Fantasque Time Line (France Fights On) - English Translation

[Wings]

March 20th, 1943

Tokyo - In order not to appear to be abandoning the Army battalions on Attu to their fate, the Imperial Navy announces the formation of a powerful squadron - two aircraft carriers, two fast battleships, etc. This mobilization is decided by Admiral Nagano, Chief of Naval Staff, despite the fierce opposition of Admiral Yamamoto.
.........
Between Attu and Kiska - The submarine I-11 joins the I-35, but both do not obtain better success than before.
.........
Attu - Colonel Yamasaki, considering that the Navy's preparations will arrive too late anyway, decides to launch to attack. Shortly after nightfall, in the best tradition of the Imperial Army, he and his men, a little warms up by the consumption of their last reserves of sake, throw themselves on the enemy lines, the officers brandishing their sabers and all shouting Banzai! At this moment, the Japanese are at one against two or three.
The Americans did not expect a surrender, however, the attack takes them somewhat by surprise - but that does not stop them from opening deadly fire on the attackers. It seems that Yamasaki was among the dead from the start of the fighting, but this did not dampen the ardor of the survivors of the first shock, who succeed in breaking through the lines of the 38th IR and fall, still screaming, on the American rear. In the freezing night, the men have difficulty distinguishing friend from foe, the glow of the gunfire usually only silhouetting the combatants in black on a white background...
After a long moment of wild confusion, the Japanese briefly slow their rush - apparently to reorganize and redirect their attack and make the best use of the last minutes of their existence. Lacking officers (most had already been killed), they decide to rush to an encampment that seems to contain large quantities of equipment. This is indeed the case, but it is a camp of the Divisional Engineer Battalion of the 2nd ID and, according to their motto, "the sappers are always ready for anything" - alerted by the sound of the first fighting, they are particularly ready...
At dawn on the 21st, all the attackers are dead. The cold has taken care of the few seriously wounded who could have been captured.

 

[Wings]

March 20th, 1943

Spring awakening
Ternopol - Manstein adjusts his plans according to the latest events.
The 7th Hungarian Corps receives the order to occupy the sector of the former Soviet pocket of Medzhibozh-Derazhnya and to prepare to continue eastwards. The 4th Corps is given the task of Panzer to push back the 4th Guards Army and to settle down south of the pseudo Manstein line, held by German infantry divisions east of Polonnoye, opposite the 26th Army.
With their left wing stabilized, Manstein and his staff turn their attention towards the south. Hitler insisted on the necessity to retake Vinnitsa, which implies to push back the remnants of the 1st Ukrainian Front and to give a hand to the 17. Armee. But it is also necessary to secure the Dniester. Indeed, the FHO (Fremde Heere Ost, German military intelligence service on the Foreign Armies of the East) warns that an attack by the 2nd Ukrainian Front against Kamenets-Podolski is imminent. Finally, the entry of the Soviets of the 4th Front in Bessarabia, or even in Romania, is no longer a hypothesis; it would be very worrying. Establishing a strong armored group south of Vinnitsa to push back Rokossovsky's forces appears as very urgent.
Consequently, Manstein establishes four ad hoc groups: - one in the north: the 6. Panzer and the three infantry divisions of the 4th Hungarian Corps should retake Starokonstantinov [Starokostiantinov] and then move eastward to the Ulanov region, southwest of Berdichev.
- another in the center: the 2., 4. and 7. PanzerDivisions, under the command of Rudolf Schmidt, will progress towards Vinnitsa.
- and two in the south, under the command of Werner Kempf :
- to hold the area between Vinnitsa and Moguilev-Podolski: the 5., 8. and 23. Panzers.
- to rescue Kamenets-Podolski and hold the crossings on the Dniester: the 24. Panzer and the three divisions of the 7th Hungarian Corps.
In the meantime, the equipment had to be repaired, prisoners had to be transported to the rear, rest the personnel. The pursuit of the fleeing Soviet elements is slowed down even more.

Moscow - In the Kremlin, the atmosphere is gloomy, even oppressive. The reports coming from the front plunge Stalin into disarray. With the disappearance of the 13th and 58th Armies as constituted forces and the destruction of most of the three armored corps of the 1st Ukrainian Front, a breach that could be exploited by the fascist invader is now open. The reading of the maps does not bring good news: in the north, the 26th Army is still bogged down and the 4th Guards Army, even if it could retreat in good order, seems too weak to hold new defense lines.
The region of Vinnitsa is particularly worrying for Stalin: if Golikov's 10th Army holds the city solidly against the 17. Armee, what will it be able to do in case of an assault of the German armor? The air force leaders have already warned: due to lack of logistics and with unusable grounds because of the thaw, no serious air support will be possible. And if Vinnitsa fell? Kiev is only two hundred kilometers away.
Some soldiers and politicians are more optimistic. Vassilievsky reminds us that the Germans are surely running out of fuel and that the rasputitsa will nail them to the spot.
Molotov believes that the morale of the Soviet people is not yet affected and that he has seen others. From the front, Zhukov also relativizes. It is possible to hold the front if we shorten it and the salients are eliminated. It is necessary to increase logistical efforts, deploy +more vehicles, increase the speed of trains.
But not at the expense of Kiev, scream Ukrainian politicians and representatives of Vatutin! And why not redirect the efforts of the 4th Ukrainian Front to the northwest, say other advisers?
In the general cacophony, someone finally notices that Stalin had left the meeting room. The situation is so unprecedented that it is enough to bring everyone to silence.
Alexander Poskrebyshev, the private secretary of the Vojd, takes the opportunity to inform Antonov, Vassilievsky and a few selected officials that they are summoned to Kunstevo in the evening.

1st Ukrainian Front
While the 4th Guards Army is rushing to Starokonstaninov to put the city in a state of defense, the remnants of the forces that defended the Medzhibozh pocket (5th Guards Army, 13th Army and armored corps of Chanchibadze, Katukov, Krivoshein and Rybalko) retreat more or less in good order. Zhukov orders a deployment oriented to prevent any German breakthrough north of Vinnitsa by relying on the forests between Khmel'nik [Khmilnyk] and Kalinovka [Kalynivka], with the 10th Army holding Vinnitsa.
But this deployment on paper is not without its challenges on the ground. The 13th Army is bled dry and the armored corps lost many vehicles during the fighting: Zhukov estimates that he can count on two hundred tanks in total - and not all of them in good condition. The 5th Guards Army, a little more fit, is therefore placed where the Germans are expected to strike, north of Litin. In the meantime, the officers in the field are beating the recall of all the men likely to carry a weapon and go around the workshops and depots to send as many vehicles as possible to the front.

Kunstevo - A meeting in small committee gathers Stalin, Vassilievsky, Antonov, Molotov, Kaganovich, Beria and Zhukov (by radio). Stalin is immediately very direct. Is Kiev threatened? Are we able to counter-attack? What are Hitler's objectives? The men present are encouraged to speak frankly and do not hesitate to do so, but absolute confidentiality is demanded. It will be respected: although quoted in the memoirs of most of the participants, only those of Vassilievsky are a little more loquacious and credible.
Russian historians who have studied the subject agree on at least two points: Stalin seems to have left the meeting reassured about the ability of his forces to stop the German offensive. Moreover, the project of a future large-scale offensive (the one that will follow, in fact, Operation Citadel) was discussed during this meeting.

