Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

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9452
August 28th, 1943

Volos
- A few dozen kilometers further south, the Naval Engineers have done wonders, in spite of their weak means: the port of Volos is finally operational again at full capacity.
 
9453
August 28th, 1943

Athens
- At the Syntagma Square headquarters, Colonel Canterbry is breathing a little easier. All this progress alleviates a little his difficulties, but without solving them completely, far from it. A report is on his table, it will leave this evening for the chief of the 18th Allied Army Group...
 
9454
August 28th, 1943

Sofia
- The "SS diplomat" Beckerle comes again to express to the Regent his grievances (from his point of view, his demands) in the name of the Reich. Among them, one finds the strong wish that the deployment of the 1st Occupation Corps be much, much faster than that of the 2nd Corps. "If General Trifonov had fulfilled his mission with more zeal, perhaps we would not have to establish defensive positions east of Salonika. Our officers, who assist the Bulgarian army in its task, can no longer bear to hear complaints of all kinds: insufficient supplies, deficient preparation, lack of supervision, unsecured rear. Excuses that all that!" he roars as he paces around the Prince's office.
Then, knowing he is in a position of strength, he drives the nail in, both fists screwed on the desk behind which Prince Kyril is standing, trying to remain impassive: "All these unfortunate incidents lead me to warn Your Majesty. The Führer does not appreciate being made fun of and your position as regent makes you responsible for the actions of your subordinates."
The SS man stops in front of his interlocutor - obviously he is waiting for an answer. It comes: "You are right, Herr Beckerle. We must inject new blood into our sclerotic military apparatus. I will appoint a new Chief of Staff, a dynamic man who will be able to do his duty. He is General Kyril Yanchulev. I have no doubt that he will be able to satisfy and silence the complaints that you have kindly pointed out to us, while guaranteeing the secrecy of our operations."
The SS smiles, effectively satisfied in advance. This Prince Kyril of Preslav had learned his lesson well!
 
9455
August 28th, 1943

Ankara
- The British ambassador to Turkey, Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen, has before his eyes excerpts from a report written by his Soviet colleague Lavrishev, posted in Sofia, extracts that the Kremlin had transmitted to him - the Soviets are decidedly courteous Allies.
Looking at the document with a monocled eye, the bald-headed diplomat raises his eyebrows repeatedly in bewilderment. Heaven! He understands better why we went through him: Moscow is teeming with Abwehr spies, despite the efforts of the dreaded NKVD.
If this document is true, then the consequences of its transmission to the War Office will be... incalculable. From tomorrow, he will send it to Anthony Eden, via Cairo, and after encryption of course. But in the meantime, he puts it away in the safest place in the whole embassy - the safe in his office.
 
9456
August 29th, 1943

In a discreet Parisian apartment, 20:00
- The three of them are discussing the instructions received the day before from Algiers. The least we can say is that their comments are not enthusiastic... Capturing Philippe Henriot, Minister of Information of the New French State! And on command, at a given time, moreover: it is a question of immediately setting up a close surveillance in order to be able to strike in the 36 hours following a next message of Radio-Alger which will give the order to launch the second phase of Operation Papillon, the kidnapping.
Then it will be necessary to transfer the individual by plane to England!
"Sometimes they really have good ones, in Algiers!" comments "Morlot". "Fouché" is furious: "It would be better to shoot this bastard directly! Did you hear his... friendly exchanges with Pierre Dac, these last few weeks, when Dac finished by saying "Good night, Mr. Henriot, and sleep well if you can!" ".
"Morlot" agrees: "Yes, Pierre Dac did say that on his tombstone they would write. "Philippe Henriot, dead for Hitler, shot by the French". If that's not an order, I don't know what is!" More Machiavellian, "Valrimont" deciphers: "In fact, they want us to shoot him but they don't want to give the order!" Suddenly, everyone falls silent. It's time for "a few personal messages". And one of the messages is for them! "The blue tit takes flight - I repeat - The blue tit takes flight".
"Fouché", "Valrimont" and "Morlot" look at each other for a moment in silence, stunned. Not only are they asked to do the impossible for the day before yesterday, but they are going to work with a team sent by the Direction Générale des Services Spéciaux, the DGSS, to chaperone them! Really, they have good ones, in Algiers!
They neglect to note the poetic and zoological relevance of the code names: the pretty blue tits appreciate particularly the ugly caterpillars...
 
