France Fights On (English Translation) - Thread II - To the continent!

[Wings]

June 16th, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Death Valley - Hard fighting continues, but there is good news!
In the east, thanks to strong air support, the 4th Marines manage to take the vast majority of the Kagman peninsula - only a few positions on Mount Kagman are still holding out. Here too, many caves have to be cleared. So we go in, as if it were something normal. We drop an explosive charge or fragmentation grenades at the entrance to the cave, or, if the Marines are feeling really nervous, phosphorous grenades - in a confined space, the effects are... frightening. Occasionally, one or two Japanese pretend to surrender. The Marines advance cautiously and discover that they are carrying a stick of dynamite or a grenade.
In the center, the entire 27th Infantry (except the 105th Rgt) is engaged in the middle of the Japanese fortifications. They are fighting on Mount Tapotchau and in Death Valley, which bears its name to perfection.
However, both the 27th Infantry and the Marines manage to limit their losses to less than 500 a day. This figure is four to five times higher for the Japanese.
But General Holland Smith, noting that the Army has suffered far fewer casualties than the Marines from the start, is furious and asks General Ralph Smith to be more aggressive! Smith refuses to suffer unnecessary losses and points out that his forces are much smaller than those of the Marines. In the end, thanks to the eradication of the south-eastern pocket, Ralph Smith is kept in his post by the more senior Smith, but it was a close call...
.........
Since the start of the operation, the number of Japanese soldiers taken prisoner can be counted on the fingers of one hand. But there are other inhabitants on Saipan. An American soldier recounts: "Throughout the campaign, we took prisoners. However, they were rarely Japanese. Instead, they were Korean or Chamorro workers, both men and women, who worked on the sugar cane plantations and in the power stations. The Chamorros were the original population of the island, while the Koreans were employed as forced labourers. They would come up to us, hands in the air, smiling and bowing. The Koreans would say in broken English: "I'm Korean, not Japanese". The captured Japanese were civilians. According to Japanese tradition, the men were the dominant members of the family. Several times, as we tried to feed captured women and children, a man pushed them and demanded to be fed first. A few rifle butts to the stomach soon made them change this habit."
There are also tragedies, some of them surprising: "Once, a captured Japanese woman came up to me. She was crying and hit me on the arm, pointing to my pack. I didn't know what she wanted until an interpreter explained that she was begging for water and food for her baby. She pointed to a wicker basket containing a newborn baby. It was dead. The interpreter explained that she wasn't crazy, and I couldn't refuse her what she was asking for. She put the food in the basket so that her baby would have enough strength for the journey to find her ancestors."
The physical condition of many of the civilians is pitiful. "They seemed to have all the diseases of the tropics: leprosy, dengue fever, yaws and even a few cases of elephantiasis. Most of them were as thin as skeletons and hadn't eaten for days. Many were suffering from the shock of relentless bombardment and fear, not knowing what was going to be done with them. Civilians trapped in a war they didn't want...".
Caves can also hide surprises! "We arrived in a cavern divided into large chambers. It was an infirmary, with an operating table, medical equipment, surgical instruments and so on. The instruments were made of top-quality German surgical iron. When the regimental doctors were informed of this find, it was only a matter of time before they fought to get it to their units!"

Malaya Campaign
Operation Stoker
Dumai (Sumatra) - This port and its oil terminal, although no longer used very much, are still, according to the British, very important in terms of supplies for the Japanese. As the bombings had so far had a limited impact, it is decided to mine the passes leading to the port. During the night and the following nights, the Beauforts of Sqn 60 and 217 carry out this mission.
The Japanese react by trying to clear the mines with varying degrees of success, losing several ships, but the end result is to neutralize access to Dumai. Oil has to pass through Palembang. As for supplies going up, the ships would have to venture further north and their cargo would have to cross the whole island by road.


Operation Mary
East coast of Malaya - A new double night raid is carried out by the Wellingtons and Halifaxes against the ports of Cukai and Kuantan. Due to poor aiming, several projectiles fall on the town but, by a stroke of luck, two of them hit the bridge over the Kuantan estuary directly. As isthe case with many towns in this sector that come under fire from the RAF, the following day sees an exodus of inhabitants to the countryside, at least those who were lucky enough not to be 'relocated' by the Japanese.

 

[Wings]

June 17th, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Death Valley - Japanese resistance begins to break down. The methodical American assaults break through the front in several places, even in Death Valley. But the Japanese are still defending vigorously and for the moment the Americans are unable to exploit their local successes.
On the left, the 2nd Marines pull off a major coup: the capture of Mount Tapotchau, from which the Japanese had been brilliantly directing their artillery since the start of the campaign. A coup de main by the 8th Rgt clears the summit, where the Star-Spangled Banner is planted in the late afternoon.
In the center, the 105th and 106th Rgt of the 27th Infantry continue to advance into Death Valley, but with a different strategy. Rather than trying to control the valley, the most direct route to the north of the island, the Army attacks the hills, which are less defended. This tactic works very well - by the evening, the New York has made good progress.

Malaya Campaign
Operation Mary
Medan - Infiltrating from the south, i.e. inland, several groups of Mitchells, each escorted by a finger four from the 80th FG, arrive to attack the various bridges and engineering structures between Medan and Langsa. Hidden until the last moment by the hills and avoiding the towns and their air bases, the maneuver takes the Japanese by surprise, and they are generally only able to witness the damage. However, a group of Ki 43s from the 24th Sentai manages to shoot down a B-25, whose crew are taken prisoner by collaborators before being handed over to the soldiers of the 4th Division, which hold the whole of the north of the island.

Submarine warfare
Borneo - The French submarine Sidi-Ferruch makes waves again to the west of the Tambelan Islands when, at nightfall, it places two torpedoes on the Eiji Maru, which was returning home with its holds full - and not just of goods. Despite the rapid arrival of an ASW escort, the French submarine dives away unmolested.
After an hour of agony, the ship capsizes, leaving many Japanese sailors in the water, at the mercy of the sharks, but unfortunately taking dozens of prisoners of war with her.

 

[Wings]

June 18th, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Death Valley - The Americans decide to rest a little. The day therefore marks a pause in operations. A partial pause: there is still fighting all around Death Valley, where the New York continues to advance methodically from hill to hill, always trying to minimise its losses.

Malaya Campaign
Operation Stoker
Lhokseumawe, 11:00 - Two dozen Spitfires V and VIII from Sqn 132 and 152 appear on the horizon to challenge the Ki-43s of the 24th Sentai. But shortly afterwards, coming from another direction, Liberators and their escort of P-38s (449th and 459th FS) attack the airfields and airstrips around the city. They leave without casualties, leaving behind a spectacle of desolation.
At that moment, the Lightnings spot Ki-43s heading south-east, some of them trailing a plume of smoke. Up to that point, the Japanese had been fairly satisfied with their engagement, having shot down at least two British aircraft against three of their own. But then those devilish Americans come out of the sun! The Japanese lose three more aircraft; only one P-38 is damaged, but it makes it back to Campbell Bay on one engine. For the British, F/O Misseldine scored his third victory and for the Americans, it was Major Glenn's ninth.

 

[Wings]

June 19th, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Death Valley - General Saito notices that the situation of his troops is getting worse. While Death Valley continues to hold in the center, in the west the 2nd Marines, thanks to control of Mount Tapotchau, reach the southern outskirts of Garapan, the island's main town. The American artillery totally annihilated the town, to eliminate any risk of urban fighting and any places where the Japanese could set up ambushes.
To the east, the 4th Marines begins to envelop the Valley's positions, although they are stopped by a ridge dubbed "Purple Heart Ridge" by the Americans. Determined not to risk most of his men, who are fighting in the Valley, being surrounded, Saito orders the preparation of a final defensive line in the north of the island, anchored to the west on Garapan and following the terrain of the northernmost hills.

Malaya Campaign
Operation Mary
Kuala Terengganu - Halifax and Wellington bomb the 77th Sentai's airfield once again. While all hell is breaking loose, nobody notices a few kilometres away that the island in the estuary, in the heart of the city, had been marked by Mosquito Pathfinders from Sqn 45. In fact, a group of Wellingtons from the 1st BVAS dropped their bombs on this area, actually targeting the bridges. While the airfield suffers a great deal (the wrecks of a dozen aircraft could be counted), the aiming at the estuary was more problematic, as only one of the bombs hit one of the bridges. The bombers return without casualties.

Operation Begonia - As soon as the warning sirens sound, the pilots of the 87th Sentai rush to their aircraft. However, the intruders are so high up that the IJA airmen have to watch the gigantic four-engined planes pass overhead without being able to do anything. The target of the B-29s of the 40th, 444th, 462nd and 468th BGs, which had left Mandalay, is Palembang, or more precisely its oil terminal on the estuary. The terminal is hit by numerous projectiles, causing further damage. Sumatra's crude oil production capacity, already close to zero, is not about to improve.

Indochina Campaign
Mines
North-east of Hon Dau lighthouse - Maritime traffic to Vietnam has become rare. In 1942, the South China Sea was transformed into a sort of Japanese Mare Nostrum, but today, Indochina, almost entirely liberated from the occupying forces, is not really the most popular destination for Japanese merchant ships.
The Sugiyama Maru is one of the last to supply the "North Vietnamese Empire". Escorted by the torpedo boat IJN Sagi, it enters the minefield laid by the French B-25s shortly after midday. An explosion shakes the cargo ship, which lifts its bow before falling back in a gush of foam.
On board the Sagi, immediate attempts are made to locate a periscope. But the lookouts are adamant that the sea is empty all the way to the horizon. Moreover, no torpedoes had been sighted. The commander of the small torpedo boat has been informed that another ship had been lost in a similar way, in the same area. He doesn't believe it is a coincidence.
However, on the Sugiyama Maru, the ingress of water proves impossible to control. Although all the watertight doors had been closed, the hull and internal bulkheads had been twisted and cracked over almost a third of the cargo ship. It is sinking faster and faster. With no other options, the sailors begin to pile into the lifeboats to avoid sharing the fate of the dying ship.
Unwilling to engage further in what is probably a minefield, the Sagi's commander has the ship stopped while he collects the survivors from the Sugiyama Maru. He also sends a message to naval HQ in Haiphong describing the destruction of the freighter. Once the lifeboats have been taken in tow, the Sagi leaves these dangerous waters for the nearest Chinese port.

