Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

[Wings]

July 5th, 1943

On the road between Dien-Bien-Phu and Tuan Giao - The sunrise brings a few poor smiles to the Japanese soldiers. The night fear is ebbing away... All the men will not leave the bivouacs. Some die of exhaustion or disease, others die under the bullets of the Viets. Most of the survivors pass by the corpses without a word, perhaps they envy their rest.
Behind them, the Japanese army sows all sorts of equipment in its path, from rifles to mosquito nets, bags and saddlebags, empty ammunition boxes, helmets, shoes, uniform jackets... And a long line of skeletal corpses.
French and Vietnamese follow this road of death, sometimes picking up a man still alive, but too tired to get up. "Sometimes, we catch up with a small group of Japanese soldiers still fighting. The attacks of these dead bodies with fevered eyes are sickening. They charge without trying to win, only to kill and, above all, to die..." (Klaus Müller, op. cit.)

 

[Wings]

July 5th, 1943

Nam Dinh, estuary of the Red River (Tonkin) - Nam Dinh is the prefecture of the region of the same name. The heat - about 29° C - is typical of the season, but it is still early and around noon, the Japanese soldiers crammed into the boats leaving the city will undoubtedly suffer from the heat wave. But they are not complaining, because all are tense, fearing something more dangerous than a little heat stroke.
The river convoy gathers several motor junks, medium-sized commercial vessels. They are escorted by smaller boats transformed into mini-warships. On each of them, under the shelter of gunwales reinforced with metal plates or sandbags, several gunner/supplier teams hold their type 86 machine guns ready to fire, while in the middle of the bridge the muzzle of a mortar points.
The Red River is the vital artery of Tonkin, linking Hanoi to Nam Dinh. Transportation is safer and less expensive than by road, especially in times of war. But if the Japanese know this and use it (as they use the canals linking Hanoi to Haiphong), the Vietminh also know this and for several weeks now, supply convoys for the capital have been the target of increasingly violent attacks.
.........
- Matsuo-chusa, we arrive at the most dangerous passage.
Chusa (Commander) Matsuo, of the Imperial Navy, turns to his subordinate, who bows respectfully: "Pass the word to all the junks, Oshiman-daii [ship's lieutenant]. To battle stations, sheltered and ready to fire."
Lieutenant Oshiman bows his chest again, "Aye, aye."
Around the ships, however, the banks of the river are little different from the monotonous banks of the river that the junks have already passed, but on the map the area is surrounded by a red circle. It is held by the "rebels". Every second convoy passing by is attacked. This is why the Japanese, expecting the worst, disperse and take shelter behind the sandbags lined up along the railings.
Suddenly, both banks are ablaze, dozens of weapons crackle - rifles, FM, machine guns. Waves of water rise up, as mortars join in the concert. The Nipponese fire back, chopping up the foliage and sending the muddy earth of the banks flying.
On the largest junk, an antique type 11 infantry gun is pointed - its small calibre (37 mm) and its mediocre rate of fire have made it useless in the front line, but it is still useful as a "brown water navy" gun. But the Japanese are not at the end of their surprises, because an artillery piece retaliates and it is of a much superior caliber! Not a 75, but maybe a mountain gun... Fortunately, its servants are not very talented. Only the third shot hits a boat. Wood flies in all directions in the middle of cries of pain and fear. The hit junk moves away, the shot did not cause any water ingress, it will not sink, but on the deck lie many men, dead or dying.
At the bow of the other boats, in spite of the shooting, men armed with long poles watch to the bow - what looks like a bundle of grass drifting in the current may hide a floating mine hanging on the bottom.
Gradually, the shooting becomes less frequent as the ships move away. With eight dead and a dozen seriously wounded, the Japanese got off lightly. But Captain Matsuo has a grim look on his face.
"Lieutenant, do you get attacked like this often?"
- Yes, sir. In this area, almost every other time. Here or along a branch of the river.
- You never tried to attack the rebels on land?
The lieutenant is annoyed by the question, but like a good Japanese man, he does not show it: "We didn't have any riflemen until you arrived, Matsuo-chusa. I even asked the Army [Oshiman sighs, making it clear that it was in desperation] but they were too busy with the operation they launched in the interior. I heard that it turned into a disaster, by the way [the the lieutenant pouted, meaning that nothing could be expected from the Army]. They did pass on their information to me. They said there were two companies of infantrymen in the area. Rebels, no colonialists.
Matsuo smiles slightly, showing that he understands the difficulties encountered by his new subordinate.
- Do they always attack on the way up the river?
- Yes, because we are slowed down by the current, and the other way around the ambush would be much shorter, and less profitable, because the boats are usually empty.
- Very good.
.........
Three hours later, the convoy reaches Hanoi. Equipment crates and oil barrels are quickly unloaded. The dead and wounded are evacuated and the flotilla - minus the damaged junk, which must be repaired - set sail downstream. But instead of pressing forward, the captain has his boats slowed down so that they do not enter the most dangerous passage until well after nightfall.
When he reaches the point where the ambush took place, Matsuo has his ship anchored and goes ashore with a handful of men for a reconnaissance. It's risky, but Matsuo is a real bushi. You have to act differently from what the enemy is planning: it's the only way to surprise him.
Reconnaissance only finds silence. The Vietnamese left without even leaving a rearguard! Matsuo's men find the firing positions, all abandoned, but we can see from the many details that they have probably been occupied several times. Under the astonished look of his men, Matsuo settles in the action of his enemies, carefully examines the firing position of the gun and evaluates its angle of fire and lateral deflection.
Shortly thereafter, he joins his second in command on the flag junk.
- The next supply run is in two days? Yes ? This time, I think we're going to proceed differently.

