italian fleet surrenders.
.........
Tuscan airfields, 10:40 - The planes of the III/KG 2 and IV/KG 2 coming from the north of France and Belgium begin to land on the airfields of the area of Volterra and Grosseto. In all, 57 Do 217 E4 arrive as reinforcements.
.........
Rome, 11:00 - Ambrosio and Clark agree: it is urgent that the allied fighters deploy on the airfields of Naples, from where they could easily cover the Rome area. By telephone, Ambrosio contacts the Regia Aeronautica staff and informs them of this decision. However, the Allied planes usse a gasoline with a higher octane level than the one available to the Italian airfields. This problem requires to send a tanker loaded with 100/120° gasoline to Naples; the ship could come from Catania, but a quick calculation made by their collaborators makes Ambrosio and Clark understand that the first missions could only be carried out around midday of the next day, at best.
.........
Eastern outskirts of Rome, 11:30 - Sixteen Mustang IA and IC of the 39th EC, escorted by as many Mustang IIs of the 5th EC, attack German armor. The 40 mm Vickers S of the Mustang ICs wreak havoc, supported by the bombs of the Mustang IAs. Seventeen tanks are destroyed; three aircraft (two IC and one IA) are shot down by light flak.
12:00 - In the wake of the air attack, the defenders of eastern Rome launch a limited counter-attack to clear their positions somewhat. The defense perimeter is thus pushed back 3 km to the east, but nine M3A1 and seven M4 are lost.
.........
Trieste, 12:15 - The German 173rd Reserve Division, arriving from Ljubljana, enters the city.
Under the threat of a bombardment, the Italians give up blowing up the long railway tunnel that connects Trieste to Postumia.
However, the commander of the Navy, Captain A. Bechis, had immediately echoed Admiral Brenta's orders. When the Germans arrive, the evacuation of the port is already underway: the liners Sabaudia (29,307 GRT) and Vulcania (23,970 GRT) had weighed anchor for Venice, where they would arrive in the middle of the afternoon, while six other merchant ships have set sail to the south. Nevertheless, as in the other ports under German threat, the departure of the merchant ships depends on the morale of their crews. In Trieste, the overwhelming majority chose not to attempt the adventure, but without delivering the ships to the Germans intact: eighteen ships are scuttled in the port, including the liner Duilio (23,636 GRT).
As for the military units, the training ship Palinuro (ex-Yugoslavian Vila Velebita, 260 t) goes to Brioni. The torpedo boats MS-31 to 36 go to Lussinpiccolo (today Mali Lošinj), the main port of the island of Lussino (Lošinj). In terms of operational ships, the Germans can only get their hands on the MS-41 to 46 (the MS-41, having been sabotaged, will not be usable before May 1943). They could also count on four tugs and various auxiliary ships.
On the other hand, the booty made in the shipyards of Trieste and Monfalcone is more copious.
In addition to the battleship Impero , which is not very advanced***, the Germans find the following ships in the dock: light anti-aircraft cruisers Etna and Vesuvio (whose construction was suspended in January 1942); four Ariete-class escort torpedo boats (Gladio, Spada, Daga, Pugnale); four corvettes (Danaide, Pomona, Flora, Sfinge)****; and five submarines, two classic (Flutto and Marea) and three mini-submarines (CB-16, 17 and 18). They seize the Ariete-class torpedo boats Alabarda and Lancia; the five corvettes Chimera, Sibilla, Fenice, Urania and Berenice; the submarines Nautilo and Vortice; the torpedo boats MS-61 to 66, all under construction. Not to mention some beautiful commercial ships, such as the oil tankers Illiria (8,201 GRT) and Antonio Zotti (6,200 GRT) or the mixed liner Ausonia (9,314 GRT).
.........
Brioni Islands, off Istria, 13:00 - The Palinuro joins the sail training vessels Cristoforo Colombo and Amerigo Vespucci, which, together with the Vulcania, evacuated the staff and students of the Naval Academy. Most of the Academy had in fact been transferred from Livorno to Venice and Istria because of the Allied air raids.
While the liner left alone towards Brindisi by exploiting its speed (21.5 knots possible), the three training ships remain grouped in convoy. All of them will arrive at their destination, except that, lacking fuel, the Palinuro did not go further than the port of Vieste.
.........
Munich, 13:00 - Mussolini arrives by plane from Vienna, where he has found his family.
.........
Central Italy, 13:30 - RAF bombers (16 Baltimore and 32 Beaumont I) escorted by 40 Mustang-II of the 5th and 7th EC attack the German troops on the axis Avezzano-North of Monte Cassino.
Rome, 14:30 - The German artillery, which had stopped firing on the city during the morning, resumes its harassment. The Vatican is hit three times.

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French Heavy Cruiser MN Algérie, Operation Avalanche, December 1942

* Society of Saint Francis de Sales, congregation founded in Turin by Saint John Bosco in 1859.
** With above all the Ilva and Magona d'Italia steelworks.
*** Construction began at the Ansaldo shipyards in Genoa, where it was launched on November 15th, 1939. Just before Italy entered the war, to keep her away from possible French actions, the incomplete ship was sent to Brindisi. After the attack on Taranto on 24 August 1940, it was moved to Venice. After a new transfer, it has been in Trieste since January 22nd, 1942.
**** Torpedo boats and corvettes are listed in order of launch date.
 
6559
December 26th, 1942

Operation Argus, Gulf of Lion, 14:00 to 14:45
- If, in order to prepare for any eventuality, the British Admiralty did not interrupt the patrols of its submarines, its French Admiralty kept a harder line against the Italians, as they were forced to do on June 10th, 1940. So it set up Operation Argus, intended to prevent Italian ships, whether warships or commercial, from reaching, willingly or by force, ports under German control (in short, Toulon or Marseille). And, by extension, from having the idea of going to Spain to be interned. Modest operation, because it was only possible to engage four boats: three of the submarines based in Algiers: the 600-ton Eurydice and the 630-ton Méduse and Psyché, reinforced by one of the 1,500-ton submarines normally assigned to special operations, the Monge. The Eurydice and Psyché have been assigned to patrol both sides of the Balearic Islands, the Méduse between Nice and Savona, and the Monge between Marseille and Toulon. Their commanders left with instructions not to open until they received a certain radio message. Which reached them shortly after midnight on December 25th.
Having chosen to station himself in the south of the Frioul Islands, the commander of the Monge, LV Delort, saw a small group of escorts pass by early in the morning, without being able to intercept them. At the beginning of the afternoon, a new group of ships arrived from the opposite direction. We will know later that they were the escorts of the morning, which had left to take charge of the Italian cargo ship Silvano (4 296 GRT). Coming from Barcelona, it had stopped in Marseille to unload part of its cargo destined for Germany. It left at 16:00 on the 24th to reach Genoa. There, it was boarded shortly after midnight and taken to Toulon. The Germans having decided to send it back to Marseille to complete its unloading for their benefit, the cargo ship completed its journey under the guard of units from Marseille. The low speed of the convoy (the Silvano could hardly give 7 knots) allowed Commander Delort to intercept it. Having been able to gain a favorable position he launched a spray of four torpedoes from the front tubes at 14:43. Two hit, sinking the net anchor NT 44* and damaging the Silvano. The latter could be towed to Marseille and most of its cargo saved, but the Germans gave up trying to repair it. The Monge managed to evade the reaction of the other escorts.
(From Soldiers of the deep - The submarines of the French Navy in the war, by Commandant Henri Vuilliez - 2nd edition completed by Claude Huan, Paris, 1992)

* The ex-Marine Nationale Gabare Prudente (400 t), found scuttled in Monaco in August 1940 and refitted as a Netzleger.
 