Haiphong - The tiny staff of the IJN in Haiphong shares the Sagi's commander's conclusions. The immoral Colonisers prefer to attack the Imperial Navy by laying cowardly traps rather than fighting head-on like samurai, but what else can we expect from these despicable gaijin?
Somewhat reassured by this initial conclusion, the sailors then go to listen to someone who could pass for a mining specialist in this third-rate position. In other words, a chief ammunition officer who has already dealt with this type of weapon.
The naval officer thinks that the mines had been laid by a submarine, probably a French one. In his mind, they are obviously orin mines, floating between two waters and weighted down by a toad. To get rid of them, the area would have to be swept with float-sweepers and toad-cutters. However, while the French did have this type of equipment at Haiphong, they sabotaged everything they could. In any case, there is a shortage of ships and, above all, specialists.
The Nipponese begin by sending a message in code to Singapore, but the response, although it arrives very quickly, is negative. They do have light minesweepers and specialised equipment, but these ships are too valuable to risk within range of enemy bombers, which could undoubtedly take off from Saigon if they saw them go by.
We have to fall back on Manila. This time, the person in charge is more understanding, especially as the Manila-Haiphong route does not involve passing close to an enemy-held coastline.

 

[Wings]

June 20th, 1944
Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Towards Garapan - Major success for the American forces! The New York is finally able to capture the "Death Pocket", a pocket that had been holding out for several days. Thanks to its new tactic of jumping from hill to hill, the division was able to overcome this salient that had caused them so many problems. The road through Death Valley is now clear.
To the west, the Marines have more trouble. Garapan is devastated, but the resistance is more than fierce: the Japanese fight for every ruin. On more than one occasion, the air force is called in to crush them all, but this only seems to create more holes to hide more Japanese.
The 8th Marines, after their stunning attack on the Tapotchau three days earlier, come up against a new obstacle: the "Four Pimples", four small hills that seem very small compared to the mountain... The good news, however, is that after the Tapotchau, the Tipo Pale mountain fell in the morning, which removes a thorn from the 2nd Marines' side.

Malaya Campaign
Operation Stoker
Langsa - As three days earlier, the B-25s based in the Andaman operate in small groups, arriving at low altitude, in search of bridges and engineering structures on the coastal plain between Langsa and Lhokseumawe. A diversionary operation is launched by the 1st ACG to draw enemy fighters away from the axes of penetration of the Mitchells, which nevertheless remain covered by the "Jugs" of the 80th FG. A Mustang is lost to a Ki-43, but the bridges and other targets are all hit to varying degrees, with no loss to the twin-engined aircraft or their escorts.

Port Blair - With the end of the campaign in Indochina, the American base in the north of the island now hosts the redeployment of the 10th Air Force. With the arrival of Liberators from the 9th and 493rd BS, the entire 7th Bomber Group will now be operating under Stoker. The Air Force keeps all the Mustangs and almost all the Mitchells in Indochina (except the 490th and 491st BSs). For logistical reasons, the 1st ACG will soon be re-equipped with P-47s. Eventually, therefore, there will be only P-51s (French and American) on the continent, while the P-47s will operate exclusively in the Indian Ocean.

Sino-Japanese war
Operation Blue Lotus
Guangzhou - Baiyun airport and the satellite airfields have seen an unusual level of activity since the early hours of the morning: first the P-39 and P-51 fighters and the B-25 bombers of the Public Force Air Component land, followed by the Lodestar transports; the Piper Cub observation aircraft, with a shorter range, arrive in the afternoon after a series of short hops. In accordance with the agreements reached a few days earlier, Operation Blue Lotus is launched. As a first step, the CAFP is transferred from Tonkin, where it was no longer needed, to take part in future battles to liberate Hong Kong.
It is not a very impressive reinforcement from a strictly quantitative point of view (74 aircraft... in theory), but the reputation of the Force Publique is well established in Asia, and above all its presence (even before the arrival of the French!) enables Chiang Kai-shek to remind the Americans and the British that they are not China's only allies. The aircraft with the gold star on an azure background are welcomed with great pomp: the Generalissimo has sent his son Jingguo to represent him. When he reviews the hastily assembled section of honour, the Belgian airmen exclaim "Chiang!" in unison, which the Generalissimo takes as a mark of homage... as it was.
.........
- The Mahenge Regiment, 1st Rgt of the CAFP, has 24 P-51 Mustang II (NA-89).
- The Tabora Regiment, 2nd Rgt of the CAFP, has 12 P-51 Mustang IC [NA-92] (Escadrille 2A) and 12 P-39 Airacobra (Escadrille 2B).
- The Capitaine Edmond Thieffry Regiment, 3rd Rgt of the CAFP, is equipped with 12 B-25 Mitchells (3A Flight, bombing), 6 Lockheed Lodestars (3B Flight, transport) and 8 Piper Cub (3C Flight, liaison and observation).
The figures given are obviously approximate, but the Belgians always managed, with the (duly paid) help of the Americans or the French, to prevent any of their units from disappearing for lack of aircraft.

 

[Wings]

June 21st, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Garapan - The 6th Marines (2nd US-MD) attack "Flame Tree Hill", a small hill overlooking Garapan. Like in previous days, resistance is fierce! But the Americans have a plan.
Following their usual modus operandi, they recite the classic sequence: aerial bombardment, artillery barrage, spraying of the flanks of the hill with mortars and machine guns, and finally laying a smoke screen with mortars, before a short pause. At this point, the Japanese charge, because normally, once the smoke screen had been laid, the Marines are right behind, ready to pounce. But not today.
Today, the Japanese are surprised to discover that there is no one behind the smoke. That's when the air shudders, before massive explosions shake the entire hill. It isn't an assault, but American heavy artillery bombarding them copiously, supported by heavy mortar and MG fire! The Japanese, caught in the open, are massacred. The survivors find refuge in the caves, but too late. The 6th Rgt does not need much effort to clear what remains, well supported by the M3 flame-throwing tanks.
In the center, progress becomes easier with the fall of the "Death Valley Pocket". The 25th Marines Rgt seize Purple Heart Ridge, which frees up a good proportion of the units of the 4th US-MD, which is able to entrust cover of its flank to the New York. It should arrive the next day at the level of the 4th Division's positions, just as Japanese resistance seems to be crumbling in Death Valley.
In fact, the Japanese evacuated the Valley towards their last line of defence.

Malaya Campaign
Operation Mary
Kuala Lumpur - For once, the Beauforts of Sqn 60 and 217 take part in Operation Mary, going out at night to mine the channels leading to the port. Despite the reinforcements of minesweepers from Singapore, traffic between the Malaysian port and Dumai, on the other side of the Strait of Malacca, will slow down enormously. Sumatra's 1,700 kilometres of coastline are divided into two sectors, each with its own independent rail network. Palembang supplies the southern half of the island and Dumai is the gateway for supplies to the northern half from Malaysia. The Japanese would therefore have to send all their supplies south - safer for their freighters, but a real logistical nightmare - or continue their current grazing operations (east coast of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Dumai, Medan) under threat from Allied aircraft, submarines and minefields.

Southern Burma - The Wachaung airstrips, which were used to land the Chindits by air during Operation Hatchet/Black Prince, have been developed and are now home to the first Beaumonts of the 3rd and 4th BVAS. Their previous base, Ye, was further away and the new positioning of these 'Bristol Beauties' squadrons will extend their range of action. Japanese navigation to supply Malaya and Sumatra becomes increasingly complicated.

Operation Iceberg
Darwin - For several days, there has been a high level of ASW activity around Darwin and in the Beagle Gulf. This is because the Franco-British task forces are about to set sail for a new series of strikes on Java and Sumatra: Operation Iceberg. For this new cruise, the newcomer Indefatigable sails with her twin, Implacable, as part of TF-57.2, while the other component of the Eastern Fleet, TF-57.1, takes over the heavy cruiser London. For their part, the French move up towards Trincomalee with the Indomitable under their command and the Dutch ships of the ABDAF, which change assignment. The composition of the squadrons is as follows:
- TF-57.1 (RN): CV Illustrious and Victorious, BB King George V, CLAA Charybdis and Spartan, CA Sussex and London, CL Gloucester, Gambia and Mauritius, DD Marne, Matchless, Ulster, Urchin, Tartar and Zulu.
- TF-57.2 (RN): CV Implacable and Indefatigable, BB Duke of York, BC Renown, CLAA Argonaut and Bellona, CA Norfolk and Suffolk, CL Bermuda and Newcastle, DD Bedouin, Mahratta, Mashona, Meteor, Venus and Vigilante.
- TF-100 (MN/RN/RDN): CV Jean-Bart and Indomitable, BB Richelieu, CA Algérie, CLAA Marseillaise and Primauguet, CL HNLMS Sumatra, DD HNLMS Tjerk Hiddes, Van Galen, Van Ghent and Witte de With, DDT MN Bison, Le Foudroyant and Le Hardi, DD MN Chacal, Jaguar, Lynx and Panthère.
With these departures and the autonomisation of most of the Royal Australian Navy under APACS, the ABDAF is no more than a shadow of its former self. Everyone feels that it has had its day, basking in the glory of a critical period. It is time to move on to other, more offensive types of operation*.

Sino-Japanese War
Operation Long Jing (Dragon's Well)
Canton - Twenty-four hours after the Belgians, it is the turn of the French to arrive by air. Today, the 1st REP is being flown in by a noria of C-47s from the Epervier base. With the 1st REP fully transferred, the twin-engine planes set off again for Dien-Bien-Phu. Like the Belgians, the legionnaires are veterans with a reputation for valour and tenacity. Colonel Bergé is also welcomed by the Generalissimo's son.
Lucien Bodard is one of the foreign journalists covering the event, and his article features prominently in the French dailies a few days later. On this occasion, he meets Ian Morrison, a correspondent for The Times, who is to become one of his best friends. Like Bodard, Morrison has old family links with China: he was born in Peking, when his father served as personal adviser to the president (and short-lived emperor) Yuan Shikai. He too spent his childhood in the arms of Chinese nannies who taught him, in secret from his parents, many things he wasn't supposed to know at his age.

* At that time, the ABDAF only has three light cruisers (CL): HMNZS Achilles and Leander (8 x 6 inches) and MN Emile-Bertin (minesweeper); an escort aircraft carrier (CVE): HMS Emperor and various escort and light ships, including: the avisos MN D'Iberville, HNLMS Flores, Soemba and Van Kinsbergen, the minesweepers MN Koh-Chang and Tourane, the fast transports (APD) HMAS Stuart, Brighton, Charlestown, Columbia and Salisbury.

