Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

[Wings]

October 14th, 1942

Rome - Shortly before noon, General Ambrosio meets with Marshal Badoglio and King Victor Emmanuel III in Rome. "The situation in Sicily is hopeless, Sire," says Ambrosio. Once the island is entirely in the hands of the enemy, which unfortunately will soon be the case, it is necessary to fear a landing near Naples or even near Rome. The King nods: "I understand. We must avoid further weakening the Armata di Levante, Ambrosio. It is our last hope."
After Ambrosio's departure, Victor Emmanuel and Badoglio receive General Castellano, who has worked out a plan to arrest Mussolini and all the leaders of the Fascist Party. The King has mixed feelings: "I approve of what you have planned against Mussolini, but if we are forced to overthrow him, we must not attack the Party directly. That would be to open the door to disorder and anarchy!" In fact, Victor-Emmanuel was well aware that some fascist leaders elaborate themselves plans against Mussolini. Dino Grandi, Bottai, Ciano and Federzoni had taled several times, and Grandi himself met the King several times to warn him of this.
On the other hand, if the King and Badoglio are aware of the plots within the Party, they are unaware of what is going on in the army headquarters.

 

[Wings]

October 15th, 1942

Alger - Fresh from its recent victory over its Italian counterpart Argo, the MN Danaé docks. Her fate is similar to that of the Thétis a fortnight earlier; her crew will reach the United Kingdom to take possession of a new Danaé.
The Danaé is followed ten days later by the Ariane, which also marked its last patrol with a victory, at the expense of the Italian auxiliary cruiser Loredan (D.19, 1,357 GRT). Her crew will likewise meet another Ariane.

 

[Wings]

October 15th, 1942

Brussels - The college of the secretary-generals protests in its turn to the Military Government against the compulsory work. It demands the withdrawal of the ordinance of the 6th.

 

[Wings]

October 15th, 1942

Signehamna, Spitsbergen - Unaware that the Luftwaffe had done the same at the end of September (but further south), the Kriegsmarine creates a weather station in the north of the archipelago.
The Sachsen and Fritz Homann left Kiel on September 26th (the same day that the Luftwaffe dropped off its team there!). After stopping in Tromso from October 10th to 12th, the two ex-trawlers head northeast. They go around the Svalbard archipelago by the east and the north to avoid any bad encounter, before reaching the small bay of Signehamna, on the western shore of Lilliehöökfjorden.
The fifteen following days will be occupied by the unloading of the material and the provisioning necessary to the erection and the functioning of a small meteorological station. This one, named Knospe, will be operational on October 29th.
On November 4th, the Sachsen goes to reconnoiter Ny Alesund, another potential site for the installation of a camouflaged station. Not without difficulty: it will be necessary to blow up the ice which started to trap the ship with explosives. On November 15th, taking advantage of the long nights of late autumn, the two ships will take the road of Norway, which they will join without incident.
Located far to the north, Knospe could (unlike the airmen's station) operate all winter without interference. It is evacuated as planned in late March 1943.
(According to J. Jonathan, op. cit.)

 

[Wings]

October 15th, 1942

Kokoda Track - The crossing of the Kumusi begins in the night of the 14th to the 15th, around 01:00. While elements of the 18th Brigade organize a noisy diversion against Japanese forces holding the intersection of the Ongahambo trail, 5 km north of Wairopi, the 21st swims men across near Asisi, six kilometers south of Wairopi. The Japanese patrols are rare in this area, because there are no trails.
The swimmers lay six cables across the river. Two of them are quickly transformed into monkey bridges, allowing 150 men per hour to pass with all their gear - the natives will call the bridge in pidgin Wairopi-tu blong armi (Wire-rope [bridge] number two that belongs to the Army)*. The four other cables are equipped with pulleys from which metal poles are suspended (what the Australians call flying foxes). These devices allow inflatable boats loaded with supplies to pass through: two tons and twenty men per hour can thus pass. The natives will call this sector Watchim bigfela croc! (Watch him big fellow crocodile!), a joke appreciated by the Australian sappers, because it is a lie: the water is too cold for crocodiles.
For 36 hours, the Japanese do not notice anything, because the fog veils this part of the Kumusi river all day long on the 15th. Almost the entire brigade is able to cross, with 200 tons of supplies.