6560
December 26th, 1942

Central Italy, 15:00
- A massive raid of 114 B-24s (from the 97th, 98th and 376th BGs) escorted by 96 P-38s (of the 1st, 14th and 82nd FGs) strike the depots of the 10. Panzer and the Das-Reich near Pescara. At the same time, escorted by 40 P-51B of the 33rd and 79th FG, 48 B-25 of the 12th and 310th BG bomb the German troops south of Avezzano.
Lido di Roma, 15:30 - A dozen Fw 190 Jabos bomb the allied troops on the left bank of the Tiber, near the mouth of the river.
 
6561 - Battle of Rome (end)
December 26th, 1942

Gulf of Gaeta, 15:50
- A new convoy leaves the beaches in direction of Rome. It is the main body of Combat Command B of the 1st AD-US: a battalion of light tanks, a battalion of M4, two battalions of self-propelled artillery on M7 Priest and a battalion of mechanized infantry.
16:00 - The Xth FK again attempts to attack Avalanche's covering squadron.
Given the poor results of the morning's attack, 21 Ju 88s (from I/KG-26) escorted by 32 Bf 109G (from I and II/JG-27) attack Admiral Rawlings aircraft carriers. Arriving at 6,000 m, this raid is detected well in advance by the radars of the ships on the screen and the fighter command set up a double device: 22 Martlets II (8 from Sqn 885 and 888 of the Victorious, 6 of Sqn 806 of the Indomitable and 8 of Sqn 809 of the Furious) will ensure interception, while 24 Seafire IB (6 from Sqn 844 of the Victorious, 12 from Sqn
801 and 880 of the Indomitable and 6 of Sqn 807 of the Furious) are in charge of the close defense.
Well positioned by the controllers, the Martlets surprise the attackers and shoot down four Ju 88s and three Bf 109Gs in exchange for five Martlets. It is a somewhat disorganized German formation that has to face the Seafires, the latter not hesitating to go after their targets right into the firing zone of the naval flak. Eight Ju 88 and seven Bf 109 are victims of this attack, while the escort, reacting with the energy of desperation, manages to shoot down six Seafires. But after two successive clashes, the Bf 109s run out of fuel - seven planes are lost on the way back before reaching their airfields, landing in a field or abandoned by their pilots as soon as they reach the coast.
However, the nine surviving Ju 88s succeed in placing a 750 kg bomb on the Indomitable, a little behind the rear elevator, and two other projectiles graze it, the shock wave seriously shaking the hull. The CLAA Cleopatra is directly hit by two bombs, but it is a third one, which explodes in the water next to the hull at the level of the machinery, which gives her the fatal blow. The steam transfer valves are closed and blocked by the violence of the shock. Deprived of electrical power, unable to fight against the fires and water ingress, the Cleopatra is abandoned around 17:15 and sinks shortly afterwards.. As for the Indomitable, it will be in for two months of repairs in a shipyard in Simonstown, South Africa.
16:25 - Hoping to take advantage of the confusion caused by the first raid, other bombers target the Avalanche-North fleet. Twelve Heinkel 111 H6s launch an attack with torpedos - the typical anti-ship weapon at that time - while five Do 217 K2s and four K3s fire the last guided missiles available in Italy - the anti-ship weapon of the future. The fleet is only defended by eight Bristol Banshee I from Sicily and eight F4F-3s from the patrol set up by the French escort carriers Lafayette and Quentin-Roosevelt.
The Banshees are attracted to the torpedo bombers like wasps to honey. Seven He 111s are shot down before they can reach a launching position and three others after launching their torpedoes - without success.
The French F4F-3s attack the missile launchers while the two small carriers launch eight other fighters, but they do not have time to climb to the 5,000 m altitude where the attackers are flying. Three Do 217 K2 and two K3 are shot down. Four FX-1400 and three Hs 293 are launched, but the launchers are unable to guide them and none of them hit the target. Out of 21 planes, the raid lost fifteen, without causing any loss!
The time when the bombers will be able to do without an escort has definitely not come.

Berlin, 16:30 - At a meeting of the OKW, General Halder decides to order the units deployed in Italy to regroup north of Rome, considering the situation as described to him by the commanders of the Hermann-Göring and the 10. Panzer. On the other hand, it is decided to accelerate the transfer of the SS Hohenstaufen Division (motorized) to Italy and to send an armored division located in the south of France to what becomes the Italian front.
.........
Rome, 17:30 - General Clark leavesthe capital to return to his headquarters, now located in the city of Gaeta.
.........
Taranto, 18:00, Operation Slapstick - The deployment of the British paratroopers continues. During the day, the ships of the Aegean Sea Squadron bringin the elements of the 2nd Parachute Brigade and some light vehicles. Throughout the day, the paratroopers reinforce their defensive positions at the gates of the city while Navy elements are working to get the port back in working order. In the afternoon, the first motorized detachments carry out reconnaissance to the north, as far as Castellanata, and to the east, to Grottaglie: no opposition is reported, everywhere the British are welcomed as liberators by the population...
.........
Guidonia, 18:00 - The leaders of the 10. Panzer and the Das-Reich reach Field Marshal Kesselring by radio and inform him that their situation is becoming very exposed. Indeed, they offer their left flank, and even their rear, to an attack from the south. The capture of Rome would have little sense in itself and appears very difficult, because of the allied reinforcements which are constantly arriving. Kesselring answers that he will study the situation and consult the OKW.
.........
Naples, 19:00 - On the basis of information transmitted by Ambrosio, Marshal Badoglio seeks to meet with General Clark to ask him to do something for the Italian forces in Greece. But he learns that the general had not yet returned to Gaeta, that he could not be in Naples before midnight at the earliest and that, in any case, such a decision was the responsability of the Allied command in Greece, which had to be contacted through the headquarters in Tunis.
.........
Venice, 19:10 - Obeying the formal order of King Victor-Emmanuel III received the day before, Prince Ferdinando di Savoia-Genova, formerly commander of the naval Department of the Upper Adriatic, leaves the City of the Doges - to which the Germans are getting closer - to join the royal family. The Prince's first intention had been to leave by sea and the destroyer Premuda was called from Pola to transport him.
But, shortly after leaving the lagoon, the ship had to turn back because of machinery damage. The repairs requiring at least twenty-four hours, it is on board of a Cant Z.506 seaplane that the prince will gain first of all Brindisi.
.........
Guidonia, 19:30 - On their own authority and after having warned the Hermann-Göring of their intentions, the commanders of the 10. Panzer and the Das-Reich begin to disengage their troops in contact with the defenders of Rome. The elements still located between Pescara and Avezzano are ordered to withdraw to the north. The brigade begins to withdraw to Avezzano to ensure the security of communications.
.........
Munich, 20:00 - Mussolini boards a train for Berlin, where he is to meet Adolf Hitler.
........
Gaeta, 20:30 - The end-of-day update at Clark's headquarters is still contrasted. If the Avalanche landings were a great success (the numerous mishaps and organizational errors had not succeeded in nullifying the immense advantage of the absence of opposition), the speed and violence of the German reaction in Rome made the outcome of the battle for the Italian capital uncertain. Fearing that the Germans had other nasty surprises in store for his troops, Clark asks Allfrey to speed up the advance of his V Corps to come and secure his right flank by controlling Foggia as soon as possible.
Allfrey, like Clark, sees that Italy's change of sides is a reality, which manifests itself in the lack of opposition in Calabria and Taranto. He takes some initiatives to accelerate the advance of his forces. He thus proposes to accelerate the advance of his two columns in Calabria - this evening, the vanguards of the 6th ID, in the north, are in Pizzo ; those of the 5th Indian Division, in the south, are in Locri. But his superior, General Montgomery (commander of the 1st British Army), perhaps concerned above all to avoid the slightest hitch on the eve of being called to higher office, has so far renewed his instructions of prudence...
.........
Bologna, 20:30 - Kesselring agrees to the movement decided by the 10. Panzer and the Das-Reich. He informs the Hermann-Göring command and gives it the order to start withdrawing to Viterbo, while continuing to exert pressure on the Allied troops west of Rome.
Rome, 22:00 - The Hermann-Göring's guns increase their fire on the capital to create a diversion as the troops begin to withdraw.
Rome and Naples, 23:00 - The Eternal City is attacked by 27 Do 217 of the III/KG 2 while 18 Do 217 of IV/KG 2 attack Naples. The latter are however surprised by four Beaufighter VIF of Sqn 89 night fighter, which shoot down two of them.
 