 

[Wings]

June 22nd, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
At the front - A day of celebration for the Americans! The men of the New York finally emerge from Death Valley and re-establish contact with the 8th Marines. Exhausted and battered, the troops of the 27th Infantry have not deserved to lose out, as General Holland Smith would acknowledge: "No one has ever had such a difficult job", he said. General Rupert Smith will appreciate this, having almost been sacked a week ago for not moving fast enough!
The fact remains that the 27th ID has done an impressive job - and with relatively few casualties. In fact, this evening, the Army counts no more than 1,500 dead and wounded, compared with nearly 5,000 each for the two Marine divisions. In any case, after the south, the center of Saipan is in American hands. Only the north of the island remains under Japanese control, whose troops no longer number even 7,000.

Malaya Campaign
Operation Mary
Ipoh - Tonight's raid targets the air base on the edge of the city. The Mosquito Pathfinders are asked to pay particular attention to marking. To confuse the bombers, the Japanese light fires, but fail to achieve the characteristic colouring that would lure the bombers. The IJA facilities are seriously damaged: two petrol depots are hit, an ammunition depot is completely destroyed, and around twenty carcasses litter the area after the British four-engined planes have left. The airstrip would not be operational until a week later, thanks to the forced labour of almost 500 civilians, rounded up at random from the local population.

Submarine warfare
Java Sea - The submarine HMS Trespasser makes her first patrol from Darwin. Posted there after a short stint in Port Blair, during which he had found nothing to sink his teeth into, his commander is hoping that his luck would change, after the ridiculous incident of the previous year*.
In fact, his luck does change, because when he rounds Bawean Island, on the direct route between Banjarmasin and Surabaya, the gunboat Eifuku Maru calmly appears before the periscope, unaware of the danger she is in. Two torpedoes smash the small ship in two and she sinks in a few minutes without leaving any survivors.

Operation Iceberg
Flores Sea - The allied fleet continues its route south of Timor. Embarked Corsairs and RAAF aircraft based on the island scour the Savu Sea and the western Flores Sea throughout the day.
They attack the IJN installations in the Maumere sector. Although the airfield is deserted - it is only occupied by wreckage that had already been machine-gunned many times - the hydrobase, although also empty, is damaged. A fuel depot is set on fire, which should not hinder the refuelling of the 'Mavis' and 'Emily'. Two Corsairs are damaged but manage to reach the Jean-Bart.

Sino-Japanese war
Operation Long Jing (Dragon's Well)
Canton - The flotilla of DC-3s flying the blue-white roundels returns with the soldiers of the 1st RIMP on board, thus completing the deployment of French forces to take part in future operations in the Pearl River valley.
At Baiyun airfield, space is becoming scarce! Expansion work is underway, as is the construction of other satellite airfields, but until they are completed, the Americans, Belgians and French (not to mention the Chinese) will feel cramped at Guangzhou airport, which has never seen such heavy traffic before.

Operation Blue Lotus
Dien-Bien-Phu - The Belgian Congo Public Force sets off for Canton. Despite the absence of any armed opposition, the journey will be a surprising adventure, given the geography and the climate... But the Belgians will arrive at their destination on the day set by their leader!

* The Trespasser had fired three torpedoes at... a dead whale, mistaking the animal for a U-boot on the surface!

 

[Wings]

June 23rd, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
North of the island - The Americans now have a plan to seize the north. The 2nd Marines will assault Garapan, which presents itself as a real ambush, while the 4th Marines in the center and the 27th Infantry on the right will push north to clear the other Japanese resistance points and encircle the town from the north before attacking it from all sides.
The 4th Marines has the easiest job. Along the west coast, Japanese resistance has virtually ceased, since the new Japanese defense line is based on terrain that does not exist on that side. The town of Hashigoru is easily captured. By the evening, the 4th Marines are in contact with the new defences, a few hundred metres from Tanapag on the north-west coast.
It is more difficult for the 27th US-ID, which struggles to advance in rugged areas where the Japanese set up numerous ambushes to delay the Americans. However, the divisional HQ considers that it has been a quiet day in this sector! Not sure the average soldier would agree...
For the 2nd Marines, it is a different story. "Flame Tree Hill" is completely cleared in the morning, but the Japanese hold on tightly to Garapan and the surrounding hills. The Marines soon begin to feel what the men of New York have experienced during their confrontations in Death Valley...

Malaya Campaign
Operation Mary
Kota Bharu - The Drongos, Green Woodpeckers, Aces of Spades and Iron Gloves are conducting a Circus mission in this sector, on the border with Thailand. Alerted, the planes of the 77th Sentai take off and move into position to welcome the intruders. The pilots are surprised not to encounter any bombers, but to come face to face with around sixty Spitfire VIIIs. While the Ki-44s still hold up a little in comparison, the Ki-43 Hayabusa is totally outclassed by the new version of the Supermarine fighter.
The British have only one problem: even with an extra tank at the start, they only have around 15 minutes of combat time. However, the Japanese lose eight aircraft to the British's four. Of particular note is the twentieth victory of the young boss of Sqn 17, Sqn Ldr 'Ginger' Hebbelthwaite (who had arrived from Europe a few weeks earlier), the one-two finish of the newcomer from Sqn 67, Lt 'Dimsie' Stones, and that of Sqn 81's Sqn Leader Collin Falkland Gray, a Kiwi who has also recently arrived from Europe and who takes his tally on this front to 21.

Operation Stoker
Kuala Lumpur - Once again, danger comes from the sea: the B-24s of the 10th Air Force based in the Andaman come to attack the port. As the exits have been mined two days earlier, the port is somewhat congested. Reconnaissance shows the presence of six ships alongside, no doubt awaiting the arrival of minesweepers from Singapore to secure the passes.
The 64th Sentai reacts but comes up against the escort provided by the 449th and 459th FS. While damage on the ground and at sea is moderate - no ships are hit - the air toll is once again in favour of the Americans, who lose two Liberators and two P-38s compared with three "Tojo" and four "Oscar" aircraft.

Operation Iceberg
Bali Sea - While the Corsairs carry out a sweep against the bases of the 381st Kokutai on the island of Sumbawa, the Tarpon and Firefly attack the port of Mataram and the Lombok hydrobase. The British lose four aircraft (two pilots are recovered), but Japanese losses are twice as high (Royal Marines Ronnie Hay scored his eighth victory, against a Zero). For their part, the aircraft of the Jean-Bart push on to Bali and attack the port of Denpasar. There, they are lucky enough to come across the large cargo ship Syoho Maru, delayed by engine problems. Heavily damaged, it manages to return to Japan, but will never set sail again and was sunk by an air attack in 1945.
The two navies concentrate their efforts in this sector on the IJN bases, in connection with the submarine campaign underway in the Java Sea and around Borneo: the passes between the islands under attack are all gateways for Allied submarines coming from Australia.

Sino-Japanese war
Operation Badachu - Preparations
Chongqing - On the agenda of the inter-allied meeting at Chinese headquarters: preparations for the forthcoming offensive against the Japanese forces entrenched in Hong Kong. In addition to Chiang Kai-shek (as usual flanked by his influential wife), the meeting is attended by Generals Chen Cheng and Zhu Jiaren, and their Western advisers, Generals Wedemeyer and Wards (USA), Crane (UK) and Casseville (France). Since the beginning of the year, Casseville has succeeded Catroux, who has to relinquish the post of military adviser for diplomatic reasons. However, as ambassador of the French Republic, he is all the more influential with the leader of Free China.
Casseville is no newcomer: he was a military attaché in Peking in the final months of the so-called Beiyang regime in 1927, and then in Nanking after Chiang's Nationalist Party took power. Fascinated by Asia (and incidentally by its women), as one almost always becomes when one spends enough time there, he wrote several books, including Nankin contre Tokio [sic], which predicted the future war between China and Japan as early as 1934, and, in a completely different vein, Sao, l'amoureuse tranquille and Thi-Nhi, autre fille d'Annam. Anyone who has never succumbed to the charms of an Asian woman should cast the first stone...
All the participants agree on the basic principle: the defeat of the Japanese counter-offensive towards Canton must be exploited as soon as possible to liberate Hong Kong as well. This would open up the southern gateway to the sea and the outside world, enabling allied (well, mainly American) aid to arrive by a shorter route than the long road to Burma, and above all much less prone to bottlenecks. This is all the more urgent as, in a month's time, the typhoon season will begin, grounding the air force for weeks on end.
The discussions therefore focus more on the distribution of roles. Chiang had initially reluctantly accepted the participation of British forces, having at one time hoped that the liberation of the colony by Chinese armies alone would create a fait accompli once the war was over. Forced to abandon this plan, he changed his mind and now seeks to involve as many foreign forces as possible, in the hope of diluting the UK's contribution (and reducing the strain on its troops). Wedemeyer and Casseville, for reasons of their own, are not at all opposed: the United States and France, just like China, are already thinking about post-war geopolitical balances...
After much negotiation, Crane manages to get the Commonwealth Expeditionary Force in China to take the lead: after all, it has been specially created for the occasion and, what's more, its armoured component is due to be redeployed to Burma in the autumn. He is all the more intransigent on this point because he himself has received unambiguous instructions from London: Downing Street is of the opinion that, if the British do not play the leading role in taking Hong Kong back from the Japanese, they might never regain control of it! Alongside the CEFC, the US 41st Infantry Division, the French 1st REP and 1st RIMP transferred from Dien-Bien-Phu and General Sun Liren's 38th Division, an elite force that recently distinguished itself in the defence of Huizhou, will be deployed. But we must not forget the Belgo-Congolese of the Force Publique: its Air Component is already on site and General Gilliaert's brigade is on its way. It should be in Canton on June 30th, and it will have a role to play.
All that remains is to find a name for the operation. Wedemeyer suggests "Coronado", but Casseville, who still has fond memories of the complex of monasteries to the west of Peking, suggests calling it "Badachu", or "Eight Great Sites", which of course the Chinese prefer. The Frenchman is the only one in the small gathering to realise that, for a French speaker, this name sounds like "Pâte à chou"!

