Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

South of France - While the front has just woken up in Italy, the bombardments continue over the Languedoc and Roussillon regions. While the B-17s of the 2nd BG escorted by the Lightning of the 14th FG attack the Carcassonne depot and the nearby airfield, whose runways run along the road to Bram, the medium bombers of the 11th and 319th BGs and of the 11th EB once again treat the defenses and other coastal fortifications built by the Wehrmacht and the Todt organization, respectively on the beaches south of Port la Nouvelle, around Canet en Roussillon and in the Sérignan sector.
If the 33rd FG and the 6th EC, which escort the two USAAF raids, have little to do, the 7th EC has to face the Luftwaffe. In the end, one bomber is shot down (plus one lost on landing) as well as three fighters, against three Bf 109 and two Fw 190. The new variant of the P-51, known as the NA-102 (NA-103 or P-51C for the USAAF), which now equips the 7th EC, has proven its effectiveness.

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Italian Front, 07:00 - Standing on a hill overlooking the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Corporal Hauffer, of the 1. Fallschirmjäger Division, puts down his binoculars to call the sergeant in charge of their observation post: "Planes are approaching from the sea, they are Stukas, I recognized the shape of the wings! They must have gone to bomb Corsica." The sergeant is startled: "Stukas? It's been almost a month since we had any in Italy! Alarm!" He grabs the field telephone to warn his superiors when the bombs start to rain around them. The attackers are Corsairs from GAN 2, equipped, like the Stukas, with an "inverted gull wing". The French Navy gives a hand to support the launching of Operation Buffalo - in addition to these planes, several French ships take part in the naval support along the coast, alongside the US Navy.
In fact, the air raid is barely over when the German paratroopers, coming to their senses, notice with horror that the sea between the coast and the island of Elba is now occupied by a dozen ships that start to open fire.
.........
If the allied general staff agreed to the launching of Buffalo, a few days before Dragon, it is of course to nibble away at another piece of the Italian boot and to give the American forces the opportunity to demonstrate that their efficiency had improved. But it was to convince the Germans that it was in the center of the Mediterranean, in Italy and perhaps even on the Adriatic side, that the Allied Schwerpunkt would be applied, and to fix their their reserves in this sector. In this sense, Buffalo can be considered as a vast diversion, an operation of "deception" in real size!
.........
In the plain, the Americans have been conducting discreet and careful reconnaissance of the German position on the Anton Line, the target of the ships' fire.
The CCA of the 1st Armored Division therefore attacks along the coast under a deluge of artillery. Quickly, the first lines are crossed and the first anti-tank positions are muzzled. However, its progression is blocked a little further by a German artillery directed from the Poggio al Pruno, the "mound of the plum tree", which dominates the entire
the entire coastal plain.
The CCB, starting from Monterotondo Marittimo, presses northwards while the 141st IR of the 36th US-ID tries to overrun hill 370, which dominates the narrowing of Lustignano. The advance is cautious; the attackers never hesitate to call on the air force and artillery. To the north-east of this sector, the 143rd Infantry Regiment clears the hills while the 91st Cavalry Btn and 751st Tank Btn advance on road 439. The 142nd IR is engaged on the right wing, accompanied by the 601st TD Btn, on road 441. The fighting lasts until nightfall for the possession of the hamlet of Prata.
Everywhere, the first German lines were meticulously recognized and are the object of energetic treatment by the artillery and the air force. To the north of the attacked sector, the coastal road south of Livorno is bombed by the 310th BG to force the Germans to engage their reinforcements from inland. The objective is achieved as two bridges are destroyed and a railway tunnel collapses.
Further east, the 168th Infantry Regiment of the 34th US-ID engages in an overrun in the forest and takes the hamlet of Castello di Tocchi. A German counter-attack surrounds the GIs occupying the village. They call for help from the artillery, which sprays the area with at least a thousand 105 and 155 shells. The Germans are thus repulsed with severe losses and the encircled elements are cleared.
To the right of the Americans, the Italians also attack. Their infantry divisions, smaller than US-IDs, are supported by elements of the Folgore parachute division. This is how the 186th Rgt reinforces the 47th ID Bari, whose 139th IR attacks in the hills on both sides of Route 73. At the end of the day, starting from Stigliano, the paratroopers reach hill 450 while the infantrymen of the Bari reach the wooded plateau of the Poggio della Castelallacia.
The rest of the 47th ID moves westward from Siena along road 101.
North of Siena, the 87th Infantry Regiment of the 20th Friuli Division takes the medieval village of Monteriggioni but suffers a strong counter-attack from the 112. ID, supported by half-tracks of the 29. Panzergrenadier Division. The Italians hold on to the medieval fortifications and manage to hold on thanks to the intervention of the corps artillery. The 88th RI advances on Route 222, but it is stopped at the foot of Fonterutoli. On the Italian right wing, it is the baptism of fire for the 4th DI Alpine Cuneense, which enters the massif of Monteluco.
On the right of the Italians, the French IVth AC also launches an attack.
While the Brosset Brigade, of the 83rd DIA, overruns the hills in the direction of Bucine, the Magnan Brigade, accompanied by the divisional engineers and well supported by the 6th BMLE, succeeds in forcing its way across the Arno (which was only a small river at that point) and arrives in sight of Laterina.
The Belgians of the 4th ID reach Capolona, north of Arrezzo, at the end of the afternoon, but the progression is made difficult by the hills surrounding the town.
To the east of the IVth AC, the two brigades of the 86th DIA, covered by the arrival of the 2nd Tabors on their rear, attack on parallel axes to cut Route 57.
.........
The Corsairs of the GAN 2 return in the afternoon to maintain the fighter cover over the fleet. At the end of the day, the radars of the allied squadron report the approach of a hostile flight. It is four Do 217 of KG 100, each carrying one of the new gliding bombs. Seeing the fighters, the German bombers get rid of their bombs and turn around to get away faster. But the Corsairs are fast and EV1 Bédart, n°2 of the "blue flight" of the 4F, adds a third victory to his record of achievements by shooting down one of the four Dorniers. The others manage to escape.