6562
December 26th, 1942

Slovenia
- The snow does not facilitate the movements, either for one side or the other - or for those, many, who still hesitate to choose. Slovenian partisans in Grčarice, obtain the surrender of the pro-Italian White Guards. According to the usual practice, the officers are shot, the men have the choice between joining the Partisans or leaving unarmed, promising not to serve the occupier. Edvard Kardelj then tries to take Turjak castle, another stronghold of the MVAC, but the snowfall forces him to cancel the operation.
In Turjak, the Slovenian Chetniks or "Blue Guards" of Major Novak join the "White Guards" of the MVAC and prepare to hold out until the arrival of the Allies.
.........
Croatia - Poglavnik Ante Pavelic is furious about the betrayal of the Italians, but, at the same time, quite satisfied to be able to recover "his" Adriatic provinces confiscated by the Duce. Indeed, Germany has just authorized the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) to retake the Dalmatian coast (minus the city of Zadar/Zara, which must remain an Italian fascist enclave). After a fast consultation with the German ambassador Kasche, who promises him an important help in material to raise new divisions (without specifying to him that the Reich has other priorities than Croatia, Pavelic disarms and interns all the Italian personnel in Zagreb. However, for the rest of the region, only two divisions, the 1st ID in Karlovac and the 6th ID in Mostar, are able to act quickly, because the other Croatian troops have been dispersed to face possible Partisan or Chetnik attacks.
The 1st ID moves from Karlovac. In one week, it will occupy the coast from Sušak (Slavic suburb of Rijeka/Fiume) to Benkovac (hinterland of Zadar/Zara).
On its side, the 6th ID, starting from Bihac, disarms the last Italian garrisons of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In connection with this movement, the German 714. ID (which will become on January 1st the 114. Jäger-Division) hastens to march on Zadar/Zara and Šibenik.
In the whole region, it is up to the first one to arrive to plunder the rather important stocks of the Italian army. Germans, Croats, anti-communist militia, Chetniks and Partisans have fierce competition!
........
Dalmatia (north) - Nikola Martinovic's Dalmatian Partisans quietly follow the Italians who retreat towards Fiume. There is no hurry: there is enough to do to recover everything that the former occupants could not take with them or had to abandon on the way (some heavy weapons, trucks, etc.). In the areas that are gradually being recaptured, part of the MVAC rally to their cause, but, unlike in Grčarice, the officers and civilian collaborators are able to follow the Italian withdrawal.
On the same day, with the boats seized in the first small liberated ports, a detachment of Partisans land on the island of Rab (in Italian, Arbe). What they find there is atrocious enough that they ask Martinovic and his French liaison officer to go there as soon as possible.
.........
Dalmatia (central and southern) - The Partisans make a triumphal entry into Split. The largest city of Dalmatia, important arsenal of the Italians, becomes Yugoslav again without a blow.
To the great fury of General Umberto Spigo, head of the XVIIIth Army Corps, who wanted to deal with the Germans, his subordinates (Generals Emilio Becuzzi, commander of the 15th ID Bergamo, and Alfonso Cigala Fulgosi, commander of the square of Spalato) negotiated an agreement with Ivo Lola Ribar, acting on behalf of Tito. The Italians withdrew to their quarters until they could evacuate the city by sea, leaving some of their weapons to the Partisans. The two generals do not have much choice: their forces are superior in numbers, but the port workers are holding out for the Partisans and threaten to cut them off from the sea if they do not comply. Cigala Fulgosi nevertheless obtained to leave weapons to the Chetniks of Major Pavasovic and the MVAC, who had compromised with him. The old Ivan Ribar, a moderate politician and father of Ivo Lola, and the French advisor Yves de Daruvar participate in the negotiations. Cigala Fulgosi is about the same age as Ivan Ribar, and a certain sympathy arises between the two men.
- You see, Dottore [Ribar is a Doctor of Law], I had two sons: one was an aviator and he fell in Sardinia, the other was a sailor and he fell in the Aegean Sea. So, I can't wait for all this to stop. You, you are lucky, your sons will see peace return...
The agreement reached has only one defect: it was made after Admiral Antonio Bobbiese, in charge of the Comando militare marittimo (Military Maritime Command) of Dalmatia, a.k.a. Maridalmazia, had carried out Admiral Brenta's orders and had already made arrangements the day before for the military or civilian ships present in the four Comandi Marina (Navy Commands) which are subordinate to him (Spalato/Split, Ragusa/Dubrovnik, Ploče and Zara/Zadar) to be evacuated to the ports of southern Italy! By the evening of December 25th, the small torpedo boats T1 and T5 (ex-Yugoslavian), the Fasana, a water tanker, two tugs and four auxiliary ships, as well as several commercial as well as several merchant ships. On the morning of the 26th, only the Illiria* and, in addition to some (very) small units of the Regia Marina, two cargo ships...
Even the hydrobase is empty: all the aircraft that were there had also left on December 25th, some for Brindisi, others for Taranto.
In Sibenik/Sebenivo and Trogir/Traù, it is also a speed race between Partisans and Chetniks to seize the Italian armament. The Italian general Paolo Berardi, head of the 12th ID Sassari, negotiates an arrangement: in exchange for part of his equipment, he could withdraw his troops towards Split with the Italian (or Slavic) civilians who wish to follow them.
In Šibenik, the commander of the maritime sector, Lieutenant Pietro Tacchini, also obeyed from the 25th the orders that came down to him through the hierarchical chain. He had ordered some ships to leave for Italy and keep others to operate in the Dalmatian archipelago. Are sent to Italy the water tanker Cherca (ex-Yugoslavian Lovcen, 564 t) andthe cargo ship Marino (ex-Yugoslavian Solin, 702 GRT), under the symbolic escort of two auxiliary minesweepers: victim of a mine, most probably Italian, the Marino will not arrive in port! The torpedo boats T6 and T8 (ex-Yugoslavian) and the minesweeper Pasman (ex-Yugoslavian Mosor) follow. Like in Split, there is not much in the port and the Sassari division could hardly have relied on the sea route to withdraw!
The SS Mountain Division Prinz Eugen, after seizing Metkovic, resumes the road towards Dubrovnik. On the way, it encounters the XXVIII Coastal Brigade detached in Opuzen, which seeks to reach Ploče, hoping to be evacuated by sea from this small base of the Regia Marina. The Blackshirt Legion Stamira rallies to continue the fight on the side of the Germans. As for the other Italian infantrymen, the few who tried to resist are massacred and the others are taken prisoner, including General Arnaldo Rocca.
On the evening of 26 December, General Ugo Santovito, commander of the VI Corps, is left with only the 156th Vicenza Territorial Infantry Division, which holds Ragusa/Dubrovnik and its surroundings.
While the bad weather forces the Prinz Eugen to stop between Opuzen and Ston, the 6th Croatian ID occupies Metkovic and deploys on the coast.
.........
Montenegro - When Badoglio's declaration falls from the sky, the Italians have just adjusted their position.
The 1st Alpine Division Taurinense had been in charge, since July 1942, of controlling a part of the Montenegrin Sandjak. Its commander, Brigadier General Giovanni Maccario, is determined not to surrender to the Germans no matter what.
The 19th Venezia Mountain Infantry Division, in Berane, is led by another convinced anti-Nazi: Major General Giovanni Battista Oxilia.
The 6th Alpine Alpi Graie Division (Major General Mario Girotti), whose return to Italy was foreseen, was, while waiting for a final decision, entrusted with the control of the Zeta river valley, from Cetinje to Podgorica.
The extreme south of Montenegro is occupied by two territorial infantry divisions. The 151st Perugia guards the coast from the mouths of Cattaro to Lake Scutari. The 155th Emilia is garrisoned in and around Cattaro/Kotor. This small region has been annexed to Italy and should have been under the authority of Supersloda, but it was placed under the authority of the Military governor of Montenegro, General Alessandro Pirzio Biroli. Neither Biroli nor General Mentasti, commander of the XIV Army Corps, give any indication of their intentions.