 

[Wings]

June 24th, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
North of the island - Faced with the advance of the 2nd Marines, the Japanese command begins to evacuate the able-bodied men from Garapan. Only the wounded remain to sacrifice themselves and delay the enemy as long as possible. Across the road, however, the 2nd Marines receives orders to halt. We're not going to risk lives unnecessarily. It is better to wait for the other two divisions to clear the north coast and come back to surround the defenders.
For its part, the 4th Marines succeeds in forcing through the first line of Japanese defence, in front of Tanapag, but there are still hills on the horizon... Fortunately, the Japanese don't have many people to hold them. That's not to say that the Americans have no more worries, because not all the sectors have been cleared yet. One soldier recounts: "Three of our tanks came out onto the road and turned south, but they took the wrong exit, which took them into the middle of an area of caves where there were literally hundreds of Japs, who pounced on the tanks. From the heights where we were, we could see and hear on the radio the lieutenant commanding the tanks shouting for us to get him out of there. They had formed a triangle to cover each other as best they could, and I felt for them, but what could we do? So the leader [Colonel Hollis "Musty" Mustain, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines] turned to his second in command, a guy named Fenton Mee, and simply said, "Send some guys over there and get these tanks out."
Mee turned to his administrative staff, pointed at them and said, "Let's go". And off he went. I can still see his face - he was sure he was going to die. Anyway, his guys followed him without flinching. They got to the bottom and the Japs retreated. The tanks got free and the men in them were saved. It was one of the bravest things I ever saw."
Further east, the 27th Infantry continues to march north against a fleeing enemy that refused to fight. Of course, there are caves to be reduced, but that is nothing compared to Death Valley.

South West Pacific Campaign
Operation Tradewind
Morotai - At dawn, the small Japanese garrison at Morotai is rudely awakened by the guns of the VIIth Fleet (Vice-Admiral Thomas Kincaid). It is a new operation to prepare for the liberation of the Philippines. Thanks to the progress of the Allied forces in New Guinea, Tradewind is launched ahead of schedule, especially as the Allied planners have another operation in mind, which must not be delayed because of Morotai!
This small island in the Halamahera archipelago is poorly defended. In all, just 500 men commanded by Colonel Kawashima - almost ten times fewer than on the main island of the archipelago - protect a small disused air base. And that's exactly why the Americans have decided to attack it. They don't expect much resistance and with the capture of Timor, and more recently Biak, Noemfoor and Sansapor, it will be easy to create a major air base there to launch raids on the Philippines.
So the US Army pulls out all the stops: almost the entire 31st Infantry Division Dixie, almost sixty thousand men (including forty thousand pioneers tasked with building the new base). The Japanese are outnumbered one hundred and twenty to one! What's more, they aren't really Japanese, but from Formosa, and are simply supervised by Japanese officers. Their discipline is not comparable to that of the real soldiers of the Tennô...
After more than two hours of naval bombardment, the 31st Infantry land on the south coast of Morotai, on the Gila peninsula. For its part, the Allied air force is busy muzzling any Japanese air reaction, launching massive raids on Davao, Ceram, Ambon, Manado and the last Japanese airfields in New Guinea, from the bases at Hollandia, Wakde, Aitape, Timor, Biak, Sansapor and Noemfoor.
Tradewind also marks the first real cooperation between Wainwright and Vice-Admiral John G. Crace (RAN), Commander-in-Chief of the ABDF-Fleet (which the Americans consider to be the TF-70 of the VII Fleet). This cooperation is made possible thanks to information supplied to the KNIL (attached to ABDF-Fleet) by the Indonesian Resistance, which has a strong presence in the Moluccas (especially in Ambon). This information concerns not only the disposition of the Japanese forces, but also the terrain in the landing zone. For example, the landings initially planned for two of the beaches were cancelled, as they are surrounded by formidable coral reefs and are in fact mangrove swamps where the Americans could have remained bogged down for days on end!*
The landings go smoothly and the Americans manage to establish a small perimeter around the airfield. Outnumbered, the Japanese offer almost no resistance: only the small garrison in the south puts up a fight. The result: twelve killed and one taken prisoner, with only seven wounded on the American side. General Persons is able to send a message to Wainwright's HQ in Hollandia: "Victory assured!"

Operation Boomerang II
Kuching - The evacuation of the Japanese fleet from Singapore did not escape Allied reconnaissance! In Mandalay, emergency preparations are made for a bombing raid, dubbed Boomerang II, which means that the move of the B-29s to China has to be delayed slightly. The large four-engined planes appear at an altitude where they are invulnerable before dropping their cargoes over the port. The raid is a failure, however, due to sighting problems caused by the high altitude. If a few projectiles hit their target, it is by chance.
From Kuching, the Superfortresses return to Mandalay, but only spend two more days there.

Operation Stoker
Lhokseumawe (Sumatra) - The civil defence sirens are blaring throughout the town, which has to be defended by the 1st Chutai of the 24th Sentai. The radar has announced the arrival of intruders. The pilots know that they will probably be outnumbered, as usual, but that doesn't stop them from doing their duty for the Emperor. As they climb, they do not see the solid-nosed B-25s of the 1st ACG, whose mission is to neutralise the flak around the runways, arrive in a different azimuth and low over the waters of the Strait of Malacca.
The bombing proceeds with exemplary regularity: when the adversaries come into contact, they engage the screen of fighters, in this case the P-47s of the 80th FG. The interceptors are pushed back, count their losses and return to land on one of the auxiliary runways, their airfield having been cratered.
The main aim of this almost random raid is to maintain pressure on northern Sumatra in order to avoid sending reinforcements to the south, where Operation Iceberg is currently taking place.

Operation Iceberg
Sœrabaya - There can no longer be any doubt. Although the Allies had pretended at the beginning of the month to shift their focus to New Guinea, they have clearly launched a new campaign towards Java and Sumatra. At dawn, the 3rd Chutai of the 81st Sentai and the 70th Independent Chutai keep their Ki-46s aloft over the southern coast, hoping to spot a wake. Further north, the obvious target is undoubtedly the port of Sœrabaya, defended by the Hayabusa of the 33rd Sentai. The latter call in reinforcements, in this case its 1st and 2nd Chutai, positioned further west, in the center of the island.
In true Samurai spirit, some sixty Japanese aircraft are to attempt to oppose more than 80 Corsairs and almost a hundred Tarpon/Vengeur, Cormorants, Fireflies and the last remaining Barracudas, tasked with neutralising the balloon barrages. The objectives - the port installations - are achieved, but the pilots describe the reception as hot, particularly from the point of view of the anti-aircraft guns. In fact, while in the air the Corsair's superiority over the Oscar is no longer in doubt (five Allied losses compared with thirteen Japanese), the bombers pay a serious price. No fewer than ten aircraft are shot down, and as many are badly damaged.
At the end of the day, a "Dinah" of the 70th Chutai manages to spot TF-100 before being shot down. However, it has time to report the presence of "three aircraft carriers and two battleships, heading west", before disappearing from the airwaves.

* OTL, no reconnaissance had been carried out on the ground and the Americans landing at Morotai found themselves not on sandy beaches, but in massive fields of mud - and even then, if they had managed to get past the surrounding coral reefs! These landing conditions were described as "the worst of the Pacific War", even though there were hardly any Japanese in sight.

 

[Wings]

June 25th, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Garapan - The men of the 27th Infantry can rejoice! They reach the northern tip before the Marines and, on their left, surround the last defenders of Garapan. The latter do their job, allowing the able-bodied men to reach the last line of Japanese defense.
For the men of the 2nd Marines, it is time for an assault! However, disabled or not, the Japanese continue to put up stiff resistance. One soldier recounts: "Metal roofs littered the area, hiding Japanese snipers. Well camouflaged bunkers were set up in the ruins. Assault pioneers, covered by our infantry, infiltrated behind these obstacles to blow them up, while the flame throwers came to the fore. Assisted by the pioneers and supported by the flamethrower tanks and 75 mm guns of their company, the Marines crushed the pockets of resistance one by one. By nightfall, none remained. We were able to send vehicles towards Flores Point, where the Army lads were waiting for us. All the way, in our dirty uniforms, full of dirt and sweat, we threw ourselves with a smile into the calm, cool waters of the ocean."
For the 2nd Marines, the battle of Saipan is over. The division will go into reserve this evening, pending the next assault on another island...
As for the Japanese, under fire from the 27th Infantry and 4th Marines, they fall back on their last defenses.

Malaya Campaign
Operation Mary
Malacca - It is just after midnight when the first explosions sound to the north of the town, towards the airfield, in the form of small coloured charges. Although they had never been confronted with the problem, the crawlers from the teams stationed there know that they only have a few minutes before all hell breaks loose. And it does: around forty Halifaxes pour their cargo, destroying several hangars and killing many.
Meanwhile, the Wellingtons are operating halfway to Kuala Lumpur, over the town of Seremban and its railway yard. Here too, the bombing can be considered a success, but it also causes many civilian casualties and starts a number of fires.

Operation Iceberg
Java - All day long, Ki-46s criss-cross the skies in search of allied ships. Its reconnaissance aircraft come up empty, leaving the 33rd Sentai with nothing to go on. For this operation, the Army decided to do without the services of the Navy and its G4Ms of the 707th and 761st Kokutai, based in Borneo.
At the end of the day, Imperial Army officers finally suspect that the enemy fleet has changed course. So far, the Allies' attack patterns have always been similar, with pauses lasting only one or two days at most. The 21st Sentai, defending Batavia, is therefore put on maximum alert for the following day.

South West Pacific Campaign
Operation Tradewind
Morotai - The 31st Infantry begins to extend its perimeter beyond Japanese territory, towards Wama and Pitoe, where the Americans plan to set up two new airfields (this is to be done on July 11th and 27th).
During the day, General Wainwright himself comes to see the success of the operation, accompanied by KNIL officers and staff from NICA (Netherland Indies Civil Administration), responsible for civil administration in the area. The NICA proves to be extremely useful, particularly in relaying information given by the local population about the Japanese positions. The visitors leave that evening for Hollandia and Kupang.

 

[Wings]

April 26th, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Northern part of the island - The Japanese continue their retreat, but leave many soldiers, most of them wounded, in caves, with orders to fight to the death. This would not have been a problem for the Americans, but they know that these caves can also be hiding civilians.
Lieutenant Stott of the 24th Marines recounts: "We were on a winding road, ready to link up with the 23rd by attacking a jap cave. At 1pm, an artillery preparation was started, followed by a rocket barrage, but neither rockets nor mortar shells were able to eliminate the Japs. Once again, the cost of taking this cave was high. By using civilians as bait, the Japs managed to lure a patrol into an exposed area. And when they came within rifle range, the twelve men sent out were literally riddled with bullets."