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Adriatic - Since this morning, the RAF units of this sector have returned to the Italian front. Only three squadrons of Beaufighters and Banshees and their fighter cover, as well as Sqn 38 of Coastal Command are left at the disposal of operation Zeppelin for air raids.
Thus, the cross-checking of several sources of information allows to locate the radar that the Germans had installed near Pula. It is thus targeted by the Beaufighters of Sqn 89, while the Spitfires of their escort arrive voluntarily in another azimuth and a few minutes earlier to attract the German fighters. The maneuver is a success: the radar installations are destroyed and two Fw 190 are shot down in exchange for a Spitfire, plus a Beaufighter badly hit by the flak and which will be irrecoverable.

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Thessaloniki, 02:00 - In the middle of the night, the palace of the Governorate General of Northern Greece is in a frenzy of activity. The building shines with a thousand lights, and this is only partly a metaphor: the headquarters of the XXII. Gebirgs-Armee-Korps is busy destroying files and archives, before packing up for Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. Gustav Fehn, sitting with a glass in his hand, his eyes dark, observes his collaborators who are agitated. He had received Irkens' report earlier in the evening, and he is dismayed.
The Allied armored units were not destroyed, only weakened. While the 19. Panzergrenadier is out of action for... a while. It will surely have to regroup its two panzer abteilungs, and Fehn is already planning to integrate the 201. StuG Abt to the division to give it some weight. Indeed, he knows that getting replacements will not be easy! But, in any case, there is nothing more to do for Salonika. Fehn can no longer hold the city, but only try to delay its loss.
The general therefore orders the 97. JägerDivision, his only large intact unit, to dig in the city, hoping that the OKW would allow it to withdraw to the interior of Thrace, once the port is destroyed. As for him, he will try to reconstitute a line of defense more in north, to defend Bulgaria, perhaps even with the assistance of the natives, you never know! And - very hypothetically - to try to retake the city, if unlikely reinforcements appear. To do this, he takes the initiative to order all his other troops to retreat to Kilkis: the 104. Jäger, what remains of the 19. PzrGr of course, and even the SS-Polizei. If it happens, these forces will arrive there before Trifonov's troops! It doesn't really matter, now he has to save as many soldiers as possible, that's his only priority - he has to preserve his corps, since no one was supporting him.
Informed of the disaster, Löhr still does not send reinforcements, but he announces that the GA E had agreed to send the 1. PanzerDivision south of Belgrade, to be ready to defend Skopje, i.e. Yugoslav Macedonia. Danke Schön, Herr General! The officer throws his glass in rage, which rolls under a piece of furniture without the agitated staff interrupting for more than a moment. Fehn finally gets up from his chair. He has to pull himself together.
For finally, many brave men died yesterday in Korinos! And more will die today in Alexandria. For sacrifices must be made and Fehn has made up his mind. He opens the door of his office wide and asks that von Böhm-Bezing be called, he wants to speak to him in person. The 153. FD will have to defend Alexandria, alone and without hope of rescue. And it will have to resist long enough to allow the 19. PanzerGrenadier to withdraw to safety.
Von Böhm-Bezing has no objection. But just before he hangs up, instead of the "Heil Hitler!", he gives Fehn a "Long live Germany!" which will stay in the memory of the leader of the XXII. GAK - the greatness of the Germanic race! Likewise Ludwig Müller, who is no fool and knows very well that there will be no one to help him if he finds himself locked up in Salonika, had simply clicked his heels when receiving his orders. Sacrificing units to delay the enemy may have become a habit for Fehn, the man still feels a legitimate twinge of regret at the idea of abandoning his troops to an unfortunate fate.