* Former yacht of King Zog of Albania (a gift from Italy in 1938!), seized during the invasion of 1939: 654 tons, 10 knots, 2 x 13.2 mm machine guns, hardly a weak patrol boat (that the ship was originally built, in 1917-1918, as a patrol boat of the French Navy Gardon type, under the name Lamproie, with an armament of 1 x 100 mm and 1 x 47 mm).
 
6563
December 26th, 1942

Elbasan
- General Pizzolato proclaims himself "commander of all the Italian and Albanian forces in Albania for the salvation of the Kingdom". In fact, his authority is limited to his unit, the 80th ID, and, for a few days, to the special cavalry group of Colonel Mayer, which was camped south of Tirana and tried to rally the scattered Italian military.
Pizzolato's motivations remain largely obscure. According to communist sources, obviously hostile, he would have appealed to the Germans for help from the 25th, a message that remained unanswered because of the evacuation of Tirana by the Frantz column; but this point is controversial. It is certain that he did not get along well with his superiors, in particular with General Mercalli, whom he did not forgive for having refused him the command of the IV Corps after the death of General Ferrari Orsi in an attempt on his life on December 4th (Orsi was succeeded by Lorenzo Dalmasso, former head of the VI Corps). He seems to have relied on some support among Albanian political leaders to have himself proclaimed "regent of Albania". However, from the 26th, both the LNC and the Balli Kombëtar made it known that they would not allow the "fascist Italian occupiers" to enter Tirana.
The snowfalls of 29 and 30 December, by blocking the road from Elbasan to Tirana contribute to freezing the situation.
 
6564
December 26th, 1942

Near Katerini (Eastern Macedonia)
- Bitter awakening for the Sicilians of the 29th ID Piemonte. They waited all night, on the beach of Paralia, for the armada that was to take them towards their native island. Instead of boats, they are German infantrymen, most of them very young soldiers or crippled veterans, who surround them and order them to lay down their weapons. The 153. Feldausbildungs-Division, an instructional division with light wounded and convalescents, has just succeeded in its first exploit: the capture of two regiments of deserters, the 3rd RI Piemonte and the 24th Artillery Rgt Peloritana. It is true that it is supported by an armored unit in the rear guard, which discourages any form of resistance. The old general Diether von Böhm-Bezing, a veteran of France and Russia, felt inclined to indulgence and did not even carry out the usual shootings. The young recruits have plenty of time to discover the harsh realities of war...
Some Italians are able to flee in fishing boats or to escape to the countryside where they are sheltered by the peasants. The 4th RI Piemonte, spread out along the railroad south of the city until the destroyed viaduct of Gonnos, disperses in the scrub; the best marchers eventually reach Volos, which had been temporarily neglected by the German offensive. The 166th Black Shirt Legion rallies partly to the Germans.
.........
Trikala (Thessaly) - General Mario Soldarelli, of the 6th ID Cuneo, had dreamed of being a hero. But this desire has somewhat passed since he lived through the deadly battles of the French Alps in 1940, then in the Balkans in 1941, where he was wounded. Italy bled to pursue a dream of greatness, and it is now only a sacrificial pawn in a game that is being played elsewhere and without her. Today, the general is trying to maintain a vague semblance of Italian order in this province, three quarters of which is held by the maquis.
Without instructions from Rome, he does not know who he can count on. The men of the OVRA (political police), Colonel Dantoni and the staff of the 7th RI, the Black Shirts of the Caroccio Assault Legion and the few remaining men of the Vlach Legion (who have no other choice to save their lives) are determined to hold out until the Germans arrive.
The officers, for the most part, do not wish to fall into the hands of either the Nazis or the Reds, and would like, according to Badoglio's motto, to "defend the city against all
intrusion". Colonel Umberto Donadoni, head of the 8th RI, supported by Colonel Giuseppe Berti, commander of the Lancieri di Aosta cavalry regiment (which joined the Cuneo in Trikala), pleads for an agreement with the Allies. Many soldiers discover that they are anti-fascists, some are even sincere. Arrived the day before shortly before midnight with a small third of the Brennero division, General Zannini and his "legalist" officers, very shaken by their misadventure of the day before, do not consider themselves in a position to give advice. However, their presence alone strengthens the anti-German camp.
At the end of the morning, the general sees arriving from Larissa a motorcycle courier who informs him of the intentions of his superior, Enea Navarini, and his colleague, Antonio Franceschini, to the continuation of the fight alongside their former ally: he is invited to do the same. A little later in the afternoon, the young second lieutenant artilleryman Ferruccio Pizzigoni arrives from his outpost: "Signor General, a message from the mountains!" It is a proposal for negotiation from the Greek Resistance...
.........
Patras (Peloponnese) - The Italian hospital ship Gradisca is seized by the Germans, who use it to transport German troops and Italian prisoners to the mainland.
The medical staff is deported to the Reich and the patients are put in a shed, where many die for lack of care. The surgeon Giulio Venticinque, after having vainly protested, manages to escape and reach a village on Mount Panachaikon. He is one of a few hundred Italians who were sheltered by Greek civilians and who were liberated by the Allied advance in the following weeks*.
.........
Kalavryta (Peloponnese) - This small town has been almost untouched by the war so far, but its turn has come.
Colonel Morigi and the soldiers of the 7th Cavalry Regiment Lanciere di Milano are celebrated as liberators, an unusual sensation for them, when they announced to the Greek population of their rallying to the Allied side. Intoxicated by the joy and the cheers, they made the mistake to linger on the spot: instead of the hoped-for arrival of Giraud's forces, it is the 4. Gebirgs-Division that surrounds the city. Major-General Karl von Le Suire, who had recently succeeded Eglseer, who had been transferred to Yugoslavia, barely had time to call for an immediate surrender: as Morigi asked to negotiate, he gives the order to "raze to the ground the localities of Kalavryta and Mazeika" (this one also received insubordinate Italians). The battle is fierce and the civilian population supports the Italians until the end.
In the evening, the Germans count 204 dead and about 500 wounded, but 1,200 Greeks and 947 Italians die, either in battle or shot on the spot. The German sappers methodically blow up all the houses, including the monastery. Women and children (at least those who survived the fighting) flee on foot to the surrounding villages.
The allied commission of inquiry that will visit Kalavryta a few weeks later will only count 15 surviving men: 12 Greeks and 3 Italians. Shot like the others, they were only wounded but left for dead and thrown into a pit with their companions.
.........
Athens - At the headquarters of the Comando Superiore Forze Armate Grecia, generals Geloso and Pafundi are taken prisoner. Pafundi had been summoned by his superior as soon as the latter had been informed of the Promemoria N.2. After the diffusion of the message, both of them tried, in vain, to negotiate a global agreement with the Germans on the basis of the said Memorandum. Their interlocutors kept them waiting all Christmas day and a good part of the 26th before brutally signifying the end of all discussion!