2nd Ukrainian Front
Battle of Kamenets-Podolski
Bagramyan is officially relieved of the command of the 5th Guards Army and Rybalko's armored corps by Zhukov. He now holds in his hand only the 16th and 59th Armies, as well as Bogdanov's armored corps. Zhukov takes care to explain to the Armenian general that it is not a disciplinary measure, but a temporary reorganization made necessary by the evolution of the situation on the front.
This change suits Bagramyan in any case, who only has to worry about one mission. Advancing as quickly as possible, the 16th and 59th Armies arrive in the Kamenets-Podolski area in the afternoon, causing panic in the garrison. The general commanding the 321. ID quickly restores calm and assesses the situation. The city is not very large (two to three kilometers in diameter). The citadel and the old city are enclosed in a meander of the Smotrich river, a meander which can only be crossed by two bridges. To the east of the river, suburbs with a checkerboard plan and wide traffic axes. Finally, to the west, a second meander and a small industrial area. With the assurance of receiving the help of a PanzerDivision within a few days, the 321. ID is looking forward to the future with some serenity.

 

[Wings]

March 20th, 1943

Siege of Odessa
Petrovka (northeast of Odessa) - After repeated failures to break through the defenses around Kubanka, the 51st Army's new objective is the Petrovka train station. General Batov hopes that this sector will be less well defended.
The dawn has barely broken when Il-4 bombers fall on the station and its surroundings. Some Romanian Bf 109F that intercept them have the bad surprise to meet an escort that they mistake for Yak-1s, but in fact they are Yak-9Ts, faster and better armed than their predecessors! The surprise is all the greater as it is the first engagement of this fighter. Having pushed back the hindrances, the Yak-9s complete the bombardment of the Il-4 by using their 37 mm gun against certain targets, bunkers or light armoured vehicles.
The artillery takes over, but even after its intervention, the infantry, however supported by tanks, is unable to break through. The Romanian defense is still as stubborn.
Their defensive network includes at least two parallel trench systems covered by anti-tank obstacles and mines.
.........
Northwest of Odessa - The Soviet 18th Army has advanced to the edge of Odessa. The maps available to the command clearly show the positions of the fortifications - originally built to defend the city against the Fascist invaders. The survivors of the first siege describe them as devastated by the bombardment. However, not surprisingly, the defensive network was rebuilt by the Romanians.
The Romanians brought concrete from Romania, but they did not lack steel: they used pieces of armor taken from tank wrecks around Odessa.
Of course, the perimeter artillery pieces were rarely recovered intact. But the defenders replaced them with their own, and they even recovered the turrets of their R-35 tanks after their transformation into R-35 TACAMs. Now integrated into the concrete trenches, these turrets have become moderately armored domes (40 mm), capable of turning 360° and each equipped with a 37 mm L/21 SA 18 gun, as well as a 7.5 mm Reibel machine gun. Although the SA-18 is only an anti-infantry weapon, the Romanians have a supply of breakaway shells mle 1935 capable of piercing 21 mm of armor inclined at 35 mm, up to 400 m away. Totally ineffective against a T-34, these shells are to prove formidable for the T-50 light tanks of the 18th Army, once the Romanian artillerymen understood that they had to shoot these machines from the flank (where the armor reaches only 15 mm, against 37 mm for the front and the turret).
The debris of the 10th Romanian ID reinforces a fortification battalion supported by a heterogeneous assembly: volunteers trapped in Odessa by the Soviet advance, lightly wounded who could not join their units when they left the hospital, "lost" soldiers gathered more or less by force, but also Waffen SS, Einsatzgruppen and members of the Ordnungspolizei (police force for the maintenance of order). These units responsible for the "Jewish question" and the fight against "terrorists" are the only German forces to fight in Odessa itself.
On the other side, the Soviets line up the 109th, 129th and 208th Infantry Divisions, supported by impressive artillery.
In open country, the defenders would certainly not have lasted long. However, from the very first hours of the battle, it becomes clear that the fortifications are resisting the most violent bombardments, while a deluge of fire falls on all the Soviet formations that go up to the assault.

 

[Wings]

March 20th, 1943

Italian front - Faced with the American offensive, the Germans withdraw and the 133rd Rgt of the 34th US-ID takes advantage of this to seize Manciano. However, the fighting lasts all day in the vicinity of the town. On their side, the Shermans of the CCA of the 1st Armored arrive in contact with the Hermann-Göring tanks, east of Magliano in Toscana. Despite the American tankers having made tactical progress, they are still disadvantaged by the 75 long Panzer IV and Leopard. According to the terrain, the Pz III L, although equipped with a 50 mm KwK-39, can even match the Americans, if their crews are experienced.
Further east, the Friuli Division fights all day to finish securing Bolsena and its surroundings. The Cremona is still blocked in front of Orvieto. As ordered, the infantrymen of the 252. ID and the 29. Panzergrenadier Division defend themselves at the edge of the plateau, in front of the cut, and launch counter-attacks as often as possible.
To the northwest of the French front, the Magnan Brigade repels the probing attacks of the 263. ID, recently arrived on the front, around Castelvecchio. But on its right, the Brosset Brigade sees its assault on Monte Martano repulsed. It has been a week that the French biffins have been blocked by this position, which is a thorn in their flank and allows the Germans to adjust their artillery fire with formidable precision.
The Usigni stopper, which blocks the 46th Infantry Division, holds only because the unit's main effort is on Route 471. Progress is slow, however, despite the fact that the division committed its reserves to overrunning and exploiting Castel San Giovanni. Thanks to this maneuver, the rear of Cascia began to be threatened in the late afternoon.
Further east, two localities fall into British hands that day: first, Accumoli, conquered by the infantrymen of the 44th ID, then, a little later, Acquasanta, by the Indians of the 5th Division. However, the heights are still controlled by the fighters of the 6. Gebirgs Division.
It is a quiet day on the V Corps front near the Adriatic.

Rome - A meeting is held to review the initial results of the bombing campaign in the north of the front. It seems that it has effectively reduced German movements: reconnaissance shows the formation of traffic jams near the cuts. It also seems that, in order to cope, the enemy dispersed its depots, apparently giving priority for the moment to the supply of units in the front line. This will be an area for reflection in the weeks to come.

 

[Wings]

March 20th, 1943

South of Mulhouse - Operation Nemo ! Around 03:00, a commando of the French special forces blows up a series of locks and installations on the canals between the Rhine and the Rhone. The destruction stops the progression of a convoy carrying the hulls of 26 small Type-IIE U-boots towards the Mediterranean (operation Sonnenblume). The convoy is blocked for several weeks.