Milne Bay area - Operational trials near Mullins Harbour show that the Mk X amphibious personnel carrier is a remarkable machine, and even goes far beyond its intended mission - it is, in the words of the Australians, "a champagne solution to a beer problem". The Mk X, with a hull with belted tracks and a suspension system similar to that of the Churchill tanks, can cross water, sand, mud or swamps with the same ease. It does not mind swamps full of sago trees, because it can easily uproot these trees as it passes. It is only stopped by the swamps where tropical hardwood trees with buttress roots grow, but nothing and nobody in the world can cross such swamps, except some Papuans - and it is then an act of great courage, given the dangerous wildlife that haunts these areas.
Moreover, one of the pilots having claimed that with crampons, the machine could climb the North Face of the Eiger, it was decided to try it out with tracks equipped with spikes. Thus equipped, the Mark X can climb without difficulty a 50 degree slope covered with young trees!
The machine gun turret mounted on the bow has an excellent field of fire and is not invaded by smoke when firing. The main drawback of the machine is that it is completely enclosed: it has a roof, which protects the occupants against a passing grenade, but can hinder its loading (the roof hatches are narrow). In contrast, the Mk X retains the four wide side doors of its First World War ancestor, which is very advantageous against small arms fire, as it is almost always possible for the infantry on board to exit the vehicle under cover of the enemy fire.
These exceptional characteristics will not be long in giving the Australians the desire to replace beer with champagne for a while. As General Savige recounts, "When the trials were over, the smiles on the faces of the HQ people began to blossom. We had a weapon that could carry a battalion of infantry through the sago swamps at a reliable reliable average speed of nearly 7 mph (11 km/h). In one day, we could leapfrog two battalions on the enemy's flank, posing an intractable tactical problem. We could even burst directly into the center of the enemy's position before he could react. The prospects were intoxicating, but we had to make no mistakes, which required ever more training and resupply." (Gen. Sir Thomas Savige, op. cit.)

* "Blong" (belong) is a kind of possessive adjective: "wife blong mi" means "my wife". And, strange as it may seem, "egbita blong Jesus" means "egg-beater which belongs to Jesus"...that is, a helicopter.

 

[Wings]

October 15th, 1942

Ironbottom Sound - At about 03:00, three MTB of Sqn 3 (PT 45, 46 and 48) intercept two Cha submarine hunters entering Ndoma Cove (behind Nomu Point, 30 km west of Lunga). The small ships each contained 20 tons of supplies (bags of rice, "walking bicycles" for transport, tents, etc.). Sighting the American launches, the Japanese mistake them for ships of the Iishi flotilla until it is too late. The MTBs, still novices, misjudge the size of their targets and launch four torpedoes that pass under the small boats, then open fire with their machine guns and 20mm guns (each with two .30s in the center and an Œrlikon in the rear). The Cha return fire (they each carried a 25 mm and a 7.7 mm). This machine-gun fire causes casualties on both sides (the PT-46 had two casualties), until the PT-48 launches two torpedoes that are better adjusted and hits one of the submarine hunters, which is gutted and sinks. Satisfied, the MTBs withdraw towards Tulagi while the Japanese survivor escapes.
This little action is a real initiation for Sqn 3. The patrol boats will claim to have engaged and sunk two Japanese destroyers - not by deliberate falsification, but by inexperience and because of the difficulties in recognizing the types of boats at night.

Suva, Fiji - At dusk, a seaplane flies over Suva Harbor, where an attempt is made to refurbish the battleship North Carolina so that it can cross the Pacific to Pearl Harbor, and disappears in the direction of Lautoka. The local air activity is intense, and no one is worried about the seaplane until the local RAF commander learned that it was a two-float monoplane "of the British type". He immediately orders the flak to be put on alert, as the only British seaplanes in the area are hull biplanes.
In the early evening, the Japanese submarine I-11 recovers the seaplane. Shortly afterwards, the Combined Fleet receives the incredible news: a large modern American battleship is stationed in Suva, surrounded by numerous small ships.
The I-11 will nevertheless pay dearly for having transmitted this information: a PBY Catalina of the VP-11 Black Cats squadron surprises it as it is about to dive and attacks it with a bomb and calls in small ASM vessels. Only the night allows the submarine to escape, as the damage it sustained prevents it from diving. A passage in a shipyard in Japan is necessary.

