Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

[Wings]

April 25th, 1943

Moscow - Beria receives from Kobulov the information about the fire on the battleship Pariszhkaya Kommuna together with his preliminary report on the rest of his mission.
The news of the accident - sabotage, Beria resumes - is naturally censored by the Soviet information organs, Pravda in the lead. The People's Commissar for Internal Affairs quickly passes on the report and adds a text written by himself.
"It seems more and more clear, he writes, that Crimea is infested with counter-revolutionaries, anti-Bolsheviks and that the loyalty of the Tatars does not go any more to the Soviet power. Perhaps it would be advisable to secure the region by forcing the Tatars to leave for zones further from the front, where it would be easier to monitor them? Uzbekistan, perhaps. Of course, this would require significant logistical resources, but such moves are not unprecedented."
Stalin's response - by telephone! - is not long in coming: purge the local authorities, restore order and prepare the deportation of Tatars and suspicious minorities.
The question of the Navy is more delicate: should we also purge the Black Sea Fleet?
This time, the answer is no. This will be the work of a special commission which is appointed within the hour. To lead it, Stalin calls upon Nikolai Bulganin, a rising star of the Party and a high-ranking official devoted to the Vojd.

 

[Wings]

April 25th, 1943

Italian Front - On the ground front, activity is very limited. It is limited, for the most part, to patrols (mostly at night) and a few sniper duels. But during the night, the front of the French IVth AC becomes somewhat animated: a German patrol causes confusion when it tries to reach the headquarters of a company of the 1st Zouaves Regiment (86th DIA). This attempt provokes violent exchanges of small arms fire, which degenerate at dawn into an artillery duel at the level of the regiment. In the morning, it is the 155 mm guns of the corps artillery that start a counter-battery fire. This unexpected resumption of activity causes all the units in the sector to be put on alert, as they fear - on both sides - that it would be a prelude to a new offensive by the enemy... At the end of the morning, calm returns.
.........
In the air, a new raid by American B-24s against the port of Genoa. On their side, the P-51 spend the day in "Rhubarb" missions in the Menton - Ventimiglia - San Remo sector, aiming in particular at bridges and tunnels. In reality, these attacks are part of Operation Ferdinand, a maneuver of intoxication intended to convince the Germans that something is happening in the Gulf of Genoa.
Meanwhile, the Mustangs of the 4th EC return to mercilessly harass the defenders of the island of Elba.

 

[Wings]

April 25th, 1943

Loano - The next stop is in this seaside town on the Ligurian coast, or more precisely in Verzi, a small village nearby, upstream on the left bank of the torrente Nimbalto. A little further from the coast, the rock is easy to dig and it can shelter the stocks. Thom thinks that there should be more places of this type: from the open sea, it would be almost undetectable given the orientation.
From the sky, however... With concern, Thom observes three times during the day the approach of allied planes - single-engine planes, which systematically force the Alfa Romeo under the cover of trees or houses. What are they looking for? Seeing them many times along the coast, there is no doubt that road traffic must be one of their targets, so be careful.
Closer to the shore, but with a right-angle bifurcation of the shoreline preventing the approach of a ship, therefore a location, is the site found in Peagna, a hamlet near Albenga, in a basin suitable for digging in the rock. The railway station of Albenga provides a point of arrival for the supply. The only problem is the hostility of the natives, that even Pruno does not manage to control, although he tries with ardor, which does not prevent the Oberst from feeling a certain embarrassment of with regard to his guide. Why does he feel this way? He could not say. But the eagerness of the innkeeper this evening seems to him... excessive, what amplifies his concern.
Anxiety perhaps exaggerated by the feeling of powerlessness in front of the penetrations of the American (or French? he could not recognize them) fighters.

 

[Wings]

April 26th, 1943

Duisburg - Bomber Command Home launches 371 aircraft - 115 Lancaster, 119 Halifax, 107 Wellington, 6 Victoria and 34 Mosquito. Despite a wind at their backs that reaches 100 to 150 km/h, the bombers, well guided by the Musical Parramatta markers of the OBOE Mosquitos, ravage the center of Duisburg. Special mention to the new 8,000 lb "Boiler" bombs dropped by the Victoria, with very destructive results, although of a random precision. Losses are relatively limited: 15 aircraft (7 Halifax, 5 Wellingtons, 3 Lancasters).