9457
August 29th, 1943

Hanoi
- General Rikichi Andou enters the small conference room of the Metropole Hotel with a gait weighed down by age. The officers gathered around the large oval table greet him with an energetic salute, while Ambassador Yoshizawa and the Secretary of the Japanese Representation, the Honorable Kuriyama, bow.
The conference lasts well into the morning. Each officer, one after the other, says more or less the same thing to the new master (after the Emperor!) of Indochina: they need more men, more resources. But each of them considers the sector they are in charge of to be a priority, and their opinions as to the method to be applied to solve their problems, which are in the end quite similar, are divergent. If the members of the Andou staff advocate the offensive, most of the Indochina veterans are not enthusiastic: "Your Excellency, offensives are not useful. In most of the country, the enemy is hiding from us. As for attacking the Highlands, we have seen where that led us. Should we then prefer a defensive strategy?" Some officers end up arguing violently and Andou has to intervene to shut them up. Kuriyama, who keeps a cool head, summarizes: "The only slightly effective tactic to hold the country is to build posts. But this creates a paradox: the more posts you build, the more men you have to hire to escort supplies and repair sabotaged roads. So the more units are forced on predictable routes and the more the enemy multiplies the ambushes. In the end, the strategy that seems least costly increases our losses!
Andou then comments in a calm voice, "You fight a revolt by suppressing it or stifling it. We didn't succeed in suppressing this one, and according to you, we never will. So we have to quell it. Let's give preference to the people. The Vietnamese must be so hungry that they can no longer revolt!
Yoshiwara, fidgeting uncomfortably, says, "But, General, the rebels are actually preventing us from collecting a good part of the rice grown in the rice fields. And we can't spare soldiers to watch over every hamlet or search every junk.
Andou smiles, "No, indeed. But we can order half the peasants in the country to grow jute, an inedible plant that can be bought for money. We don't have to watch the villages all the time. It's enough to visit each village two or three times a year. If we find villagers who persist in growing rice, we burn the crop and the farmers. The only way for the Vietnamese not to starve will be to give us the burlap in exchange for the rice produced in the areas we secure!"
Yoshiwara remains unmoved, but he is horrified. Andou is actually proposing to kill half the country's population.
 
9458
August 29th, 1943

South of Laos
- The caravan of Chinese merchants which arrives this evening at Phalane comes from Chepone. According to the merchants, this Laotian locality was transformed into a true stronghold. Hundreds of Japanese have settled there. It is obviously a front line unit, well armed, disciplined and competent.
 
9459
August 29th, 1943

New Georgia
- The last pockets of resistance on the island are reduced with the flame thrower, or bulldozer. In the second case, the defenders are simply buried at their posts. The island seems to be conquered, except for the northern end of the Arundel peninsula, towards which the 172nd IR is slowly advancing...
 
9460
August 29th, 1943

Vitebsk region ("Suvorov-North")
- The night did not stop the 63rd Army, which continues to its objective, while pushing more and more brutally the unfortunate 293. ID. The latter, although now reinforced by the 394. PanzerGrenadier Rgt, is simply unable to cope and does little more than delay the Soviets, which enter Bilieva in the early afternoon. The Reds are now at the gates of Vitebsk!
Faced with this disastrous situation, Erwin Rommel, who has arrived in Vitebsk in a Fieseler Storch early in the morning, takes direct command. He has every confidence in his expertise, which would not be lacking to turn the situation around. A few kilometers away, the 14. PanzerGrenadier passes Polotsk and drives as fast as possible without worrying about its cohesion or its flanks. Rudolf Holste receives direct instructions from the Fox: he must be on the spot before nightfall, otherwise he will suffer the consequences! In truth, the head of HG Mitte no longer expects a last-minute intervention of the 14. PzGr - on the other hand, he counts well on it to secure his flank and his rear! Because the maneuver that he prepares looks acrobatic.
 