South West Pacific Campaign
Operation Tradewind
Morotai - Elements of the 31st Infantry occupy several islets to the west of Morotai, unopposed. Doolea, Ngelengele, Soemsoem and Mitita are captured to set up radar and observation posts. Other units land at Tilai and Wajabolea, on the west coast of the island, and at Sangowo, on the east coast, to facilitate the future American advance in the area. The few Japanese present avoid combat.

Operation Stoker
Lhokseumawe (Sumatra) - To prepare for the arrival of the Allied fleet in this sector, it is decided to launch a Circus mission against the 24th Sentai. In mid-morning, the P-38s of the 449th and 459th FS, the P-47s of the 80th FG and even the Spitfires of Sqn 132 and 152, which are operating from Campbell Bay, arrive by sea towards the south of Sumatra, a total of almost a hundred aircraft.
The 1st Chutai takes off, thinking it is a bomber raid, and finds itself face to face with everything the Allies have in the archipelago. In the fight, no fewer than twelve Japanese are knocked out against three losses on the Allied side. Calls for help go out to the 2nd Chutai, a hundred kilometers to the south, which has taken off without much hope of arriving in time to join the fray, but which also finds itself involved and outnumbered by the Allied formations, which have reorganized and continued along the coast. Same cause, same effect: ten Hayabusa of the 2nd Chutai are shot down compared with four Anglo-American losses. On their return, the British pilots exult: they have avenged the affront of June 10th.

Operation Iceberg
Christmas Island - Having left the Cocos at the end of the night, the Catalinas of 23F have been taking turns since the morning to protect the refueling at sea site of the Franco-British fleet, further north than usual. They are (slightly) covered by a flight of P-40s from Sqn 3 RAAF, which has been able to deploy to Christmas airfield, which is almost complete. Admittedly, the pilots are still sleeping in tents, and the fuel capacity does not allow them to refuel more than a few aircraft, but the runway is long enough to allow a damaged B-24 that had diverted there to be repaired and take off again (empty of bombs) with just enough fuel to get back to the Cocos Islands. In the meantime, the French Catalinas on an ASW mission to protect access to Euston Station, in the south-east of the island, are reassured to be able to count on a minimum number of friendly fighters within range. Although the 'Nicks' from Java are normally busy with their escort missions to the north and the defense of the capital against the B-24s, you never know...
Offshore, the allied combat task forces spend the day refuelling with TF-117. In addition to the cruiser HMS Fiji, recently taken out of dry dock, the TF now includes HMAS Quickmatch (borrowed from the RAN to replace HMS Duncan, sunk in April). A year and a half earlier, she had been part of the Australian squadron which, in transit to Rangoon, had thwarted the Japanese landing in Burma.
Having sailed in scattered order in the days leading up to the operation, TF 117 has the following composition:
- TF-117 (RN unless otherwise stated) : CVL Unicorn, CLAA Royalist, CL Fiji and MN Montcalm, DD Hardy (R08), Hotspur, Jervis, Lightning, Onslaught, Penn, Petard and HMAS Quickmatch.
Tankers: HMS/RFA Brown Ranger, Dingerdale, Arndale, San Adolfo, Aase Maersk.
Provisions: HMS/RFA Denbighshire.
Hospital: HMS/RFA Oxfordshire.
Water production: HMS/RFA Stagpool.
Spare parts, crews, workshops: MN Ile de Noirmoutier (air), HMS/RFA Tyne (naval).
Heavy workshop ship: HMS Ausonia.
Transport: MN Ile de Bréhat, Dives, HMS/RFA Darvel, Kheti, Princess Maria Pia, Thyra S.
Combat store (ammunition): MN Ile d'Ouessant, HMS/RFA Kistna, Gundrun Maersk.
Tugs: 4.
At the end of the day, once the operations are over, the ships do not return to Darwin but head north-west towards India. On the way, they take advantage of the opportunity to refuel on Christmas Island and drop off additional anti-aircraft artillery.

Sino-Japanese war
Giant newcomers
Sichuan and Jiangxi Provinces - The USAAF bases at Hengyang and Ji'an have been undergoing expansion work since November 1943, without anyone in China knowing for what purpose: until then, only a few reconnaissance or liaison aircraft, or even one or two bombers in difficulty, had landed there. The answer comes today with the landing of the first of the new aircraft to be deployed there - 130 B-29s from the 58th Bombardment Wing. The 40th and 468th Bombardment Groups are based at Hengyang, and the 444th and 462nd BGs at Ji'an. The other aircraft will follow in the following weeks.
The Superfortresses came from the United States via French North Africa and then India, where they had to wait longer than expected, as the US general staff did not want to risk transferring them to China until the Japanese counter-offensive had been broken - but that has now been done. As an appetiser, on the 24th, the B-29s attacked Kuching, without casualties.
Today, the four-engined giants are on the final leg of their journey, flying over other giants: the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. Alas, one of them crashes in the mountains following an engine failure; there are no survivors.

 

[Wings]

June 27th, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Northern part of the island - The Marines and the men of the New York are once again confronted by the Japanese who have been left behind, using the civilians as shields or bait. But the Marines have had enough. Lieutenant Chambers says: "Some of the Japs decided to play dead by getting blood on their faces and pretending to be dead as the Marines approached. However, they didn't know that the instructions in my battalion were 'If it doesn't move, stick it!" So my NCO just told me that they had bayoneted all the bodies, and some had moved or screamed. We had to do it!
We also took a few civilian prisoners, mostly women and children. The thing that really shocked me was watching our young men: they took all the risks, they went into the caves not knowing whether they'd find soldiers there, and they carried the civilians back in their arms. The second they were out, they started feeding them by giving them part of their rations, and they offered cigarettes to the men. I was extremely proud of my men."
But while the Americans are beginning to rejoice, the Japanese are far from it. General Saito, wounded, sick and half-starved, is a shadow of his former self. Holed up in a cave under constant shelling from American artillery, together with Admiral Nagumo (who no longer has anyone under his command), he decides to end his life. First, he gives one last order: to launch a general banzai charge the following night. Finally, he takes his sword and performs seppuku, as does Nagumo, before his aide-de-camp finishes them off with a bullet to the head.
Knowing that the Japanese have their backs to the wall, the Americans expect them to attack, as they always do in such cases. General Smith orders all units to prepare for a banzai charge that night or the next. But the scale of the attack exceeded American expectations...

South West Pacific Campaign
Operation Tradewind
Morotai - Colonel Kawashima requests reinforcements from the Japanese HQ in Halamhera. But the latter can give him nothing. He has no boats to take troops across the strait separating the two islands, and even if he did, he fears they would be sunk by the Americans. The colonel is therefore ordered to return to Halamhera with his men on improvised barges, under cover of night. Their small numbers might allow them to go unnoticed.
Meanwhile, the Americans land on the north coast of Morotai, at Tijoe, once again without opposition.

Car Nicobar - The first Thunderbolt of the 33rd FG land this morning on the airstrip where their colleagues of the 80th FG are already based. The 33rd belongs to the 8th Air Force in Europe and operates P-51s mainly from Italy, escorting bombers to France and Germany as far as Romania. For logistical reasons, it was decided to re-equip it with P-47s, with the 10th Air Force grouping its fighters by type according to the front: Indochina or the Dutch East Indies.
The arrival of the P-38s leads to an administrative reorganisation: the 449th FS is attached to the 33rd, while its twin, the 459th, is attached to the 80th FG.

Operation Iceberg
Batavia - As expected, an allied raid is reported on the former Dutch trading post and the "Nicks" of the 21st Sentai set out to meet the enemy. The Corsair cover however just give almost 100 km/hour on their opponents, even if these are two-engined. The 21st Sentai loses in this case no less than 10 aircraft (more 12 other damaged), against six British fighters. The bombers pass and slam the new oil terminal and depot locomotives, also burning an important stock of petrol. Despite this, they lose five aircraft to flak.
A little further on, the mission led by the French Navy goes much better. Approaching from a different route, the Jean-Bart's aircraft attack the power station, which they put out of action for the modest price of two damaged aircraft - and without encountering a single "Nick".

Indochina Campaign
Mines
North-east of Hon Dau Lighthouse - They arrived on site the previous day, in the evening, and waited until day. The four light vessels - between 650 and 800 tons - belong to naval dust of the Imperial Navy. They have no name, we call them W3, W13, W14 and W17. The W designates them as minesweepers.
Setting out from the Philippines, they travelled at a fairly high speed for this type of boat. As the sea was rather rough, their sailors suffered from the swell. Especially on board the W13, which still had some stability problems despite a long stay in dry dock to modify its chimneys and superstructures, add ballast tanks and replace its two old 76 mm guns with four more modern 37 mm AA guns.
As soon as dawn breaks, W13, 14 and 17 are positioned in an arrow, while the W3 stays behind to rescue a ship that had inadvertently hit a mine. The sailors loose a float which unwinds a cable - in fact, a diverging drag with shears.
The principle is very simple. Each minesweeper goes straight ahead, dragging behind it a float topped by a small pennant to make it easier to spot. Underwater, the drag strand must get caught in the orins of the contact mines. The blades on this trailer release the mine, which rises to the surface. On the minesweepers, the machine gun operators have the task of spotting and destroying the mine as soon as it appears.
The work is slow, of course. The minesweepers only travel at six or seven knots, so that the buoy remains on the port side and the dredger forms an arc under the water. What's more, neither the exact position of the minefield nor its extent is known with any certainty. So there's a large area of sea to cover. But the crews know their job.
However, after the fourth passage without a single mine sighting, the ships' commanders are beginning to be surprised... and to doubt whether orbiting devices are really anchored in this area. After all, two ships were sunk without the slightest trace of a submarine!
In fact, the four minesweepers are lucky. The magnetic mines that lie dormant on the seabed are designed to react to metal masses far greater than those of these modest nutshells, and they barely shudder as they pass.
On the other hand, some ill-intentioned observers have pointed out the presence of the small boats. The Red River delta is populated by Vietnamese. By day, they bow to the ground to greet passing Japanese. At night, they sabotage roads or shoot at outposts. Some have weapons more powerful than old rifles. At first sight, they look like simple suitcases. But they contain Model 3 Mk II transmitters, mass-produced by the British to equip Resistance networks in Europe... and elsewhere. As a result, the Épervier base at Dien-Bien-Phu receives a message signalling the presence of the minesweepers.
In the afternoon, the sailors on the four ships hear aircraft engines rumbling rapidly. Black dots appear on the horizon. Very soon, the clearly recognizable silhouettes of B-25 Mitchells - twenty-four aircraft! The anti-aircraft gunners aim their weapons, but death is upon them.
Half of the Mitchell are "full nose", equipped with a battery of twelve machine guns in front, or endowed with a 75 mm canon - this last variant originally developed for the anti-ship fight, and we just remembered them. The other twelve are armed with bombs.
The twin-engines operate with the deadly efficiency of their seasoned crews. It is a massacre that lasts more than fifteen minutes. Enough for Hanoi's seaplane base to send out desperate messages, get a few 2002-N fighter aircraft (Rufe) off the ground and have them cut to pieces by the eight P-51s of the II/40 covering the B-25s.
When the planes are leaving, two of the minesweepers have sunk, another is doomed, while the last, in flames, goes to beach itself on the shoreline.