 

[Wings]

April 26th, 1943

Quonset Point - Lagadec: "The 7F temporarily abandons its favorite pebbles for intercepted flights by the hunt.
Result: without escort, whatever the altitude, it is a massacre, according to the films of the machine guns. Except, however, when the flotilla flies low over the water: we have a little trouble lining them up in our sights when they shake their zincs so low.
But if they fly higher, beware of the belly Browning: even if it's only a .30, even if it's only a .30, a misplaced bullet and you'll dive... But we won't tell anyone, I promise!"

El Segundo (California) - Once again, American-style logistics work wonders. Even in the absence of the aircraft, the spare parts and tooling for Dauntless are delivered by Douglas and its subcontractors. They take the train to the East Coast, accompanied by a few French sailors.
Meanwhile, the 5F has recovered almost half of its crews, and the others are almost all on their way back.

Agadir - Arrived the day before, the USS Card (CVE 11) starts to unload 25 F4U-1(FN), 20 TBF-1s and the first 20 naval SNJs. The aircraft are towed through the city to the naval air base while, from the ship's holds, tools and spares are taken out. A contingent of civilians from Grumman and Vought accompany the twenty or so personnel from the US Navy and French sailors trained in the United States who also disembark from the Card.

 

[Wings]

April 26th, 1943

Burmese Front - The 16th had bruised them, but this April 26th is the day of the return of the Belgians of Sqn 341 (B). They are escorting today with 8 Spitfires from Sqn 67 a massive raid (for the area) against the airfield located north of Ye: 23 Blenheim IV of Sqn 84 and 3 (BVAS) and 12 Hurricane IIc of Sqn 113. The Japanese fighters are poorly positioned and the fighting is relatively bloodless: three Japanese aircraft are lost in exchange for an H-87, two Hurricanes and a Blenheim, plus a badly damaged Spitfire and a Blenheim. Half of the Allied losses are still due to the Japanese flak, which is also suffering from this campaign of air attrition.

 

[Wings]

April 26th, 1943

Minsk - Barely recovered from a typhoid fever that had confined him to bed for the previous weeks, Rommel takes control of the HeeresGruppe Mitte in earnest. Krebs had no crises to deal with during his enforced absence. The Soviets held their ground and did not attempt anything substantial in Belarus. It must be said that the climate was not conducive. It is only around Gomel that things are more complicated, the Soviet artillery regularly shells the ruins of the city and prevents the 1. PanzerArmee from fortifying itself properly.
Krebs then summarizes for him the discussions that led to the organization of the future operation Citadel. The Feldmarschall is deeply mortified to learn that no one had asked for his opinion and that Belarus now appears as a secondary theater of operation.
Of course, his army group is not ridiculous and keeps five armored divisions and two panzer divisions, but Rommel knows that he would not be able to count on reinforcements or new equipment. In fact, it could even be used as a reserve in case of problems elsewhere on the front. However, stripping one part of the front to replenish another has never brought anything but trouble.
The field marshal then calls the OKH, but Halder can only confirm his concerns, while trying to reassure him: once Kiev is taken, things can only evolve favourably. Halder's unconfident tone eventually really worries Rommel. If everything is to be done in the Ukraine, his army group is likely to be a target for the Soviets if Citadel failed.

 

[Wings]