9461 - Battle of Kiraŭskaja
August 29th, 1943

Battle of Kiraŭskaja ("Suvorov-North")
- With a surprising haste that could make one believe in the beginning of a rout (or at least a panic), the 3. Panzer Rgt leaves its positions north of the Daugava River and heads east to the center of Vitebsk, thus abandoning control of the road to Polotsk to the 3. PzrGr Rgt and 543. Panzerjäger Abt.
Kurushkin's 20th Army, although as stretched as the day before, now seems to be in a strong position. However, its orders, regularly recalled by the Stavka - itself duly rammed by Stalin - are very clear: "To support the advance of the 63rd Army and to seize Vitebsk at the first opportunity." The significant weakening of the German lines is clearly one of them! The presence of the surviving elements of the 260. ID towards Bol'shie Lettsy should not be a hindrance. And even if Pavel Kurushkin is a graduate of Frunze, he is also a matador who does not hesitate when it comes to advancing. So he launches his 61st Rifle Corps over the enemy, towards the south and the Daugava, under massive support provided by the VVS.
The Axis lines could only break in the face of such a deployment of forces... Kiraŭskaja is taken in less than two hours and the Daugava reached by the Soviets, who are already planning to turn east to finish the enemy in a high-style encirclement - meanwhile, the 69th Corps, more worn out by the previous offensives, will cover the western flank. The frontovikis, who feel the victory coming, turn to Vitebsk - in a hurry, their units do not take the time to reorganize.
But at 16:00, disaster falls: whipped by the encouragements of their leader, outraged that he was so easily defeated, the 260. ID and the 543. Panzerjäger Abt hit the 69th Corps on the road to Vitebsk. The German counter-attack is energetically supported by the Stukas of the StG.1 and the Bf 110 of I/ZG.26. The 2nd Air Force obviously intervenes, but the ground support aircraft are covered by two Gruppen of the JG.5 in full. The ensuing air combat over the Daugava meanders is spiced up by the fire of the 314. Heeres-Flak-Artillery Abt - which, like all the flak units, machine-gun with rigorous fairness all the planes that pass within range of its tubes. However, the Experten are having a great time, at thi low altitude, which greatly enhances the performance of their Bf 109G-6s. The Luftwaffe shoots down no less than 43 aircraft, including 2 for Oberleutnant Theodor Weissenberger (85 victories), 2 for Oberfeldwebel Walter Schuck (62 victories) and 3 for Major Heinrich Ehrler (109 victories)! The Sturmoviks that support the 20th Army, all single-seater, pay the highest price: 29 of them do not return. The Luftwaffe, however, loses only 8 aircraft. This crushing victory reminds the German pilots of the beautiful hours of "Barbarossa" - and to the Soviets that, despite all its setbacks, the Eagle remains a dangerous adversary in the summer of 1943. Still, the low ceiling allows many damaged aircraft to escape! Only consolation for the Falcons of Stalin, Major Ivan Fedorov, renowned test pilot, veteran of the Spanish War and multi-decorated leader, is awarded three fascist aircraft, including a 109 and two Stukas*.
On the ground, the Soviets are filled with doubt - which becomes certainty when the general staff is informed that the 129. ID (Alfred Praun), from Piestunica, attacked the rear of the 20th Army and that the panzers who had fled to Vitebsk a few hours ago have turned back! They seem to have gone up along the Daugava, taking advantage of the confusion, to move now towards Sujkava. The 61st Rifle Corps, ventured south, is now in mortal danger. The 69th Corps fighting for its survival and that of the artillery, Kurushkin has only the poor 18th Rifle Division to block the road of the German armor, which has to sacrifice itself at the crossroads of Tiraspol, the time for the artillerymen to turn their guns, to fire a few shells, then to withdraw their guns and to save themselves.
The 20th Army is not far from the rout - feeling the catastrophe coming, Pavel Kurushkin orders a general retreat.
The 69th Rifle Corps, although hard pressed on its right, can get out of the trap thanks to the time gained by its 73rd Division, which fights foot to foot around the village of Borŝjovka - its leader, Colonel Peter Spiridonov, will be killed in action. The division's performance is not for nothing in the fact that the rear of the 20th Army will suffer relatively light losses during this engagement. For its efforts, the unit will be awarded the Order of Lenin... in January 1945 - even if there will be few surviving Frontovikis from Borŝjovka in its ranks.
Unfortunately for him, the 61st Corps is not as lucky - in particular because its leader, Major-General A.M. Ilyin, is killed in the first minutes of the battle by a Stuka bomb. His chief of staff, Lieutenant-Colonel A.N. Koriakov, takes over the command but does not dare to order the retreat for fear of suffering the wrath of Colonel I.A. Vlasenko, who represents the NKVD at the corps headquarters. By the time Kurushkin's instruction reaches them, it is too late! The 144th Division and a large part of the 172nd Division are already surrounded and in the process of annihilation. Courageously, the 110th holds on to leave an open road for the escapees - for this feat, it became the 84th Guards Division Koracheyev. As for the poor 18th Division sent as a lost child to Tiraspol, it is literally crushed by the panzers.
The 20th Army, beaten, reduced by half and dispersed, returns in disorder to a Saŭčonki-Bukacina line, pursued - fortunately not too roughly - by tired Panzergrenadiers, scattered Landsers and panzers whose forest is not the favorite playground.
Moreover, the pursuers quickly stop to turn to the 63rd Army of Kuznetsov - which has observed with dismay the disaster on the other side of the Daugava and is now preparing for a new counterattack.
From his hill, near Dabrejka, Erwin Rommel also observed the battle, but with undisguised satisfaction. With his chin raised high (which best exposes the knight's cross around his neck), he throws to his aide-de-camp Alfred-Ingemar Berndt (who was also his head of the Propaganda Department): "You see, dear friend, the German army has just executed a new battle of Cannae. We have drawn them into our center, surrounded and crushed them." The Fox knows that his devoted "personal manager of public relations" will know how to make this triumph a new exploit worthy of his legend, and more representative of the superiority of the German race in general.
However, unlike the forces of Varro and Paulus at Cannae, the 20th Army, if it is undeniably defeated, is not annihilated. In a few days, it will be able to fight again, even if it will obviously be much less strong than before. And, even more serious, it is not alone. If the Germans can legitimately flatter themselves that they have won a great victory, it remains that another Soviet army, still operational, is still in the area. Moreover, this local victory has no influence on the Belarusian front, and even less on the general operational situation. This is why, while trumpeting the fact that he had stopped the Russians at Vitebsk, Rommel orders Karl Arndt's 293. ID to follow the 394. PanzerGrenadier Rgt and to cross to the north bank of the Daugava - as much to reorganize as to not to remain isolated. Vitebsk is now at least partly able to be taken by the Red Army.

