Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

[Wings]

August 18th, 1943

Larissa sector ("Tower East") -The "Kangaroos" arrive at Dolichi, the last town before the pass of Agios Dimitrios. The progress is slow, too slow, because of the various obstacles and slowdowns on the road. Annoyed, the leading elements take risks and immediately pay for their boldness: three of the Cromwells are put out of action by the very precise fire of the Pak 40 that the 153. Feldausbildungs had carefully camouflaged in the houses of Dolichi or in the numerous copses that dot the hills. Böhm-Bezing's division gains precious time to allow the Jägers to fortify the pass.
In this narrow valley, where there are only 1,200 meters between the hills and the stream, the ANZAC struggle to deploy without exposing themselves, withdraw, and finally call in the Boston of the 234th and 235th Wings, which raze the village and sweep the enemy positions. The men of the 153. FD, now seasoned, withdraw at dusk. They had made Stevens lose precious time, whose troops arrive at the bottom of the pass at the beginning of the night.
The Australian knows that the Albanian diversion would not last forever.

 

[Wings]

August 18th, 1943

Albania - Allied air raids continue on LXVIII. AK, and are even intensifying. Indeed, the Wellingtons of the 202nd Wing, as well as the Blenheims of the 237th and 238th Wings join the Yugoslavs to carry out deep strikes towards Këlcÿre and Tepelen. The missions are carried out without loss, except for a Wellington damaged by... birds, and a particularly enthusiastic Yugoslav Havoc, which went down too low and comes back on an engine.
Later, when the situation is calm, the improvised soldiers of the 11. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division watch with concern as Maczek's SAV-42s appear to be coming out of Janina and head north. They know that they are no match for them, and they multiply the reports of an "imminent" offensive.

 

[Wings]

August 18th, 1943

Skopje - Löhr is now convinced that Albania will be attacked tomorrow at sunrise.
The current skirmishes in northern Greece are only a smokescreen to hide a future action that will lead to a probable allied landing in the Adriatic!
It is necessary to act and send to LXVIII. AK all the reserves at his disposal... that is to say, not much.
He has already obtained from von Weichs to be able to dispose of the 907. and 914. StuG Abt, until then held in reserve in Zagreb for the 20. Gebirgs-Armee of Rendulic. He therefore orders from now on to redeploy these two battalions towards Tirana, in order to stem the expected enemy assault. He keeps with him in Skopje the 201. StuG Abt, which is part of the reserves of his 12. Armee. Finally, he asks von Weichs, at AG E, to obtain the commitment of the 1. PanzerDivision, which remains inactive in Croatia.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Rome - It has been in the air for some time, but today it becomes official: Robert Murphy is replaced on the Allied Control Commission by Alexander C. Kirk, formerly US Ambassador to Cairo and also in charge of diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia (among others). There is no question at this time of appointing an ambassador to the royal government, although it is clear that this is no longer ruled out by Washington, if the situation were to evolve satisfactorily.
Robert D. Murphy, for his part, will be joining Algeria in the next few weeks, as he has been appointed ambassador to the Yugoslav government in exile, which hopes to soon set foot on its national soil again. Before that, he will take a leave of absence in the United States after a detailed briefing in Washington with Cordell Hull but also with representatives of the OSS. Indeed, it is not planned that the government of King Peter II would be the only interlocutor of Murphy during his new diplomatic mission...

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Paris - The deceased Paul Marion, "fallen under the bullets of the Bolshevik enemies of the New Europe and True France" (non-optional capital letters), is replaced by Jean Luchaire at the Secretariat of State for Information of the New French State. What could be more natural, it is true, for the one who already directs the Corporation of the Press, which dictates the ideology of the smallest sheet of cabbage published "legally" in France and in Navarre (Corsica and overseas France excluded...).