 

[Wings]

October 15th, 1942

Kursk - Zhukov and Vasilyevsky, representatives of the Stavka, gather the leaders of the various fronts. After a final review of the plans for the Uranus and Mars operations, they announce the decisions on the allocation of the Stavka reserves to the Fronts in question - and this announcement doesnot please everyone. The Lower Desna Front (soon to be renamed Seym Front) gets the lion's share. Very disappointed, Kirponos opens up to his former superior, Zhukov, of the weight of the tasks which await the 1st Front of Ukraine, which was badly served...

 

[Wings]

October 15th, 1942

Operation Trident - D-Day+10 (Torch, D-Day+26)
The calm does not last
The weather improves a little during the day and General Frère confirms to all the allied generals that offensive operations would have to be resumed the following day. In the afternoon, tactical aviation attacks the Italian positions in the northern and central sectors.
.........
Sardinia hit
Cagliari is the target of a Franco-American raid by 54 B-26s (17th and 319th BG of the USAAF) and 27 B-25 (11th Air Force EB) escorted by 64 P-38 (1st and 14th FG) and 24 Mustang II (5th EC). After the losses suffered in September and in the absence of reinforcements sent from the continent, the Regia Aeronautica can only gather 9 Fiat G.50 and 5 Macchi MC.200 of the 17th Stormo CT to protect the Sardinian capital. The unfortunate Italian fighters are swept away, losing six Fiat and three Macchi in exchange of only one destroyed P-38 (and two damaged, which must divert and make an emergency landing in Trapani).

 

[Wings]

October 15th, 1942

South-east of Monte Argentario, from 07:50 GMT+2 - The submarine MN Argonaute (LV Véron) attacks a Genoa-Naples convoy. For his misfortune, he has to deal with the best ASW ships of the Regia Marina, brand new corvettes.
Spotted while trying to get closer to its targets, the Argonaute is chased by the Gabbiano and Artemide. Having left the three freighters in the custody of the torpedo boats Palestro and San Martino, the corvettes methodically chase their prey for more than three hours before they finally succeed. A large oil slick and some debris that come to the surface are the last traces of the Argonaute.

 

[Wings]

October 16th, 1942

Ministry of Economy, Chongqing - Wang Wenhao, Minister of Economy of the Republic of China, is trying to satisfy the new Prime Minister, Song Ziwen (known as T.W. Sung), who has taken the Ministry of Finance directly under his control. But Mr. Wang will now face a test that Chinese ministers are not accustomed to: the press conference.
For several days, he has held his ground, fending off the (diplomatic) assaults of the Soviet consul general, that enraged Pushkin, and finally got him to leave the Chinese capital on October 14th, without yielding at any moment on a single term of the memorandum issued on the 5th by Sheng Shicai. But the day before, the USSR embassy issued a press release stating that "the Chinese government was [behaving] irrationally and did not understand its own economic interests". Quite annoyed, Wang invited a small group of Western journalists in China's provisional capital to discuss the situation at a press conference "by the fire," as President Roosevelt would say.
At first, everything goes well. The Minister regales his audience (and in English, please) with numbers and technical terms that can make him look like a seasoned and competent professional in front of these journalists, who are after all (he thinks) only war correspondents with little little knowledge of international economic relations. But as Mr. Wang begins to relax, a deadly question comes up (which teaches him that journalists can never be mistrusted enough): "Mr. Minister, what will you do if the Soviet Union refuses to renegotiate its monopoly on the exploitation of mining and oil exploitation in Xinjiang?" Wang biases, emits a curtain of smoke, frantically waves his best political and economic language, thinks he's out of the woods.
But after one or two innocuous remarks, another journalist asks the same question, barely rephrased. New parade. New truce. Then another assault. These journalists are like dogs: they have caught the scent of a scoop and they don't want to let it go!
Finally, Wang loses his temper and answers curtly and (worse, probably) sincerely:
"We understand the difficulties currently facing the Soviet Union, perfidiously attacked by a ferocious enemy and whose large part of the territory is occupied by foreign powers. But the USSR must understand that this is also our case. It struggles to avoid its pure and simple annihilation. But so are we! And its leaders think probably that they must act according to the only interests of the Soviet Union. Well, we too must think only of the interests of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. The Republic of China needs, in its own interest and in the interest of the armed struggle it is waging with the United Nations against Japanese imperialism, the natural resources of Xinjiang. If by any chance, as you say, it were impossible to renegotiate the agreements, we would have no other choice than to nationalize the activities of the Sovinstorg!"
Of course, of the entire interview, only the last sentence, or very few, will be retained by the various editorial offices of the Free World (and a few days later, by those of the Axis countries, who will laugh at the Russian-Chinese misunderstandings).
From the end of the day and the following days, the USSR will multiply the outraged communiqués, even plaintive, even calling for international arbitration to be able to "continue to trade freely with Xinjiang without economic intervention of any kind by the Chinese state"... This, coming from the homeland of Socialism, is not without its piquancy.