April 26th, 1943

Warsaw, 03:10 - The wailing of the warning sirens wakes up the inhabitants who are now almost used to the horrors of the air war. This time, however, the attackers are not coming from the west but from the east. After having concentrated its strikes on East Prussia and the Baltic States, Golovanov decides to try a much more complex move: to attack Praga, the large eastern suburb of the Polish capital, at night, and especially its bridges. The preparation of the mission was long: no less than fifty Ilyushin Il-4s are mobilized, always from the Novgorod region. They will be followed by fifteen Yermolayev Yer-2, which will take off from airfields around Moscow. All the planes carry a ton of bombs, the Yer-2 being armed with incendiary bombs.
The raid starts badly from the beginning: three Il-4 and two Yer-2 did not manage to take off or have to land urgently at the start. The other planes fly too high and too grouped, which facilitates their detection by the German radars. When they reach the objective, the bombers are welcomed by a very powerful flak, but they manage to keep their formation and drop their bombs. Unfortunately, the bombing is very inaccurate and most of the bombs fall on the outskirts of Praga.
Having taken off too late, the Soviets find themselves over Belarus when the day breaks. They are then attacked by the Bf 109s of the II/JG 51, brought in by ground control. The Soviet fighters that were supposed to escort them back take off too late to be of any help. Finally, the fate is hard on the Yer-2: the Moscow flak, that no one thought of, opens fire and inflicts new losses on them.
At the end of the afternoon, Golovanov counts: fifteen bombers shot down, nine others so damaged that they are beyond repair! The long range missions are immediately suspended.

 

[Wings]

April 26th, 1943

Italian Front - The Allied air forces once again focus their efforts on the Genoa area. While the B-25s of the 12th BG attack the La Spezia railroads, the A-20s of the 47th BG, escorted by an impressive force of P-51s and P-38s, ravages the Milan - Genoa and Parma - La Spezia axes.

 

[Wings]

April 26th, 1943

Alassio - Close to Albenga, this ancient city has been very active in the maritime and commercial activities since the Middle Ages, and became a popular tourist center, especially for the English, before the war. For the time being, it is the fishermen who make it live, bringing back not red coral for the holiday makers, but fish to feed the inhabitants. Another activity has developed recently in this city, which has been fortified for centuries: the Todt organization modernizes the work of the ancients. It could soon have a surplus of work, because the orientation of the valleys that lead to the city attracts the attention of Oberst Thom, who takes his team to recognize two of them. If the narrowest and steepest valley is little inhabited, it is not the case of the other one, wide and abundantly built. There is however enough deserted places to dig an installation in the hills.
Continuing southward, we reach Marina di Andora, after having gone around Cape Mele. The valley dug by the Merula river is well oriented, and wide enough to be able to refine the angle of shooting of the ramps, also Thom makes go up the river to find a well-sheltered location that was less visible from the open sea. Just outside the village, Monte Castello dominates the plain, the reason for the castle of Andora built on the summit. At the foot of the mountain, the exit of the railroad tunnel, which could not go around the cape. The castle is an excellent point of observation, but much too visible and not very easy to access. Nevertheless, it is possible to install a flak battery, in addition to the existing lookout post. Continuing upstream, three hamlets of interest to Thom: Pian Grande, Ferraia and Pian Rosso-Costa. On the way back to the the shore, he goes as usual to visit the Todt shipyards, in order to inform those in charge that they might soon have an additional workload.
The day ends in San Bartolomeo di Mare, where the orientation of a valley attracts the officer's gaze. The only drawback is the absence of a train station, but Vittorio Pruno reassures him: 3 km away, there is the one of Diano Marina, where we will stop the next day, the valley resembling, in his opinion, those already visited. This reflection brings two thoughts in the German's mind: the Italian is intelligent and has understood what he wants, but did he understand the reasons?

 

[Wings]

April 27th, 1943

Quonset Point - Lagadec: "This morning, new explanation between fighter pilots, a general round is at stake! I offer myself André for the lunch aperitif, but in the afternoon, I get "shot down" by a vengeful Jubelin. I'll get the evening round!"

Naval Air Station (BAN) Agadir - Return to flight condition of the aircraft delivered the day before. General control of the planes and accessories, fixed point... The first two aircraft fly at the end of the afternoon in the hands of two American civilian pilots.

 

[Wings]

April 27th, 1943

Occupied Vietnam - The inhabitants of Annam and Tonkin are awakened by the unusual activity of Japanese troops. Everywhere, trucks begin to load ammunition and equipment. Before noon, they leave and the infantry follows.
In the days that followed, many formations moved out, leaving behind only light garrisons. While the troops of the 22nd Division of the Imperial Army (General Hirata Masachika) concentrate at Hoa Binh, those of the 23rd Division (General Kanji Nishihara) gather at Yen Bay. General Kanji Nishihara is appointed commander-in-chief of the operation. All this activity does not go unnoticed, nor does its preparations...