The communication finished, the general returns to his office and to his files, at least to those that have not yet been burned or evacuated. No. No. No. He must do better, for the Reich and for his men. And to begin with, he must find a way to guarantee calm in the city after the SS have left. The SS did a good job: 223 executions and 375 arrests. Since the previous evening, prisoners had been disposed of in an expeditious manner in the courtyards of the city's many prisons. You can hear the machine guns from here. This will inevitably enrage the Greeks, and who knows what will happen if the defenders have to surrender? No, there's no way I'm going to let my men play the role of the SS, and then suffer the vengeance of the Greeks - he has heard disturbing rumors from Volos which indicate how the Greeks repay the units who were active in "anti-terrorist activities". So who the hell is going to do it? Who is going to keep order in Thessaloniki?
With a cautious cough, his orderly, a captain, interrupts this reflection.
- Herr General, we have Herr Müller who asks to be received.
- I have already given him his orders. What does he want?
- I am sorry, Herr General. It is not General Ludwig Müller, it is a certain Colonel Friedrich-Wilhelm Müller. He commands a Kampfgruppe that is normally part of the XVIII. GAK.
Fehn jumps out of his chair when he hears this name. Müller, of the Kampfgruppe Müller! He read the report of von Böhm-Bezing, which calls this unit, how already... ah yes, "a band of uncontrollable looters". A grimacing smile lights up the face of the unfortunate leader of the XXII. Gebrigs-AK. Finally some good news!
- And what brings this colonel Müller to Salonika?" he asks his subordinate.
The latter stiffens a little: "Apparently, he has come to seek instructionsfrom you, Herr General." Then he risks: "If I may say so..."
- Yes?
Fehn's tone is half amusement, half curiosity.
- This... This troop arrived with vehicles loaded with loot of no military interest and even with captives! This is a disgrace to the Reich, Herr General! These men will be of no use here, they must be sent back!
"Herr General" stands for a moment watching the flames dancing in the fireplace, enveloping piles of files which they consume. His orderly takes it upon himself to break the silence.
- Shall I explain to him that you have more urgent things to do, Herr General? There's no need for you to waste time with this... character.
- No, no, send him up... I'm afraid he'll get impatient! But above all, make sure that he knows as little as possible about our... strategic situation.
The captain clicks his heels and leaves, trying his best to hide his disgust. Yet, Fehn doesn't think he's going to stoop to receiving this famous Müller, on the contrary. He thinks that after having despised him so much, Providence has finally decided to give him a gift. Moreover, it will be a little revenge on General Dietl. Although Dietl would surely be delighted to be rid of a cumbersome saber-runner, to whom one could attribute all the... all the excesses of the anti-partisan struggle in the region and in Salonika itself, where the next executions - certainly necessary - would not be the responsibility of the XXII. Gebirgs-AK. Besides, is it really Providence that sends him this demon?

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Tirana - The Wellingtons of the 202nd Wing bomb the Albanian capital's train station again, without significant losses. These repeated bombardments are interpreted as a sign of an imminent, which is precisely their aim.
However, if the occupiers were victims of this illusion, this was also the case for the occupied. A spontaneous uprising breaks out in the late afternoon in the suburbs of the city. It is brutally repressed by the collaborationist militia, supported by tanks of the 907. StuG Abt.
More than 450 people are killed, probably more if one takes into account the wounded who died later and especially the prisoners and hostages who were to be executed.
The nationalist resistance movements are enraged, because they believed that the rumor of an Allied offensive that had already been launched, and that the offensive, which led to the carnage, could have been propagated by the communist movements. The latter had found a way to lead the Germans to do the dirty work. The communists, who also suffered losses among their supporters, obviously think the same of the royalists. Whether these assumptions are true or not, all parties carefully keep their accounts... for later.