 

[Wings]

October 16th, 1942

Oran - The Calo stadium, home of the CDJ of Oran, four-time winner of the North African Football Cup, was used during the Grand Déménagement as a transit base for the men arriving from Metropolitan France. Since then, the offices and locker rooms have been transformed by the town hall into apartments to cope with the housing crisis. It is one of these discreet premises that Violette Morris and her companion rent, under the name of Mr. and Mrs. Laurier, with excellent false papers. In the picturesque district Derb, their installation will pass unnoticed. And Vigouroux will be able to show his know-how with a transmitter that looks like a brother to the one Cavailhé and Lahcen have with them.

 

[Wings]

October 16th, 1942

Kokoda Track - During the night of the 15th to the 16th, scouts of the 21st Brigade encounter Japanese patrols south of Wairopi, 1,500 meters east of Asaki village. A few skirmishes take place and the Japanese realize that their position at Wairopi was taken from behind.
In the early morning, once the dawn fog had cleared, the Japanese Army Air Corps arrives in force to bomb the area. Australian movements through the Kumusi are slowed and some supply dumps are destroyed. But the bulk of the troops of the 21st Brigade is in the jungle, perfectly invisible.
The RAAF also tries to bomb the enemy troops in the area, but the Japanese fighters are very numerous and protect their troops efficiently. A thick cloud cover allows the Allied bombers to dodge, but the Ki-43s shoot down a Beaufort, a Wirraway and three Hurricanes, losing only one aircraft. Two Hurricanes from Sqn 76 come across a formation of six Ki-48s, shooting down two of them and scattering the others, to the great joy of the AIF men.

Milne Bay area - The Allies continue to prepare for the attack on Japanese positions.
General Savige recalls:
"As our plans were being developed, it became apparent that we would have to use some USMC LVTs as transports, for artillery and ammunition. This raised a major difficulty. Our American allies, delighted to provide us with these vehicles, had even insisted on giving us the latest, brand new ones, more reliable than the others.
The problem was that they were in New Zealand, which greatly delayed the attack.
(...)
Nevertheless, this delay gave us time to move the 126th Regiment of the 32nd Infantry Division to reinforce our four brigades. General Eichelberger, commander of the corps, had a large American unit in New Guinea for the first time. As a gentleman - and as a connoisseur of American public opinion - he could present the campaign to the media as an allied enterprise. I still have a vivid memory of his speech during a newsreel shot on the beach at Mullins Harbour: "Gentlemen of the Press Corps, this is an allied operation! I say allied - see for yourself. I'm an American general standing on this beach with General Savige, an Australian, and you see behind us a French freighter beached after having accomplished its mission, but whose flak is still fully operational and protecting this port. In the bay, the wrecks of two American destroyers testify to the dedication of our sailors and of their battles, because, believe me, they did not leave alone. This port is protected by ships of the Royal Navy, the United States Navy, the Royal Dutch Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. Above our heads, French pilots are flying bombers made in the United States of America, escorted by fighters of the Royal Australian Air Force made in the United Kingdom and Canada. Finally, 12,000 American soldiers and 25,000 Australians, helped by 3,000 indigenous Papuans, are driving the Japanese out of the region. If this isn't an Allied operation, what is?"
It was a masterstroke (even if, at that moment, only a few of the 12,000 men of the 32nd US-ID were already there). (...)
The American soldiers had real problems settling in the Milne Bay area,just as we had. After a while, they realized that their guns were not designed for the tropics and that they had to change the way they maintained them.
Their uniforms rotted too easily and their shoes were woefully vulnerable to moisture, which could have led to serious foot fungus problems. Fortunately, General Eichelberger kept a close eye on things; he was very attentive to the lessons we had learned and forced his men to apply the solutions we had found. In this way, he was able to protect many American soldiers from malaria and preserve the fighting ability of his troops. He also had some difficulties with some of the older officers, but the issue was soon resolved - which Australian Militia or American National Guard unit did not have such problems? What mattered was how quickly they were identified and corrected. (General Sir Thomas Savige, To the Everlasting Glory of the Infantry: Milne Bay, Plataea Press, Sydney 1965)