 

[Wings]

March 21st, 1943

Peenemünde, 09:00 - General Dornberger, boss of the Heer engineers, gathers his team leaders to inform them of a not very reassuring information: the British are aware of the existence of Peenemünde! However, they do not know exactly what it is about, according to the agents of the Abwehr in England (he obviously does not know that all of them are either double agents or intoxicated).
Nevertheless, knowing the state of mind of the British, it is a safe bet that they will prepare an air raid. Problem: the funds allocated to the city to build public air raid shelters were used by the military for the very expensive rocket experiments. There is nothing to protect the population in the event of a bombing, which could cause panic at any alert.
Dornberger therefore encourages those in charge to have shelters built with the help of the engineering troops, while keeping the actual activities of the center secret. This perplexes most of the engineers, some of whom suddenly think of sending their families on holiday... A little late.
.........
Southern England, 18:30 - On this late spring equinox day, the usual hum of the Merlin or Hercules engines of the metal birds once again replaces the chirping of the feathered birds - "Nightingales & Bombers".
The first flights concern Whitebait: Victoria and Lincoln of Sqn 109 leave for Berlin via Falster and then Rügen, loaded with a few bombs and a very curious load: thin aluminium strips (Windows prototypes) in charge of deceiving the German radars by making them believe in the presence of multiple planes. This is the first field experiment of this process which is later improved, in particular for operation Gomorrah (the raids on Hamburg).
The four-engine planes are preceded on the capital of the Reich by eight Mosquito Pathfinders from Sqn 89, accompanied by twelve Mosquito NF-11b from Sqn 157. This is another experiment developed by RAF testers led by W/Co Vashon James "Pop" Wheeler*. By attacking Berlin, the British hope that the German night fighters would concentrate on the capital - the presence of Mosquito fighters should increase the confusion.
.........
Southern England, 19:00 - Night will be complete in half an hour. The full moon shines over England in a lightly clouded sky, while the bombers of the main attack formation before heading for Peenemünde test center. The weather service announces clear weather half of the outbound journey, with an expected cloudiness of 5/10ths over the target (7/10ths over Berlin).
In the fuselages, no one thinks for a moment that the future of the free world may depend on this operation, and for good reason: nothing distinguishes this mission from the ordinary, except for the importance of the diversion, of which the crews are hardly informed.
.........
Baltic sky, 20:03 - Turning off the island of Falster, heading due south, the Lincoln and Victoria begin to release their strips intended to make it look like there are more aircraft. Aircraft equipped with transmitters begin to saturate the German frequencies.
.........
Peenemünde, 20:18 - In the night which thickens, the four-engined VHA are by the western side of the test center, where the sirens begin their mournful roar, before stopping soon.
.........
Berlin, 21:15 - The twin-engine De Havilland aircraft enter the sky over the German capital at about 20,000 feet to drop parachute flares, as if on a regular raid. Nearly two hundred fighters are waiting for them: radar-equipped twin-engine planes and even single-engine planes that do not have radar. At very low altitude, Wheeler and his fighters evolve while waiting patiently for the interception attempts, but for the moment, few Nachtjägers are trying this sport against the too fast Mosquitoes, better to wait for the heavy bombers reported by the control, they should arrive in less than ten minutes.
That's too long for the ever-ebullient Wheeler. At 44 years old, the Briton still has the impetuosity of his youth! Well helped by the "Serrate" system, which detects the German Lichtenstein radars, the leader of Sqn 157 starts the hostilities by taking altitude towards a target located by his radarist Lewis Brandon (detached from his usual pilot, unavailable). The "circus" begins with a big surprise for the German pilots, when the first Bf 110 bursts into flames under the English shells. At least for the airmen close enough to identify it, because the others can ingenuously think that it is an Englishman !
.........
Berlin, 21:22 - Much higher than the other protagonists, the VHA announce themselves in turn in the Berlin sky where they will drop the few bombs which could take place in their bunkers. Second surprise for the defenders: they cannot climb enough to get into a firing position, while having to worry about their backsides, teased by the incisive Mosquitos, an unusual event for night fighters!
The cleverly orchestrated diversion fulfills its role, the Germans do not understand what is going on. In the confusion of the night melee, amidst the clouds that fill a good part of the sky, the allied IFFs play a full role, distinguishing the friends from the enemy, a very useful precaution for the radar operators, but also for the pilots whose cat's eyes cannot always identify the plane in front of them, even with the clarity of a full moon.
.........
Peenemünde, 21:31 - The sirens sound again. This time it is the Mosquito pathfinders of Sqn 89, led by the Master Bomber of Hydra, Group Captain John Searby, whose Mosquito will constantly evolve on the zone during the passage of the three attack groups.
Searby and his navigator first launch orange phosphorus markers on an islet, Rüden, located in the axis of the objective, in front of the east coast of the island of Rügen, three kilometers from the installations. The following red markers are for the targets themselves: to the east, in the order in which the bombers discovered them, the rocket laboratory, the electrical and assembly plants, and finally the residential area. Green markers should indicate the position, much further south, of the barracks of the workers, prisoners or not, but to avoid. To the west, the airfield and the Luftwaffe complex. In the center, the firing points and the oxygen factory. Three zones, one per group.
On the ground, few reactions at first sight. The repeated passages of the previous days and the very last alert have eroded the reflexes, the shrug of shoulders becoming the most frequent reaction. Except that this time...
.........
Peenemünde, 22:13 - The explosions of the first bombs shake everyone, starting with General Dornberger, still stuck in his office filling in pages of paperwork, including a request for Flak cover, which had not been made until now.
It was thought in high places that secrecy was enough to ensure the security of the site. The Luftwaffe, which installed the usual few pieces to protect the airfield, did not even use them during the previous passages, in order not to attract the attention of the British!
As he leaves his office, Dornberger couldn't help but let out a few sharp expletives. The moon allows to see as in full day the strings of bombs descending from the four-engined planes that follow one another as if on parade! Over there, to the north-west, the Flak gunners of the airfield have lit some searchlights and start to open fire, but it is too late. The buildings of the residential area have no cellars: the ground here is wet in summer and frozen in winter. The drainage ditches along most of the roads are the only shelters from the bombs, and they are often filled with ice water or snow. But between a risk of pneumonia and the risk of a bomb explosion, the choice is quickly made!
The passage of the first wave of bombers over the eastern sectors, which hit the heart of the residential area, would prove to be extremely deadly.
But that of the second wave is much more spectacular, because a bomb hits one of the tanks of the liquid oxygen factory. The resulting explosion shakes the whole island and a wave of fire devours everything for nearly three kilometers around the power plant, damaging two of the firing points, which had been spared by the bombs.
The third wave is confronted with the only opposition of the evening, in this case the flak from the airfield, but this one could only take a small toll, especially since G/Cpt Searby redirected some of the bombers to the eastern zone, where the light of the fires revealed untouched areas near the electric plant and the assembly plant.
.........
Peenemünde, 22:58 - Their mission accomplished, the British turn due west to return to their bases, but the last wave has to undergo the attack of the German night fighters, very dissatisfied to have been fooled, and attracted towards Usedom by the glow of the fires visible from the Berlin sky. Of course, Wheeler's Mosquito NF-11s are also part of the game, and new fights start, sometimes followed by the eyes of the survivors on the ground.
.........
Almost all the residences are destroyed. Built of wood, those that were not directly hit were blown down or fell prey to the flames. Hard to wake up, even for those who were not yet asleep, because everyone had been living here quietly since 1938 or 1939. Confronted with the brutal realities of war, the survivors wander, dazed, sometimes with their boots on, but wearing pajamas. Even those who live outside Usedom for lack of housing on the spot were able to see the explosions and fires; they are just as terrified.
The human toll is catastrophic: of the 4,000 people - engineers and civilian technicians and their families - living in the residential area, nearly 1,200 people were killed and 600 injured. A result that could have been much heavier if most of the technical leaders had not left for Berlin for a summit meeting and reception! Among the victims were nevertheless engineer Walther, responsible for maintenance (it is him who had the idea of the system of launching of the Fi 103), as well as the Doktor Walter Thiel (and his family), a rocket engine specialist and von Braun's second-in-command. Ironically, his death is only due to his refusal to support the production of the A4 rockets because of lack of development. On the same day, he submitted his resignation to General Dornberger, who refused it, without authorizing the engineer to go to Berlin, fearing that he would repeat his request there, or that he would darken the picture too much in front of the Führer.
The Luftwaffe loses on its side an important stock of Fieseler 103: nearly fifty specimens, which waited patiently their turn for tests. The runway and its infrastructure were severely damaged, preventing the arrival of help by air. The brand new barracks of Flakregiment 155(W) of Oberst Max Wachtel were also destroyed, with loss of life: some of the members who were to form the backbone of the future group responsible for the implementation of the V1s, which had recently arrived.
Last consequence for the Luftwaffe, but not the least: the Whitebait diversion on Berlin having been particularly successful, just like the bombing on Peenemünde, General Jeschonnek, discovering the next day the damage, will end his life rather than face the Führer's ire...
In addition to the loss of life, the Heer deplores the almost total destruction of the factory responsible for producing liquid oxygen and severe damage to the production plant and the laboratory. Only the power plant suffered little damage; it is suspected that the absence of smoke (filtered on water) going out by its chimneys made believe to the that it was not functional and therefore less interesting.
On their side, the British have every reason to be satisfied. The mission went well, with relatively few losses for this period when the Teutonic night fighters start to gain experience: of the 597 Halifaxes and Lancasters sent over the Baltic, only 36 did not return, mainly crews from the third group who had to face either the Flak at the airfield or the night fighters that arrived from Berlin. They suffered severe losses inflicted by the 12 Mosquito NF-11 dispatched in the Berlin sky: these "troublemakers" claimed no less than 14 victories over their colleagues and adversaries, thus inaugurating new tactics of night combat within the Royal Air Force.