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Between Vogastiko and Alexandria ("Tower West ") - At the extreme west of the Allied position, the 3rd Mountain Brigade of Colonel Tsakalotos reaches the new positions of the GebirgsJägers, which are entrenched around Vogastiko. The valley is barely 4 to 5 kilometers wide in the sector, and it is anything but flat, whereas the evzones are exhausted by the long fighting around Mikrokastros, which drained their energy and ammunition.
Consequently, the Hellenes are content to border the German lines, without trying to push them. All the objectives of "Tower West" were achieved in this sector, and the capture of Neapolis was only the cherry of a cake that was being cooked elsewhere, on the banks of the Aegean Sea. The operations cease, until further notice.
The 1st Greek ID launches its attack on Ptolemaida, with the support of the Beaumonts of the 232nd Wing. But its blows fall in the void - the 4. Gebirgs is now in the plain to the north, between Filotas and Aminteo. This division, reinforced with the armor of the 201. StuG Abt, will try to defend this road junction which commands many accesses, to Edessa certainly, but also towards Bitola in Macedonia or even Kastoria on the back of Vogastiko. There is no question of retreating further for the mountain people, who will fight here with determination and without spirit of retreat. Before finding the contact, the Greeks will cautiously progress towards the north, liberating on their way the mines of lignites which make the reputation of the area.
Finally, further east, the 1st Armored Brigade and the 13th Greek ID arrive in the early morning on the outskirts of Alexandria. They fall on the 153. Feldausbildungs-Division, which holds the city and thus blocks the road to Salonika and the Vardar plain. The Hellenes are galvanized by their advance, which has now lasted for nearly three days without opposition, and they are all the more relentless that they approach a region which they know that the government of Sofia seized by force and that it tried to assimilate by all means. Logically, they are not willing to wait.
This battle of meeting is thus very violent. Against all odds, the training division resists throughout the morning, and even a good part of the afternoon. Their artillery having trouble following, the Greeks call in the air force: Boston and Blenheim of the 234th and 238th Wings. But the Landsers hold stubbornly, allowing their comrades of the 19. PanzerGrenadier to escape encirclement. A nice revenge for von Böhm-Bezing's men, who remembered the taunts that these tankers had inflicted on them on the road to Korinos. In the evening, the divisional artillery can finally be deployed and the defenders finally crack. The Greeks enter a ravaged city, where some pockets would hold out until the next morning. Unfortunately for them, the Greeks, after the events of Volos, are not in the mood to take many prisoners.

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Between Katerini and Aiginio ("Tower East") - Logical consequence of the battle of Korinos, the ANZAC moves to the second line to allow the troops and the equipment to breathe a little. Further south, Stevens' 6th Australian Infantry Division liberates Litochoro and reaches Platamon under the setting sun - the coastal road is secured, thus doubling the supply and replenishment capabilities.
The 1st Yugoslavian Corps thus moves to the front line, to the enthusiasm of the soldiers. Stefanović's tanks lead the way and reach Aiginio in the evening.

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Zagreb - The 1. PanzerDivision breaks camp in the direction of Serbia, without this destination raising enthusiasm in its ranks. Still, some veterans reserve their judgment, waiting to compare with what they already know. The Croats who see the tanks passing by do not say a word, but all the same - all this commotion does not really augur an upcoming Axis victory.