 

[Wings]

July 5th, 1943

Solomon Islands, 23:00 - The clash of the previous day did not dissuade Lt. General Hyakutake to reinforce Munda. Thus, on an almost moonless night, a convoy of ten Japanese destroyers, some of them towing barges, sails into Kula Gulf, between New Georgia and Kolombangara. On board, 3,000 men embarked at Rabaul destined to fall on the rear of the forces landed at Rice Anchorage.
The small squadron does not go unnoticed; the Americans intercepted radio transmissions. They could not decrypt them, but they traced them and understood that the "Tokyo Express" is working again. That's why Ainsworth is ambushed east of New Georgia with the cruisers Cleveland, Montpelier and Saint Louis and the destroyers Chevalier, Nicholas, O'Bannon and Taylor.

 

[Wings]

July 5th, 1943

Russian Front - By a curious coincidence, the activity of the air forces of both sides is gradually decreasing from this day on. On the German side, most of the aircraft are sent for repairs to ensure a high degree of availability for the coming weeks. On the Soviet side, the repair of defective Yak-9s and the frenetic training of new crews considerably reduces the number of aircraft in the air.
As a consequence, the number of bombing missions decreases as well... except at night, when Nachtschlachtgruppen and Polikarpov Po-2 multiply the anonymous exploits and harassment attacks.

 

[Wings]

July 5th, 1943

Pripyat Marshes - The fighting has never really stopped in Belarus since the end of Operation Gallop. The banks of the Dnieper are still the object of clashes, especially near Gomel, to which must be added an intense activity of partisans. In response, forests and marshes are regularly visited by Axis security units, although they are unable to eliminate all their occupants (deserters, isolated Soviet soldiers, Jews who had fled the cities...). The situation is complicated by the fact that these sectors are also frequented by commandos infiltrated by the Abwehr and the SS to carry out operations on the rear of the Soviet lines. Friendly fire is rare but the risk is real.
The Soviets naturally know about the existence of German commando raids, but Pripyat is so inhospitable and difficult to access that it is impossible to monitor the southern edge in order to intercept all infiltrators. Especially since they can rely on the members of the Ukrainian collaborationist movements to avoid patrols.
It is therefore not surprising that, during the night of July 4th-5th, a small group of Brandenburgers, assisted by returned Soviet deserters and some Ukrainian militiamen, could emerge from Pripyat at about the limit between the 3rd Fronts of Belarus and Ukraine. Their mission is not an ordinary one. The commander of the small troop was briefed by Admiral Canaris himself. On this operation depends not only a part of the success of Zitadelle, but also the survival of the Abwehr in the face of SS intrigues. In order to fend off the bureaucratic assaults of Heinrich Himmler and Walter Schellenberg, Canaris needs to pull off a big coup.
The big job starts with the small town of Chernobyl on the Pripyat River. Arriving disguised as Soviet soldiers, the Brandenburgers manage to seize several civilian vehicles ("requisitioned by the Red Army" they told the inhabitants) and take the road to Ivankov [Ivankiv] and Dymer. Then they have to find a way to reach their objective: Kiev.