* After serving in the infantry in 1914-18, V.J. Wheeler became a civilian pilot with Imperial Airways. In 1940, when he arrived at Sqn 85 Night Fighter, commanded by Peter Townsend, he had 15,000 flying hours, of which 3,000 were at night!

 

[Wings]

March 21st, 1943

Embassy of France in Egypt, Giza - Charles de Gaulle, the new President of the French Council, arrives in the late afternoon from the airport and takes up his quarters at the Hotel Saint-Maurice, headquarters of the French Embassy. He is received by the ambassador Jean Pozzi, who organizes a cocktail party attended by Alexander C. Kirk and Sir Miles Lampson, ambassadors of the United States and the United Kingdom in Egypt, and members of the diplomatic corps, plus a Chinese envoy - Chiang Kai-shek and his wife arrived earlier the same day. For the General, this is his first real test on the international stage since his inauguration at the beginning of the beginning of the month. Induction, which crowns a whirlwind - if not always easy - journey since the outbreak of hostilities: in four years, he has gone from colonel to President of the Council! American journalists like to talk about the success story of the one they have named "the rising star of French politics".
At the Sextant conference, which begins the next day, the focus will be, for France, to ensure its place in the Asia-Pacific theater. Of course, the Dien-Bien-Phu base is still standing, the Royale is present in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and Nouméa is an essential base for the Allies, but this is ultimately very little compared to the almighty power of the US Navy, to the resistance of the British Empire... and the numbers of the Chinese. It was the Marines who conquered Guadalcanal, it was the British - or at least their Indian troops who held out in Burma. And the revival of Generalissimo Chiang's army impressed.
On the other hand, the Connétable - this nickname comes from Churchill - made his fortune in Algiers, in an admiring or ironic way - is to learn the hard way that the crab basket of the Assembly of Algiers, that he knew how to tame a month earlier, is a thing, but that the traps and the arcanes of the international diplomacy are another. Indeed, he had only been confronted with negotiations with the British and the Americans, always being able to count on the support of the head of government, and most often in a bilateral context.

 

[Wings]

March 21st, 1943

Copenhagen, and elsewhere in Denmark - The festival of Purim celebrates how the beautiful Esther, beloved of the Persian king Ahasuerus, saved her people from the massacre by the infamous minister Haman in the fifth century B.C. Georg Duckwitz hardly looks like a queen of Persia, and yet...
In the evening, two battalions of German police, guided by about fifty Danes serving in the Waffen-SS, knock on the doors of every Jew in the kingdom of Denmark. In almost all cases, they find no one. Of the seven thousand Jews in Denmark, less than five hundred are captured and deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The rest... vanished.

 

[Wings]

March 21st, 1943

Pongani (Dyle Ackland Bay, northeast coast of New Guinea) - The dawn sees several ships appearing off the bay. This new American landing is the last of this part of the reconquest of the eastern part of New Guinea. Moreover, some Australians are waiting on the beach to shake hands with the newcomers. Immortalized by a few photographers, this Australian-American junction will be on the front page of the newspapers in Australia.
But what was later called "communication" (after the word propaganda had disappeared in the name of political correctness) is not the main objective of the troops landing. The Australians had secured the area, and most of what was put ashore consists of engineer troops, construction materials and bulldozers. Indeed, Pongani had been chosen as the site for a new USAAF airbase. Its runways will be used less for fighter aircraft than for transports to redeploy the 126th Regiment of the 32nd US Division from Milne Bay to the north coast and to provide logistical support without further clogging Oro Bay.

Buna Pocket (Operation Postern, Phase 3) - Cynics say that the first casualty =of a battle is often the plan developed by the staff. While the assault on the Buna pocket has lasted eight days, it is clear that the main attack on the Triangle failed to break through. The Japanese defended themselves meter by meter and did not hesitate to counterattack.
The losses of the defenders remain higher than those of the attackers, but this does not affect the pugnacity of the Nipponese, visibly eager to die to the last man. On the other side, the Westerners are shocked by this attitude and the men show signs of concern.
The senior officers, veterans of the trench warfare, are faced with a question that they have already experienced. How to raise the morale of their troops? There is no carrot available, so the stick is all that is left. The increase in the number of cases of reluctance to go to the line leads to the multiplication of disciplinary sanctions. Even more serious,
the number of proven cases of self-harm has increased. In response, military doctors were asked to closely examine all suspected injuries. An injured person who is convinced that he or she has disabled himself would be found guilty of abandoning his post and desertion in the face of the enemy. In wartime, it is a court martial and a sentence that could go as far as a firing squad.
Fortunately, not all the news is so bad. To the south, General Eather's 25th Brigade has broken through and his troops are moving up toward Giropa Point.
General Vasey decides to change his mind. The 21st Brigade was to reinforce the attack on the Triangle once the breakthrough was achieved. As the breakthrough is not forthcoming, General Potts goes to reinforce the troops fighting on the Old Strip to constitute a second axis of penetration into the Triangle, with the objective of joining with Wootten's 18th Brigade to cut the pocket in two.

 

[Wings]

March 21st, 1943

Attu - In the evening, Canadians and Americans join atop the ridges separating Chichagof Harbor and Massacre Valley. The fighting ends. The Allies have taken 29 prisoners. However, the recapture of Attu is not officially announced until the following day.

 

[Wings]

March 21st, 1943

Nanjing - Zhou Fohai receives instructions from Dai Li thanks to the radio set he had installed at his home (with the approval of Japanese officers convinced that he wanted to personally spy on nationalist communications). The plan concerning Wang is well underway: he had to bribe the driver of Li Shiqun, the head of security of the collaborationist regime, to have his official car serviced at a certain garage. Li is an old comrade of Zhou's, but the two men have become rivals since their move to the pro-Japanese camp, and Zhou readily agrees to facilitate his elimination.
.........
In Cairo, Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, who have just arrived in Egypt at the head of an important delegation to take part in the interallied conference known as Sextant, are being held aware of these underground maneuvers, although they affect to know nothing of it.