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Belgrade - The Germans know all about the Croatians' doubts. And the Reich Foreign Office has just sent a new official to the region for the Balkans. The man's name is Hermann Neubacher, an Austrian but above all a pangermanist who is very familiar with local subtleties. His task is simple, at least in its statement: to reorganize what remains of Yugoslavia (apart from Croatia, therefore) to make it a state that is coherent, stable... and subservient to the Reich! This in order to allow the redeployment of the garrisons which are scattered there. Nothing obvious then, while the royal Yugoslav government retains all its legitimacy with a large part of the population, and in particular the Serbs, while the communist Tito can count on a real army of partisans.
Neubacher will therefore present to the Serbian collaborators (and others!) a plan in five stages:
- Reunification of Serbia and Montenegro into a federal state;
- Installation of General Milan Nedić as president of a "Greater Serbia" that would include a large part of Bosnia;
- Autonomy for Montenegro, which would form a semi-independent state within the Serbian-Montenegrin federation;
- Reopening of the University of Belgrade and end of German control of cultural life by Germany;
- Reduction of the German military presence and establishment of a gendarmerie controlled by the new government, which is the final goal of the operation.
Obviously, none of these proposals will see the light of day, except the fourth one, and only in part. Nevertheless, and beyond these chimeras, the contacts taken by Neubacher are all but without a future. Indeed, it is whispered that Berlin would like to soften the occupation regime in Serbia and to ease ethnic tensions. To do this, the Chancellery is considering replacing the Croatian Ustasha with more... presentable allies. Indeed, as an anonymous SS officer (a master of the art!) said, "The Ustasha are definitely not respectable people", while their increasingly bloody exactions do more harm than good to the new European Order. The mission of Ribbentrop's envoy is going to be delicate...

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Thessaloniki - At dawn, a fast F-4 reconnaissance plane flies over the city. And in the afternoon, while the streets are full of troops, the port of Thessaloniki undergoes a naval bombardment. The Erebus and the three light artillery support monitors use their five large-caliber guns (two 15-inch and three 7.5-inch in all) to clear the fleet from the threat of the remaining German speedboats, blamed for the loss of the Terror.
Vice-Admiral Förste perhaps sees in this relentlessness the proof of what he suspected since an Ar 196, which left very early in the morning, found that one of the two large "cruisers" of the enemy fleet had disappeared. The CB-6 and CB-10 did not leave alone! This does not satisfy Fehn, at his HQ, or the crew of the Arado, who had the mistake of lingering to get a better look, and was shot down by Spitfires coming to watch over the Navy.
The naval bombardment, oriented according to the data of the photos taken in the morning and adjusted by an officer of the Royal Navy on board a Beaumont, is of limited intensity, but sufficient to sink the SI-574 and damage the SI-533. Shortly after, Beaumont and Banshee spend a last layer on the docks and the port in general.
In the evening, in order to save the lives of his men, Vice-Admiral Förste decrees that the SI-533 is beyond repair. The crews of the two launches accompany their superior who leaves the next day for Bulgaria. It is in this not very glorious but reasonable way that the Kriegsmarine leaves the Aegean Sea definitively, its last shreds placed in the impossiblity to fight or to reach a friendly port, trapped at anchor like many others in the history of war at sea.

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Drama - The sudden collapse of the front west of Salonika has a natural consequence: the Germans invite their ally to step up to the plate. And General Trifonov is now obliged to lengthen the hours of march. But at the same time, he informs the German command that it would be desirable to revise the destination of these units, according to "recent developments" (sic!). The liaison officers are at pains to provide an answer, which obviously suits the cunning Bulgarian, who can thus continue to hasten slowly.

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Sofia - Standartenführer Adolf Beckerle receives firm instructions from the chancellery to obtain from Prince Kyril the provision of the 1st Occupation Corps. To the SS who requests an audience "as soon as possible", the Prince's secretariat replies that he would be received "tomorrow after lunch".
.........
On the airwaves - In the evening, the "Radio Noire" Neue Europa describes in great detail "the heroic resistance of the Germanic soldiers of New Europe" in front of "troops ten times more numerous armed with the gold of the Wall Street plutocrats" in Korinos and Alexandria. It concludes on "the many opportunities that will be offered to the Bulgarian soldiers to cover themselves with glory, too, when their turn comes to face the tide of Anglo-American tanks".

 

[Wings]

