Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

[Wings]

September 6th, 1943

Neapoli sector - For almost a week, the front near Vogatsiko has been quiet, Gebirgsjägers and Evzones have been staring at each other across the valleys. Nevertheless, the Greek soldiers have noticed since the day before a renewed activity of their adversaries: reinforced patrols, artillery fire and raids to take prisoners follow one another. Were the German troops preparing something?
Around 4 am, the alarm sounds on the positions of the 1st ID. The Austrians try to infiltrate at the junction between the troops of Vrachnos and the mountain men of colonel Tsakalotos. The attack lacks bite, it is rather a kind of test - it is finally repulsed without too much trouble with the sunrise... and the arrival of the air force. Nevertheless, in the 2nd French Army, everyone takes note of it: the beast is not dead, it is still moving!
The Greeks will redouble their vigilance in the days to come, especially since the 4th Regiment of Tunisian Spahis and the 107th RALCA, until then stationed on their rear, leave the camp for an unknown destination. In order to better coordinate in the sector, between the valleys of Neapolis and Ptolemaida, Lt-General Giorgios Kosmas obtained the transfer to his corps of the 6th Mountain Brigade of Colonel Katsotas. The transfer will be made during the day.

 

[Wings]

September 6th, 1943

Plain of Salonika ("Double Tower") - On the orders of General Trifon Yordanov, pressed to act for several days by his Germanic "guests", the 7th Division of General Nikola Ivanov Grozdanov launches an offensive along the Koronia lake, in the direction of Agios Vasileios. The capture of this town, which opens the road to Thermi, could cut the 51st Infantry Division from its rear, and perhaps even break the encirclement of Salonika by trapping part of the besiegers facing the Aegean Sea.
The matter is taken very seriously by Brian Horrocks, who calls on the RAF, which sends the Banshees of Sqn 6. The fast twin-engines strafe the Bulgarian pedestrians without mercy.
The assault is stopped - the objective was much too ambitious for Trifonov's troops, who seemed to be testing the Allies' ability to advance in Thrace.
Much further west, on the back of the Aspalos Pass, Major-General Asen Nikolev's 1st Occupation Corps is now well established, between the 92. Grenadier-Regiment and the brand new 187. ID, which arrives in haste from Belgrade. The four Bulgarian divisions are put between Agras and Arnissa, but in second line - the Germans do not trust them much. Their commander, as for him, settles in Arnissa with his staff.
The two Bulgarian corps sent to reinforce the Germans are deployed. However, on that same day, it is clear that operation Tower is over.
"Operation Tower ended, contrary to Whirlwind, on a kind of half-success.
Certainly, the Allies had broken through the device of the unfortunate XXII. Gebirgs-Armee-Korps, wiping out several units and liberating considerable portions of Greek territory.
But this success did not come without losses - 4,250 men for the Allies, against about 6,000 for the Germans, to which must be added an entire division: the Salonika garrison, condemned to surrender more or less quickly.
For the crux of the problem was there: Tower had failed to achieve his ultimate goal. Thessaloniki would not be taken in three weeks, as planned in the Athens offices.
The reasons for this failure, which was analyzed at length later during "wargames" led by Montgomery, are complex and hold at the same time to the too optimistic conception of the operation, to the talent of the German troops and to bad luck.
Too optimistic conception of the operation, because it was expected that the units that left Larissa would encircle Salonika within two weeks. That is to say that they would cover 160 kilometers in 14 days, or 12 kilometers per day. All this despite a German resistance which seems to have been greatly neglected.
The performance of the XXII. Gebirgs-AK was indeed surprisingly good, considering its weak initial means. General Gustav Fehn had skillfully maneuvered, to the best of his ability, wearing out the ANZAC troops in hard unplanned fights like in Agios Dimitrios and Korinos. In the second case, the intervention of the 19. PanzerGrenadier of Irkens, as disastrous as it was for the division itself, gained a precious time for Ludwig Müller. It was a major factor in the duration of the siege of Salonika... and by extension in the crushing of the Bulgarian uprising.
Finally, luck was not on the side of the Allies - the storms of the end of August, the fierce resistance of the 153. FD at Alexandria, the loss of the Terror which reduced the possibilities of the Allied monitors... All these events were apparently minor, but, cumulated, lost almost a week to the troops of 18th Army Group.
Montgomery was now trapped in front of the main port, forced to fight in the streets. The numerical superiority of his troops was considerable, but on such a narrow battlefield, the ratio of forces was only three to one. The 97. Jäger had no reason to capitulate for the moment: it was not there to win, but to hold out as long as possible.
Nevertheless, it would be dishonest to speak, as some have claimed, of operational mastery on the part of the Wehrmacht. The Wehrmacht had only survived and reacted as best it could to the Allied blows. The fights of Agios Dimitrios and Korinos demonstrate especially the impossibility of organizing a defense in depth in the total absence of reserves.
One will pass under silence the nothingness in the coordination with the Bulgarian army - which should have played this role - with the result that we know.
The Allies could undoubtedly have managed the conquest of Thessaloniki better. For example, they could have done so by deploying in an amphibious operation towards Alexandria the units used in Evia, perhaps inconsiderately. Or by shifting the start of the operation by a week, in order to be better organized and to have larger reserves of supplies - but at the risk, it is true, of allowing the Germans to recover and to entrench themselves even further.
In reading the reports and other unit diaries, it is clear that the Allied command underestimated the resistance capabilities of the Germans at Agios Dimitrios, and was surprised by the intervention of Irkens' division in Korinos. These mistakes caused the loss of time.
But if the losses in both camps were heavy, the German forces suffered a bloodletting far superior to that of their opponents. Nothing in this balance sheet was insurmountable for the Allied logistics, which would allow the units started, and in particular those of the ANZAC, to regain their health in the absence of an aggressive adversary. On the other hand, for the Axis, and once again, these deficits would be very difficult to make up. This attrition of the German corps alone justifies the Tower-Tour operation, whose relative failure is much more linked to external circumstances than to its conception. It therefore had to be attempted. And this even if, today, some people still talk about the potential success of an anticipated offensive in Albania against Felmy's forces, whose state of weakness was then extreme.
To conclude, it is curious to observe that this second campaign of Greece has much resembled the second phase of the French campaign of 1940: the defenders, here the Germans, were obliged to withdraw unceasingly while fighting without being able to change the outcome of the battle. The liberation of the Balkans was inevitable. Despite relative failures and blows of fate, the allied advance would resume, and Salonika would fall in the dramatic circumstances that we know. Without the Wehrmacht being able to really oppose it. (Robert Stan Pratsky, The Liberation of Greece and the Balkans, Flammarion, 2005)