 

[Wings]

March 21st, 1943

Spring awakening
Re-supplied and rearmed, the four improvised German groups set off.
- The 6. Panzer finally launches itself against Starokonstantinov with all the motorized elements of the 4th Hungarian Corps, the rest following as it can. The city itself is defended only by the 4th Guards Army, a weakened formation but which still has about twenty tanks and self-propelled guns. Due to the lack of aerial reconnaissance, General Walther von Hünersdorff (of the 6. Panzer) is unaware that General Muzychenko had received formal orders not to defend the city but to continue his withdrawal to the east. Only delaying elements chose to stay in order to allow the rest of the troops to gain time.
- The other German-Hungarian grouping converted its columns to the south, the 24. Panzer in the lead of the Hungarian 7th Corps, to defend Kamenets-Podolski. Von Hauenschild is not unaware that the city is already under attack by the Soviets, but the OKH is confident in the garrison's ability to hold out. However, it is necessary to drive almost eighty kilometers along the railroad line from Proskurov to Kamenets-Podolski.
- Things are more complex for the other PanzerDivisions.
The three other divisions of Werner Kempf (the 5., 8. and 23. Panzer) are moving on the road from Derazhnya to Zhmerinka [Jmerynka]. If this city is held by the 17. Armee, the road will be long and will certainly attract enemy aircraft.
It is even worse for Rudolf Schmidt, whose 2., 4. and 7. Panzer left Letichev and take the direct route to Vinnitsa via Litin. Schmidt knows that the Soviets have the rest of their forces in this sector and that he will certainly drive in a hornet's nest But the orders are very clear: Vinnitsa must fall before the ground turns into a quagmire for several months. The Luftwaffe receives the order to devote the last missions that it can still accomplish to the support of the operation.

2nd Ukrainian Front
Battle of Kamenets-Podolski
The battle begins with a German artillery bombardment on the positions of the 16th Soviet Army.
The garrison is made up of the 321. ID (General Wilhelm Thomas), recently transferred from occupied Europe with almost full strength and reinforced by some pro-German Ukrainian elements firmly determined not to fall into Soviet hands. The roads from Kamenets all lead north, with the exception of a single road leading to Khotin, twenty kilometers to the southwest. To the east and south of the city, a series of hills and forested areas crossed by a few north-south oriented streams can slow down the attackers, and it is precisely from these two directions that the Soviets arrive from these two directions.
Generals Lukin and Korovnikov have gathered as many troops as possible. In all, they already have five infantry divisions around the city (four others are still scattered on the roads) and the equivalent of an artillery brigade. The plan is simple: to gain a foothold on the heights, crush the city under artillery fire and push the Germans to flee to the north.
The first step is launched in the morning. The 16th Army advances east of Kamenets and captures the villages of Kul'chiyevtsy [Kul'chiivtsi], Kalinya [Kalynya], Borishkovtsy [Boryshkivtsi] and Kolubayevtsy [Kolubaivtsi]. In the south, the 59th Army reaches Panevtsy [Panivsti] and the surrounding forest. Faced with the number of objectives to be treated, the German artillery concentrates its fire on the forest of Panevtsy: the shrapnel and pieces of trees raised by the ammunition wound a large number of Soviets and delay their advance. But this gives time to Lukin's forces to set up their own batteries in the conquered villages and to shell the German positions in turn.
At sunset, infantry detachments infiltrate the village of Muksha Barishkovetskaya* and reach a small stream parallel to the Smotrich River. Another detachment equipped with a few light anti-tank guns takes position on the road to Khotin, west of Panevtsy.

* Today it is part of the eastern part of Kamenets, near the present Zhovtneve.

 

[Wings]