* These victories will be confirmed by observers on the ground, which is not superfluous - although Fedorov is a professional and an expert in aerial combat, he will carry throughout his life a reputation of superficiality and even of mythomania which will end up making him be called "Baron Munchausen of the VVS"!
 
9462
August 29th, 1943

Orsha area ("Suvorov-North")
- In this area, the German situation becomes delicate because of the wear and tear imposed on Rommel's forces. Indeed, the 1st Guards Army comes out of its Arechaŭsk reduction, accompanied by the 18th Armored Corps, to strike the southern flank of the German position - namely the 35. ID (Ludwig Merker) and especially the 18. PanzerGrenadier (Werner von Erdmannsdorff). The return of the T-34, supported by by some KV-85, hurts very much the Panzer III holding the line, which lose nearly thirty of theirs for only about fifteen Russian tanks. The Soviet forces start to dig a new salient in the direction of Maloe Babino, but without being able to exploit immediately, both because of the fatigue of their infantry and the fear of a backlash from the 12. Panzer - even if the latter might soon form itself a salient from Orsha and pointing to the northeast!
Erpo von Bodenhausen's tanks, forced to release pressure, abandon their positions to withdraw hastily south of Andrejeŭščyna, joining the forces of the VI. AK (Jans Jordan), who are no longer far from bringing order to Orsha again.
- At least on its surface... In fact, despite the situation, passing from now on from cellars to sewers, the Partisans remain active. They continue their ambushes and attacks, without the massive reprisals of the Occupiers (1,500 shot in the last three days) being enough to calm the situation. Their ranks are now swollen by the integration of many soldiers "forgotten" by the 3rd Guards Army during the evacuation of Orsha, the Partisans seem to be persuaded that, at the time of the next arrival of the Red Army, the crimes of the Occupant will make the whole civilian population join the armed struggle. And in fact, if they have reduced the pocket north-east of the city center, the Landsers cannot be everywhere at once... As for the despicable Schuma, so hated by the Belarusians, she is definitely not at the party in the middle of a battle: the desertions in the ranks multiply.
All this upheaval is good for Ivan Zakharkin, who can rally his 3rd Guard and even consider reoccupying part of the positions lost the day before. Erpo von Bodenhausen is perfectly aware of this - but he cannot charge the Soviet forces as soon as they approach. Moreover, his formation depends on the reserves of the Army Group - it is therefore not intended to be consumed in endless battles to defend a position which more and more people doubt the interest of in the HG Mitte staff.
This is why, in the concern to relieve its armoured forces and while knowing pertinently that Orsha will probably be abandoned in the medium term, Bodenhausen requests in the evening from Minsk the authorization to go back into reserve, the XXXIX. PzK being according to him completely able to take over. Of course, Kurt von Tippelskirch and his commander Hermann Hoth can only grimace - but the safeguarding of the panzers is at this price!
 
9463
August 29th, 1943

Mogilev region ("Suvorov-Center")
- General Fedyuninsky is not really comfortable with the idea of crossing the Dnieper so lightly. The German forces in this sector are barely tired - the opposite of his own, in fact - and the light rain that beat down on his positions prevents the VVS reconnaissance aircraft from bringing back information that is so essential to his project. For lack of certainty south of Moguilev, and while waiting for the arrival of the 29th Army in Khimik (Managrov reports that he is in sight of Sidorovichi and should reach his destination tomorrow ...), he finally decides that his 15th Army will advance only north of Mogilev - at least at first.
His scouts have located an approximately eligible crossing point a few kilometers from Chklow, near a small village called Dobrejka. The sector is only defended by one or two German infantry divisions, which must also cover the southern approaches to Orsha*.
It is therefore considered unsafe, but feasible. It is there that Fedyuninsky will make his infantrymen pass tonight, waiting impatiently for the arrival of the 22nd Armored Corps - which he wonders where he is going to direct it to... Perhaps the Partisans may be able to inform him? However, despite the fighters in the forest, the leader of the 15th Army is unaware that there is a large German unit in Bykhaw, barely 40 kilometers south of Mogilev, that has not yet given up: the 19. Panzer of Gustav Schmidt, still in reserve of the 4. Armee...

* These are the 110. ID (Eberhard von Kurowski) and the 52. ID (Rudolf Peschel), constituting the XXV. AK of the 1. PanzerArmee (Wilhelm Fahrmbacher).
 