 

[Wings]

September 6th, 1943

Aiginio - This morning, General Montgomery, leader of the 18th Allied Army Group, is awakened by the announcement of the Landing in Provence. A news he had expected - his position gave him access to certain information - but he did not know the precise date of the operation, which upset him to no end. It will become even more difficult to obtain reinforcements or supplies... Vienna seems to be slipping away.
Taking the news with a philosophy that surprised those around him, he broke his nightly fast with a good appetite, before going out to walk his two young dogs named "Hitler" and "Rommel"* - without forgetting to feed his canaries. Then he returns to Chalastra to pay a last visit to Brigadier Lavarack, before taking the plane to Athens. His truck will follow.
Of this new meeting, the ANZAC chief will write in his notes (preserved at the Australian Defence Force Academy Library): 'Despite a kind of painful frustration, Montgomery seemed to have resigned himself to laying siege to Salonika. But this siege had to be quick - which was somewhat contradictory in essence. He came into my office like Jesus driving the merchants from the temple, and I feared for a moment that this black bereted prophet would personally oversee the following offensives. But, for once, past his usual bouts of bad temper, he left me in charge of the next actions, while stating that they had to be "methodical and planned", even if it meant being prolonged. Some Blood, sweat, but no tears if possible. Then he took his Dragon Rapide to Athens, escorted as it should be by a whole squadron of fighters. Obviously, he was already no longer with us and had something on his mind."

* The dog was already baptized when the Allies learned that Rommel was leaving the Greek front for the Russian front...