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Occupied Burma - Another day of pure hunting. If on the ground, bridges and footbridges have to be replaced by ferries and if the Japanese have taken the habit of moving at night to minimize their losses, the Japanese air force is still present, but in increasingly reduced numbers. Two Ki-43 and one Ki-44 are eliminated against one P-40, plus another one destroyed on landing.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Tong Pheung - Since the day before, a light but persistent rain slows down the rhythm of the air operations, which does not prevent the RTAF from sending a few patrols to do reconnaissance and harassment. The Ki-30 "Ann" and Ki-36 "Ida" nevertheless have difficulty in clearly identifying the Franco-Laotian positions, being satisfied to strafe and to release some light projectiles blindly, without having any idea of the results obtained.
The Franco-Americans are not much luckier. The weather being decidedly not good, their action is limited to a few strafing passes carried out by two or three pairs of P-40s when visibility improves temporarily.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Kremlin - In the evening, a light rain falls on Moscow, as if to refresh the stifling atmosphere that has been hanging over the Soviet capital for weeks (or even years...). Operation Suvorov is in theory the main subject of the meeting, but it is far from being the only one. Moreover, the discussion about it is brief. Indeed, Stalin opens it with a speech: "We must stop being afraid of the Fascists, dear comrades! The most painful days are over, and we must not let ourselves give in to irritation. Remember the false alarms of 1941, intended to throw us against Germany too soon! Remember the doubts that seized us at the beginning of the year and even this summer again, before the just punishment of the Romanians! It is no longer time to tremble - the liberation of the whole Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is close! No matter what the Poles in London and their so-called "Secret Army" say, always quick to flood us with false information. To work, Comrades!"
It is true that the Armia Krajowa keeps for the time being rather good "working" connections with the partisan movements of Belarus - thus with the Red Army - in spite of the relations between Moscow and the Polish government in London. However, the Polish resistance fighters have recently multiplied the alarmist information. No doubt because they are not in such a hurry to see the Soviets arrive... probably also because they do not benefit as much as before from the support of the Partisans and that their networks are more and more often subjected to suspicious leaks in addition to the reprisals carried out by the Lithuanians and the Galicians...
So there will be little talk of Minsk tonight. The Vojd already seems to be more interested in the preparation of operations Kutuzov and Rumantsiev, which should definitively free Ukraine from the Nazi claw.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Ukraine - If the military situation on the Ukrainian fronts is now calmer, it is clear that the situation in the ranks of the Red Army is still tense, between the hunt for traitors and pressure from the NKVD. Even if we are not yet - fortunately! - back to the atmosphere of the purges, soldiers and officers of all ranks bow their heads to avoid the knife of an ill-intentioned report while waiting for better days. Drunk of its recent victory in front of Kiev, the Stalinist power has regained its colors: after having imposed itself against the enemy from outside, it now wants to assert itself against the enemy from within, obviously always on the lookout.
In this context, as one can imagine, there is little chance that the slightest criticism will be heard. And the few warnings about the upcoming operation Suvorov- which may be about to be launched too quickly, with too small a force and according to a perfectible tactic - remain unsent.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