August 25th, 1943

Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg - In the evening, Keitel presents the Führer with news from Thrace. He has cleverly hidden them among the many reports, more or less good, coming from the Eastern Front, hoping that they would distract his leader's attention from the disaster in progress.
And the ploy does indeed seem to work, at least at first, with the Führer declaring that he does not care about what is going on "in these goat mountains". But his chief of staff, a little too confident, then thinks it's a good idea to support Fehn's proposal to retreat to Bulgaria with all his people after having destroyed the port of Salonika.
This triggers one of those slams that the OKH is becoming more and more familiar with. "It is not question of abandoning any part of Thrace! To abandon Thrace is to leave Bulgaria at the mercy of the English and to open the road to the Romanian oil fields to them!" slams the dictator, whose obsessions (not without foundation, in this case) are well known. "We will not give our allies the slightest reason to doubt the final victory of the Reich and to withdraw their support from us!" That the support in question is slow to materialize was, of course, a detail.
Abandoning the study of the operations in progress in the East, Hitler decides that Salonika would be defended and launches into an interminable presentation on the tactics for the defense of the port, discussing a map that had been unearthed with some difficulty, claiming to place non-existent battalions around places whose names he cannot even read. Faced with Jodl, who fears the risk of human losses on a front that is already short of manpower, he replies: "The losses are never high enough, Jodl! They are the seeds of future victories!" At the back of the room, a thought crosses the mind of Oberst Stauffenberg, recently appointed Chief of Staff to General Olbricht, who heads the General Office of the Army at the OKH: "So we can expect very, very big victories in Italy and Russia!" He obviously keeps it to himself.
Apart from this decision to defend Salonika to the last cartridge, not much comes out of the meeting. Thus, informed (because it was necessary) of the rout of the 19. PanzerGrenadier at Korinos, the Führer compares at length the different materials engaged, drowning his audience under the thicknesses of armor and the calibers of gun. To conclude: "It is advisable to reassure the Bulgarians on our technological superiority. Jodl, find me a unit of heavy tanks to send to Thrace to defend Salonika and crush the British in their ridiculous cans!"
"Jawohl mein Führer!" replies the interested party with a proper salute. But it is doubtful that the tanks in question, as far as we can find them, can arrive in Thrace before three weeks at best. Another detail - the Supreme Leader has already moved on to another subject.

 

[Wings]

August 26th, 1943

Occupied Italy - On Longo's proposal, the Resistance and the CLNAI decide to create a unified command of the partisan forces in occupied Italy, grouped under the name of Corps of Freedom Volunteers. This command was to be structured in the weeks to come in four different sections: Operations, Sabotage, Mobilization, Services.
This policy of unification is of course far from being unanimously supported. But with the communist turn of Salerno, in June, and the constitution in July of a government of national union which postponed the royal question to the post-war period, it appears more and more necessary to unify the various political and military institutions. All that is missing is a leader to this CVL... But who?

 

[Wings]

August 26th, 1943

Offices of the DGSS, Algiers, 10:00 - The final fixing of the exact date of Operation Dragon, among other consequences, gives the green light to another operation, called Operation Papillon. The first step will be radio.
.........
Radio-Alger (broadcasted by the BBC for the north of France), 20:00 - Operation Papillon begins with an evocative message: "The caterpillar must return to the cocoon - I repeat - The caterpillar must return to the cocoon, twice."
.........
Paris, 22:00 - Having returned from work a little later than usual, the man sits down at his desk and decides to take his mind off things by reading the last article he received from the Revue, a week earlier. He is the only member of the reading committee who has not yet given his opinion! After an hour, and a sheet of paper full of annotations later, he seals the envelope intended for Léon Lhomme. It seems that the next issue of the Revue française de Lépidoptérologie will contain a rather good article...
What a fascinating and soothing passion, Philippe Henriot thinks to himself as he goes to bed around midnight. He takes great care not to wake up his wife, Marie-Jeanne, who never stops worrying about him.

 

[Wings]

August 26th, 1943

Occupied Burma - Spitfires from Sqn 17 and 67 perform their last Rhubarb mission today. They will soon go back to escorting bombers for the next campaign along the line that the local peasants and allied prisoners have dubbed the line of death. In the meantime, a reconditioning of the equipment is on the program. New aircraft have arrived from Europe - alas, they are still Spitfire Vs, which were no longer wanted there because of the Fw 190s.

 

[Wings]

August 26th, 1943

On the road Hué (Annam)-Savannakhet (Laos), 02:00 - Fujimada continues to advance after sunset. It is a risky bet, especially since the road had been sabotaged in several places. But setting up camp in a hostile territory is much more dangerous. Only mobility can keep them alive.
When the village of Phalane appears in the light of the headlights, more than one face tense, because the village has been bombed more violently than Dongen. The French plan was that Phalane would be occupied in the morning by two sections of Laotian riflemen, Hmong.
In theory, Fujimada's gamble should have paid off. He could have moved into the village and dug in before the arrival of the Laotians. He had enough men and ammunition to hold out until he received reinforcements.
Alas for him, the Hmong may be fierce mountain people accustomed to sleeping without a roof over their heads, after forty days of pestering the Japanese in the region, they were eager to return to civilization, or one of its derivatives. They walked so well that they arrived in the early evening. And since then, as veterans, the Laotian mountain men have not forgotten to put their new camp in a state of defense.
When the little snowcat approaches the concrete bridge that allows to enter Phalane, the resounding explosion of an anti-tank mine turns it into smoking scrap metal. This is the signal for the opening of a heavy fire in the direction of the convoy.
Once again, Fujima's soldiers react like professionals, deploying in skirmishers in the rice fields to cover the trucks that are retreating on the embankment. The lieutenant's car, the most exposed vehicle, is riddled with bullets, but although wounded, the officer manages to evacuate it. In the end, the Japanese are defeated with only four dead - and two vehicles lost.