 

[Wings]

September 6th, 1943

Athens - Arrived at Syntagma Square, the British general summoned for "02h30 PM exactly" his deputies and the heads of his armies. Besides Sylvestre Audet and Panagiotis Spiliotopoulos, there are thus around the table Richard O'Connor and Henri Dentz. The latter and Audet arrived a few seconds late, wearing unusual smiles. Audet - the more emotional of the two - even has a twinkle in his eye. In addition, Dentz (at Montgomery's suggestion) was accompanied by the Pole Anders and the Yugoslavian Brašić.
- Gentlemen," Montgomery begins in a collected (and curious) silence, "if I have brought you together is so that we can consider the next steps together. The extent of the front and the constraints do not allow me to inspect your units one after the other to gauge their possibilities. And I fear that recent events - and fortunate! [All the same, muses Audet...] - we no longer have as many resources as we once did. So the question is: what options do we have to continue to fight the enemy? There are several options. I have, of course, studied them at length, but I want to hear from you, as officers, but also as representatives of your countries.
At these words, everyone relaxes, reassured but perplexed. At the 18th Army Group, we are not accustomed to the chief asking for an opinion! Spiliotopoulos smiles heartily. Sensing hesitation, Montgomery insists, in a pinched voice: "Come on, gentlemen, we still have important means at our disposal, and two of our armored divisions have hardly fought at all. We are not going to let our French and American friends make us forgotten!" Dentz and Audet took it without flinching, and even with a smile. Finally, Spiliotopoulos breaks the silence.
- General, first of all, in my name and in the name of my government, I must ask you a simple question. Does the Greek front remain an important theater for the Allied strategy, or are we in danger of seeing our forces move to other battlefields?
- Britain and her allies, as far as I know, are not thinking of packing up when they have been fighting for this land for nearly two years. Especially after the price we have had to pay in recent offensives - even if the Huns have had a good taste. In addition, you know the Prime Minister's interest in the Mediterranean. I am convinced that he will oppose any decrease in interest in this theater.
Reassured, the Hellenes launches himself: "In this case, why not continue our advance towards the north and attack Bulgaria. These cowards who have stabbed us in the back have nothing to oppose us, except for unmotivated and badly equipped troops. Bulgaria eliminated, Romania and its oil would soon fall!
- It is true that Bulgaria is not a major partner of Germany and it is unlikely that the Wehrmacht would make great efforts to defend it," comments Monty. "But this very insignificance keeps the Germans off our lines in Salonika. When the Bulgarian troops, if they show an obvious lack of energy, it is better to avoid, by invading their homeland, to give them reasons to die for the Reich.
- And Serbia? We can sweep away the Germans and give a hand to our fighters from within! The whole people would rise up and the road to Austria would be open!
It was Brašić, who stood up to speak and obviously caresses Monty in the direction of the hair.
But the latter knows how to remain professional.
- The partisans, not all of whom are necessarily our allies, are mostly concentrated far from our lines. It will take us some time to reach them, and the Huns will not do us any favors. In addition, if we went until Belgrade without ensuring our flanks, we would form a huge salient, easy to take from the flank by the Panzers. I do not want a new Belgian campaign!
As the Serbian sits down, vexed, Anders wondered if he would not propose to rush to Warsaw before the Soviets. Poland seems so far away... He sighs and says, as a joke: "And if we threaten the Turks to take Constanti... Istanbul to force them to declare war on the Reich? It would be silly, I know, but it would please Winston - sorry, the Prime Minister."
Surprisingly, Monty seems to take him seriously: "It's true, the Prime Minister's ideas are well known. But in this war, the solution won't come from there."
Dentz has hierarchical priority over Audet, and he has kept all his circumspection: "There remains Albania. Of course, Albania is made up of mountains and a disastrous road network... but it has ports! Which should be fine for... [He bites his tongue to avoid saying "an Englishman"] to our logistics.
- Excellent, my dear friend!
Montgomery seems to come to life like an automaton - he had obviously already made his decision. Pointing to his interlocutors one after the other, he recited: "Taking the Albanian ports means we have to open the road to Serbia, General Brašić, cut Bulgaria off from Germany, General Spiliotopoulos, and give Turkey something to think about, General Anders. And above all, we will continue in this way, with our small armies [A slight grimace ...], to annoy the Hun and prevent him from sending all his people to France."
A cold and calculated smile before continuing, clarifying the purpose of this meeting: "We are therefore unanimous in affirming that the capture of Albania, which I decided two days ago and for which I have already begun to order the transfer of certain units, is of great importance to Allied strategy. And I know that I can count on your involvement, on the commitment of your men and on the agreement of your governments, which you will certainly be able to convince of the relevance of our actions!
All nod silently around the table. Monty is satisfied, he has once again shown that he was the boss, and one of the major leaders of the allied armies. It remains to conclude: "Well, Gentlemen, before we adjourn, we have to find the name of the operation. I am sure that that Major Dumaire has an idea from the Ancients!
Sitting next to Dumaire, in the shadow of Dentz, Captain Morin is stunned - Monty remembers the commander's tastes! But the latter does not give up: "Well, general, in Ionnia, on the road to Albania, there was a sanctuary in ancient Dodona dedicated to Zeus. A twin oracle of the one of Ammon, located in Siwa, in Libya, was questioned there."
- Come on, old boy, Libya is not our concern!
- It's true, general. The oracle of Dodone was notably consulted by Octavian, shortly before Actium. Apparently, the omens were good...
- Perfect! So it will be the operation Presage! [The name has the advantage of being written the same way in English and in French.] Well gentlemen, any questions? No ? The meeting is closed.
At that very moment, the door of the room opens wide, revealing the figure of the colonel in charge of the signals of the GHQ of the 18th GA. He announces in a calm but powerful voice: "I beg your pardon, General, but Bulgaria has just declared its neutrality and left the Axis!
Very phlegmatic, Montgomery then says to the crowd: "Well, if this is not a good omen!"