 

[Wings]

July 5th,1943

French Mediterranean coast and Italian Riviera - The 514th BS of the 376th BG targets the Anteor viaduct, in the Alpes Maritimes. The railroad bridge is hit by several direct hits, but it was usable again less than ten days later. The bombers return without losses.
Meanwhile, the two other squadrons of the 376th BG target the port of Genoa, where two or three U-Boots (of the few that survived in the Mediterranean) had found refuge. The P-38s of the 82nd FG escorting the raids declare having shot down a Bf 109 carrying an Italian flag in addition to the usual black crosses.
The Mitchells of the 321st BG, escorted by the P-51s of the 33rd FG, attack the bridge over the Rhône river at Tournon (Drôme). Other mediums (the B-26 of the 320th BG, escorted by the 57th FG; but also the Belgian B-25 of the 42nd EB, escorted by the 41st EC) attack the coastal defenses near Cagnes and the runways of Mandelieu airfield, respectively.
Finally, the Corsairs of the 19F, after having refueled in Corsica, strafe everything they can get their hands on in the Bandol area, between Marseille and Toulon. After the 17F, it is their turn to familiarize themselves with Corsica and the approaches to the Mediterranean coast.

 

[Wings]

July 5th, 1943

Adriatic - Only one attack today: the Beaumonts of Sqn 21, covered by Sqn 249, bomb the airfield of Gorizia. JG 53 tries to react, but the short notice given by the observers and the radars prevent the German fighters from intercepting the raid.

 

[Wings]

July 5th, 1943

Yugoslavian coast of the Adriatic - The Franco-Yugoslavs attack Šibenik and Sinj, in Central Dalmatia.

 

[Wings]

July 5th, 1943

Central Greece, around noon - General Crüwell was not as lucky as Reinhard Heydrich: the burnt-out wreckage of his Fieseler Storch is discovered, with the help of sympathetic Greek peasants in a gorge near Mount Helicon. Three charred and unrecognizable bodies are on board: one is dressed as a pilot, the second is in a colonel's uniform and the last one is wearing the characteristic uniform of a German general. The identity plates will only confirm the evidence!
.........
Berlin, 20:00 - On the radio, the voice of Doktor Josef Gœbbels, in an unusually grim tone, announces the death of Panzerwaffe General Ludwig Crüwell, who died a hero on the Greek front while flying over the front lines. A new series of military honors salutes the memory of this glorious defender of the Reich. A mausoleum will be built for him in his home town of Dortmund.
.........
Xilokastron (Peloponnese) - The speech of Gœbbels on the loss of the general Crüwell gives the signal of mourning in Germany and of an open hilarity on the bases of the Sacred Battalion and the 2nd Special Service Brigade. Everyone knows that Rommel's former second-in-command is alive and well and is being interrogated by the intelligence specialists at this very moment.
"Crüwell was taken a few days later to the Trent Park cantonment, near London. His "posthumous" journey did not end there. While he had been uncooperative with his British interrogators, he was much more expansive in the company of his fellow German generals in captivity and, unaware that their apartments were bugged, he revealed some important military secrets. It is only after the liberation of central Greece, when all danger of reprisals for the civilian population is removed, that the BBC will reveal the capture of the general. This revelation provoked the consternation of the Nazi staffs and the rage of Hitler, who insisted that a German general should not surrender at any price.
After the fall of the Reich, the general Josef Foltmann, that we saw on the front of Attica, will devote a chapter to this episode. In his work on the German senior officers who died in the war*, he deplores, with an impressive lack of humor, "the perfidy of the British" who, by making people believe in Crüwell's death, led the poor Wehrmacht to cover itself with ridicule." Costa de Loverdo, La Grèce au combat, volume 2, Calmann-Lévy, 1966.