South of France - The 340th BG, escorted by the 33rd FG, attack the airfield of Lézignan (Aude). In doing so, it opens the way for the heavy 99th BG whose escort, made up of the 79th FG, does not hesitate to join the fight. The German fighters of the sector, facing the two US fighter groups (both equipped with P-51 with an additional tank), lose nine aircraft, against three to the Americans. The B-17s of the 99th, whose objective is the station and the depot of Carcassonne, suffer no losses.
On the French Riviera, the defenses of the tragic Saint-Tropez sector are again targeted by the 25th BG, accompanied by the 52nd FG.
A little further on, around Toulon, the French put the pressure on by continuing the hunt for submarines and speedboats. The bay of La Seyne is targeted by the GAN 2 while a few kilometers away, the 23rd EB, accompanied by the 3rd EC, attack the Cuers airfield. The Germans find themselves once again outnumbered. The toll is one Corsair and one P-51 lost against five black-cross fighters.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Italian Front - The II/StG 2 is (finally) re-equipped with the new Fw 190F, specialized in ground support. The Stuka, which was the pride of the Luftwaffe during the Blitzkrieg era, is now only in service in Greece (not for long...) and, in its anti-tank version, on the Eastern Front.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Milan - The official birth of the army of the RSI is celebrated with all the fascist pomp: the creation of the 1st Bersagliere Divizione Italia and the 2nd Alpini Divizione Monterosa.
After the usual presentation of flags, oaths and other rantings, the men of these two units will return to their garrisons. Their role will be above all to watch over the security of the rear of the front, especially against the red scum of the Partisans.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Adriatic - Reconnaissance has shown a resumption of activity on some of the bridges around Karlovac. So the Beaumonts of Sqn 55, escorted by Sqn 249, are back in this sector to close them again to the traffic. They succeed in placing several projectiles on the deck of the structures, damaging them a little more. JG 53 tries to intervene but, badly positioned, it cannot catch up with the speedy twin-engine aircraft.
Near the coast, the airfield of Zadar is targeted by Sqn 89 and 126. However, four of the aircraft do not attack the airfield but fly in the direction of a small hill dominating the village of Policnic, about ten kilometers to the north, where the FuG radar covering the area was spotted. Despite the Flak posts deployed to protect it, the installation is destroyed, albeit at a cost of a Beaufighter.
After sunset, the Otocac airstrip is attacked by the Wellingtons of Sqn 37 and 214. This raid is a success thanks to the marking made by the Mosquitos of Sqn 105; it leaves a track in the state of a ploughed field and several smoking carcasses. The night fighters succeed in shooting down a Wellington and damaging another one. The next day, the Germans decide not to base any more aircraft at Otocac.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Euboea, 10:00 - In Istiaia, General Kleemann, head of the Sturm-Brigade Euböa (Euboea Assault Brigade), presents his surrender to the British general Vyvyan Evelegh. This act puts an end to three days of fighting on the island, led by troops without hope of reinforcement or evacuation, but not without fighting spirit. One could even say that Kleemann's soldiers held on to every fortified position, making an offensive that was believed to be easy in Athens to quickly become arduous. And if Chalkis and Istiaia fell in less than one day, Mount Ochi resisted until the ammunition ran out, an irritating Germanic support point a few tens of kilometers from the Greek capital.
This action of marginal utility cost the Allies 300 dead and wounded. Moreover, it mobilized planes and ships that will finally be able to intervene on behalf of "Tower" - in particular the Hellenic squadrons, which have shown their roundels a lot in Attica these last days. Finally, the soldiers of the 38th (Irish) Infantry Brigade will spend almost two more weeks picking up many Germans hidden in the hills.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Siatista ("Tower West") - From five o'clock in the morning, the 155 mm tubes of the 107th RALCA open fire on the positions of the Gebirgsjägers. When they fall silent, the Beaumonts of the 232nd Wing (Hellenic) attack, covered by the P-40N of Sqn 336 (Hellenic). After a hellish half hour, the hill and the city are drowned under a cloud of fire and dust.
The evzones observe the spectacle with binoculars, stunned by the power and the rage deployed - if they had had such means in 41, they would surely not be forced to reconquer their Greece today... Then the first elements of the 6th Mountain Brigade start their ascent, ostensibly leaving Mesopotamo and the road to Neapolis on their left flank.
The first attackers encounter heavy defensive fire, but this does not stop the Greeks, who had seen others and are galvanized by their recent successes. The German positions are systematically marked with smoke and then buried under the shells, whose rumbling salvos are greeted with enthusiastic "Zito!"
Around 15:00, the situation becomes untenable for the Germans, and Kreysing is forced to withdraw the troops defending the road to Salonika towards Siatista, before they are submerged. The Austrians leave their positions and withdraw on the flanks of the mountains, chased by the booing of their opponents and the bullets of the snipers... but not more. At the end of the day, the Greeks are in Xirolmni, the road to Ptolemaida is open.
However, the Heer soldiers have not said their last word. In the evening, fresh elements of the 1. GebirgsJaeger (Hubert Lanz), arriving as reinforcements from Eptachoria, launch a counter-offensive from Kaloneri. The counter-attackers come up against the 3rd Mountain Brigade, which tries to advance eastward to encircle the 3. GD in Siatista. A confused melee takes place between Mikrokastro and Mesopotamo, while nightfall makes it difficult for the intervention of the allied artillery or air force. The evzones are finally pushed back to the crossroads. The audacity did not pay off.
During the night, the 3. GD abandons Siatista, which is too exposed. The mountain fighters fall back towards the west and towards their comrades of the 1. GD, who had held the door open for them at the cost of their blood.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Agios Dimitrios ("Tower East") - Further east, things are not going so well for the Allies, here the Australians. It is true that the terrain of the Agios Demetrios pass is very difficult. The attackers are badly hit by the Jägers at their best, supported by the men of the 153. FD. The latter learn quickly from their elite partners and play a role that General von Ludwiger of the 104. Jäger, would later write, with some emphasis, that it was "that of the Thebans at Thermopylae - courageous, more fighters than soldiers, but honest amateurs who valiantly held their ground." (Völkischer Beobachter of September 17th, 1943, "Salonik Festung!) A bold analogy, to say the least, for those who know the passive of the 153. FD in terms of repression and war crimes. The cynics will say that the Germans had taken themselves for Spartans and had treated the Hellenes as the hilots of the Aryans.
Notwithstanding these considerations, the ANZAC launches three attacks to pass the pass in force: all of them fail, allowing to gain only 2 or 3 kilometers. A lamentable performance, but above all due to the terrain and the excellent preparation of the Germans. The latter cover with their fire the slightest bends of a winding road from which it is very difficult to cross between steep slopes, thorny undergrowth and craggy rocks.
Around 16:30, Stevens and Freyberg suspend the offensive. Kangaroos and Kiwis are exhausted, and it is obvious that they will not get anywhere at this rate. A large-scale assault is scheduled for the next day, with all the air support that it will be possible to obtain from Athens. And the 107th AGRA has the night to deploy its 18-pounders in order to be able to fire against positions that have unfortunately been spotted by now. As for those impossible to destroy, the officers have a little idea... which however only moderates their concern about the future of the operation.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Servia - On the banks of the river Haliacmon, Colonel Müller enjoys life, like his men, between plundering and Eros' pleasures (if not those of Aphrodite, who asks consent), all washed down with ouzo. His unit is deployed as an advanced element in the area, and indeed went to the location indicated. But he could not, like his superiors, anticipate the axis of the Allied offensive, which seems to pass very conveniently away from his KampfGruppe.
Nevertheless, the colonel is worried, because he could hear the cannon thundering from the east and the west not far away. As a cautious man, he orders his men scattered in the countryside to regroup in the evening towards the village of Sérvia, for the greatest misfortune of its inhabitants, while waiting to know where the wind will carry him.