 

[Wings]

September 6th, 1943

Sofia - Prince Kyril of Preslav has summoned his Prime Minister, Dobri Bozhilov, who is known to be subservient to the Germans. The latter, still looking proud, goes to the royal palace, where the Regent receives him in private audience at 10:00 precisely.
Behind the heavy wooden doors, the Regent takes his hated minister to task at length, evoking the defeats of Germany on the Russian Front (facing the traditional allies of Bulgaria), the successive retreats of the Wehrmacht in Greece and, finally, the fresh announcement of the of the landing on the French coast. He insists heavily on the commitment on the side of the Germans, then, without giving Bozhilov time to reply, he sayswith a theatrical air: "How did we get here, Mr. Prime Minister? Why so much misery and death? To satisfy the madness of the Reich Chancellor, and the ambition of some..."
The Regent's gaze becomes severe, and the head of government is suddenly flanked by four palace guards.
The Prince continues: "Don't answer, it's useless. The important thing now is to get the kingdom from this bad situation. But you will understand that this is a task that cannot be entrusted to you. Mister Bozhilov, you are dismissed from your post and placed under arrest, for reason of state." With that, the deposed minister disappears, dragged away by the soldiers.
The Regent then lets in Konstantin Vladov Muraviev: "It's done. The task was not a pleasant one, especially since Bozhilov did not just bend over backwards - many of our Jewish citizens owe him their lives. I will try to exile him properly when everything is over. Mr. Prime Minister, please do what you have to do.
Muraviev bows and leaves. His government has already been appointed - in fact, Pentcho Zlatev and Ivan Bagrianov are already settling in, respectively at the War and Foreign Ministriesrespectively. The young head of government goes to the studios of Radio Bulgaria to announce the news to the country.
.........
12:30 - Muraviev takes the floor on the airwaves, at the time of the news - in these troubled times, the whole country is listening. The new Prime Minister speaks eloquently and seriously: "Dear citizens, loyal subjects of Tsar Simeon II, I speak to you in the name of the Regent Kyril of Preslav. I, Konstantin Vladov Muraviev, Prime Minister of Bulgaria and head of the government by the will of God, declare at this moment to the world that Bulgaria requests an armistice from the allied powers, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the French Republic. Our nation cannot fight against their overwhelming power under such unfavorable conditions and for the sole benefit of foreign powers.
I hereby announce that the Bulgarian military forces are now neutral in the conflict that is ravaging the globe - those outside our borders must remain at their posts for the time being, but prepare to return to their peacetime garrisons as soon as possible. Furthermore, segregation laws imposed on our citizens by outside forces are declared null and void. Their effects are extinguished as of now.
Finally, I solemnly warn anyone who tries to impose his will by force that he would find himself facing our entire people gathered to defend its existence.
Dear Bulgarians, dear fellow citizens, long live Bulgaria, long live Regent Kyril of Preslav, long live the tsar Simeon II!
The speech is heard in all the Balkans, from the camps of the divisions of Trifonov to the edge of the Chalkidiki peninsula, to the barracks of the 4th Army in Pleven...through the offices of Standartenführer Adolf Beckerle, in Sofia. Everywhere, it has the effect of a bomb.