* Doctor Venticinque, out of gratitude to the Greeks who helped him, will ask to be parachuted tto the Garibaldist partisans in central Greece in 1943. Medical director of the camp of Neraida, he saved a large number of Italian and Greek patients. After the war, he was briefly Minister of Health and, later, member of several international medical and humanitarian commissions. [OTL, Venticinque was hanged by the Germans in Aghion (Peloponnese) on January 23rd, 1944].
 
6565
December 26th, 1942

Kalamata (Peloponnese)
- While the sun is still only a vague promise behind the morning fog which envelops the coasts of the country of Pelops, colonel Amilakhvari arrives
in Kalamata with a detachment of his staff. While his officers organize the troops of the 13th DBLE already installed in the city and make leave for Sparta, to their great indignation, the elements of the half-brigade finally kept by Dentz under the pretext of a reserve available in case of misfortune, Amilakhvari finalizes his plan of attack. He had to adapt Bloch's (and Camerini's) recommendations to the available manpower and means. Indeed, contrary to the initial project, the attack cannot claim numerical superiority; on the other hand, it could take advantage of the probable demobilization of the Italians. This is why Amilakhvari chose to reduce the front of the assault and to concentrate it on the ports of Gavrio and Batsi, more distant from Chora and the Italian reserves. Depending on the response of the Greeks, a third assault could be programmed against the villages of Paleopolis and Aprovato, in order to cut the coastal road and prevent any communication between Chora and Gavrio. Bloch confirms that enough caiques will be available in the Tinos-Syros-Mykonos area, both to transfer the men of the 13th DBLE and to transport the two hundred Greeks necessary for a third assault.
According to the information provided by Picard, the Italian garrison of the island is composed of a battalion of the CXXXth Blackshirt Legion, based in Gavrio, and a battalion of the 14th RI, based in Chora, both under the 24th ID Pinerolo. This garrison is reinforced by half a dozen German flak posts.
Although Chora is the administrative capital and its battalion commander has precedence over his colleague the seniore of the CCNN, the main concentration of forces is in Gavrio: the men of the 14th and some annexed units, with the dubious support of a handful of Greek gendarmes, are scattered among several small posts. Gavrio, turned towards Euboea and the continent, is the vital point by which the garrison of Andros can receive reinforcements or, on the contrary, to send help in the event of attack on Euboea. It is thus important to seize it as soon as possible, even if, Amilakhvari is conscious of it, that implies a high risk for the Ciseaux-West force. The Yugoslav airmen receive the order to focus on this sector in particular.
 
6566
December 26th, 1942

Heraklion (Crete), 09:00
- General Maraveas, Chief of Staff of the Royal Hellenic Army, has not slept all night. Since the announcement of the Italian surrender, the Greek troops, in the Peloponnese, in Crete, in the Archipelago, are in turmoil. But the general staff already knows, by its reconnaissance and by the Italian defectors who start to arrive, that the Germans have taken control of the Italian lines. Worse, the ammunition reserves are at their lowest: an attack in these conditions would be tactical suicide, especially since the (British) air command has grounded all the planes. In the general confusion, it would not be a question of bombing the Italians by mistake at a time when there is talk of co-belligerence.
And now, Maraveas learns by telephone that General Stanotas, in Argolid, had to make a blockade with his horsemen to prevent mutinous soldiers from marching on Corinth and on Athens. Alas, if the heart says yes, the reason, and singularly the British staff, in Cairo, says no.
Kalamata (Peloponnese) / Syros (Cyclades), 09:20 - According to Giraud's orders, Dentz calls General Evstakhios Liosis, commander of the Greek troops in the sectorof the Cyclades.
Well aware that he is violating all the hierarchical rules in force between the Allies and, deep down, little convinced of the interest to alienate the English for an island whose capture seems to him devoid of strategic interest, Dentz walks on eggshells and does not intend to show any excessive enthusiasm. After the usual greetings, he quickly gets to the heart of the matter.
- General, I have important news to announce to you: the Armée d'Orient is preparing a coup de main against Andros, in order to take advantage of the Italian surrender. The operation is planned for the morning of the 28th. We will engage a battalion of legionnaires and five destroyers, two of them Greek, to convoy them.
- That's excellent news, General,
" replies Liosis in impeccable French (he was a military attaché in Paris and is still nostalgic for the City of Light). I am at the same time impatient to witness the liberation of Andros and surprised that I was not informed of this operation, neither by the 8th Army, nor by my government...
- And for good reason, General,
" Dentz continues, choosing his words carefully, "General Giraud had to take this decision in a hurry and there was not enough time to consult the politicians. It is a question of speed of action: our room for maneuver is very narrow, we must act immediately if we want to keep the surprise and take advantage of the Italian disarray to minimize our losses. We respect your government and our British allies, but this is not the time for discussions. General Giraud has asked me to ask you, from you to him, between soldiers, to participate in this operation by committing the equivalent of a battalion of your division, with the understanding that we will take care of its transport and protection.
- I share General Giraud's desire not to delay the liberation of a piece of Greek land by political discussions, but you will understand that I cannot commit myself without first referring to my superiors in Heraklion. I promise you an answer for tomorrow morning at the latest.