 

[Wings]

August 26th, 1943

Hanoi (Tonkin) - For nearly two hours, a crowd has gathered around the airfield of the northern capital. Many Japanese uniforms or those of the various local militias can be seen. A raised canopy decorated with Japanese flags welcomes three men, general Tyo, consul general Ogawa and ambassador Yoshiwara. If the two diplomats seem just a little impatient, the military man is as stiff as a piece of wood, his mouth transformed into a bitter fold.
Three planes finally appear. Two of them are twin-engine Ki-45 long-range fighters. The third is a Ki-56 transport. They come directly from Formosa.
The transport lands and stops. A small bald man with large gray mustaches and small round glasses exits. One would think he is a professor, if not for the uniform with the chest full of decorations, the boots and the katana at the belt. This man is General Andou Rikichi, until then commander-in-chief of the Taiwanese Army.
Rikichi responds to the salute of the officers and diplomats and is led to the podium:
"Soldiers of the glorious Japanese Empire, citizens of the Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere, I am flattered to assume command of the troops stationed in Indochina. I will not give you a long speech. Mistakes have been made, they will not be repeated. In the name of His Imperial Majesty, I promise you that you will soon be proud to serve Japan in this country. I promise you that we will finally deliver the people of Indochina from colonialist tutelage as well as from the communist vermin."
The applause dies down, General Tyo comes to bow to his replacement. After the ritual politeness, he speaks: "It was a very beautiful speech, Your Excellency.
Unfortunately, I cannot linger for the reception, for I have orders to return to Japan by the same plane that brought you here, and without further delay. That is why I must speak to you. The rebels have launched a new attack in southern Laos. They have just cut the only road still open that allowed us to communicate with the Thais and to supply our garrisons. We are now forced to make a long detour through Cambodia.
- This is very upsetting! I had been informed that the Thai offensive had restored the situation!
Tyo chuckles bitterly: "The rebels are good at being out of sight, Your Excellency. Where we attack, we meet only emptiness. And they strike back where they are no longer expected. Moreover, they benefit from both the initiative and the shorter lines of communication. Beware, all their strategies aim at deceiving us to weaken us, then strike when we are discovered. Today, we are seeing all the signs of a major offensive in Laos, but Tonkin must not be discovered. We don't have enough men to protect all possible targets.
If we advance, they retreat. If we stop, they harass us. If we retreat, they attack. We are fighting ghosts here, Your Excellency. And I don't know how to fight ghosts."

 

[Wings]