 

[Wings]

September 6th, 1943

HQ of the Bulgarian Army, Sofia, 14:00 - General Yanchulev counts the rallies and defections.
First, the good news. As expected, Major-General Nikola Kochev Nakoff, of the 1st Army, has just reaffirmed his loyalty to the Regent and put his troops on alert who now control Sofia and its surroundings. As for the German embassy, it is now sealed off, but no more - Muraviev insists that Germany should not be rushed, as "this could be counterproductive in future negotiations to reach a peaceful settlement, along the lines of the Finnish model". The soldier raises his eyes to the sky. On the map of Europe, Bulgaria is much more vulnerable than Finland to a bloodbath from Berlin - its situation is much more like that of Italy. Finally, you never know, if this politician could negotiate a smooth exit from the conflict, no one would complain. But in the meantime, we have to consider the worst.
The 4th Army of Atanasov Stefanov also rallied, and its three divisions are ready to fight, deployed on the northern accesses of Sofia, between Vratsa, Pleven and Sevlievo. This is not much for such a large area. The air force is faithful to the Regent - it does not really have a choice, it must be said, almost all its installations being in the sector held by the 1st Army. As for the gendarmerie, Major-General Boris Ivanov Dimitrov has just confirmed that he would obey all the orders of the government... but that his weapon is not equipped to make war.
The news... not so good... now. As Yanchulev feared, Major-General Nikola Georgiev Stoychev of the 2nd Army does not answer the phone. This dog is afraid of the Germans in front of him and waits to see which way the wind will blow. Too bad, we'll do without him! The 3rd Army seems hesitant - Major General Nikola Hristov does not seem to understand where his duty lies at the moment. Isolated on the Black Sea, let's hope he'll get his act together soon! Yanchulev has just sent him a new order ordering him to close the road to Constantza. It is only the Navy that should be counted on to help him - let it stay in port, at sea, its eleven very small torpedo boats* would be useless.
Finally, the bad news. The general staff has lost contact with the 5th Army of Major General Nikola Mihailov Mihov (two divisions), in Skopje, and now communicates only with difficulty with Nikolov's 1st Occupation Corps. These troops are in the middle of the Germans in Macedonia, not very dense but very real. It is to be hoped that they get out of it and join the friendly lines, because there is nothing to help them.
To conclude this mixed picture, it remains to mention the case of Trifonov's 2nd Occupation Corps and the units guarding the border with Turkey. They should not move for the moment - it is possible that the Allies wish to seize the road to Istanbul as soon as possible, bypassing the units of XXII. Gebirgs-AK, which are dangerously close to the southern border of Bulgaria (well... the border before the war). All information is quickly communicated to the Minister of War, Pentcho Zlatev. He must transmit them to Ivan Bagrianov (Foreign Affairs) - who will soon start corresponding with the Westerners.

* Four out-of-date torpedo boats (similar to the French torpedo boats of the 1900s/1910s built on Augustin Normand plans), three Dutch catchers and four German S-boots (Orjen class).

 

[Wings]