9464
August 29th, 1943

Chachersk bridgehead ("Suvorov-South")
- In the morning, the 2nd Guards Army is again pressed by the panzers - the 18. Panzer, reinforced by the half-dozen operational Tigers of the 503. schw Pzr Abt, attacked the communist stronghold, with an obstinacy worthy of its opponent on the other sectors of the front!
The action, poorly followed by a breathless XIII. AK, does not benefit from the close support of the Luftwaffe - the Stukas are occupied much further north, in Vitebsk. And due to the lack of favorable weather conditions, the Ju 88s of the II. FliegerKorps are reduced to hitting the banks of the Dnieper - they disrupt the Soviet supply, but do not cause any remarkable damage. Five bombers and two Bf 109 escorts are shot down, against nine Soviet fighters. A very mediocre score!
Karl von Thüngen's tanks do not advance quickly - they are moving on a limited terrain, ravaged by the past fights, and are subjected to multiple artillery bombardments, while being little supported by their infantry. The numerous friendly and enemy carcasses that their crews see while going up to the front are eloquent warnings. In fact, the 18. Panzer soon comes up against the 13th Guards Rifle Corps and the 21st Corps, for a sterile confrontation which does not lead to anything, except to increase the losses on both sides. Major von Kageneck's Tiger Corps claims another thirty casualties, but the Chachersk thorn still holds...
 
9465
August 29th, 1943

Gomel ("Suvorov-South")
- Classic day of mutual crushing in the ruins of the city. The Soviet forces do not make much progress. Indeed, in front of them the XII. AK defenses are stiffening significantly, especially in the northeast, facing the 3rd Shock Army - the arrival of the 20. Panzer raises the morale of the German infantry.
However, the tanks could not and do not want to do everything - Heinrich von Lüttwitz is willing to give a hand by engaging his formation in the ravaged avenues of Gomel, but it is certainly not to hold the line in place of the Landsers! He thus takes advantage of the uncertain weather on the battlefield to send his PanzerGrenadiers in reinforcement along the Feldmarshalskaya and Lenin Avenue in order to test the ground... As soon he considers the moment favorable, the German general will launch two big Kampfgruppen reinforced with panzers along these two axes, to sweep the Reds from the main roads, destroy their armor and (without pretending to clean their positions in detail)
to sow chaos in their position - or even, if all goes well, to reach the banks of the Sozh. This action could save... two or three days for the infantry? The time to see what's coming and perhaps to chastise the 54th Army, if by any chance it gained too much ground in the Sovetsky district.
In fact, throughout the day, the intensity of fighting seems to decrease. The Soviet forces, which have suffered considerable losses since August 20th, need a break. Maksim Purkayev takes advantage of this to finally launch his first bridges over the Sozh - he hopes that they will be used to bring reinforcements to his troops... He doesn't know it, but the situation in Gomel starts to move even in Moscow - not so much because of the suffering it causes, but because of the real waste of men and material it implies. This battle constitutes the zero degree of maneuver - the Red Army and the Heer do nothing but send shovelfuls of soldiers into the furnace like a locomotive... And from his office in Moscow, Marshal Zhukov would like to put things in order.
At least, that's what General Alexey Popov hopes for, as he looks with a disgusted eye at the Moloch on the opposite bank, who continues to devour his tanks and crews. For the (military) man of art that he is, all this is deeply ridiculous - Konev clings to this piece of ruin as if we were defending the Volga! No doubt that his armored body would be much more useful elsewhere, perhaps alongside the 54th Army in Chachersk!
...
"I sometimes have the confused and obscene impression of driving a combine harvester, which would circulate with great metallic noises through a field made of concrete blocks, looking for a flower to cut. This Sunday is not a day of rest but a day of respite - I left Corporal Kalugina in her room from the day before. She and her observer are probably never far away, like all the other snipers in the area. I think Fyodor would have liked her - but I left him greasing the tracks last night. We are now about thirty armored vehicles going from one position to another without having taken an anti-tank shot yet. One thing bothers me, however - I seem to have seen earlier in my episcope one of these half-tracked vehicles carrying a gun... Impossible to confirm the presence of this type of vehicle or to say that I was fooled - in any case, the turret has only two places and both Andrei and Alexandr have work to do... One certainty however, confirmed by the local infantrymen - the Fascists have devices, and they are preparing something." (Tankist! - To the heart of the Reich with the Red Army, Evgeny Bessonov, Skyhorse 2017)
 
9466
August 29th, 1943

Heeresgruppe Mitte HQ (Minsk), 19:00
- Erwin Rommel returned from the Vitebsk battlefield only an hour ago, only to be greeted by poor reports from the units engaged in Orsha, Chachersk and Gomel. The Balkan Fox, which had for a moment pushed self-satisfaction to the point of believing that he had discouraged the Reds alone, is once again disappointed.
His diagnosis of the day before remains valid: the current line of defense is well and truly untenable, except to consume the forces he needs elsewhere. There is obviously no question of that - but there is no question either of coldly announcing the evacuation of the cities he has been defending for several months.
One thing at a time! First, to alert the SS to the possibility of future changes in the front line - even though Rommel knows perfectly well what this means for the prisoners in the camps and ghettos. Then to send the OKH, Keitel and (especially) Hitler a dithyrambic report on the action of Vitebsk, even if it means ignoring the loss of the right bank of the Daugava and keeping in the shadows the mixed results of the other actions in progress... Because all this is obviously part of a more global plan! A plan of which he has a draft, but that he wishes to finalize before going to defend it in high places.
 