 

[Wings]

October 16th, 1942

Guadalcanal, Red Beach - After their disappointment the day before, Chester Puller and his comrades feel their luck turning when they discover, washed up on the beach, a sealed canister covered with Japanese characters, probably lost during a nighttime transport operation:
"At least, with the Japs, we don't risk finding books," said Lebeau, full of hope.
- And why not?" replied Summers, as seriously as possible. "Maybe it's a translation of Mein Kampf into Japanese that they're sending to motivate their troops?
By mutual agreement, it was decided to motivate this killjoy Summers by giving him the day's toilet duty. Besides, he was wrong: the can contained bottles of sake, and most of them were still in good condition! They circulated widely in the battalion, especially since we had just learned that we were embarking the next day for New Caledonia, far from mosquitoes, Japs' bullets and mortar shells.
Well, in the end, it was not necessarily a good idea to swallow this gnole. The sake must have been adulterated, because we all spent the next three days writhing in pain. Well, all of us, except Summers..." (Chester D. Puller, op. cit.).
.........
Guadalcanal, Lunga Roads - The supply ship McFarland is surprised by several Japanese seaplanes from Rekata Bay while landing supplies (mostly aviation gasoline, bombs and torpedoes, much needed by the Cactus Air Force) and taking on wounded. Despite the intervention of Lt-Colonel Harold W. Bauer's Wildcat, of VMF-212, which shoots down four adversaries, the McFarland is hit at the stern and a barge loaded with barrels of gasoline was destroyed. Without a rudder, the captain manages to steer his ship to a cove in Tulagi, on the other side of the bay - his tenacity and skill were rewarded with a Presidential Unit Citation. The ship was immediately beached and camouflaged for makeshift repairs.
At the end of the day, the aircraft carrier Hornet, cruising east of the Solomons, launches a raid against the seaplane base of Rekata Bay, without much result.

Solomon Islands - The Japanese now put 27 flat-bottomed barges in line to supply Guadalcanal: eight 15-metre wooden barges, sixteen metal barges (twelve 14-metre barges and four 17-metre barges) and three "Malayan gunboats". The latter, inspired by the battles of Malaysia, are heavily armoured and armed with two 57 mm cannons and two 25 mm twins with a shield. These boats are almost invulnerable to 20 mm shells. The barges are to transport to Guadalcanal the supplies brought to the Russell Islands by small boats. But if this system is satisfactory, it is desperately slow!

 

[Wings]

October 16th, 1942

Odessa - It has been raining for about ten days now and the raspoutitza has turned all the roads into quagmires. However, with the worst difficulties, the 11th Army of General von Schobert manages to deploy east of Odessa as well as along the outer front. The XI. ArmeeKorps of von Kortzfleisch regroups around Kremydivka.

 

[Wings]

October 16th, 1942

Operation Trident - D-Day+11 (Torch, D-Day+27)
The beginning of the end?
At dawn, the Allied forces start to advance in the Northern and Central sectors after a powerful artillery barrage.
In the North, units of the 14th French ID (Larminat Brigade) and of the 1st US-ID start to advance on the coastal road, from San Stefano di Camastra to Santa Agata di Militello.
They ar supported by the guns of the 17th, 36th and 77th US Artillery Rgt and the 3rd RAC, as well as by the NA-73/93 (Mustang IA and IC FGA) of the Armée de l'Air and the SBD-3 of the Aéronavale. The Italian resistance is weak, but progress is slow, as the road had been damaged by the Italian sappers, who also planted many mines.
This has a negative impact on the progress of the French and American armoured vehicles, which are still in contact with the enemy.
.........
In the Central sector, the French and Belgian troops attack from Cesarò towards Randazzo, at the bottom of the north-western slopes of Mount Etna. The men of the 86th DIA and the 4th Belgian ID gradually push back the remnants of the 3rd DIM Ravenna. However, the uneven terrain favors the defenders and the attackers have to constantly call on the air force, in particular the P-39D (Ground Support Groups I/53 and II/53) and Hawk-87 (GC I/41 and II/41) of the Belgian Military Aviation. The P-51A and B of the 33rd and 79th FG of the USAAF, operating from Comiso, provide upper air cover.