September 6th, 1943

Nis - Under the stones of the fortress, Alexander Löhr is also doing his accounts and examining the consequences of the consequences of the Bulgarian defection. Temporary defection, because it is probable that the Führer will not authorize this escape. However, the Bulgarians would not be a great loss: they are congenital traitors since the Balkan wars. In petto, the chief of the 12. Armee congratulates himself. His doubts were well-founded, and it is always good to feel that one is wiser than these clowns of the SS.
More concretely, the 1. PanzerDivision was fortunately already on the alert and Löhr immediately gets it to move down to Skopje. By driving day and night, it should arrive there on September 8th in the morning. This would easily neutralize the two Bulgarian divisions which are in the Dietl sector. And for the four divisions deployed around Aspalos... he has nothing available for the moment. The 92. Grenadier-Rgt must feel very lonely - he orders the 187. ID to press the pace. And if the British do not move, the 19. PanzerGrenadier will be able to help him. But the Allies will surely move, the Bulgarians have necessarily warned them before launching their attack.
.........
Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, 15:00 - The staff conference begins - Hitler is not a morning person and maintained a form of dilettantism (or anarchy...) in his lifestyle.
As he sits down behind the table where various maps are laid out, he says: "I have heard the news from Sofia. They are proof that I am right: the German race is inherently superior to the Slavic race in every respect. Only subhumans can bite the hand that feeds them. I don't intend to spend any more time talking about such matters, they're not worth it. Jodl?"
- At your command, my Führer.
- Call von Weichs in Belgrade and List at Army Group South Ukraine. Tell them to crush this pathetic rebellion with all necessary means. And let the Romanians know that if they participate in this... tidying up, we will not fail to reconsider the arbitrations of Vienna made to their disadvantage - let them know that!
.........
Skopje - General Dietl is placed in an unprecedented situation: his troops are on the front, almost 100 kilometers to the south, while the enemy is very close to him. The two divisions of the 5th Bulgarian Army are obviously inferior to his own, but they are there. He did not receive any instructions from Löhr, he has no one to rely on... No need to panic. The now traitors to the Reich don't seem to want to harm him. Otherwise, he would already be a prisoner in a car on the way to Sofia, or worse. What if these Slavs just want to go home? Let's wait a few hours, and ask Hubert Lanz to bring his his 1. Gebirgs-Division urgently. One never knows.
A few kilometers away, Major-General Nikola Mihailov Mihov had similar thoughts. His communications with Sofia are cut off - they depended on the German network. It is impossible to know if he should return. Perplexed, he ordered his troops to prepare to raise camp towards Kumanovo, in the north. The shortest way back to the country.
.........
Apsalos Pass - Colonel Werner von Hillebrandt is certainly the most uncomfortable man of the day - stuck with a single regiment in the middle of four divisions, neutral at best, and perhaps hostile. Anxious to save his unit, he takes the initiative to contact Asen Nikolov, ready to negotiate a surrender. But the latter asserts to him that he has no bad intention towards him - frankly speaking, he was even apprehensive about being attacked by his neighbor, with the support of panzers appearing from nowhere!
The two soldiers agree that, in the meantime, there is no point in killing each other. The different troops will observe a strict separation, intended to avoid incidents between "ex-brothers-in-arms" (althoughh the Germans never really considered the Bulgarians as such!). And each one asks for instructions from his hierarchy, with great difficulty given the very isolated character of the zone.
.........
Sofia (Embassy of the Reich) - In his office, Herr Beckerle has been pacing for hours, hands crossed behind his back, glancing nervously out the window from time to time. There is a whole battalion surrounding the building. But for the time being, without incident, the SS guards of the embassy having decided to put aside their natural aggressiveness. This is not the case for their leader, who looks as sinister as his uniform.
So the Regent did cross the Rubicon and betray the Reich? The coward, the traitor, the scum of the Slavic degenerate! While he, Beckerle, had deigned to put his trust in him! What a fool, spitting in the face of Germany will cost him dearly.
Because the Bulgarian army will not be more powerful than the Italian army. And he, Standartenführer Beckerle, will be able to take control of the country. And this time, no more finesse: a proper rump state in due form, that's all!
Finally tired of going around in circles, the SS man sat down at his desk and thought about it, resting his chin on his clasped hands. Basically, the situation is not so bad. Bulgaria had not declared war on the Reich. And the Bulgarians don't seem to have combined anything with the Reds or otherwise the Allies would have already announced it on the radio. However, they only talk about this ridiculous amphibious operation that they launched on the French coast. Well, the SS and Heer will come quickly to put order in Sofia. It is enough to wait and to be patient, the time for revenge will come sooner or later. Why don't we use the Bulgarian armored brigade for that purpose, whose instructors say that it is politically safe, just to distinguish the good Slavs from the bad ones?