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Albania - Allied air raids continue, in the same way as in previous days, , but with a special focus on the 11. LFD, which seems to be ready to crack even before a possible assault. To encourage them, the Poles set off an artillery barrage at the end of the afternoon, which seems to be a prelude to a night assault. The unfortunate soldiers of the Luftwaffe are forced to spend a sleepless night watching the darkness between the pines, under the shots of snipers who shoot down those who light the slightest cigarette...
The fear of the Gurkha and his khukri settles in. Would they be reassured if they knew that there is not a single Gurkha in front of them, but only Poles? It is unlikely...

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Skopje - During the night, General Löhr is puzzled by the map that his staff has deployed. The attack on Albania does not come, whereas the assaults that the XVIII. Gebirgs-Armee-Korps takes, in Macedonia, seem to be more serious every moment. And on the other hand, the Australians are pushing somewhat towards Thessalonica, if one believes the reports of the XXII. Gebirgs-AK, but this Fehn is so alarmist!
Nevertheless, it is necessary for him to take into account the facts, and the Allies seem to be committed in Macedonia. But what for? There is nothing important... Suddenly, he raises his tired face towards the map, his eyes ringed and shining with concern. In Macedonia, there is the headquarters of the 12. Armee! Including him! A breakthrough in this sector could disorganize all the German defense from Salonika to Tirana ! And then, another thought crosses his mind - the Greek government must be anxious to ask him to account for the fate of the many hostages taken by his troops, according to his orders, from Corinth to Salonika.
So, the allied Schwerpunkt is in Macedonia! It is necessary to defend the roads of Neapoli and Ptolemaida, to put in alarm the 201. SturmGeschutz Abteilung, in Skopje, to assist the 4. GD, or even to call upon the 19. PanzerGrenadier, in Alexandria. In Thrace, the Bulgarians will have to manage alone! Anyway, he has nothing to send there!

 

[Wings]

August 19th, 1943

Sofia - Precisely, Dobri Bozhilov, Prime Minister of the Bulgarian government, has just authorized the 2nd Occupation Corps to collaborate (sic) with the Heer to defend the region. It is true the Slavs have little choice: in addition to the friendly pressure of their cumbersome Germanic godfather, Thrace is the gateway to Bulgaria, and Salonika is the heart of its defense.
Nevertheless, the officers concerned, including in the first place the general T. Trifonov, seem to be pessimistic, uncertain, even unmotivated. They set their conditions: the Bulgarian troops will remain under autonomous command and will only receive their orders from their national hierarchy, through the intermediary of the 2nd OC headquarters. Moreover, given the security constraints in this area, which they are trying to assimilate, the troops will only move in case of "serious and imminent threat".
After all, a little cynicism does not hurt, the head of the 12. Armee does not seem to believe in a real offensive in the region. If he did, he would surely send in reinforcements!