 

[Wings]

October 16th, 1942

Southwest of the Cassandra Peninsula (Chalkidiki) - Sent to patrol the Thermaic Gulf (or Thessaloniki), the submarine MN Narval (LV Mangin d'Ouince) has taken the way back to Leros without success. At daybreak, sailing on the surface, it manages by a quick maneuver to escape the two torpedoes fired at it by the Italian pocket submarine CB-10 (sottotenente di vascello [EV1] Giovanni Sorrentino).
The latter, as well as the CB-12, were moved from Piraeus to Cassandra to wait for the next Allied convoy to the USSR. Neither the Italians nor the Germans intend to let it cross the Aegean without trying something. As they could not envisage an air action because of the allied superiority in this field, it was decided to rely on small units, surface or submarine, available in the Aegean. Not without some hesitation (because they were supposed to deploy to the Baltic), the Kriegsmarine agreed to send to Northern Greece the two light torpedo boats LS-5 and LS-6, comparable to the smaller Italian MAS in Italy. These Leichte Schnellboote (about 12 tons, 39 knots) are not designed to operate independently, but from auxiliary cruisers - they will have to do without them.

 

[Wings]

October 17th, 1942

Alger - The fracas of the battle in progress in Sicily diverts a little the attention from an irreversible change of French political life. The ratification of the right to vote and the eligibility of the women, in September, opened the way to the co-option of the first elected women of the Republic, an initially unexpected consequence of the constitutional reform of 1940-41.
The arrival of the first women on the benches of the National Assembly is indeed made in the framework of the replacement of the Elected of the Republic deceased since the arrival in Algiers of the Parliament in exile. After laborious negotiations and under the discreet but insistent action of Louis Marin, the political groups having lost because of death of the elected members (and thus of the seats) are brought to replace them by candidates of their choice presented to the suffrage of their future peers.
Thus we find representatives of what is beginning to be called the Internal Resistance(who sometimes sat between two missions in occupied France!) and two women presented by the socialist and centrist groups (the Radical-Socialist Party could not bring itself to choose a person "of the sex"): Madeleine Lagrange* (SFIO) and Germaine Poinso-Chapuis** (PDP). Louis Marin would declare many years later that when it came to choosing women, "the male political animals had almost refused the obstacle". But in the end, the chance and the people present in Algiers at this date had made possible what was desirable.
The very day of this co-option (which apparently posed no problem for the Assembly) a communiqué from the Presidency of the Council announces the appointment of two under-secretaries of State. Mrs. Cécile Brunschvicg is appointed Under-Secretary of State for Education (a position she had already held in 1936, with Léon Delbos) and Mrs. Suzanne Lacore Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (a position she had already held in 1936, with Georges Pernot).
At the following Council of Ministers, the ritual "family photo" will see the two new ministers*** in the front row, flanking the President of the Council. This photograph is the beginning of a propaganda campaign featuring the two women on mission, both in the Empire and abroad, notably in England and the United States (where Mrs Roosevelt received them on each visit, in addition to their official program).
These appointments still raise questions seventy years later. Why did Paul Reynaud, after a struggle of several months, finally make something new out of something old by taking back in his government two women who had experienced the Popular Front and did not seek to go further? All these efforts for only "a square of ladies" (since this is how the press will quickly nickname the two undersecretaries of state and the two Elected officials of the Republic)?
In any case, the door was open. As of the Liberation, all the major French women will be able to take part in the elections, which will be finally made with the truly universal suffrage.