 

[Wings]

June 28th, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Northern part of the island, 03:00 - The Japanese play their last card: a massive banzai charge against the American positions. No fewer than 4,500 men rush to attack the American lines!
In the center, the men of the 27th Infantry are the hardest hit. One soldier recounts: "All of a sudden, we heard what sounded like thousands of voices screaming, and a horde of furious madmen came out of the darkness and pounced on us. Cries of "Banzai" filled the air, Japanese officers, their sabres raised high, led their demons from hell, encouraging them to charge forward. The soldiers followed their officers we above and shouting "Banzai" all while charging.
Our own weapons were firing, and our mortars and machine guns were continuously spraying them, no longer with three or five shots. Whole belts of ammunition were gobbled up in one go by the machine guns, the servant sweeping left and right all the time. Mortar tubes had become so hot from the rate of fire that they could no longer be used. But even as the bodies of the Japs piled up in front of us, they kept charging, trampling their dead comrades.
As each wave failed, they still attacked. I can still see a Jap a meter away from me, bayonet aimed at my heart as I put a dozen bullets into his torso. In his rush, he fell into our hole. We finish him off with a bullet to the head just to be sure, then reload and carry on.
Bullets fly around us, horrible screams deafen us, the whole sector stinks of death, and the smell of Japs and gunpowder permeates the air. Filled with fear, hatred and the desire to kill, our enemy is a wild animal, a monster, a demon, not a human, who has only one thought, only one idea: kill, kill, kill...".
The Japanese objective is to break through the American line to reach Tanapag, then Garapan and Charan-Kanoa. The military even convinced (or forced) civilians to take part, armed only with knives or even rocks!
This devastating wave sweeps over the 105th Infantry Rgt, which responds as best it can, but gradually gives in to this outburst of violence. Two entire battalions are wiped out, including the regimental HQ and its leader, Lt-Col. O'Brien. The Japanese fall on the regiment's artillery positions, which, surprised, are unable to stop the enemy. Some guns are able to fire "at zero", while others cannot even fire. The position is untenable, and the commanding officer is killed. The artillerymen grab every weapon they can find to defend themselves and retreat.
The 105th Infantry's neighbours, the 106th and 165th Rgt, are reluctant to send reinforcements, as they are too busy wondering whether they would be hit by such an onslaught. The 106th finally tries to help its partner, but its elements are immediately stopped by fierce Japanese resistance.
In the end, it is a counter-attack led by American tanks and tractors that stops the avalanche that has hit the 105th Rgt in particular, but also the other regiments of the 27th Infantry and the Marine lines. No fewer than seven Medals of Honour are awarded for that fateful day, almost all to men who had fallen in the 105th.
On the 28th, the Americans recapture the ground they had lost and realise the horror of the carnage. Nearly 4,400 Japanese bodies lay strewn among the trees and sugar cane fields, 2,250 of them in front of the lines of the 105th Rgt - compared with just 400 killed and 500 wounded among the Americans.
In an evacuated American position, a man is found dead, alone, in a machine-gun nest. In front of him are the bodies of 98 Japanese, plus another lying on the ground beside him. It is dentist Ben L. Salomon, 2nd Battalion, 105th Rgt. On his body are no fewer than 76 stab wounds, 24 of which were inflicted while he was still alive. Despite wearing his Red Cross armband, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
It has been a hard day, perhaps the hardest of the Pacific War, but it ended in an American victory.

South West Pacific Campaign
Operation Tradewind
Morotai - The Japanese try to escape under cover of darkness. Unfortunately, their boats take on water and several sink. The smell of blood attracts predators: American PT-Boats, which complete the massacre of the small flotilla. We will never really know how many Japanese perished during this crossing, but historians agree on the figure of around two hundred. Only around fifty men manage to reach Halamhera. Around two hundred others remain on Morotai.
During the day, the Americans land on the north coast, at Padangi and Pangeo, and on the island of Raoe, which they find deserted.

Operation Stoker
Medan - The base of the 3rd Chutai of the 24th Sentai is today the target of twin-engined aircraft from the 490th and 491st BS and Sqn 18 (RAAF). Although they pass directly over land, they are not intercepted. The same happens over the runways at Medan where, either by surprise or by refusing to fight, the skies are empty of Japanese aircraft. Although the damage is moderate, three aircraft are destroyed on the ground. These Ki-43s were in fact unavailable due to a lack of spare parts and were being used as decoys, demonstrating the difficulties of Japanese refuelling.

Operation Iceberg
Palembang (Sumatra) - The 87th Sentai, which is defending the town, knows that its time has come. The group's commanding officers have no hesitation in rushing back the 3rd Chutai from Dumai and a few reinforcements from Singapore. In the early hours of the morning, telephones are ringing in the airfields: observers are reporting the first waves of aircraft crossing the coast. The pilots jump into their planes and take off. The minutes it takes to climb to the ceiling seem interminable... And the enemy is there! This time, more than 80 Corsairs and around thirty Seafires accompanied almost 150 bombers.
The youngest Japanese pilots, who were still at school at the time of Pearl Harbor, can't believe their eyes. They had never really believed the reports from Europe of clashes involving several hundred aircraft. Fear grips their hearts: how is such a deployment of force possible? How can the Empire hope to win when the enemy presented as the weakest is capable of such a feat?
The battle is furious. While the Ki-44 can still match the Allied fighters, the technique of the British and French pilots, all veterans of multiple campaigns, speaks for itself. After more than fifteen minutes of fighting, the surviving Japanese withdraw. They have lost more than twenty aircraft, compared with nine Allies - and the bombers have been effectively protected, losing only two aircraft.
But the mission is not over. The oil and coal terminal, as well as the refineries (once again), including Pladjoe, are targeted by Allied bombs and rockets. The flak takes out five Tarpon/Vengeur, two Barracuda and one Firefly are lost (two crews recovered) and several other aircraft are damaged.
For many, the battle of Palembang will be remembered as the toughest engagement in the series of round trips between India and Australia. Admiral Yvon Lagadec - who shot down two Ki-44s that day, as did his alter-ego Danny Potter - devoted an entire chapter of his War Memoirs to it.
But the day is not over. While the planes are on their way home, TFs 57.1 and 57.2 detach their battleships to bomb Enggano Island. The Japanese use this island (and a few others) as a warning bell. So they keep a reinforced company there with a radio station and sometimes a seaplane base. When the ships leave, these installations have been destroyed.

Indochina Campaign
Mines
North-east of Hon Dau lighthouse - In broad daylight, six B-25s appear in the sky. Each drop a Mk 12 mod. I mine at the end of its parachute, clearly visible to all observers.
Mines are a weapon of terror. After the previous day's demonstration, the French want the Japanese to know that the area is indeed mined... and that trying to clear the mines would mean sacrificing ships and aircraft in vain.

Sino-Japanese war
Operation Badachu - Preparations
Pearl River Valley - Since the pitiful end of Operation Ichi-Go two weeks earlier, the Chinese and American air forces have been regularly reminding the Japanese 23rd Army occupying Hong Kong of their importance with frequent raids designed to poison the lives of the defenders. From today, these raids will be stepped up a notch in intensity: the Air Component of the Belgian Public Force, which has completed its redeployment to Guangzhou, is now joining the party.
Twenty-one B-24s from the 68th Composite Wing (three had to return to Canton because of engine problems), lightly escorted by six P-51s, appear over the city and drop their deadly cargo at an altitude of less than 3,000 metres. On the American side, we mourn the loss of two Liberators, shot down by unusually dense and precise flak, and a Mustang whose pilot lost control after a resource was too low and which crashed into the town! On the ground, the damage is considerable: carried out at low altitude and in clear weather, the raid virtually destroys what was left of the port facilities and razes several districts of Tsim Sha Tsui to the ground.
At the same time, the 12 B-25s of the CAFP's Capitaine Edmond-Thieffry Regiment attack the western segment of the Kin-Yama line at very low altitude, concentrating their aim on artillery emplacements. A Belgian Mitchell falls victim to close-in flak and three others return to Canton more or less studded with impacts. On the ground, the Japanese are astonished to note the gold star roundels on a blue background, never before seen in this theatre.
In Shenzhen Bay, the Allies begin to assemble a motley flotilla of barges, coasters and junks. One British officer jokes: "It's like Dover at the time of Operation Dynamo!" Since then, the winds of war have shifted enough for us to joke about it...

 

[Wings]

June 29th, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Northern part of the island - It is the beginning of the end for the last Japanese troops. The men of the 27th Infantry and the Marines clear the elements of the 105th Rgt that had been cut off by the Japanese charge and had taken refuge on the high ground. General Smith has to face the facts: the 27th Infantry has to be withdrawn from the front. It would be up to the 4th Marines to clear the last pockets.
And the Marines are about to witness a macabre spectacle. As they reach the foot of the Laderan Banadero cliffs, they watch in horror as people jump from the top and crash to the bottom. Japanese propaganda has told civilians that the Americans are going to "rape and eat Japanese women and children". Japanese civilians prefer death! The Marines count hundreds of bodies at the foot of these cliffs, renamed "Suicide Cliff". More than a thousand civilians died in these mass suicides.
On the north-eastern tip of the island, the Marines witness a similar spectacle. From the top of the cliffs near Marpi Point, known as "Banzai Cliff", civilians and soldiers jump towards the ocean and the rocks. But not everyone dies here: some are rescued by American ships.
Others do not jump off the cliffs, but drown on the beach. Soldiers who were unable to take part in the final charge choose to commit seppuku. Sometimes their officers put an end to the lives of the men under their command before committing suicide.