* Foltmann, Josef & Möller-Witten, Hanns: Opfergang der Generale: Die Verluste der Generale und Admirale und der im gleichen Dienstrang stehenden sonstigen Offiziere und Beamte im Zweiten Weltkrieg, Berlin: Bernard & Graefe, 1953.

 

[Wings]

July 5th, 1943

Psychiko (northern suburb of Athens) - The disappearance of Crüwell, his designated successor, leaves General Felmy in charge. The Führer, it is said, was displeased with his delay in pushing the British into the sea and expected Crüwell to do better... Felmy takes care, even in thought, not to contest the choices of the Führer. Attica is not Dieppe, he does not have the forces available in France and the British, this time, had put in a lot of resources: it was impossible to turn them back. The best he can do is to limit the damage.
Perhaps he has a narrow "window of opportunity". The British have slowed down their ground operations, and according to the information received from Salonika, some of their squadrons have been transferred to the Adriatic. Was their offensive towards Athens only a diversion? Felmy does not believe it: Montgomery is stubborn and would not let go of his prey. But the counter-attack formally ordered by the Führer, called operation "Skorpion", leaves him another possibility: the Greek roads are so strangely bypassed that to evacuate his garrisons from the isthmus of Corinth, he had to make them pass through Attica. And it is what it will make, by leaving in the isthmus only a weak curtain of reservists and "999", disciplinary battalions. Moreover, he put in line the few surviving tanks of the 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions, whose experienced crews were sent to Russia. The recovered tanks - of already outdated models and handled, for the most part, by crews coming straight from the Panzerwaffe schools - represent about one mixed regiment.
With these elements and the meager reinforcements that were able to cross central Greece or make the trip from Volos to Chalkis, it has a maneuvering mass capable of at least dealing a blow to the adversary. A "hit and run", as his opponents say: hit hard and run before the other side comes back from its surprise. Eduard Dietl, the leader of the Ägäis Korps, an energetic and not too subtle mountain man, is the ideal man for this mission. Montgomery's plan is clear: to rush his armoured corps into the Maroussi Gap, the only sector accessible to tanks. A preventive attack by Dietl on his northern flank should divert him and force him to postpone his offensive. The 12. Armee would then have a few days to slip away.
There is no question of fighting in Athens: street fighting in the middle of a hostile population would turn to carnage... without mentioning the risks for the ancient monuments. The services of the Abwehr have discreetly contacted the Organization X of the colonel Grivas, a funny man who plays a double game between the Axis and the Allies: he will do whatever is necessary to slow down any premature action of the resistance.
.........
Rafina (Attica) - On the other side, Montgomery and his staff are also preparing for the next move. The faithful De Guincamp unfolds the cards in the personal trailer of the general. Because Montgomery, in his campaigns, always has a well-appointed trailer where not even a birdcage is missing, the only relaxation that the austere Monty allows himself.
The first phase of Pugilist has taken a little longer than expected, but the reserves are far from being exhausted. Monty once again checks the flags planted on the map. He now has a complete armored corps: the "Blade Force" includes the 6th Armored Division (General Herbert Lumsden), the 1st Australian Armoured Division (General Horace Robertson) and the 1st Greek Armoured Brigade (General Georgios Stanotas), all under the command of John Charles "Jock" Campbell. In infantry, the 4th Indian (General Francis Tuker) came to reinforce the 51st Scottish, which had already given much. The 6th Indian (General Holworthy), somewhat tested, ensures the rear.
To tell the truth, Monty is not entirely satisfied with this distribution. Lumsden is an efficient effective commander who, in six months under Monty's command, had learned to put aside his tendency to be ironic. Stanotas is a bit rough around the edges but a good ally, willing to take more than his share of risk for the liberation of Athens. Robertson, of course, speaks with a dreadful accent - Monty, left over from his childhood in Tasmania, is the only one who doesn't have his ears ringing but, above all, he has an annoying tendency to brag and gush in the newspapers: he is almost reminiscent of Patton. Fortunately, the Australian press is far from having the echo of the American press. Tuker is an efficient leader and has promised not to touch the Parthenon: to be on the safe side, he will remain on the northern flank of the device. Remains "Jock" Campbell, a good fellow, certainly, who was in the front line in the previous campaigns in Greece: some claim that he saved the army from disaster in March 1942, during Rommel's great offensive. If we are not careful, "Jock", a little younger than Monty, could well reap all the glory of Pugilist. But it will be time if he succeeds in his breakthrough. Monty allows himself a few hours of sleep before the next day, which promises to be a busy one.
.........
Drapetsona (suburb of Athens-Piraeus) - While the generals are completing their final preparations, civilians are working in the shadows. In Drapetsona, a working class district west of Piraeus, the Political Bureau of the Greek Communist Party is holding a very secret meeting.
This meeting appears necessary, although the risks are great: a few days earlier, following an attack against a German convoy, the SS of Brigadeführer Walther Schimana had shot 40 resistance fighters. The method was always the same: the Germans blocked the streets with their collaborators, the Security Battalions provided by Minister Rallis (the Greek Laval - well, the Greek Doriot, now), they round up suspects and make hooded informers pass among them to denounce the militants.
Iannis Ioannidis, who represented Greece at the last congress of the Communist International, is a fiery orator. For him, it is high time to start the insurrection and to seize power before the Germans have time to destroy Athens. The danger is imminent: the Occupiers have already placed explosive charges in the installations of the power station, the port of Piraeus and other key points of the agglomeration.
The general secretary, Giorgis Siantos, the "old man", does not agree. He insists that the "historical conditions" are not fully met. The Party cannot take the risk to cut itself off from the "other anti-fascist forces", especially when they are supported by the troops of the British Empire. As Ioannidis warms up a little too much, the calm Siantos puts his hand to his pistol - in this weather, even the calmest are armed - and suggests that he will not hesitate to shoot the first one who opens hostilities without the order of the Party. This resolution is transmitted to the commander Theodoros Makridis, head of the urban combat organization of the ELAS.
.........
Athens - The Archaeological Museum sees another equally secret meeting. One of the participants is German: the Oberfähnrich (untranslatable rank which is between the officer and the NCO) Roland Hampe, who is practically at home since he is a recognized specialist of ancient Greece. He represents Colonel Helmut Görhardt, chief of staff of the 12th German Army. The second is British: Colonel Frank MacAskie, whose career has earned him the nickname "The Red Deer" (!). He represents the Intelligence Service, which must be distinguished from the sometimes fanciful amateurs of the SOE. The third is Greek: prefect of police Angelos Evert, an unsinkable character who was, he says, "a cop under Venizelos [the former], a cop under the King, a cop under Metaxas and a cop under Rallis, and who [will be] still a cop if Siantos takes power".
But the purpose of this meeting is not to bring the communist leader to power: on the contrary, it is a question of avoiding an insurrection which would inevitably lead to a bloody battle in the streets and, who knows, to a takeover by unwanted elements. Hampe promises, in the name of the military command, to do his utmost to avoid provocations and to keep Schimana's men in check. MacAskie assures that the British have no desire to unleash chaos and that they would even welcome a peaceful withdrawal of the German forces. Evert has already made contacts in the Resistance and will do his best to protect the prisoners, if any, and to prevent the expeditious settling of scores.