* Widow of Léo Lagrange, former under-secretary of state for sports and the organization of leisure activities under Minister of Public Health Henri Sellier under the Popular Front government in 1936.
** Mrs. Poinso-Chapuis, a feminist activist, is a lawyer at the bar of Marseille and has a doctorate in Roman law. She was a member of the Parti Démocrate Populaire since 1921 and was a member of its political bureau.
*** We say at the time Madame le ministre without hesitation nor ubiquity.

 

[Wings]

October 17th, 1942

Kokoda Track - Realizing that his position at Wairopi is being flanked by large forces, the commander of the 144th Japanese Infantry Regiment decides to withdraw to avoid encirclement. The Japanese withdrew first to Igora and Sangara, two villages located 20 to 25 km east of Wairopi, on the track leading to Buna. The 21st Brigade tries to prevent this withdrawal, but since the Japanese are on the track and the Australians are in the middle of the jungle, they do not have an equal chance in this race! The 144th Regiment arrives first, but the pressure exerted by Potts' men forces it to abandon large quantities of supplies and equipment. For three days, skirmishes and ambushes follow one another on the outskirts of the Track.

Mullins Harbour (Milne Bay area) - Two Australian fast transports (old converted American destroyers), the APD Brighton (ex DD Doran) and Charlestown (ex DD Bailey) land at Mullins Harbour the first battalion of the 126th regiment of the 32nd USID. For the following days, they will convoy the rest of the regiment. For some time, this regiment will be the only one of its division to be deployed in the Milne Bay area, because the logistics do not allow to supply the 12,000 men of the division. The Americans are poorly acclimatized, but apart from the natives, so is everyone else in the area. The men of the 126th are appalled by the local environment. The rain is continuous, it is impossible to stay dry, the temperature is permanently stifling, supplies are reduced and Japanese Army planes bomb the area several times a day.

 

[Wings]

October 17th, 1942

Guadalcanal - The 6th Marines arrive at Tetere without incident. The men disembark very quickly, the equipment and ammunition will take longer.
In exchange, the transports will re-embark the men of the 1st Raider Battalion and the Parachute Battalion of the Marines, who have been severely tested during the August-September battles. In the short term, it is planned to bring in the 8th Marines and the rest of the support elements of the 2nd Division in exchange for the most heavily damaged elements of the 1st Division.
In the medium term, the US Army is was to send the Americal Division (or 23rd US Division) to the island, including three regiments (132nd, 164th and 182nd) who are training in New Caledonia.
.........
Tulagi - The Australian AMCs Westralia, Kanimbla and Manoora land the 9th Brigade of the AMF: 1st and 45th Infantry Battalions, University of Sydney Battalion, 1st Battalion Royal Australian Artillery (RAA) armed with 18 pounders (plus a reinforcement of gunners without guns), and finally 1st Divisional Fire Control Company. The 9th Brigade is accompanied by a Mixed Armored Company composed of half a dozen Valentine tanks and as many Sentinel (or "Australian Cruiser") tanks, equipped with a 25-pounder gun.
The 9th Brigade relieves the 28th Brigade (13th, 17th and 18th Infantry Battalions and 9th Artillery Battalion, RAA, which gives up its 25 pdr to the artillerymen who had just landed). Its mission, in addition to ensuring the security of the Tulagi base, is to make sure that there are no Japanese on Florida Island.
After this mission, the three AMCs will go to Sydney to complete their transformation into LSI. Their seven 6-inch guns will be removed and replaced by a single 4 or 6 inch gun and an abundance of flak. The internal fittings will allow the transport of 900 to 1,400 men in arms and ten to twenty landing craft (Landing Crafts) depending on the ship. This new conversion will be completed in January