9467
August 29th, 1943

Moscow
- On the airwaves, the Kremlin boasts about the fighting in Orsha and Chachersk, where "the Red Army forces, after having repulsed the enemy's clumsy attempts of counter-attack, have regained the advantage and are now in a good position to inflict on the fascist adversary a new decisive blow."
 
9468
August 29th, 1943

Berlin
- On the other hand, Radio-Berlin prefers to talk about "the terrible defeat suffered by the Bolsheviks at Vitebsk, inflicted by the great Erwin Rommel himself, undefeated leader on the Eastern Front and the new executioner of the Communist forces." Depending on which side of the fence, the light does not shine in the same place...
 
9469
August 29th, 1943

Kremlin
- "There is a storm in the air, comrades!" This banal sentence is however heavy of meaning, because it is Stalin who expresses it, while he considers thoughtfully the Red Square, without seeming to be interested in his hosts, Marshals Zhukov and Vasilevsky. These are there to present one last time, and then to act on the launching - planned for tomorrow - of the new offensive that will conclude the succession of assaults carried out by the Red Army against the Axis this summer. Although, on reflection, it would be more accurate to speak of two new offensives: after Molot, Riga, Suvorov, it is indeed about Kutusov and Rumyantsev. But it is true that these two operations are closely complementary - for this duo must definitively the Fascists out of the Soviet Ukraine!
Kutousov's plan, established before Zitadelle and the dreaded German push towards Kiev, has little moved since May. Besides, why should it, since the Red Army has defeated? Tomorrow, at dawn, the 3rd Ukrainian Front (N.F. Vatutin), followed by the 3rd Belorussian Front (R.Y. Malinovsky) should leave their positions to march to the enemy on two main axes cutting three successive objective lines: Novohrad-Volynskyï first, then Rivne-Volodymyr-Volynskyï (south) and finally Olevsk-Sarny-Kovel (north) - from this last one, it will be possible to go back to Mozyr to encircle the German forces still present towards Chernobyl, in coordination with the 2nd Belorussian Front under Konev, engaged in Suvorov. The Stavka only adds a first step to cross the Uzh and seize Korosten... but it is not this one which motivates the circumspect look of Zhukov and Vassilevsky.
No, what worries the two soldiers is the disproportion between the ambitions - to cross the Uzh, the Sluch (or Sloutch), the Horyn and the Styr (among other things...), drive the enemy out of Ukraine and to go to dip its tracks in the Bug! - and the means. Because Comrade Vatutin's forces are worn out, decimated even by the heroic fight they have delivered less than a month ago. The 3rd Ukrainian Front is not able to sustain a prolonged effort. Fortunately, the 3rd Belorussian Front is in much better shape. The former Seym Front has not been called upon much since Karusel last December, and has been content since then to hold positions between Ukraine and Belarus, facing what remains in the former enemy salient east of Kiev - a salient that the Heer is gradually evacuating. The problem is that he wais s not too much of a priority in terms of reinforcements either! Rodion Malinovsky has at his disposal only two armored corps and four armies - one of which hs to stay in front of the remaining fascist positions north of Chernigov. These troops are certainly well rested; they have just been transferred to the west of Kiev (everyone pretends to have already forgotten that they were once kept as a last defense to defend the capital of the Ukrainian SSR against a possible German breakthrough). But they will not be able to do everything. In practice, it seems that Vatutin will have to sacrifice himself to obtain a breakthrough and allow Malinovsky to exploit...
However, Kutusov is not really risked for all that. Bordered on both sides by a natural protection - the Pripyat in the north and the southern Bug in the south - the forces which are not very vulnerable to an envelopment.
Moreover, at a date not yet specified (but which should be around September 12th), the 1st Ukrainian Front of Konstantin Rokossovsky and the 2nd Ukrainian Front of Ivan Bagramyan will unleash Rumyantsev! Just south of Vatutin, Rokossovsky will progress parallel to Kutousov, on a Starokonstantinov-Ternopil-Lvov axis. And on his left, one does not doubt that Bagramyan will be able to follow the movement in front of these Hungarians, in spite of his past setbacks during Koliouchka. Thus, in the improbable circumstance where Kutusov would trample, Rumyantsev will not fail to succeed more in the south!
Nazi reserves can't be everywhere, can they? And besides, what reserves? The Wehrmacht is bled dry, and it will have to deal with those damn Westerners one day. Westerners, who keep promising to come out of their inaction...