 

[Wings]

September 6th, 1943

Athens - Night is beginning to fall on the Greek capital. General Montgomery is in his office, waiting for a phone call he knows is inevitable. Although he has prepared for it, the fight promises to be a close one - unfortunate words may be exchanged.
Finally, the phone rings.
- General, Sir, the Prime Minister is calling.
The technician gets only an annoyed sigh in response. He dares to insist: "Sir?
After a while: "Give me the call, please..."
It is Churchill himself, who attacks with an enthusiasm that is disturbing for his interlocutor.
- Hello my dear Monty! You are the luckiest man in this war, you know!
The interested party is obviously not convinced, but nevertheless tries to remain friendly while maintaining a good-natured distance: "Good morning, Prime Minister. Am I to understand that you are going to send me a dozen divisions of reinforcements?
Churchill obviously did not let this deter him, buoyed up by good humor and whiskey (not to mention the champagne - it was necessary to celebrate Dragon): "Come, come, no manners between us! Let's not waste time, when do you think you will enter Sofia?
- I'm afraid that's not on the agenda right now, Prime Minister. The state of our forces do not allow it.
- What do you mean? Come on! You don't have anything in front of you anymore! The Bulgarians are changing camp!
- I would rather say that they give up the fight, or that they try to. Our units north of Salonika do indeed report mass desertions. But this is not the case for the Germans, who remain very present. Moreover, the Bulgarians did not invite us to enter their country. Moreover, their laudable desire to make peace does not solve our supply problems.
- Come on, your troops are at least five times more numerous! You could go up to Burgas and Varna, passing through the Bulgarian lines. Turkey will be isolated and forced to deal with us. You could then be supplied by sea!
- With all due respect, Prime Minister, this Bulgarian affair seems dangerously improvised to me. Moreover, there are 300 miles between our lines and Varna - I'll spare you the terrain and the state of the roads. And the Huns will have plenty of time to bring fresh troops from Romania.
- All right, all right... But at least enter Bulgaria and head for Sofia, to reach out to the insurgents.
- Again, I'm afraid that's physically impossible, Prime Minister. It's 150 miles to Sofia, with at least three German divisions to block our way. It would not be a walk in the park, and our lines of communication would become very vulnerable.
In London, the said Prime Minister begins to get annoyed: "Monty, old man, you can't get away with it. It is essential to limit the influence of the Russian bear in this region now, and at the same time to save Bulgaria from the clutches of the Nazis. It's worth taking a risk, isn't it?"
The answer comes, stubborn, cold and implacable: "My mandate, Prime Minister is to win battles, not to define the post-war balance. I tell you that what you are asking me to do is dangerous and does not contribute to the continuation of operations against Germany. I therefore tell you that I will not send my troops to Bulgaria, unless I receive the order from the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in charge of operations in the Mediterranean. And in this last eventuality, I reserve the right to request my transfer. I understood that the Greek-Balkan theater was now secondary for the continuation of the war, and I had to be sparing with my forces and the lives of my men.
- Is this how you use the two armored divisions I convinced Auchinleck to assign to you?" Churchill interrupts.
Montgomery resumes, unperturbed, without changing his tone or pace: "And I thank you for it. But they would not be well used in saving Bulgaria from Germany - into whose arms she has thrown herself - or from Russia - her lifelong friend. I ask you, Prime Minister, to let me be the judge of how to proceed. The Balkans is a delicate region where it would be dangerous to engage in strategic improvisations even with the help of ANZAC.
This discreet historical reminder chills Churchill. He takes a cigar from the box on his desk and lights it while continuing to listen to the general, who continues: "If you want a more... spectacular campaign, I need more than one opportunity, Prime Minister. I need time, men and equipment. And a well thought-out plan. I don't have any of those things. At the moment, we are not even sure of the attitude of the Bulgarian army. Will they welcome us with flowers or with guns, we don't know. Besides, their soldiers do not wish to die for Germany, certainly. But will they want to die against her? Which of their units can we count on? I'm sorry, all this has to be prepared, studied, and I should have been informed much earlier.
- But those damn Bulgarians didn't really warn us, well, not directly!" Churchill moans. "The Russians just told us that something was going on, but not so soon!
Through the receiver, Montgomery could almost smell the cigar smoke rising up in the office at 10 Downing Street. He then delivers the coup de grace: "May I ask you, Prime Minister, what our allies think?