 

[Wings]

April 27th, 1943

Lvov - The former commander of Einsatzgruppe C, Paul Blobel, is now the head of a special unit under the Sonderaktion 1005, responsible for eliminating all traces of the Jewish population in Eastern Europe. Blobel arrives in a region he knows well: he is charged with finding the places of his own massacres and erasing even the slightest memory of them. He begins his work by destroying the ghetto of Zborow [Zboriv], whose inhabitants had been liquidated the week before.

 

[Wings]

April 27th, 1943

Moscow - The GKO (State Defense Committee) meets in the Kremlin. All its members are present: Stalin of course, but also Beria, Kaganovich, Molotov, Voroshilov and Voznesensky. The agenda is devoted to the preparation of the future operations for the coming summer. Three operations are approved: the first one, which would mobilize the two Baltic Fronts, is named "Dvina-Niemen". The second is not given a name: its purpose is to counter the German attack planned by the General Staff in the Kiev region. The last one is imposed by Stalin: "Molot" has the objective to bring the southernmost fronts to the Danube.
The preparation of the Soviet defense in Ukraine is presented as the top priority of the war effort for the coming months. The NKO (People's Commissariat for War) and planning services are instructed to serve first the 1st and 3rd Fronts of Ukraine and to pour new materials and human reinforcements on the Central Ukraine. This effort should be maximal for the self-propelled guns, the battle tanks and the fighter planes.
.........
For their part, Zhukov and Vasilyevsky put the finishing touches to their estimates. Taking into consideration all the available information and working on a voluntarily pessimistic scenario (the Ostheer engaging the bulk of its means on a single attack, which would be very risky but is not impossible), the two men agree to ask for the mobilization of no less than twelve reinforced armies for the 1st and 3rd Ukrainian fronts and eight fully manned armored corps. And it will also require significant reserves (several additional armies and armored corps), the support of two first-rate air forces and exceptional logistical support. All within two months. In sending the memorandum to the Kremlin, Zhukov could not help but be slightly sarcastic while comparing these demands to a shopping list in a capitalist country.

 

[Wings]

April 27th, 1943

Italian Front - In the cat and mouse game between the Luftwaffe and the Allies, the latter are now organizing a "Circus" far to the south, on a line from Elba to the Grosseto - Acquapendente - Orvieto axis. So close to the front, it is the single-engine fighters of four FG that challenge the Messerschmitt. The day will end with the loss of six USAAF aircraft against three to the Germans (plus one that crashed on landing).
.........
The story of the day is on the ground. The three infantry divisions of the Italian Corps on the front today receive a batch of 120 GMCs to share. This equipment was negotiated in exchange for the granting of... mule companies to the two US-IDs.
This arrival of modern equipment, in the presence of many journalists, coincides with another handing-over of equipment, which will attract even more attention from the press. Indeed, each of the three divisions is provided with an anti-tank company on half-track AU75 and a company of 81 mm mortars, also on half-track. These vehicles are not gifts from the U.S. Army, but the result of private funding by a New York association: the Friends of the Italian Opera.

French Army AU-75, Italian Campaign, April 1943

 

[Wings]