This is true - but the Red Army also suffered very heavy losses. And to attack on a wide front - even if the terrain is infinitely more favorable to maneuver than in Belarus - with decimated troops, is there not a risk of reproducing the... difficulties encountered by Suvorov, which is currently stalling in front of the Dnieper and the Sozh? Already listening to Vassilevsky detailing the multiple assault axes of Vatutin - Novohrad-Volynskyï, Korosten and Horshchyk, plus Narodytchi and Andrijevychi for diversions! - one wonders if one is in Ukraine or in Belarus... All this has a sour smell of déjà vu.
Because the Stavka plays a lot of its credibility on Kutusov and Rumyantsev - and Zhukov, no doubt, probably even more so. Even if Molot was a brilliant success, as well as Great Uranus, it must be noted that they were the only really successful attacks of the year, and that they had been mostly against the Romanians, who were hardly helped by the Germans. A great offensive victory against the Reich is definitely missing in this year 1943... So, what to do? Not to move before 1944? Give up the initiative to the enemy, who might come back stronger and better prepared? Watch the capitalists impose on Europe the exploitation of man by man? Without going to such an extreme, prudence could order to compromise.
But Stalin is hardly prudent when the stakes are political - and in the euphoria of the defensive and offensive successes won by the Red Army, the General Staff cannot do less than its supreme leader.
Moreover, it is perhaps from these reflections that the names of the two operations come: in 1791, General Mikhail Kutousov had led a successful charge against the Turks at Măcin before winning a decisive victory at Slobozia in 1811, against Ottomans four times more numerous... Is there a more appropriate patronage? Certainly, in Măcin, Kutousov was in exile in the Balkans, judged responsible for having lost against Bonaparte at Austerlitz - but since then, the French have become allies, almost comrades, and it seems that many of them are communists. And about Bonaparte, it was also Kutusov who organized the great counter-attack of winter 1812... after having burned Moscow, which had been abandoned to the enemy. Well, nothing for nothing!
As for Rumyantsev... Pyotr Rumyantsev, please, not Nikolai*! He too was the scourge of the Turks, but under the reign of Catherine the Great. Incidentally, it is also him who commanded in title (but delegating the effective power to general Suvorov) the imperial armies allied with the Prussians against the Polish-Lithuanians, during the uprising in Kościuszko in 1794... After the suppression of this revolt, Poland had disappeared for the 124 years - but of course, circumstances have changed since then!
To return to the present and the contingencies that influence the decision to launch Kutusov then Rumyantsev... Stalin feigns doubt, of course - he has already made his decision. But by pretending to hesitate, he believes to rise above the contingencies, in a role of referee that will allow him to attribute to himself the successes to come as much as to blame others for possible setbacks. All of this, of course, while expressing once again his views on the way things are going on the road to Minsk.
Basically, the Vojd considers that it is not taking much of a risk. In any case, not greater than the risk of leaving Ukraine in the hands of the fascists for another winter. According to some information, negotiations would be in progress between the Reich and various Ukrainian deviant groupings (mainly the Ukrainian People's Revolutionary Army, led by Bulba-Borovets)... Fortunately, nothing important seems to have come out last year by the Fascists with the much more powerful Ukrainian Nationalists Organization, except for a mediocre propaganda unit: between obvious contempt of some and duplicity of others, all this could not go very far, anyway. Besides, Stepan Bandera (from UNO-B) was arrested a long time ago, and Andriy Melnyk (of UNO-M, his long-time rival) now seems much less willing to collaborate with the Nazis.
Nevertheless, it is obvious that we are not in Belarus, where thousands of heroic partisans are bravely fighting for the Revolution on the enemy's rear. It is therefore urgent to go to the Ukrainian people - or at least to its fraction which fights for the Revolution - to prevent them from being deceived by the independentists and to protect them from death, deportation and... yes, from starvation! Starving Ukraine would be unacceptable, really! At this thought, Stalin cannot repress a grimacing smile that is returned to him by the window that faces him. He takes the time to look serious again before turning around and concluding: "Yes, it's going to rain. And it's going to rain hard. Gentlemen, it's time. More than time!"