A blank. Then, reluctantly: "I was counting on the French, but Blum told me that their contacts on the spot thought the affair had been very badly prepared! It is true that now that those damn frog-eaters have Communists in their government... The Russians did not say anything, but Eden made me notice that the new Bulgarian government didn't have a single communist. So they are surely against it. And of course, Roosevelt won't do anything to hurt his great friend in the Kremlin! Cordell Hull practically told us that Greece for us, Bulgaria for the Reds, that was an honest split!"
Another blank, a distinctly audible sigh, then, "In that case, Monty, I'll leave you to it. What's next on the program?"
- Albania and its ports, Prime Minister.
- Albania... Good evening, Monty.
- Good evening, Prime Minister.
As they hang up, neither of them is satisfied. Montgomery has been bickering with one of his most valuable supporters, who may one day fail him. As for Churchill, in addition to the painful memories of the Dardanelles, felt that England was losing a historical opportunity to extend its influence, which would have allowed it personally to remain in history - among others - as the statesman who resurrected the "great game" of the nineteenth century... by shifting it a few longitudes to the west. If he will not let his resentment towards Montgomery during the conflict, he expressed it in his Memoirs of the War (Volume 2, 1942-1944, republished in French by Tallandier in 2010): "Beyond the
technique, which is necessary and useful, it is essential for the statesman to have a vision for the future. It is in the name of such a vision that we sacrificed so much during this war - less, no doubt, than our French friends, but a lot nonetheless. By limiting ourselves to the difficulties, which are inevitable in any great project, and not the potential gains, Montgomery neglected this vision for the accounting rigor of his poor, carefully typed reports. In so doing, he condemned millions of men and women to servitude and went against the grain of history, which was showing him a glorious way. He thus underlined, in spite of himself, the difference between the military and the statesman".
Churchill, by choosing Montgomery as a scapegoat, opportunely avoided blaming his French and American allies, as well as several members of his government, starting with Anthony Eden. However, Montgomery could not be held responsible for the German repression that was to follow, and even less for the suppression of freedom under the communist regime installed in Bulgaria after the war.
Incidentally, a professional in everything, he had ordered shortly before his telephone conversation with Churchill to suspend the bombing of the whole of Bulgaria (within its pre-war borders), cancelling an attack on the Sofia railway station by three Halifax squadrons from Crete, which was to take place during the night. A modest flower, for lack of the expected bouquet.
.........
On the airwaves - The black radio Neue Europa broadcasts a long harangue theoretically intended for possible Bulgarian troops "who resist to the treason of the Regent, eager to throw the nation into the arms of Jewry and Bolshevism". The text, long and hateful, clearly aims to frighten - thus, one hopes, to galvanize the insurgents or to sway the undecided. It concludes with this double-edged warning: "The soft and the weak must beware. The Wehrmacht arrives soon to separate the good Bulgarians from the bad. There will be no room for half measures! All those who have enough spirit to understand that we are, in this war, at the crossroads, must now join the future victors."

Note of the translator: The translator heavily disagrees with the fact that Kyril could have been so blind in his judgement. For his headcanon, Bulgaria swaps sides before the invasion of Macedonia (somewhere in October) and as such does not fall to the Soviets (as it allowed the British to send a "rescue mission").

 

[Wings]

September 6th, 1943

Royal Palace of Sofia - The night falls on the Bulgarian capital, in a state of siege but strangely calm. A bit like before a storm. On his balcony, Prince Kyril of Preslav is a bit worried: he has no news from the front. Nowhere are there any reports of British tanks heading for the border. And Lavrishev is nowhere to be found! Perceiving his concern, which he obviously shares, General Yanchulev goes to find his friend Dimitrov, who will try to get information from the French.
The chief of staff did not dare to point out that it had been very risky to embark in such an affair without any other guarantee than the word of a man and the interpersonal skills of another, both representing nations accustomed to mistreating their sovereigns...

 

[Wings]

End of Thread 1.
Thread 2 has been planned to open with the start of Operation Dragon (poetic? thread 1 starts with the First Battle of France, thread 2 will start with the Second...)
If a mod could lock the thread, it would be appreciated!

 

[Wings]

Link to thread 2