April 27th, 1943

Salo - If Borghese's relations with the Germans were good, the same could not be said of Mussolini and his government.
At first, if the Xa Mas had been incorporated into the Republican Navy, Borghese retained complete autonomy in practice. But relations deteriorated with Mussolini's Undersecretary of State for the Navy, Captain Ferruccio Ferrini. This one is annoyed by the independence of the Xa MAS. Ferrini found an attentive ear among many of Mussolini's advisors: some of them feared the independence of the one they call the Condottiere others are jealous of the reputation of his unit, which overshadowed the militias and other bands they were supposed to command, and others reproached him for his too great complicity with the Germans... Relations became frankly bad in the early spring of 1943, but Borghese did not care and did not change his way of operating: he knows that if the tensions are not resolved by themselves, he will be able to personally appeal to the Duce, who esteems and respects him.
So he goes without any ulterior motive to Mussolini's convocation at the Villa Orsolina of Gargnano...
But that day, Borghese falls into a real trap. In the anteroom of the office of the Duce, he is welcomed by Renato Ricci, the commander of the Republican National Guard, who announces to him that he has been arrested by order of Mussolini for insubordination! Borghese is immediately taken to the prison of Brescia, where he is treated like a common prisoner.
.........
La Spezia - Two officers of the National Republican Navy sent by CV Ferrini arrive at the barracks of the Xa Mas to take command of the unit. They are rejected by the Decima officers (Bardelli, Buttazzoni, Cencetti), who refuse to take orders from anyone other than Borghese. Made suspicious by this visit, the men of the Xa inquire and discover quickly the fate of their leader. This news is received with amazement and anger. The agitation is at its height and the men of the Decima even speak about marching on Salo and Brescia to free Borghese and punish Mussolini!
To try to force them to obey, the fascist government asks its German ally to deploy troops around the barracks of the Decima, which does nothing to reduce tension, on the contrary: Bardelli retaliated by firing his anti-aircraft guns against the German vehicles! As a result, the latter withdraw, leaving Mussolini to find a solution on his own.
The Duce, informed of the consequences of the arrest of Borghese, starts to consult widely to verify the accusations brought by his close advisers against Borghese. The CF Enzo Grossi, former commander of the submarine Barbarigo (and who had been approached to command the Bordeaux base before Christmas 42), declares that he is responsible for Borghese's loyalty on his own head. Graziani, Minister of Defense, defends Borghese all the more because he is outraged by the political maneuver of Ferrini and Ricci to remove one of the most effective Italian military commanders. The numerous interventions in favor of Borghese all take up the same refrain: there must be a mistake, the loyalty of a man with such a sense of honor cannot be doubted and it would be stupid to deprive oneself of his military talents!

 

[Wings]

April 27th, 1943

Diano Marina - In fact, the valley that rises from the port city (in fact the port of the old medieval village of Diano Castello) has a correct orientation, and the train comes directly from a tunnel in front of Diano Castello, where it is easy to install an observatory and anti-aircraft battery. With the help of Pruno to negotiate with the local authorities, who are still shy despite the superior order to accede to their requests, Georg Thom notes a beautiful site, before taking the road again for Imperia, the next step on his itinerary.
On the banks of the Impero River, to which it owes its name, the city of Imperia is the meeting of the medieval towns of Oneglia and Porto Maurizio, separated by an important military port: Oneglia was the home - and property - of Admiral Andrea Doria and his family. If we add a large train station, this makes it a privileged target for the allied bombers. But this disadvantage is swept away by the favorable orientation of the Impero valley, which should allow the construction of several launching sites for V weapons (V1, especially). The old buildings of the city can house assembly centers.
Further west, 3 km as the crow flies over Port-Maurice (or Porto Maurizio), Pruno allows Thom to discover the small town of Caramagna Ligure and its surroundings, where the less accentuated relief can allow the installation of many ramps. With the infrastructure near Imperia, it is for Thom a place likely also to receive the A4 (V2) rockets.
The night is spent in San Lorenzo al Mare, where Pruno thinks he can also find a suitable ground. Decidedly, the Italian is very useful. Especially since, after having inquired about his background with the local Abwehr official, Thom was reassured by a glowing report, describing him as "a Fascist loyal to the Duce since the beginning".

 

[Wings]