* This diplomat, close to Tsar Alexander I, was in favor of an alliance with Napoleon I, who worked so hard for a Paris-Moscow axis that he had a stroke when he heard the news of the 1812 invasion...
 
9470
August 29th, 1943

South of France
- The days follow one another, with only three raids: the Wehrmacht infantrymen assigned to Provence are finally quite happy not to be on the Russian Front.
The B-17s of the 390th BG, escorted by the 79th FG, have a double objective today: first, the 568th BS target the bridge over the Durance river at Mallemort, southeast of Cavaillon, but the rest of the Bomber Group has to continue on to raze the summit of the Luberon where the Germans have installed a radar station. The bridge is destroyed; as for the attack on the radar, although the accuracy is mediocre (a bomb falls on the town hall of Robion), it benefits from a stroke of luck: two projectiles fall less than ten meters from the radar; the equipment is destroyed and its operators are killed.
The two other raids of the day target the Nîmes-Courbessac airfield, bombed by the 319th BG accompanied by the 7th EC, and the defenses of the coastal sector of Saint-Cyr les Lecques, attacked by the 12th and 310th BG.
The Luftwaffe is more and more absent or late, because of the losses which accumulate and become unbearable, but also because of the results of operation Muscade, which is still going on.
 
9471
August 29th, 1943

Italian Front
- The CCA of the 1st Armored tries to cross the river north of Cecina but is violently pushed back by the Fallschirmjägers, deployed in hedgehog fashion around San Pietro in Palazzi and supported by the 286. StuG Abt. The latter has been for a month re-equipped in StuG III/75 after having given up its last Semovente to the RSI troops. At nightfall, the Americans, who still have two bridgeheads on the northern bank, decide to stop the bleeding and to wait for support to advance the next day.
.........
All day long, the support aviation is very active in the sector, either the "Jug" of the 324th FG or the new Fw 190F and G of StG 1. But the air superiority is on the allied side.
allied side. If, on the German side, we have to be satisfied with a guerrilla tactic, or rather a hit and run tactic, as the Americans call it, these ones can afford to cover their Close Air Support missions, which operate more quietly. In the afternoon, aircraft of the 57th FG are on a mission over the front line when they encounter Focke-Wulf aircraft that were to support a German counter-attack. Lieutenant Alfred Froning, 65th FS, adds two more victories to his score, for a total of 12. On the same day, Lieutenant Phil D. Morgan, 324th FG, earns his second P-47 victory.
.........
The 1st Armored CCR completes its redeployment beyond Casale Marittimo while sending reconnaissance in force to Guardistallo and Montescudaio.
On the other side of the hills, the 141st Infantry Regiment of the 36th US Division occupies hill 500 to the west and the Poggio alla Nocca to the east. It is surprised to discover positions deserted by the enemy. It is the same for the 143rd IR, accompanied by the 91st Cav and the armoured vehicles of the 751st TD. The mechanized units push on to the next ridge lines - there too, the terrain is empty of Germans, although conscientiously mined. The 142nd IR spends the day in the hills north of Cornate, crossing a pass at 1,000 m: there is no longer any doubt that the Anton Line had been forced, and the Germans are retreating.
This retreat allows the 34th Red Bull to advance almost unopposed beyond the hamlet of Montalcinello. In front of it, TF Bender opens the way, cutting Route 34 and the village of Radicondoli.
The 186th Rgt of the Folgore continues its advance and took hill 580, which dominated Routes 34 and 541, while the 139th Infantry Regiment of the 47th Bari Division crosses the plain on the latter road. Meanwhile, the 140th Infantry Regiment does the same on Route 101.
The 87th Infantry Regiment of the 20th Friuli Division is still busy cleaning up the Poggibonsi sector, while the 88th Infantry Regiment, after a difficult march, arrives in sight of San Donato in Poggio.
The 1st Alpini of the Cuneense take Radda in Chianti, but cannot go beyond it in the northwest direction, blocked by a new enemy line from the very first hills. The 2nd Rgt repositions itself and begins to advance along Route 72. In the evening, it reaches the intersection with Routes 68 and 14.
On the French side, the Magnan and Richard Brigades attack in a pincer movement to fix the enemy while the legionnaires of the 6th BMLE advance towards Figline; they take the town at the end of the day. This movement allows the Richard Brigade to reach the plateau where the village of Pian di Sco is located, while the Magnan Brigade joins the legionnaires on the other bank of the Arno, which at this point is only a small river.
In the center of the IV Corps, while the 2nd Brigade of the 4th ID advances westward in the hills and crosses the hamlets of Faltona and Carda with the help of local Resistance fighters, the 3rd Brigade takes over from the 1st Brigade and reaches the south of Rassina. However, it is impossible for it to go further for the moment, as the Germans hold the heights north of the town.
To the right of the Belgians, the 86th DIA finishes taking the Prati della Regina. The 2nd Tabors have to move forward to make the link between the French division and the British 46th ID.
The 131st Brigade of the 44th British ID secured Scheggia, but it has to repel two counter-attacks on its flanks which try to cut the roads through which its supply runs. The intervention of the 1st Army Tank Brigade is necessary to secure the sector.
The men of the 5th Indian Division spend the day clearing the last nests of resistance on Monte Cucco and positioning themselves for the assault on the next hill, Monte Molette.
On the Canadian side, the West Nova Scotia completes the occupation of the heights above the monastery of Santa Margherita, while the tanks reach the area around Sassoferrato, but not without suffering further losses. The 48th Higlander finally succeeds in taking the plateau of Monte Murano, but cannot push on: the men are exhausted.
On the plain of the Marches, the front finally comes to life. A powerful barrage of naval and land artillery covers the teams of bridge builders who are building bridges over the Esino. The main attack is carried by the 2nd South African Division and, on its left, by the 3rd and 4th Armoured Brigades, at the junction with the 1st South African. But it is a failure: the bombardments do not neutralize the numerous pillboxes or the German artillery. In the Pak 75 of the 69. ID and the Panzerjägers of the 10. Panzerdivision, the 7. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division (LwFD), recently arrived on this front, deploys numerous 88 guns which take a heavy toll on the British armor. The day ends without any significant progress.
 
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