After having hung up, Dentz realizes that Liosis did not express the intention to inform his English superiors of Giraud's request: he only spoke about Heraklion, where the headquarters of the Greek armed forces is located. Without too much hesitation, he decides to forget to bring this information to the attention of the head of the Armée d'Orient.
.........
Syros / Heraklion, 09:50 - Dentz is not the only one withholding information.
After enjoying a good... Greek coffee, Liosis calls General Maraveas, Chief of General Staff.
- General Maraveas? With your permission, could you send me a written confirmation of your order of yesterday? The one that prescribes me to take all useful measures to deal with the new situation created by the Italian crisis, and to move troops inside the Archipelago if necessary?
- Of course, General Liosis, I will have it sent to you by plane. Is there a problem on your side?
- Yes, sir. Once again, the 10th Infantry Regiment is on the verge of mutiny and would like to fall on the Italians. Like in May of last year, you remember*... I would rather transfer them to another island before the unrest spreads to the whole division.
- Ah, those Corfiotes... They are almost as crazy as the Cephalonians. Do you have the necessary boats?
- Moving a battalion should be enough to start with. I have what it takes in the way of small boats. Thank you very much, General.

Very satisfied, General Liosis asks for a second coffee. As he would later explain to the Franco-Greek aviator-writer Costa de Loverdo, "I knew very well that I was putting this poor Maraveas in an impossible situation vis-à-vis the British... So impossible that they asked for and obtained his resignation soon after. And since the King was not too unhappy with my action, I succeeded him as Chief of Staff. Would you like a coffee?"

* The 10th Infantry Regiment, recruited mainly in Corfu, was considered one of the most ardent units of the Greek army; it had notably taken Kastoria from the Turks in 1912. In May 1941, there was talk of landing on Rommel's rear, but this operation was cancelled and, following a series of transmission errors between the British and the Greeks, the Italians of General Geloso were able to seize Corfu, which was practically emptied of its defenders. See Costa de Loverdo, Fighting Greece, t. 2, Calmann-Levy, 1967.
 
6567
December 26th, 1942

Kalamata, 11:15
- The destroyer MN L'Indomptable and the destroyers RHS Psara and Kountouriotis enter the port.
In their quarters, the men of the 13th DBLE have to wait for a while. The day is spent in orders and counter-orders, in alerts and announcements of embarkation finally cancelled.
Colonel-Prince Amilakhvari takes advantage of this forced rest to inform each component of the 2nd Battalion of the role it will have to play and to issue some instructions on the cohabitation with the crews of destroyers and torpedo boats. An exercise of evacuation by Le Fantasque, organized at its request, turns into a disaster. As reports the 13th DBLE's Journal de marche, "this exercise was a complete failure. We came back from it with the conviction that we could drown on our own if anything went wrong, without the Italians or the Germans bothering to interfere. Our respect for the crews of the destroyers was considerably increased. And we spent the evening trying to dry our soaked uniforms."
Suda Bay, 14:20 - The MTBs of Patrol Boat Squadron III/3 arrive in Suda Bay to refuel. An engine failure forces VP-19 to stop here, she will not be able to participate in operation Ciseaux.
Aegean Sea - The aerial reconnaissance sent during the afternoon and the radio interceptions by Picard's team, on Tinos, do not indicate any particular movement in Andros. On the other hand, on the mainland, the port of Rafina suddenly experiences a clear increase in activity.
 
6568
December 27th, 1942

Reich Chancellery (Berlin), 09:00
- All reports, regardless of their source, are unanimous: Mussolini, weakened, is only a shadow of the Duce of old. Emaciated, with dark circles around his eyes, floating in the long black coat he is wearing, he is far from the tribune who dreamed of a Roman Empire, from Nice to Ethiopia, from Tunis to the Levant. But the Führer has every confidence in the man he had once admired and from whom he had drawn great inspiration at the beginning.
Their reunion could only be warm and give rise to a fruitful working meeting, as if the dismissal of All-Saint's Day had been only a minor accident, which only be an anecdote when the Victory will have occurred. Moreover, the crowd of journalists waiting to attend the reunion of the two men is identical to the one that would have been in the context of an official state visit.
However, as soon as the meeting begins, Adolf Hitler cannot believe his ears! Here is that Benito Mussolini, without enthusiasm nor blow of chin, announces to him to want to withdraw from political life in order not to be a factor of discord, because he fears a civil war? Ah, the one that he esteemed so much, has become less and less with the contact of his degenerate Latin congeners! But what can he imagine ? Does he really believe that he can choose to abandon the Thousand Year Reich? But if Italy could withdraw like that, what would Hungary, Romania or Bulgaria do? It is fortunate that Japan still has faith in Victory! Then, seeing that his interlocutor is decidedly weary and hardly reacts to his exhortations, the Führer states more clearly that Mussolini absolutely MUST take the head of an Italian government alongside the Germans.
If not? It's quite simple, explains Hitler: "Italian treason, if our enemies knew how to exploit it, could provoke the collapse of Germany itself. I therefore considered, to punish Italy, to make a terrible example to intimidate those of our allies who might be tempted to imitate it. A plan, already prepared in all its details, would lead to the total destruction of Milan, Genoa and Turin and the transformation of the areas controlled by the Wehrmacht into occupation zones where the Italian people would be considered traitors to be punished. But I suspended the execution of this plan, and I did so only because I was sure I could free you from the prison where traitors had thrown you, and then have your full support. But if you do not agree to restore the alliance between our two countries, by taking the head of a new state and its government, then Northern Italy will have to envy the fate of Poland or Ukraine!"
Mussolini tries to argue well, but without much conviction. He has no illusions on the destiny that awaits him and on his room for maneuver at the head of this new Republic.
Does he not have to fight for long minutes so that the German chancellor concedes that the state that he will make him lead is called Italian Social Republic and not Fascist Republic or Neo-fascist Italian Republic, as he would have liked! Annoyed, the former Bavarian corporal even throws the former journalist from Romagna: "Duce, you are too good! You can never be a dictator!"
.........
Berlin, 12:30 - German radio broadcasts a call from Mussolini announcing that he has taken the leadership of the National Fascist government with the aim of establishing a "Social Republic" in Italy. This call will be rebroadcast every hour.
The Duce takes advantage of this to indicate that he relieves the officers of the armed forces of their oath to the King, "who has surrendered, who has abandoned his post, who has delivered the nation to the enemy and has dragged it into shame and misery. (...) I am certain that the house of Savoy wanted, prepared, organized to the smallest detail the coup d'état, with the complicity of Badoglio, of some vile and ambush generals, and of some cowardly fascist elements. In these conditions, it is not the regime that has betrayed the monarchy, but the monarchy that betrayed the regime."
However, these words are pronounced in a voice so weary, so weak and even so humble that many listeners think that it is not the Duce who is speaking...
.........
Airfield of Ghedi (near Brescia), same time - Surrounded by German policemen who have just taken her from the castle-prison of Novara, a woman listens to the voice of Mussolini, who comes out of the portable receiver - and she has no doubt. She goes through all the emotions before fainting.
Clara Petacci owes her release to the express (and, for most, incomprehensible) insistence of the Führer himself. A strange gift from the student who has long since surpassed the master. Does he not know that the Duce had, at the end of the previous summer, tried to break up with his young mistress? And that, if he had changed his mind, it was more to put an end to the pathetic scene that she was making in the room of the Palace of Venice than for sentimental reasons? Or would the Führer make a random parallel with a certain young blonde woman, whom he keeps for the moment away from the regime's mundanities?...
.........
All over Northern Italy - A communiqué signed by Mussolini begins to be distributed "to the faithful comrades of all Italy". It contains five decrees, the first in the history of the history of the Social Republic:
1) From this day forward, I again assume the supreme leadership of Fascism in Italy.
2) I appoint temporarily Alessandro Pavolini secretary of the National Fascist Party, which from today will be called Republican Fascist Party.
3) I order all the military, administrative, political and academic authorities that have been dismissed by the government of the capitulation to immediately resume their posts.
4) I order the immediate reconstitution of all the services of the Party, which will have to fulfill the following tasks: a) To support effectively and amicably the German troops who are fighting on Italian soil against the common enemy; b) To give immediate moral and material support to the people; c) To examine the situation of the members of the Party regarding their conduct in the face of the coup d'état, the capitulation and the dishonor, and to punish the cowards and traitors in an exemplary manner.
5) I order the reconstitution of all the organizations and special departments of the Voluntary Militia for National Security.
 