March 21st, 1943

Siege of Odessa
On the bank of the Sukhoy liman (north-east of Odessa) - The clashes of the previous day have allowed the 24th Soviet ID, despite the losses suffered during the last fights - to break through the Romanian front between the Petrovka station and the Sukhoy liman. In the morning, it appears that a large Romanian formation, the size of a regiment, is locked in a pocket on the liman, in an obviously untenable position. The men can neither cross the liman nor stay there - that would be to accept an inexorable elimination. Moreover, General Ciuperca desperately needs them to defend Odessa. The Romanians decide to break through to join the bulk of their forces.
Their battle plan is simple and commensurate with their limited means: the weak of the Romanian garrison will try to counter-attack in the sector lost the day before, while the trapped soldiers will attack simultaneously on their side to link up.
But, under a sky entirely dominated by the VVS, the Romanians fail to coordinate their attacks...
"Captain Dimitri Aksonov commanded the Soviet troops occupying the narrow strip of land ranging from Odessa from the Sukhoy liman pocket. The men under his command were his infantry company, another company of the 24th ID whose officer had fallen the day before, and a section of the NKVD, which was content to guard a few burned isbas and to control the so-called road - a vague dirt road - which crossed the sector under its responsibility.
During the night, the two companies had dug a double trench forming a sort of U (open side towards the Soviet lines) around the area to be defended. The trench lines were not even continuous. However, the Soviets had Maxim machine guns and four M-37 (53K) 45 mm anti-tank guns, which were completely ineffective against the panzers, but still very usable against light tanks and other vehicles that the Romanians of Odessa were lining up. The 51st Army was notoriously the last to be allocated recent equipment, precisely because it was facing Romanians and the propaganda stated that they were "easy" opponents. Some days Dimitri dreamed of taking one of the Red Flag pencil pushers to the front line so that he could judge how "easy" the Romanians were.
Aksonov also had two powerful T-34s, three small T-50 Malyi Klim, a Ba-10 self-propelled gun and a reserve of mechanized infantry: in fact, three ZIS-5 trucks filled with soldiers.
Moreover, after eleven months of war, Aksonov was no longer an amateur, especially when it came to defending a square and he had not put all his eggs in one basket.
While he ostensibly positioned his troops in defense of the main position, he had also created his "No. 1 outpost. This ambush force, separate from the main position, was deployed around the ruins of an isba, a clump of trees, and the hedges that lined the pseudo-road through the area. Two trenches formed an L shape, one bordering the road, the other one cutting it, so as to be able to cross fire with devastating results. Each trench housed a platoon, equipped with a Maxim machine gun and a 45 mm anti-tank gun. This position was ideally placed to provide a nasty surprise for any force coming from Odessa.
Finally, Aksonov had one last asset: his radio. He could call bombers, artillery fire and reinforcements. And - a luxury unheard of a few months earlier - not only was he answered, but the promised help arrived.
.........
Dimitri Aksonov instinctively bent down as mortar fire broke out in front of the front line. The mechanics surrounding the T-34 tank repairman, well concealed by a camouflage net, reacted as he did. A little further on, NKVD men, surrounding an officer in a brown leather jacket, did not hesitate to throw themselves on the ground...the instinct of self-preservation. However, the shots were falling well in front of the first line.
Missed? No... A chemical fog was spreading rapidly, each shell creating more white smoke.
- Captain! Captain!
From inside the shelter, Corporal Tatyana Stepanovna's stressed voice rose to a high pitch.
- What's wrong?
- Comrade Captain, the first outpost reports enemy vehicles coming from Odessa. One R-2 and two R-1.
- Is that all?
Motionless on the threshold of the sandbag entrenchment, Dmitri Aksonov divided his attention between the front, now drowned by smoke, and the shelter where the "owl" was working between her field phones and his radio.
- There may be other vehicles behind, comrade captain, but lieutenant Popov can't see them.
- Tell Comrade Popov to stick to the plan and engage the Fascists at 1,000 meters. At this distance, the 45 mm guns could pierce 35 mm of armor, much more than the poor 15 mm of the R-2s.
- ... Ah, and call General Batov's headquarters to report an enemy attack.
- Yes, Comrade Captain.
With his ear to the ground, Aksonov waited for the cannon fire. They came in muffled, accompanied by more violent explosions.
- Targets neutralized, Comrade Captain.
A few minutes passed, and then Corporal Stepanovna sat down on her radio, scribbling quickly on her notebook.
- New enemies, same route! Four vehicles, three R-2s, one R-1. Lieutenant Popov said that they didn't seem to understand what was going on, they were following exactly the same road.
Aksonov shook his head... The columns of smoke rising from the wrecks of the Romanian machines were visible from here. A feint? The Romanians had no tanks to sacrifice.
- He should not take any chances. Tell Lieutenant Popov to engage at 1,500 meters!
The 45 mm shells could still pierce 22 mm of armor at that distance. Given the the weakness of the Romanian armor, it was enough.
The Soviet anti-tank fire was followed by new explosions. To the south-west, the black smoke became thicker. The "owl" confirmed, the four enemy tanks had been neutralized... unless I am mistaken - one or two of them would have been pushed back and not destroyed - that made seven in all. And without any casualties, too!
After a few minutes' pause, a telephone rang in the shelter. This time the call was from a frontline observer. Romanian infantry was attacking, this time from the pocket! And three R-2s were accompanying them.
Aksonov gave the order to engage the tanks at 1,500 m and to use fragmentation shells against the infantrymen. While his men began firing, he entered the dugout to speak directly with General Batov and confirm the enemy attack. The volume of fire was so high that he had to shout to be heard.
The first assault of the Romanian infantry was repulsed with light losses (including a Maxim machine gun and its servants).
The enemy then called in his artillery - very late, a coordination problem no doubt. The first salvo was brief: a simple adjustment shot which fell behind and to the right of the line, and just fifty meters in front of Aksonov's shelter. The second salvo - corrected - fell right on the main trench. Fortunately, most of the shells hit around the trenches and the soldiers who had huddled in the shelter were spared the shrapnel. Only a few unlucky ones were killed or wounded.
As the medics rushed to carry the wounded to the tent marked with a red cross, the sound of engines could be heard in the sky. Coming out of the shelter, the captain saw several twin-engine planes to the southeast. The direction they were coming from was already reassuring. Dimitri quickly identified three Pe-2s. Flying over the HQ, they continued towards the Romanian lines amidst flak bursts and bombed enemy positions before returning to their base, relayed by three other bombers.
On the ground, reinforcements arrived in the form of three STZ-5 artillery tractors and a ZiS-5 truck firing M-37 anti-tank guns. Since the main assault had targeted the position just in front of Aksonov's shelter, he had three guns placed nearby, the fourth was sent to the center, where the enemy had managed to reach the trenches. The captain also had his reserves moved forward.
The two T-34s had already reached the center of the device, and the infantrymen were still running to reinforce the trenches, when the Romanians started to attack again.
There were two more assaults, interspersed with artillery fire from both sides and VVS raids. More reinforcements arrived by truck and the Romanians realized that they would never get through."
...
After four hours of confrontation, the Romanians give up. They have lost more than 200 dead and 2,500 wounded, not to mention four R-2 light tanks and seven R-1 vehicles. The Soviet losses are light.
.........
Northwest of Odessa - The fighting looks like a repeat of the previous day. All Soviet attacks are stopped by a combination of automatic weapons and artillery.
Indeed, the Soviet batteries are unable to muzzle their German-Romanian opponents deployed in the urban areas of Odessa. For the moment, the Soviets try to respect the orders of the HQ, wishing to limit the destruction inside the city.
.........
"One of the main weapons used by the defenders of Odessa was mines. They were deployed en masse. Anti-tank devices were among the few effective weapons against the T-34 that the Romanians had (along with their heavy guns). As for the anti-personnel devices, they made it possible to improve the balance of power by the deaths they caused, but also by replacing the sentries and the defenders in the less sensitive areas.
The war of the sappers was particularly atrocious. In addition to the Romanian-made mines, the Odessa garrison had received numerous German mines of the Schu, Riegel, and especially the terrible S-mine, which the Americans nicknamed Bouncing Betty, the first "jumping" antipersonnel mine. In addition to the mines themselves the Romanian sappers tinkered with an original device. Starting from an anti-personnel mine trigger, from wires stretched at ground level and from a mortar flare, they made alarm bells that signaled and illuminated the Soviet units that were launching night attacks.
The density of the minefields was so great that the Soviets preferred to first bomb the ground in front of the Romanian trenches in the hope of detonating them, rather than trying a classical demining under the fire of the Romanian positions. In response, after each shelling, instead of simply reburying the unexploded mines, the Romanians placed anti-personnel devices around them to kill the opposing deminers. The Soviets, who used the same tactic, had to guard against stepping on a Russian mine by placing their own booby traps.
Both sides also booby-trapped wounded men left between the two lines to kill their comrades who tried to help them. It soon became so dangerous to advance into no-man's-land that the job of "mine-clearing" was entrusted to enemy prisoners who were sent to run through the minefields."

 

[Wings]

March 21st, 1943

Italian front - While continuing the siege of Orbetello, the 36th US-ID breaks through the peninsula thanks to the armoured elements that accompany it. Meanwhile, the 34th US-ID is still fighting around Manciano: it is counter-attacked by elements coming from the hills east of the city, but these counter-attacks are repelled thanks to the tanks of the 752nd Tank Btn. The CCA of the 1st US-AD continues to face the armoured tanks of the Hermann-Göring around Magliano in Toscana, but the Luftwaffe division is incited to caution by the news of the Texan division's breakthrough to the south.
On the Italian side, the most significant progress is made by the 82nd RI and the 75 mm Semovente of the 51st Motorized Rgt of the Trento Division, which approaches Gradoli. For its part, the Testa di Ferro finally penetrates the defensive position of the 252nd ID; it is fighting in the woods north of Farnese and no longer at the edge of the woods. On the other side of the lake, the German line is still holding against the two infantry divisions Friuli and Cremona. In Rome, the Italian government officially asks the Allied General Staff to support this attack, which is running out of steam. It is therefore decided to use the Folgore Division to give back some aggressiveness to the infantrymen engaged in the Orvieto sector. After discussion, it is decided to mobilize the 186th Parachute Regiment and place it under the command of the Cremona Division to try to force the decision.
For the French, it is a day of operational pause. General Kœltz decides to wait for the last elements of the 83rd DIA, the next day, before going back on the attack.
On the front of the British Xth Corps, the Germans occupying the hills controlling Cascia drop out. At the end of the day, the British of the 46th Infantry Division (46th ID) come back to the enemy's position but still do not take the town.
With more than a day's delay, the Grossdeutschland attacks at Accumoli. But this offensive fails because the 133rd Brigade of the 44th Infantry Division, in addition to being supported by its artillery, had been reinforced the day before by a Cheshire battalion and elements of the 57th Anti-Tank Rgt. Further east, the 5th Indian Division spends the day in cleaning operations.
Not far from the Adriatic, the British (or rather Canadian) ace George Beurling obtains his twenty-first victory (against a Fw 190) but then he is himself shot down by the Flak. He parachutes and is picked up on the ground by the South Africans. Wounded in the foot, he returns to England to be treated.