 

[Wings]

July 6th, 1943

Berlin - Pierre Laval accepts Hitler's invitation. But when he arrives in the German capital, he learned that he is not expected by the Führer, "who had to go to his headquarters because of the situation on the Eastern Front" and who had entrusted Joachim von Ribbentrop the task of meeting the president of the NEF. For a moment, Laval is tempted to get back on the plane without further delay, but he gives up, perhaps fearing to lose the little he has left...
As is to be expected, nothing comes of the Ribbentrop-Laval talks, except a photo for the press - in which, of course, Laval looks like he is at a funeral...

 

[Wings]

July 6th, 1943

Atlantic Ocean - Nothing to report for the two French combat groups.
.........
Norfolk - Take-off of the seaplane Achernar, which is to reach Mers-el-Kébir.

 

[Wings]

July 6th, 1943

Milne Bay - The final raid of Operation I-Go is launched against Milne Bay. More than 200 fighters and bombers participate. Opposite them, the Americans can only field 34 P-40s, but they manage to shoot down two Zeros for three of theirs.
But while the bombers wreak havoc on the port facilities, the ships in the port are able to escape at a good price. The Dutch freighter Van Houthoorn narrowly avoids several bombs and suffers only minor damage. The English freighter Gorgon catches fire but the fire is quickly brought under control, saving the ship and its cargo. The minesweepers HMAS Wagga and HMAS Kapunda (called corvettes by the Australians) manage to avoid the attacks of the D3A2s, which swirl around the harbor, only suffering from a few water leaks due to near-misses that shook their hulls.