South-West Pacific Campaign
Operation Tradewind
Morotai - New American advance. Starting from the south and west of the island and following the coastal paths, the men of the 31st Infantry join their comrades at Tilai, Wajabolea and Sangowo. By evening, the entire southern half of Morotai is in American hands.

Submarine warfare
Off Morotai - The minelayer Shirataka is sunk by the submarine USS Darter (Lt-Cdr David McClintock).

Operation Stoker
North coast of Sumatra - The Spitfire Vs based at Campbell Bay, because of their limited range, usually had no choice but to cover returning bombers, or to chase their opponent, the 24th Sentai, along the coast. Today, these missions are rather boring: after the losses suffered by the Japanese three days earlier, the skies are empty. Empty? Not quite: during a free-fighter patrol, Lieutenant John Misseldine spots a lone "Oscar" flying low over the ground. The lieutenant and his wingman can't resist the temptation to go and greet this visitor, which gives the young pilot the opportunity to score his fourth victory. "We had orders to carry out our sweep as far as Lhokseumawe. Everything had been quiet when a reflection near the ground caught my eye. No doubt about it, it was an Oscar. Everything went very quickly after that, with the blue pair staying in the loft in case of problems, while my winger and I ran into him in the sun. I had to open fire at around 400 meters, in deflection. It burst into flames immediately before tipping over and hitting the planet. Well, four victories in a few weeks over a decommissioned aircraft in Europe isn't bad at all... "

Singapore - It's past midnight. The sirens have not sounded for some time now, but this calm could not last. Their wail sends Lieutenant Kashiide of the 103rd Sentai jumping into their night fighters. He is already climbing when the first explosions light up the night. "Probably scouts", he thinks. In the distance he can even make out exhaust flames that are fading fast, too fast for his Ki-45 Toryu "Nick".
Never mind, he continues to orbit, his eye on the lookout in the darkness, when a shadow passes to his right. No doubt about it, it's one of the British heavies. He alters course and closes in on the enemy. He opens fire and soon sees flames erupting from the intruder's wing. The intruder defends himself, firing tracers, but Kashiide's second burst also hits, setting off another fire. The enemy pilot manoeuvres but his attempt fans the flames, making the situation worse. Soon, a torch shoots towards the ground before crashing. In the distance, another, larger glow lights up the horizon: the other bombers have passed over, carrying out their work of death. The island is burning. It's time to look for a place to land...

Operation Iceberg
Padang - After the previous day's fighting, the availability of bombers is reduced. To save potential, the day's raids are carried out by a limited number of aircraft. To compensate, some of the Corsairs operate with a 500-pound bomb, with some of the Seafires providing additional cover.
Fortunately, this sector constitutes a sort of soft underbelly where sweeps or Rhubarb missions against coastal garrisons, airfields or Imperial Army installations close to the coast are mainly planned. The hardest blow comes at Padang airfield, where the French Navy's Corsairs and Cormorants manage to knock out the 51st independent Chutai. After taking off at the end of the night, the French aircraft turn up at sunrise, completely surprising their enemy, bombing the runway, setting fire to hangars and destroying more than twenty enemy aircraft, including ten or twelve precious Ki-46s. The Japanese reconnaissance capability is therefore severely compromised for the next few days.
At the end of the day, a task-group of cruisers breaks away from the squadrons and shells the various garrisons and radio installations on the Pagai and Sipura islands.

Indochina Campaign
Mines
Haiphong - The Japanese have little time to lose with the wounded. The enemy can hope - at best - for a quick death. The Japanese have a duty to heal quickly! However, the burn victim, who is struggling between life and death, is the object of constant attention. In fact, his superiors have little interest in his survival, they just want him to report back. For Kaigun-chui (Ensign First Class) Nakamura is the most senior surviving officer in the small fleet of minesweepers destroyed the day before.
When he finally opens his eyelids, people crowd around him, despite the doctors' protests. The young officer is in a fog. Without the opiates, he would be writhing in pain. Several minutes pass before he realises where he is. A bad sweat runs down the part of his face that is not covered by gauze reeking of the chemical smell of moisturising gel. He relives the sinking of his ship, the infernal sky crossed by those big planes better armed than an aviso. The tracers... the cannon fire... planes armed with real artillery guns! Fire... terror... fire...
His speech is slurred, but he regains some composure as he tries to write his report. Nakamura finds some comfort in these rituals.
His superiors, grouped around the iron bed with its painfully white sheets, listen in silence. Most of the details do not interest them, but they are aware of the injured man's efforts to answer them. Finally, the wounded man talks about the sweeping itself...
- We... we went over the area, sweeping systematically and repeatedly. But... the sweep never hit a mine... the mines aren't... contact mines... they're probably... magnetic mines. The only material to detonate them is... rare... precious... in Japan.
This news comes as a violent slap in the face to the Japanese officers. Everyone masks their dismay as best they can. The presence of a magnetic minefield blocking the Red River delta prevents the passage of steel cargo ships. But their firing systems only react to large metal masses. Proof: none of the minesweepers was destroyed by a mine. The idea is there: there is no shortage of large transport junks or Malaysian praos in South-East Asia that can be used as cargo ships.

 

[Wings]

June 30th, 1944

Central Pacific Campaign
Saipan
Northern part of the island - The horror continues. Although the fighting has almost stopped, the Japanese have not finished traumatising the Americans. On the march to the north-east of the island, Lieutenant Chambers recalls: "Today, we were marching along the beaches, past the cliffs and caves, and there were civilians there all the time. The Japanese soldiers didn't want to surrender. I saw with my own eyes women, some carrying children, coming out of the caves before being murdered by their compatriots. I saw with my own eyes women with children throwing themselves off cliffs into the ocean, throwing their children into the void before throwing themselves back in! I also saw a group of eight or ten civilians, men, huddle together for a sort of hug... before an explosion chopped them to pieces. It was horrible and sad."
Lieutenant Stott adds: "Interpreters were called in, and they were shouting, begging the civilians not to commit suicide and to come and surrender. But there was no movement. The civilians formed a compact mass. It was mostly children, but you could see adults and soldiers in uniform in the crowd. Then a strange sort of chanting could be heard, and suddenly a Rising Sun flag was raised. The mass became agitated, and all of a sudden they started throwing themselves off the cliffs, shouting. The soldiers refused to allow their civilian compatriots to surrender, so they threw grenades into the masses of civilians, then rushed off the cliffs. The grenades exploded in the groups, chopping them up and leaving only the dead, the dying and the wounded. For the first time, I saw the ocean water turn red from the blood of those who had thrown themselves into it...".
On 30 June, all organised resistance ceases at Saipan. Only 46 soldiers, led by Captain Sakae Oba, refuse the mass suicide order and make their way inland. They will keep up a guerrilla war until December 1945. The battle of Saipan is over. It is a hard-won victory, but it is a great victory for the United States.
Of the 30,000 men in the garrison, almost all perished. There are only 816 prisoners, including 574 Korean workers. Nearly 29,000 Japanese soldiers died at Saipan. The civilian population suffered enormously, with 7,000 to 8,000 killed out of the 20,000 Japanese and 4,000 Chamorros living on the island before the invasion.
The Americans count "only" 2,954 killed, 12,650 wounded and 315 missing, out of a force of 71,000 men. But they have taken their first step towards Japan. In three months' time, the first B-29s will land at Saipan, for raids on Tokyo and the whole of Japan, with enormous consequences.
In the immediate future, the fall of Saipan will shock Japan, from the elite to the population. A fragment of the Empire has fallen, and the losses are atrocious. Admiral Yamamoto later wrote: "Our defeat began in Indochina, but after Saipan we knew that the war was lost."

South West Pacific Campaign
Operation Iceberg
Sumatra - The French Navy spends the day harassing Imperial Army installations on the islands of Siberut and Nias (in particular the small port of Gunung Sitoli and the Binaka airstrip) and conducting Operation Rhubarb along the coast. Meanwhile, Royal Navy aircraft carry out a double raid against the port of Dumai on the north coast and the town of Penkabaru in the centre of the island.
It is in this town that the Japanese are trying to create a railway line through the jungle to connect the two halves of Sumatra's railway network. In a repeat of their attempt in Thailand, which will go down in history as the "line of death", they use prisoners of war, but also Indo-European civilians and indigenous people subjected to forced labour: the Romusha. While only 7,000 prisoners and civilians are involved, over 100,000 Indonesians are literally enslaved for the project. It is estimated that a quarter of the prisoners and almost half of the Indonesian coolies died as a result of ill-treatment.
The day's raids put a stop to the project. Tarpon and Firefly attack anything that even remotely resembles a railway installation, a bridge or an equipment depot. Only a few aircraft are damaged by a relatively inactive flak.
As for the attack on the port of Dumai, it comes up against a small contingent of the 87th Sentai. The Sentai shoot down two attackers (a Tarpon whose crew was recovered in the Straits of Malacca by HMS Stygian, and a Corsair) against five of its aircraft.
To carry out these raids, the task forces do not hesitate to approach the coast and enter the Mentawai basin, from where the battleships shell several coastal installations on the islands of Sipura, Siberut Masa and Pini. Realising that the enemy fleet has closed in, the Japanese decide to send aircraft from the 24th Sentai from Medan, as Palembang is too far away. However, the effort required of this air group, which has been under constant pressure for weeks, means that it is only able to launch half a dozen aircraft, which take off just for the sake of it, since they had not been reconnoitred or coordinated beforehand. They return, however, declaring that they have found a squadron and damaged a cruiser to the north of Nias, information that is passed on to headquarters!

Operation Tradewind
Morotai - The Americans reach the foot of the Sabatai mountains, which rise to around 1,200 metres. Other elements, coming from the south, reach Tijoe.

Biak
Biak - There are only around 2,000 Japanese left in the island's jungle. Until the end of the war, they will attempt guerrilla actions from time to time, but will never be able to regroup in the face of very aggressive American patrols.