August 26th, 1943

Vitebsk region ("Suvorov-North") - In Kiraŭskaja, the 20th Army - or more precisely the 69th Rifle Corps - clashes with the 3. Panzer, under a light rain that does not prevent the VVS from trying to make their presence felt in the battle. General Kurushkin has seen the usefulness: his troops, already weakened by the previous fights, form now a 15 km deep salient facing south.
Marx be praised, facing him, Franz Westhoven cannot concentrate his forces either, because his division has to defend practically the whole road between Vitebsk and Polotsk, the 260. ID being still in full rout. However, he manages to stop the Soviet advance at the threshold of its objective, while it finally arrives on a more favorable ground for the offensive. However, despite this setback, Pavel Kurushkin does not give up at all to advance - besides, he does not have the possibility of it. Instead, he undertakes to redeploy his supporting arms - including the 301st Mortar Rgt, the 537th "High Power Mortar" Rgt as well as much of the 438th Corps Artillery Rgt - before heading back to the assault. The Soviets know very well that they do not have the strength to break through alone against the panzers. However, he has no doubt that he would be able to keep them busy long enough for the 63rd Army to take the offensive again.
In fact, the German forces do not have the means to immediately counter-attack: the units of the LIII. AK are exhausted, the terrain is not suitable for an armored action, the 3. Panzer still has to recover from the losses suffered during its previous engagement, three days earlier... and the 14. PanzerGrenadiers of Rudolf Holste arrives on the spot only tomorrow evening at best! The lines are frozen for the moment north of the Daugava.
South of this river, the situation does not change much either: the 63rd Army is still resting and should ideally wait at least a week before going back to the attack. But this proposal, though cautiously formulated by Vasily Kuznetsov, raises a lot of noise in the Stavka and (especially) in the Kremlin. However, Kuznetsov has the chance to benefit from Zhukov's esteem as well as something vaguely similar from Stalin - so he is allowed to make his point of view by radio to the master of the Kremlin in person. The discussion, at first relatively calm, turns into a storm when the Soviet general learns that he has been offered 48 hours - and not one more - to relaunch the offensive. Under the blow of anger, he commits an error in front of the Vojd who asks him: "So, Pavel Alekseyevich, are you satisfied with our exchange?
- I am, Comrade General Secretary, but I would be even more satisfied if my forces were better equipped with armor. But I have only infantry divisions and one artillery regiment... If I had the idiot who sent the 18th Armored Corps south!
With a discreetly raised eyebrow, Georgy Zhukov looks at the radio with a rather worried look, although Stalin does not react. It was him, of course, who had ordered the concentration of the armored means in Orsha.
It is all the more unfortunate - but of course the Soviets are unaware of this - that at this very moment, Hans von Salmuth is trying to convince Erwin Rommel of the advantages of evacuating Vitebsk. The proposal is rejected, of course - the OKH and the Führer would never forgive the Balkan Fox for such an affront.

 

[Wings]

August 26th, 1943

Orsha region ("Suvorov-North") - North and east of the former Rshu, the 3rd Guards Army faces the joint counter-offensive of the XXXIX. PzK (Kurt von Tippelskirch) and the 12. Panzer (Erpo von Bodenhausen). This action, although obviously powerful, does not benefit from the support of the Luftwaffe, held back much further south, in Chachersk. And unfortunately for the Germans, for once, it is their offensive axes that are predictable: the crossroads of Stachoŭka* becomes the scene of bloody clashes during which the three divisions sent by von Tippelskirch jostle each other without managing to advance as much as they would have liked. In addition, in these conditions, they suffer the assaults of the 2nd Air Force, not to mention the fire of the artillery batteries that had been positioned for several days already... Zakharkin wins time with talent - his forces are not far from joining with the 1st Guards of Chistiakov, on the other side of the Dnieper. In the evening, the Germans have gained 5-6 kilometers, and are in sight of the river at Siahlova - but no more.
The situation is even worse for the 12. Panzer. This unit, already significantly tired by the previous fights of Maloe Babino, simply does not manage to section the Soviet point directed towards Orsha. Indeed, Zakharkin, foreseeing the German offensive, wisely withdrew the bulk of his forces from the point of the salient to concentrate them at his base. The panzers, uncomfortable on this semi-industrial terrain which is hardly favorable to their deployment, accumulate stupid losses in fights without scale, in the face of an extremely aggressive defense.
Even more serious for the Panzerdivision: the local Partisans rose up, on the orders of their leader, General Panteleimon Ponomarenko! One of his groups, led by Konstantin Zaslonov, is particularly active. Operating from the sector of the switches of the Orsha marshalling yard, it has a large number of weapons directly supplied by a group of Schuma auxiliaries whose rallying Zaslonov had just negotiated: 5 mortars, 10 machine guns, 300 machine pistols and a thousand rifles, all with their ammunition. Chaos soon takes hold of Orsha - and more generally of the German rear in the absence of any military police force strong enough to counter the "terrorists". Swallowing his humiliation, and lacking any alternative, Bodenhausen is forced to send his 25. PanzerGrenadier Rgt to restore order in the city. He succeeds, provisionally of course, and with great violence. The night falls on the fire which is smouldering...
During this time, if there is a man whose business it is to make this mess, it is Ivan Chistiakov. His 1st Guards Army, which was still under strong enemy pressure the day before, can quietly recover around Arechaŭsk and prepare for new actions against the V. AK and VI. AK - even though the 18. PzGr is still lurking around.
To keep it at bay, Chistiakov counts on Burdeyny's 18th Armored Corps. After the previous day's fighting, this one also catches its breath. In the evening, it is already up to 125 machines. The defensive battle has at least this positive aspect that it allows to recover the wrecks...

* Today a highway interchange...