 

[Wings]

July 6th, 1943

Kula Gulf, 01:00 - On board the Saint Louis, leading the American formation, Rear Admiral Ainsworth does not know that his squadron has been spotted... For once, moreover, the Japanese lookouts had been outwitted by the radar installed on one of the Japanese destroyers. The ten ships immediately turn to port (towards the open sea) while dropping their torpedoes.
Informed of the change of course of his adversaries, Ainsworth gives the order to open fire at 01:57 without any firm firing solution (according to the rocking salvoes doctrine in practice in the Navy). Then he orders to shoot down a little to the north-east in order to keep his interception trajectory, continuing without knowing it to lend the flank to the incoming Long Lances.
At 02:03, the cruiser Cleveland receives a torpedo on its port side, just under the n°1 turret, tearing off the bow. The ship continues its progression for a moment before, under the dismayed eyes of Ainsworth, two other hits, still on the port side, seal the fate of the ship for good. The ship seems to twist under the impact and breaks again in two sections. The central part, still in motion, hits its own bow with a crash of twisted metal sheets before stopping and starting to sink. She disappears at 02:25. The bow floated until the next day, serving as a makeshift raft for almost 200 sailors.
The American destroyers then charge the Japanese. Under the crossfire of the destroyers and cruisers, all the more accurate as the Americans have efficient fire control radars, the Mochizuki, at the head of the Japanese formation, comes to a standstill, burnt by a deluge of shells. On board, Admiral Akiyama is dying. Second in the Japanese line, the Nagatsuki passes in front of the burning wreck. Silhouetted against the fire, it is in turn shelled and seriously damaged, but continues on its way. It will be found the next day, abandoned and motionless on the ocean, and is finished off by TBFs on patrol.
The other ships disappear in the darkness, towards the north. Two of them will go around Kolombangara to land 850 men at Vella Lavella. The American sailors are bitter and furious - they don't know that the three battalions landed at Rice Anchorage owe them a debt of gratitude, as the equivalent of a Japanese battalion was wiped out on the water and another was repulsed...
.........
"I should have stayed on the Jeanne! While we are fighting on the sea, I am on this damn island crabbing in the middle of the water holes. It seems that the Americans have lost some more people. They who were complaining about the inaction in Nouméa, they will be served. As for me, I am of little use: we are advancing through a sort of green spider's web, into which soldiers are entering and from which the sick and wounded are emerging - or even worse." (L.V. Jacques Chambon - op. cit.)
.........
Kula Gulf - The sun rises on the sea arm strewn with floating debris, mute witnesses of last night's clashes. Some of the Cleveland's crew continue to wander the currents in this area, which is usually so busy, but unfortunately is now deserted.
Even the patrol boats, which regularly patrol the area around New Georgia during the day, avoid this area, which is too far from their base in Rendova and within range of the batteries at Enogai and Kolombangara. Obviously, this does not please the survivors, who have gathered in more or less numerous groups.
A first group of about a hundred sailors on boats includes the commander of the sunk Cleveland. Seeing no help coming, he organizes his fleet of three whaleboats which would tow as many life rafts, on which the wounded would pile up. The pathetic squadron set course for the nearest friendly coast, to the south, and takes a full day to reach an island off Rice Anchorage. The group is finally rescued at the end of the day by two destroyers alerted by the Marines guarding the area.
Further north, the bow of the cruiser continues to float, albeit less and less well, but still with 200 survivors. For the latter, among which a large number of wounded unable to swim, the time is getting longer and longer and survival more and more uncertain, as the water gradually covers the devastated superstructures. Fortunately, the Providence intervenes, in the form of a PB4Y-1 Privateer on routine patrol, which sees the survivors and drops four inflatable rafts and a large number of life jackets. Without wasting any time, the able-bodied load those who are no longer able-bodied into the rafts, put on the life jackets and start rowing towards the coast, against currents and a wind that pushes them towards Kolombangara - still Japanese. Alas, for many of the wounded, the wait was too long. Moreover, the planes sent to search for the boats did not find them. A new night begins for the shipwrecked.