 

[Wings]

March 22nd, 1943

London - The reconnaissance of the day (and those of the following days) confirms the extent of the damage caused. In spite of everything, the Argos cell is maintained as it is. The shootings of the Fi 103 and A4 rockets, soon to be known under the propaganda names V1 and V2, show that the Germans are very close to mass production. If Peenemünde can practically be considered as unusable, the site is only ever a center of experimentation. Even if it ceases all activity (which is not possible), the production of destruction devices could easily be relocated, just as it is obvious that operational firing sites could appear in the following months, the distance separating the Baltic island from England prevents it from being an operational base. It is therefore necessary to redouble vigilance: the reconnaissance squadrons and the Resistance networks are alerted on this precise point.
.........
Berlin - On the German side, after the astonishment of some and the anger of the Chief, they will quickly ratify the production plans. The Heer and the Luftwaffe having shown some failures, SS Reichsführer Himmler takes advantage of the situation to get the most out of the fire by convincing Hitler to entrust him with the organization of the production of the A4 rocket, a task entrusted to the SS Obergruppenführer Pohl assisted by the SS Brigadeführer Dr. Kammler.
Göring keeps only the Fi 103, which Himmler considers less convincing.
The result of this SS control is the Dora factory, created in a concentration camp and with prisoners controlled or rather exploited by the SS. Its production is to begin in April 1944.

 

[Wings]

March 22nd, 1943

Wilhelmshafen - The port is attacked by 102 bombers. Rare success of an air-to-air bombing: a Bf 109 piloted by Lt Heinz Knoke succeeds in exploding its 250 kg bomb in the middle of a B-17 formation, one of which has a wing torn off.
Five other B-17s and five B-24s are shot down.

 

[Wings]

March 22nd, 1943

Mena House Hotel, Cairo, 11:00 - President Roosevelt arrived by plane via Tunis in the early morning. He will stay throughout the conference in the villa of Ambassador Kirk. After a quick briefing with General Marshall and some other representatives, he is now participating in the inaugural meeting of the Sextant Conference of the Sextant Conference of the Supreme Interallied Council (SIC). Interallied - the adjective is somewhat misleading, since only the British, the French and the Americans sit on it: political leaders of the three nations and their close associates, chiefs of staff of the various armed forces with their teams, and those in charge of structures (such as Admiral François Darlan, Commander of Combined Operations).
Admiral William Leahy (the President's Chief of Staff), proposes that General Alan Brooke (Chief of the General Staff of the British Empire) chair the meetings of the ISC for the duration of Sextant. General approval.
The first topic discussed concerns the actions to be taken in the Far East. From the outset, General Ismay (Churchill's military advisor), after recalling that the President, the Prime Minister and the President of the Council were to receive General Chiang Kai-shek the next day, proposes that the Supreme Interallied Council receive the latter at its meeting the day after tomorrow. The suggestion is accepted.
General George C. Marshall (Chief of Staff of the United States Army) then reads to the meeting a brief memorandum prepared by General William C. Crane, U.S. advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Chinese Army, Gen. Chen. This memorandum, the result of discussions between Chen and his three Western advisors (Crane, Wards and Mast), is entitled China's Role in the Defeat of Japan. It mentions eight operations or campaigns that could be organized in China with the help of the Allies in order to accelerate the defeat of Japan.
The first four are already underway: (a) Assist General Wavell's South East Asia Command in its operations in Burma; (b) Develop the Burma Road and internal communications in China;(c) to improve the quality of the men and armament of the National Revolutionary Army; (d) Bombing Japan with long-range bombers of the ROCAF or CATF.
Four others are in the planning stage (or wishful thinking...): (e) Reconquering Canton and Hong Kong (between March and December 1944); (f) Bomb Formosa, prevent Japanese use of the Formosa Straits and South China Sea, and provide air bases to support US Navy activities in the area (during 1944); (g) Attack Formosa (late 1944 or early 1945); (h) Attack Shanghai (March 1945).
These operations would not compete with other theaters of operation for specialized equipment and would allow for the promotion of activities carried out elsewhere. They could bring the estimated defeat of Japan a year or even two years from the date (during 1946) estimated at the Quadrant Conference, held a few months earlier in Canada.
General Chen and his Western advisors are unanimous in their request to continue the supply of arms to China and request the dispatch of two other American infantry divisions (in addition to General Wedemeyer's 41st US-ID) by September.
After reading the memorandum, General Marshall recommendsthat it be studied, by the next day's meeting, "by the British and American Chiefs of Staff". "And French!" General Noguès adds, and no one contradicts him, despite the small size of French forces in the Asia-Pacific theater. The recommendation is adopted.
On a joint Franco-British proposal, General Brooke opens the debate on relations between the ISC and the representatives of the USSR and China. "The ISC should accept the principle of participation of Chinese and Soviet representatives in the discussions," Marshall says with conviction. Last month, the Moscow conference, with the Five Nations Declaration, paved the way. Generalissimo Chiang has already indicated that he thought it natural that a Chinese military representative sit on the ISC, and he has no doubt that Stalin would agree with him as far as the USSR is concerned. This would facilitate the development of relations of mutual understanding with the USSR and China and would probably make our Soviet partners understand what a multi-front world war is, compared to the one they are waging on a single front, however long it may be, while the Chinese are only doing local actions."
However, the prejudices of many Allied officers about the Red Army and the NRA did not disappear. And Admiral Emmanuel Ollive (Chief of Staff of the French Navy) raises two practical questions: "The participation of our Soviet and Chinese allies would turn the tripartite ISC into a five-component structure.
We all know how complicated it can be at times to get along between representatives of three pavilions [various movements and small laughter around the table], so with two more! On the other hand, let's not forget that the Soviets are not at war with Japan and that the Chinese have maintained contacts with Germany until the latter declared war on the United States...
It would therefore seem to me, let us say, inappropriate for either of us to be present at all our deliberations concerning the two major theaters of operations."
Moreover, according to General Ismay, "We have seen no indication from the Soviets that they want permanent representation in the Supreme Allied Council."
Admiral Leahy then suggests that the Chinese and Soviets be invited during the present conference only to the ISC discussions concerning the theatres of operation in which they are involved. Of course, in the future, the presence of the Soviets will be desired to coordinate their actions with those of the Western Allies on the European front - especially during a forthcoming landing in France. Air Marshall Charles Portal agrees, indicating that this would also be the case should Turkey enter the war or should the Allied forces succeed in breaking through in the Balkans.
It is decided that, until further notice, Chinese and Soviet representatives would be invited to meetings dealing with matters directly concerning them, and only to those. The meeting is then closed.
.........
Residence of President Roosevelt, Cairo, 14:00 - The President of the United States takes his ease in the private residence of the American ambassador. While he is in Egypt, therefore in the British zone of influence, it is he who, under the pretext of his handicap, will recieve the leaders of the other allied countries present in Cairo as if he were the host of the conference.
First of all, Prime Minister Winston Churchill comes after lunch to enjoy a very good coffee (with some alcohol) and exchange friendships of all kinds. But, the new French President of the Council, the famous "Président du Conseil", is at the center of the conversation.
President of the French Council, this famous General! "A general at the head of a democracy, is that really... democratic, Mr. Prime Minister?" asks the President, with a worried look on his face...who would not be unhappy if he did not have to deal too often with the united front of his two main European allies.
- Oh, De Gaulle is undoubtedly very pretentious. But not to the point of being dangerous. The admirable survival of fighting France is due in part to his fiery speeches. Obviously, it would not be necessary that this kind of words turn into a demagogic proclamation. Nevertheless, at the present time, I have no complaints about him, nor about what he has done at the French Ministry of Defense.
Presidential fears do not seem to have been allayed: "The man may be honest, but he has messianic tendencies. He believes he has the people of France behind him, which I doubt. The people of France are for the moment under Hitler's boot and no one can say who he supports. And in these troubled times, I tend to mistrust European providential men.
Such distrust is well known in England: "It's true that in London, we have no desire to see that once we have got rid of Hitler, a new Napoleon will appear", admits the Prime Minister with a smile.
- As my Secretary of State used to say, making a big deal of preventing a Marshal from taking power and finally offering it to a half-general, that's really loving revolutions, that's very French!" laughs Roosevelt.
Criticism and even more anti-French mockery is always appreciated in Albion, but Churchill seems to be stung by this outburst: "Make no mistake, Mr. President, if in June 1940, France, instead of continuing the struggle, had given power to Marshal Pétain and asked for an armistice, the situation would be very different from the one we are living now. I can only hope that England, alone, could have held out! Cairo, where we are now, would perhaps have become a battlefield. And in spite of all the possible reservations and criticisms of De Gaulle, he had a lot to do with the French decision, I have lived it! And I will not forget it.
"Decidedly," Roosevelt muses as his visitor takes his leave, "the English bulldog still has such a strong character..."
.........
Residence of President Roosevelt, Cairo, 15:30 - It is precisely the new President of the French Council, Charles De Gaulle, who succeeds Churchill at the American president's residence. "He is more impressive in uniform than in civilian clothes, the jacket makes him look gauche," the President says with amusement, before making the effort to rise from his
chair to greet the Frenchman with a dazzling smile.
The interview that follows goes excellently... from Roosevelt's point of view! Indeed, what do they all have to say in praise of this De Gaulle? Here is a very harmless man.
They say he speaks well in his native language, but the most approximate English in which he declaims banal formulas with great conviction and his cheap suit, which is a little too small, amuse the President a lot and almost make him forget that he starts to feel more and more tired for nothing.
Finally, the hour turns and he is not so good company... The General, as they say, can now leave. If he continues on this way, he will be a pleasant partner, really undemanding!
It is a vexed, even irritated De Gaulle who climbed back into his Vivastella.
Churchill was entitled to coffee, Chiang, who was soon to arrive, was entitled to tea and France had the right to... a digestive walk! "Is something wrong, Mr. President?" asks Geoffroy de Courcel, his orderly, surprised by the sullen expression of the new President of the Council.
- Nothing Courcel! Let's go!" mumbles De Gaulle, pushing aside the arm of the American butler who wanted to open the door for him. He settles down straight as an I on the bench and slams the door loudly.
"The General was well aware that Roosevelt had made fun of him - and therefore of France! - that afternoon. For his part, he had not known, I think, how to dance with the President of the United States, whom he had never met face-to-face. The frowning attitude that he was to adopt in the following days can be explained by this episode." (G. Chodron de Courcel, op. cit.)
.........
President Roosevelt's residence, Cairo, 17:00 - It's tea time, and with whom to have tea, if not with a Chinese? For an hour, the President and the Generalissimo will exchange polite but meaningful banalities. It is a question to prepare, through allusions and innuendo, the next negotiations, both on the role of China within the Allies - which Chiang Kai-shek wants to be a major player of - as well as on American aid to the former Middle Kingdom - which the President for Life welcomes with gratitude, but which he thinks could be increased - or on the organization of the Chinese state - which the three times elected President is happy to see the progress of, but which he thinks could still be improved...