April 28th, 1943

Singapore - "General" Mohan Singh goes from one disillusionment to another. His main contact with the Japanese, Major Fujiwara, of the F-Kikan, had been relieved of his duties a few weeks earlier and recalled to Japan to teach in a military school. He was replaced by Colonel Hideo Iwakuro and, logically, the F-Kikan was dissolved in favor of the I-Kikan (I for Iwakuro), which has branches all over Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, the colonel is much more pragmatic and less idealistic than his predecessor in his relations with the Indian independence movement. He refuses to set up a real fighting unit - only a special unit was created, the "Bahadur Group", in charge of carrying out actions of intelligence, sabotage and disinformation behind the enemy lines, in Burma and as far as India.
This is why Singh keeps asking for a public recognition by Japan of the Indian National Army as an entity in its own right, independent of the Japanese army. But this speech is not made to improve his image with the Japanese officers, and in particular with Iwakuro.
The day before, unable to take it anymore, Mohan Singh ordered the demobilization of the entire Indian National Army. And that day, the captain who had dreamed of being a general was arrested by the Japanese authorities and sent to Pulau Ubin, a small island north of the island of Singapore. His fate is still enviable, compared to that of many of his companions who followed his orders and decided to return to their condition of prisoners of war. Most of them will be assigned to the construction of the famous Death Railway (which uses the famous bridge over the River Kwai).
The short-lived General Mohan Singh will remain a prisoner of the Japanese until the liberation of Singapore. After the war, his trial for high treason will not result in a conviction because of popular pressure against a background of independence euphoria, but only to his exclusion from the army. His defendants will indeed plead successfully that he had opposed the Japanese... He even succeeded in being elected deputy!
But the Indian National Army project is not dead.

 

[Wings]

April 28th, 1943

Quonset Point - Lagadec: "Today, two postcards: Florida and Cuba, with a package. In the package, cigars, Cuban of course!"

 

[Wings]

April 28th, 1943

Prague Castle, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia - Ceremonies marking the dedication of the monument to Reinhard Heydrich, Protector of Bohemia-Moravia and head of the Reich Central Security Office (the sinister Reichssicherheitshauptamt, RSHA), take place without incident, with a great deal of red and black banners, swastikas and goose-stepping. They culminate with a Horst Wessel Lied sung by a company of SS men standing at attention and chorused by the entire grandstand around Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler himself!
The sky gradually becomes overcast, until it takes on the color of mourning. While the storm passes, Himmler receives two Wehrmacht officers in an office in the castle who had been diverted for the occasion from the Russian front to which they were returning to fight after a stay in France: Jacques Doriot and Joseph Darnand. Although they are both French, as evidenced by a small crest on the sleeve of their green parade uniforms, the two men did not speak to each other and took care to sit in chairs as far apart as possible. Behind them, a translator is ready to clear up any uncertainty - it won't be necessary, their time in the Wehrmacht has done much for the German language skills of the two French ministers of the interior.
After diplomatically congratulating his hosts for their courage in the armed struggle and in the political confrontation, Himmler finally tells them the real reason for this meeting: "I know, gentlemen, that you have already, each on your side (at these words, the two Frenchmen glare at each other), expressed to Berlin your wish to see your services collaborate more closely with our administration. As you know, since our Führer Adolf Hitler decreed Total War, Greater Germany has been fully mobilized in the fight against the enemies of National Socialism and the New Europe. Therefore, I have come to ask you, as ministers of state of a sovereign nation, to participate actively in our struggle against the enemies of the Reich in your own country, as you are already generous enough to do at the front.
I have here a rather large list of names prepared by the RSHA (he picks up two thick twin files from his desk). These are individuals that we suspect...that we are sure are enemies of our cause, and therefore traitors to your country, which you both so much wish to see join its destiny to that of Germany. It is, I am convinced, the action of these characters that has provoked the regrettable disorders that have recently taken place in the south of your country and which required the action of our armed forces.
"I leave it to you to manage the elimination of these many... thorns. You should know that we are willing to take them off your hands, if that seems more convenient, and that we will watch with great interest the efficiency with which, I am sure, you will carry out your mission,
"This will only be a first step in our common work, the framework of which will inevitably evolve. As for this evolution, the necessity of which you understand that the Reich knows how to recognize its true friends."
At these words full of promise, both Doriot and Darnand display a discreet smile: each one hopes to be the main beneficiary of the evolution in question and each one is ready to give all the desired proofs. In return, Himmler also smiles - his message has been passed on. At this moment, a gigantic flash of lightning eerily illuminates the smiles of the three executioners, already delighted with the prospects they see, while the cathedral of Saint Guy rings the angelus. But it is the knell that will soon resound for the thousands of people who will be executed or deported within a year, victims of the competition between Darnand and Doriot.