 

[Wings]

July 6th, 1943

Darwin - The Mariassalto detachment in Australia is now ready. The last few weeks have seen the technicians overhaul all the equipment, carry out the tests and reassemble the containers to the Volframio's deck. All the teams of operators are at their best: the former Alexandria operators are back in top physical shape and have passed on much of their know-how to the less experienced crews.
Commander Ginocchio has worked well with the Australian intelligence services to prepare the mission: the main base of the Japanese fleet in the South Pacific is in the lagoon of Truk, in the Carolinas archipelago, north of New Guinea. For the Japanese, this base is much safer than Rabaul and Kavieng, which are smaller and vulnerable to the increasing number of Allied air attacks. The lagoon is more than 60 km in diameter. The Imperial Navy solidly fortified it (work had already begun in 1940) to make it the main base of operations for the Combined Fleet in the region. The Japanese battle line is often present in these waters (more frequently than the aircraft carriers, held back in Japan by the training of their air groups).
This target of choice is however very difficult to reach. The distance separating from Truk the Allied bases on the northern coast of Australia is almost 1,500 nautical miles. Nearly two thirds of the journey will have to be made in enemy-controlled waters. It will be necessary to plan a supply point (probably at the eastern tip of New Guinea) and to reach Truk safely will already be a first achievement.
Once there, it will be even more difficult. The lagoon is too big for swimmers or SLCs to reach the main anchorages from the outside: indeed, these anchorages are 20 km away from the nearest pass... which is certainly also the best protected and defended! The submarine would therefore have to enter the lagoon and approach without being spotted by the numerous planes and patrol boats before releasing its blades at a distance more in conformity with their autonomy. But the rare passes allowing to penetrate in the lagoon are undoubtedly protected and guarded, and above all the Australians have no map of the area! It is not conceivable to enter the lagoon blindly, let alone to orient oneself and to get out of it. The only hope is to obtain, in one way or another, more information about the Japanese base. This is why the Australians, who have been able to appreciate the training, appreciate the potential of the Italians, decide to get closer to the Americans...

 

[Wings]

July 6th, 1943

Sigulda (Latvia) - A week after the end of his last victorious offensive, Gen. Markian Popov, commander of the 1st Baltic Front, reports on his situation. His forces are now camped on the outskirts of Riga and on the banks of the Dvina River, facing what the fascist propaganda pompously calls the Panther Line. Defended by Georg Lindemann's 18. Armee, this "line" does not inspire much concern by itself: its defense is based much more on the great river obstacle that it borders than on the fortification works carried out by the Germans in three weeks. Works to which some Latvians have lent their hands, even though they have the honor of being Soviet citizens since 1940... No doubt that the NKVD will put it in order when the time comes. But that is not the point right now.
The subject, for Popov, is rather the state of the forces of the 1st Baltic Front, especially compared to what the GRU could learn from those of the enemy. For even if the 18. Armee (as well as the whole of the HG Nord) is not the finest flower of the Wehrmacht, it nevertheless aligns from west to east, three army corps that are still very combative. First, the XXVI. AK (Ernst von Leyser), which holds Riga and its surroundings until Salaspils, the most obvious crossing point. Then the 1. AK (Itti Wöhler), which defends the banks roughly until Jaunjelgava or Aizkraukle, according to the bank of the river where one places oneself. Finally, the XXXVIII. AK of Kurt Herzog, which ensures the junction with the 16. Armee... But here it becomes the sector of the 2nd Baltic Front of Comrade Meretskov and his new 7th Guards Army.
It is true, these corps seem stretched and the front relatively thinly populated - the picture could look encouraging, despite the large wet cut of the Dvina. However, the 1st Baltic Front also faces a major problem: its troops have ridden on 150 kilometers during their previous action and they are now disorganized if not exhausted. In fact, they were not even able to seize an enemy that had made a precipitous retreat almost in front of their rifles! And the four armies of Popov are now - also - stretched out over 120 kilometers: the 1st Army of Kurkin on the outskirts of Riga, Gusev's 4th Army at Ogre, Krutikov's 7th Army at Līči and finally Morozov's 42nd Army at Koknese. His two reserve armored corps - Butkov's 12th and Rudkin's 15th - are placed in the second echelon at Jaksti and Austrumi, held in reserve to face an improbable Nazi counter-attack.
All these units, poorly supplied and far from being a priority for the Stavka in the allocation of new equipment, are now doing their best despite a difficult terrain and losses, not to mention some rare (but still unpleasant) actions of saboteurs on their rear. They cannot count on the support of the 2nd Baltic Front, itself exhausted by the very hard fighting. carried out recently in the Rositten region.
And it is not the small pocket of Courland, where the 4th DFM is fighting for its survival, which will be able to break the fascist defenses!
Popov contemplates his map with a sorry look - his front has always been considered secondary by Moscow, especially since it is clear that Leningrad will never be threatened. So he cannot expect anything from anyone to advance, even though he can see an enemy weakness ahead of him. The situation thus seems frozen... at least for the moment.