Fiji Islands - The Combined Fleet Headquarters in Truk decides to destroy "the American battleship stationed in Fiji" (it seems that they are unaware that it is the North Carolina and that the ship is badly damaged). A special Betty force is concentrated for this purpose at Rabaul. The diary of Commander Matsuura (22nd Air Flotilla), published in 1975 under the title Ship Killers, tells the story.
"Finally we were going to implement our new tactics. With the reserve aircraft, we had 24 G4M1/M2s at our disposal. Six aircraft were designated as bombers and target markers with flares. The 18 others carried torpedoes - we could not do more, as we only had 18 devices to launch Type 91 torpedoes in shallow water. We had to stop in Buin to refuel, because even with auxiliary tanks, the G4M2s would be at the extreme limit of their range.
The port charts showed that only a single file approach could be used.
We had lost many experienced pilots in the South China Sea, but the survivors had trained their replacements and we had trained intensively in the preceding months. The flight to Buin was routine, with all planes arriving at sunset. After take-off from Buin, two planes suffered mechanical problems and had to return (a torpedo carrier had a hydraulic failure preventing it from retracting its gear, a target marker had an engine failure); their crews were very bitter about this blow of fate which deprived them of an opportunity to show their worth. The rest of the flight went smoothly, the navigators earned their pay and we approached Vitu Levu shortly after midnight. The two planes equipped with radar detectors signaled that we were probably spotted and we started to watch out for the night fighters. Two planes were indeed engaged by fighters, but managed to lose them [NDE - There were no night fighters in Fiji at that time].
Shortly after 01:00 local time, the target markers began to illuminate the shoreline of the city and harbor and the target became visible. Lt. Takachi, who commanded the planes, reported that a large ship was moored alongside the battleship and that the flak was weak and inaccurate compared to what he had experienced in the China Sea against the Royal Navy.
As was appropriate, my plane was the first to attack. I was able to drop my torpedo without incident and the flak did not bother me much. The rear gunner signaled a hit on target and a great satisfaction filled my mind, rather than the ecstatic exultation felt in the China Sea. This was the second time one of my torpedoes had hit an enemy ship. It was my job. I had to climb steeply to avoid the hills behind the harbor, and then I turned around to observe the attack of my subordinates. Since I knew where to look, the planes were clearly visible and most of the torpedoes went in. Unfortunately, three of my G4M were hit. Two of them crashed into the harbor and the third one, in flames, hit the enemy battleship, lighting it up with a brilliant flame and helping the last four aircraft to aim. It was a warrior's death, the sight of which was an inspiration to us all."
Out of 17 aircraft, 15 are able to launch and the results are not as good as Matsuura imagines. Although the target was stationary, only six torpedoes hit (note that the third plane shot down did not crash on the battleship, but on the pier).
Two torpedoes hit the large workshop ship Vulcan, moored alongside the battleship. The Vulcan capsizes and sinks. Four torpedoes actually hit the battleship, two at the stern and two in the center, on the starboard side (as opposed to the torpedoes that hit the ship during the second battle of Savo Island). These impacts cause great damage and two massive waterways. Worse: the terrible shocks demolish the repairs that had made it possible to start pumping out the water filling the ship. While the three tugs present (two American and one Dutch) rush to the scene, several internal bulkheads give way and the North Carolina sinks. In shallow water, it is true: when the hull hit the bottom, the main deck was still just above the water.
Luckily, this time there are no fatalities among the crew of the North Carolina! Of the late North Carolina, since the US Navy finally admitted that repairs would be an absurd waste of resources and that the ship was lost (constructive total loss).
However, the episode is not entirely negative for the Americans. Indeed, it resulted, in the Solomons, by a three-day halt to the raids on Guadalcanal, just as the 6th Marines and the 9th Brigade of the AMF arrived. The Allies did not expect so much!
In addition, the Sea-Bees at Henderson Field take advantage of the lull to repair and consolidate their runways.

 

[Wings]

October 17th, 1942

Moscow - Vasilyevsky and Zhukov are summoned to the Kremlin to talk with Stalin, Shaposhnikov and his deputy, Antonov.
It appears necessary to split the 1st Ukrainian Front. Zhukov proposes Vatutin to lead the new Front, named "Kiev Front", which would be created to control the forces remaining in the north and east of the city.
The case of General Boldin is also mentioned. The commander of the Desna Front, even if he has not completely deserved it, has unfortunately shown the limits of his abilities since May 17th and does not seem to be up to the responsibilities that await him, as his front is called upon to play a key role in the counter-offensive that is being prepared. Without much debate, it is decided to relieve Boldin of his command and to appoint to replace him with General Ivan S. Konev, who has largely proven himself at the head of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. Koniev's background as a political commissar also speaks in his favor.
Finally, wishing to ensure a certain balance in the high command between the various nationalities of the Soviet Union, Stalin pushes for the appointment of the commander of the 45th Army, General Bagramian (who is Armenian), to replace Konev.