6569
December 27th, 1942

Ermanno Carlotto barracks, Italian concession of Tientsin (occupied China)
- They are barely six hundred men facing ten times as many Japanese, at least. They have four 76 mm guns, four venerable Ansaldo-Lancia 1ZM armored vehicles and about fifty machine guns - but their opponents are far better armed.
The day before, during the first talks, Lieutenant-Colonel Tanaka did not fail to point this out to Commander Dell'Aqua. At first, the Italian officer refused to give up an inch of ground until he knew more about this supposed armistice against the Allies in Europe.
But as the hours went by and the news was confirmed, the sailor realized that it was useless to oppose the Japanese in this lost corner of China. Refusing to surrender? Why not. But they would have to retreat, and where could they go, he and his men? To the Chinese of the Kuo-Min-Tang? What would they think of an Italian troop coming to seek refuge with them after having been theoretically at war with them for years? And then, the trouble begins to win over the troop. Words to the glory of the King or Marshal Badoglio are reported to him by his officers and non-commissioned officers. So, Dell'Aqua, not being Japanese, avoids having his men massacred and presents his surrender to Tanaka.
The Italians who pledge allegiance to Mussolini remain free. The others, disarmed by the Koreans, will be scattered in camps in China and Manchuria. Two out of three of them accept this fate!
The third of the troop that remained faithful to Mussolini remains in Tientsin - under close surveillance of the Kempetai - for some time. Until the pro-German puppet government gives back its concessions to the pro-Japanese Chinese puppet government.
.........
Italian radio installations, Peking - A hundred men, an amalgam of infantrymen and sailors, faces a force of a thousand hostile soldiers. What choice did Captain Baldassare have? None, from his point of view: fighting is the only solution! Since the day before, his men have been resisting a troop ten times their size and with light armor. Of course, Baldassare had no illusions about the outcome of the battle. But his honor as an officer required to fight against the enemy, although he was the ally of yesterday, the time that all the radio station's documents and equipment were destroyed.
Today, it is done, and Baldassare hands in his surrender. About half of the survivors will pledge allegiance to the Duce, the other half to the King. Finally, in view of the treatment they would receive by the Japanese army, the difference will be quite small...
At the Italian legation, the ambassador Francesco Maria Taliani de Marchio and his wife, the Archduchess Margaretha of Austria had already moved since their arrival in China, from Nanking to Chongqing and then from Chongqing to Peking in 1938 - Mussolini had only stopped recognizing Chiang Kaichek's government for that of Wang Jinwei in 1941. They will now know the joys of a new residence: a camp of prisoners of the Japanese army. Indeed, the Italian diplomat refuses to take the oath to the Duce.
 
6570 - Operation Gunnerside
December 27th, 1942

In the vicinity of Vemork, 00:10
- On this calm Sunday night, under a cottony sky full of snowflakes, the two teams have arrived safely at the foot of the factory and are facing a fence. While the explosives change bags, Rønneberg breaches the barbed wire with a "civilian" shear which he had bought in Cambridge, finding that the SOE ones were too weak. Entrusting it to Storhaug with the mission of enlarging the hole to facilitate the evacuation, he penetrates the factory compound accompanied by Kayser, Idland and Strømsheim, the others deployed as cover on the outskirts.
At this point, there is normally a door, but it is closed. The men start to run around the building, looking for an entrance. Rønneberg and Kayser find an access tunnel which is actually a sewage outlet, and enter through it. The other two do not follow them and eventually find a window a little further on, which they break to enter. They join the first ones, who have started to install the charges on heavy water production units. They continue their work on the stock barrels. In order to hear the sound of the explosion and be sure that the work has been done, Rønneberg decides to set the detonators at 30 seconds instead of two minutes, which gives them (just) enough time to get out, because the closed door can be opened from the inside.
The men hear the sound of the explosion as they go back through the fence. A sound less loud than they had hoped, the concrete and snow dampening the sound. It doesn't matter, it's even better: the guards shouldn't even be alerted! And if they are, the general alarm will not be given immediately: the cover team took advantage of the absence of rounds at this precise hour to carefully cut the telephone cables...
Everybody goes back upstream of the Tynn under a snow that falls more and more heavily, and goes up on the plateau. Their tracks are already erased. It is now a question of covering the 360 km to the Swedish border, which they do on skis in 14 days, without meeting a single German (although they were being sought after!) or firing a single shot!
 
6571
December 27th, 1942

Oran
- André Cavailhé and Violette Morris meet in an estaminet near the Calo Stadium. Morris announces that she has received confirmation that operation Marat (named after the revolutionary murdered by Charlotte Corday) could take place in the next ten days.
She adds that she has been able to gather everything needed: car, motorcycle, several weapons and even a handful of grenades. Of course, in order not to attract attention, the vehicles are antiques but she has serviced them herself and guarantees their reliability. Cavailhé - who is the only one who knows who the target is - must be ready, as well as his sidekick.
 
6572 - End of the Milne Bay Campaign
December 27th, 1942

Milne Bay area
- In the Killerton Islands, the wreck of the Okinoshima Maru is examined by divers. Working mainly at night, they find that the ship is lying on a very firm sandy bottom and could easily be refloated - the main obstacle being the Japanese air control! A description of the wreck is transmitted to the RAN, which decides to refloat it as soon as possible.
 
6573
December 27th, 1942

Guadalcanal, north of the front
- Something is brewing on the Matanikau front. At least, the Marines of the 7th regiment, by dint of surveying the impenetrable jungle that covers the whole area, are convinced of it. Is it a lesser fighting spirit of the Japanese, which was noted during the offensive patrols regularly launched in enemy territory? Or simply the instinct of soldiers who have learned that the slightest noise, the slightest variation of birdsong, can be a sign of life or death? In any case, by dint of receiving signals, DeCarre ends up discussing the question with Patch.
Irritated by the attitude of Colonel Jackson, who takes a malicious pleasure in stirring up the rivalry between Army and Marines in front of the Seahorse, Patch is not in the mood to listen to the recommendations of a USMC man, even if he is his deputy. "We will deal with the Matanikau area problem in January," he says sharply. "In January, when we have taken the Seahorse and after the 25th ID has arrived!"