President Roosevelt's Residence, Cairo, 20:00 - Tonight, President Roosevelt, surrounded by his advisers Harry Hopkins and Admiral Leahy, receives at dinner some of America's friends and allies "in a cordial atmosphere, for familiar, friendly discussions", said the press release of the press service of the Presidency, never stingy with redundancies and empty phrases. The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the CiC South-East Asia, General Wavell, on the one hand, and the President of the Council Charles de Gaulle and Admiral Darlan on the other...
This is yet another thorn in De Gaulle's side in his efforts to make France's voice heard, the head of Combined Operations sometimes - too often, according to the General - sided with the side of the Americans or the British.
The main topic of discussion this evening is the future of international concessions in China, in particular Hong Kong and Kouang-Tchéou Wan (Guangzhou Wan), the content of the agreement signed with Chiang on this subject and the plans of the French and British concerning their post-war presence in China. Questions that Churchill and the British consider to be annoying by Churchill as well as by De Gaulle, who will see Alan Brooke arrive with relief at 21:00, to prepare the next day's ISC conference, where Chinese representatives would be present. That evening, Wavell explains in advance his needs and plans for the Burma campaign, where the Allies had just had a success, but where it will be necessary to go on the offensive!

 

[Wings]

March 22nd, 1943

Stockholm - The government of Per Halbin Hansson officially announces that his country is ready to welcome all Danish Jews on its soil. In fact, many of them are already there.
The others are soon to arrive, thanks to hundreds of boats of all kinds and thousands of good wills.

 

[Wings]

March 22nd, 1943

Buna pocket (operation Postern, phase 3)
After a fierce preparation by the air force, the Australians attack the plantation of Duropa with the support of all available armoured vehicles. The fighting is long and fierce.
Surrounded, the Japanese resist for a long time but succumb one after the other.

 

[Wings]

March 22nd, 1943

Pearl Harbor, Anchorage and Dutch Harbor - The American staffs must now decide what to do about Kiska, which remains in Japanese hands. Nimitz's team would prefer... to do nothing. The Japanese of Kiska are not troublesome, they even serve as a training target for the planes based in the Aleutian Islands. But for Buckner, it's a different tune: Kiska is American territory, it's essential to chase the Japs away!
.........
Kure, Tokyo - The Japanese naval mobilization is cancelled. At Yamamoto's headquarters, there is a sigh of relief. The head of the Combined Fleet explained this very clearly to his theoretical superior, Admiral Nagano, in a letter delivered by a liaison officer.
"It would have been clumsy, useless and even dangerous to come to the aid of the troops occupying the Aleutian Islands in force, even dangerous," Yamamoto explains in substance. "The strategic interest of these islands is real, hence our attempt, but it is limited and we must not give up the prey for the shadow. Do we want another East Solomons campaign, with the wear and tear it has put on our forces? Certainly not! This time we almost lost the Zuiho, and I can only hope that the Andaman Sea operation will go smoothly.
We must not lose sight of the essential point: the hour of the Decisive Battle that we have always wanted is approaching. We have established a defensive curtain that the enemy can only break by engaging the bulk of his forces in tactical conditions that are favorable to us. At that moment, the Imperial Navy must be able to inflict a defeat that will force him to negotiate a peace that will be favorable to us!
Under these conditions, the loss of two icy islets is of secondary interest. We must resolve to abandon them, while rejoicing that the enemy devotes to their conquest and to their occupation of considerable forces which should be lacking elsewhere."
Yamamoto speaks well of two islets, for the affair of Kiska must evidently be considered as a dead end. This is why, from this moment, an evacuation operation will be set up, with the help of the submarines of the 6th Fleet.