 

[Wings]

July 6th, 1943

Moscow - The Stavka sends an order to the 1st and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts to put them on high alert. Convinced by intelligence reports from several sources considered credible, Stalin believes that the German offensive is imminent, announced for the next day or the day after. Rokossovsky and Vatutin apply the order and wait for the opposing rush.
In vain.

 

[Wings]

July 6th, 1943

Rovno - The Soviets are not the only ones trying to destabilize the opposite side. On the German side, the OKH and the FHO did not remain inactive. Launched a few weeks ago, Operation Silberstreiß is intended to encourage desertions from the Soviets. Supported by dropping leaflets and broadcasting in Russian on the radio, it provokes or facilitates the passage into the German lines of several hundred soldiers and a few officers and non-commissioned officers. Immediately taken in charge by specialized teams, these defectors are treated very well before being debriefed and then given the choice of taking an auxiliary position in the Wehrmacht or to work in Germany in the war industry.
But at the beginning of July, it is clear that Silberstreiß was a relative failure. Already difficult in normal times, Soviet desertions were further reduced by the increased activity of the security forces (SMERSH and NKVD in the lead). Moreover, they were not encouraged by the information on German war crimes on the front, crimes which the Soviet military press widely echoed. A document of the NKVD addressed to the Stavka will attract the attention of Stalin: among the eight hundred to nine hundred deserters, there is a majority of Caucasians (although they were not very well represented among the front-line troops) and Ukrainians. We will remember this after the war.

 

[Wings]

July 6th, 1943

Rastenburg - The FHO is even less successful in its chosen field, fishing for information. The information provided by the Silberstreiß defectors is clearly not up to the expectations. Too few deserters have access to divisional, let alone army or front headquarters. The Luftwaffe, for its part, is less and less able to carry out distant reconnaissance in the face of the denser Soviet defences. And, on the ground, patrols and reconnaissance in force are still numerous, they only bring back tactical data. Beyond twenty to thirty kilometers of depth, the Wehrmacht is confronted with an increasingly opaque fog of war.
Zitadelle is a kind of exception. Thanks to the support of the inhabitants who wanted to shake off the Communist yoke, Reinhard Gehlen has valid sources in Kiev, but also in the surrounding regions. This allows him to complete his battle order of the Soviet Fronts that Zitadelle would have to engage. But beyond the Dnieper, information is sorely lacking. When asked what reserves the Soviets have, the answer is simple: they are unknown. This uncertainty does not go unnoticed by the opponents of the offensive that is being prepared, led by Guderian and Halder. But it is impossible for them to criticize what is now an order from the Führer.

 

[Wings]

July 6th, 1943

Toulon - Eight small Type-IIE submarines arrive in Toulon after a real odyssey on French canals. They reinforce the ten Type-VIIC which are all that remains of the German submarine fleet in the Mediterranean. At least, this reinforcement will be effective in about two months, when all the equipment of the small submarines, up to the kiosks and engines, will have been assembled. Work begins immediately.
Coincidence: the B-24s of the 392nd BG, escorted by the P-38s of the 1st FG, try to bomb the Toulon submarine base. It is a failure : only one projectile hits the base, making only minor damages, but bombs fall on the city and even towards Ollioules.