Guadalcanal, south of the front - As the Battle of the Seahorse is about to begin, it is worthwhile to briefly recall the topography of the area. Like Galloping Horse and Gifu, its neighbors, Seahorse is a hill a few dozen meters high which emerges from the jungle. Its crest is roughly oriented NNW-SSE. Its sides are covered with vegetation (or rather, they were before the beginning of the fighting) and their steep slopes lend themselves perfectly to the defense. Still perfecting the techniques developed on the Gifu, the Japanese have built bunkers in palm tree trunks that only a direct hit can damage. Nevertheless, the guilty carelessness that revolted Captain Onishi on his arrival, made him neglect the construction of fortifications on the western flank of the position.
The Seahorse is also protected on the east and west by two steeply banked rivers, which meet a few hundred meters north of the position. It is these rivers that the Americans, coming from the north and east, took so long to cross on December 25th and 26th. However, they were now firmly established on both sides of the hill, the I/164th to the east, the III/164th to the west. The Japanese units - if one can call them that, given their disorganization - are divided as follows: the Oka group (Guadalcanal veterans!) held the eastern slopes, the remnants of the 2nd Division the western slopes. The Onishi Detachment, reinforced with elements without senior officers, was given the northern slopes.
The American plan remains unchanged: to shell the position heavily, to launch a diversionary attack on the east side, and then strike the decisive blow from the rear, on the west side, to cut the enemy in two. Reduce the northern pocket and annihilate the last defenders in the south. In short, a matter of two days, three maximum if the weather interferes and hinders the intervention of artillery and the air force.
.........
The American offensive begins at daybreak with a long bombardment of the eastern and western slopes. The guns of the 10th Marines and the bombers of the Cactus Air Force have a field day. Relegated to assisting his squadron's mechanics, Rudolph Ostric is green with rage each time one of his comrades lands to refuel and take on ammunition and pretends to console him by assuring him that he is not missing anything, since there is not a single torpedo boat on the Seahorse.
However, the spectacular aspect of the preparation bombardments, which wreak havoc on the vegetation, could not hide the absence of real results. The Americans are far from suspecting that the Seahorse's entrenchments are virtually intact - it would take many more bloody assaults to make them understand that it is not enough to pour tons of TNT indiscriminately to destroy a well protected position.
At precisely 11:00, the I/164th launches its diversionary attack. The GIs progress easily until they reach the bottom of the slopes. But as soon as they begin to climb the slopes, they recieve a barrage of bullets, grenades, and small-caliber shells from invisible and sometimes very close firing positions. Indeed, the camouflage set up by the Japanese, further improved by the chaos caused by the bombing, makes almost every bunker invisible, so much so that the Americans often discover it only by walking on it, and even then. The losses are significant and the attack is immediately bogged down. It is maintained in order to play its role of diversion, while P-39s and P-400s guided by radio from the ground are called in as reinforcements to "treat" the main points of resistance identified. Nevertheless, air support shows its limits in this extreme environment, and several GIs are wounded by shrapnel from "friendly" shells.
In his headquarters, Colonel Moore is grim. He did not expect to meet such resistance, and the losses already suffered (about ten killed and twenty seriously wounded, according to the fragmentary information he received) suggest that it will be a bad day. Fortunately, Colonel Jackson keeps quiet this time, probably because he knows that his 6th Marines, placed in reserve, could be sent at any moment to support the 164th. After half an hour of this regime, Moore orders the main attack to be brought forward: it is to begin at 12:00 noon instead of 13:00 in order, paradoxically, to relieve the diversionary attack!
At noon, it is the turn of the III/164th to attack the western slopes of Seahorse. Warned of the traps that await them, the Americans are more cautious this time. With few losses, they quickly nibble at the first Japanese lines and take advantage of the lower density of fortifications on this flank. After two hours, they reach the halfway point of the slope and are ready to leap forward and overwhelm the seemingly disorganized defenders. In fact, a lucky 155 shell decapitates, quite literally, what is left of the 2nd Division headquarters, , leaving the defense of the sector without direction or coordination (it is true that the large number of shells expended by the 10th Marines made such a lucky shot relatively probable...).
Lieutenant Colonel Hall, commanding the III/164th, then proposes to Moore a daring plan.
He had indeed located, on his left, a rather large piece of land that was not beaten by Japanese fire, either because they had not fortified the area, or because the artillery or the air force had sent the defenders to the ground. In any case, by launching an entire company (which he intended to command in person) to assault this point, Hall made a point of reaching the top of the Seahorse and outflank the enemy. Moore does not hesitate and orders Hall to execute his plan as soon as possible.
At 16:00, Captain Onishi still has not seen an American on the slopes in front of his position. His sector had certainly received its share of the initial bombardment, and Onishi screamed with rage when a direct hit blew up one of his ammunition dumps, killing seven of his men on the spot: how unlucky to lose good ammunition like that! But the worst thing is that he feels like a mere spectator, which does not correspond to his temperament, nor to his talents, which he is dismayed not to use them when there are so many enemies waiting to join their ancestors. So he doesn't mind the rudeness of a simple soldier who comes to informs him without ceremony that he has seen, southwest of their position, many Americans climbing the slopes almost without resistance. Onishi hurriedly goes to see for himself and discovers, scandalized, that a hundred Yankees are about to reach the top of the Seahorse as if on parade! The captain does not hesitate. A first command pulls all his men out of their shelters (at least those who are neither dead, nor seriously wounded, nor too sick to walk). A second order and the Arisaka rifles are elegantly adorned with their regulation bayonets. With his sword held high, Onishi dashes across the slope, followed by fifty fanatical riflemen.
Company A of the III/164th had almost reached its objective when it receives, on its left flank, the totally unexpected assault of howling Japanese, emerging from the still dense cover of the slopes, led by a captain with a deadly sword. Surprised, the GIs hesitate for a few moments and only respond with ill-adjusted fire to the machine-gun fire that precedes the arrival of the bayonets. Almost instantly, they find themselves fighting for their lives hand-to-hand.
Hall and the captain who commanded the company are among the first casualties and the American resistance gives way in one fell swoop: picking up their wounded, the survivors of Company A run back to their starting point, leaving 15 dead on the ground, including Lieutenant Colonel Hall.
Upon learning of this failure, Moore decides to stop the charge for the day, to suspend all operations and to return to his starting positions. His regiment lost 37 killed and 68
wounded for no gain. A bloody failure, and all was yet to be done.
In the evening, as the rumor of the "sword guy" spreads more and more among the Yankees, Onishi goes to bed quietly. Finally, he thinks as he recalls his epic charge against the abhorred enemy, the sharpness of his sword slicing through the limbs of his victims, the smell of unholy blood wafting through the air... the day didn't go so badly. The icing on the cake, after the heavy losses suffered by the 2nd Division's cadres, he finds himself in charge of the command the defense of the entire northwestern sector of the Seahorse (he suspected that the commanders who could have competed with him had given up and gone southwest). No doubt the gods have finally rewarded the best officer of his division!
 
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