Operation Grey
Timor - An additional squadron from Wellington reinforces the bombers based there. Sqn 99 came from India on a very long flight, refuelling in the Cocos Islands. Made up mainly of Australian pilots, it is now (almost) returning home, with the RAAF providing the missing personnel. The 99th takes part in Operation Grey against Japanese ports and other installations in Borneo.

Sino-Japanese War
A new page in the war
USAAF bases at Hengyang and Ji'an - Operation Matterhorn gets under way! To get the 58th Bombardment Wing up and running, General Wolfe decides to launch an initial raid on the Yawata steel complex in Kyushu. It is the first time American bombs have hit Japan since the brief and almost symbolic joint campaign by the CATF and the ROCAF a year and a half earlier.
Forty-two B-29s take off from Hengyang and forty-nine from Ji'an to hit the target in two waves, the first operating at an altitude of 3,000 metres and the second at 5,000 metres, each preceded by a pathfinder aircraft. Alas, the raid is a disappointment: of the 91 aircraft involved, nine had to turn back because of engine failures (one of them crashed before reaching its base), six were forced to drop their bombs before reaching the target because of mechanical problems (the B-29 still have a number of childhood illnesses), and five had to make do with bombing secondary targets because of bad weather. The remaining 71 bombers didn't fare much better: the heavy cloud cover over Yawata forced more than half of the aircraft to aim by radar, while the others tried visual bombing, but neither method produced any convincing results. Only a few of the hundreds of bombs dropped hit the steel complex, causing little damage; the rest fell haphazardly in the Japanese countryside. What's more, 27 Ki-44s launched after the B-29s shot down one of them, belying the invulnerability of the new bomber - it's true that, no doubt out of overconfidence, this first raid was carried out at a relatively low altitude.
The American press nonetheless celebrates the raid as a great success... an opinion not shared by General Arnold, who lectures Wolfe by telephone in terms that official history has somewhat watered down. But there is little Wolfe can do about it: the Superfortress is such an advanced aircraft that it has to go through a running-in phase before it can reach its full potential, as do its engines, Wright R-3350 Dual Cyclones that develop 2,600 horsepower but are notoriously temperamental. Be that as it may, a new page has just been turned in the Asia-Pacific: Japan can now be subjected to the same type of strategic bombing as Germany for a prolonged period.

Remote consequences
Kyushu - The raid on the Yawata steelworks, over Japan itself, will have far-reaching consequences. The appearance of the new bomber, which Japanese intelligence had been predicting for almost a year, would lead to a recall of units to the mainland. In Singapore, the 103rd Sentai is recalled the very next day. To soften the blow, Tokyo's general staff promises reinforcements as soon as possible, with the allocation to Singapore of the new Type 4 fighter: the Ki-84 Hayate.
In the meantime, a redeployment on the ground is necessary. The 11th Sentai will defend the island fortress sector, while the 77th will extend its defence southwards, as the east coast of Malaysia is less threatened.

 

[Wings]

 

[Wings]

June 1st, 1944

Liberation and Liberators
A great victory, now what?
Paris, Caen, Poitiers, Lyon - All the Allied headquarters are taking stock. May has exceeded all expectations: a gigantic pincer offensive against an overwhelmed and less mobile enemy has destroyed almost two German armies in open country, so much so that between Paris and Dijon there is a huge gap where not a single German division can oppose the allied advance. With the exception, of course, of the walking skeleton that is the 1. Armee, but it can barely contain a single allied corps, far less than the impressive force facing it.
For the Belgians, the past month has been sweet revenge for the dark days of May 40, when everything went to hell. The same is true of their Franco-British allies, although the former are more affected by the memory of June 40. For the Americans, the problem is to avoid implying to the Europeans: "You see, it wasn't so difficult...".
Although victorious everywhere, the Allies are still hampered by their logistics: the victory is dazzling, but it has considerably lengthened the supply lines, and the June offensives would suffer as a result.

The Festungen of Brittany
Brest - American artillery and aircraft continue their strikes on the Cité du Ponant. Opposite, the 343. ID under Generalleutnant Erwin Rauch has clearly understood that his adversary - at the time, only the 90th Infantry Tough Ombres (Jay MacKelvie) - is awaiting reinforcements.
So Rauch calmly faces the storm, all the more serenely because his enemy is clearly short of ammunition - after all, the shells have to be lugged to the end of the peninsula. The weather on the peninsula is changeable and unstable - Rauch has only been stationed here for five months, but he already knows what drizzle means. So much for Yankee aviation! Moreover, his own guns (in particular the 4 x 280 mm of the Graf Spee at Lochrist*) respond at least as violently as the shelling he is undergoing.
In short, here too the situation is not about to improve. By evening, the 359th Infantry Rgt has not even reached the coast to the west of the town.
.........
Lorient - The 9th Infantry Varsity (Manton Eddy) continues to advance with method and pugnacity towards the left bank of the Scorff, through the ravaged town of Lanester. Facing them is the 942. Grenadier Rgt (Major Görtmüller) - which knows full well that if it gives in, it would soon find itself in the waters of the Atlantic - clings on with its fingernails to every ruin, every pile of rubble, retreating step by step towards the arsenal and the former Marine Fusiliers School.
Opposite, Joseph Collins sets his sights on the Pointe de l'Espérance, barely two kilometres from the present American positions. He can already see himself setting up artillery positions there with an unobstructed view of the Krauts' rear. The news from Brest is not good, and the news from Saint-Nazaire remains unchanged - as a result, Lorient is becoming more important by the hour. Fortunately, the American has another ace up his sleeve: the 79th Infantry Cross of Lorraine (General Ira Wyche), which has seized the Kerlin Bastard base, the adjoining kaolin processing plant** and above all the Château de Soye estate, thus closing the western approach to Festung Lorient. In the evening, Wyche begins to consider infiltrating eastwards along the Ter, taking advantage of Wood's tanks while they are still there.
.........
Saint-Malo - After the tragedy of the previous day, Maxwell Taylor's 101st Airborne Division Screaming Eagles - and in particular his 321st Btn, 377th Btn and 907th Glider FA Btn - resume firing on the town of Aleth and Cézembre Island. The latter continues to suffer without being able to respond, while the number of wounded increases. Even worse for the two German redoubts: they no longer have any drinking water supply...
.........
Saint-Nazaire - Raymond Barton is ordered to probe the defences of the Festung Saint-Nazaire with a little more enthusiasm. He is willing to do so, even though he has no illusions about the ability of his 4th Infantry Ivy alone to cope with the mass of concrete facing it. During the night, sections are sent on infiltration missions. Unsurprisingly, not all of them return in their entirety, nor do they bring back any encouraging news...

Normandy
Around Sainte-Adresse, 07:00 - The sky is grey and the English Channel windy - the Seine estuary unfurls its springtime melancholy in the sea breeze, which takes away the sound of explosions, the smell of gunpowder, the stench of burnt bodies and ashes.
At the edge of the beach - but certainly not on it (too many mines and buried shells!) - General Percy Hobart, representing the Royal British Army, is waiting with bated breath for Colonel Eberhard Wildermuth, to try once again to negotiate an end to the senseless slaughter that is Operation Astonia. "Hobo" has come accompanied by General Gustaw Paszkiewicz of the 4th Polish Infantry Division. The latter is being used here as infantry (and therefore cannon fodder), much to the displeasure of its leader, who feels quite rightly that a lot of Poles have been massacred since yesterday, and not just yesterday... After all, a colonist from India and a colonist from Ruthenia, both lost in Normandy. What a fate, really!
In the distance, Wildermuth arrives as part of a delegation with a (small) escort in two Kubelwagens. "They've still got petrol, haven't they?" sighs Hobart. In fact, the little cars look a little ridiculous amidst the Bedfords, M5s and other Armoured Cars that have accompanied them. We didn't see fit to blindfold the guests - they might as well see what they're up against, it'll make them think...
Eberhard Wildermuth, in fact, has had time to think since yesterday. In a day of fire and fury, he saw his outer perimeter breached and several of his redoubts burnt to the ground, literally engulfed in flames by the Crocodiles. And their crews too. But the Welshman, relatively realistic though he is - realistic and bitter: he is stuck here when he had once been promised an army corps - has retained enough of his superbness to wear his hat high. And also to try and hide the fact that he is limping badly in his right leg - the fault of a shard that has lodged in his thigh.
In short, for the German, whatever the circumstances, things remain clear: he has sworn to his Führer to defend the Festung Le Havre to the last man, and can only lay down his arms with the agreement of his superior. Hobart tries in vain to argue with him, to show him the inevitable and imminent destruction of his troops, to remind him of the overwhelming technical advantage his Funnies give him, not to mention the enthusiasm of the troops accompanying them. But on the Polish side of things, people are fuming at this Nazi who is draping himself in honour after all the harm his Reich had done to the country. And finally, Paszkiewicz decides to make it known: in bad English, with a deliberately exaggerated accent, so that Wildermuth knows who he's dealing with. "Hobo! Tell that son of a bitch that if he doesn't surrender, I'll burn him and his killers like his race burned Warsaw."
Faced with the first intervention of this individual - whose words had to be translated, in a vague attempt to soften them - and the sudden appearance of the white eagle clearly visible on his sleeve, the commander of the Festung Le Havre loses some of his colour. But he keeps his poise, salutes and announces that he would give his answer tomorrow. "In the meantime, I presume the truce still holds?"
No, it can't hold out any longer. The shelling resumes at 14:00. The rest of the day is devoted to reducing Nazi bunkers from afar, which can rarely retaliate at equal range or calibre.

Côte d'Opale - The 4th Canadian Armoured now follows the RN 28 towards the Bresle, towards Abbeville via Blangy-sur-Bresle. Opposite it, the 49. ID (Sigfrid Macholz), which has come down from the Pas de Calais and, like all of Walther Fischer von Weikersthal's LXVII. ArmeeKorps - to set up a... let's say a delaying line, with the help of everything that could be salvaged from the Normandy debacle.
In the absence of opposition, and despite some caution, George Kitching is making good progress. By evening, he is already approaching his intermediate objective. At dawn tomorrow, he should be crossing the forest of Eu, which is presumed to be little defended, if at all. This is logical: the Krauts are not going to leave their units stranded on the south bank! Moreover, the 4th Canadian Armoured is largely flanked: on its left by the 3rd Canadian Infantry (Rod Keller) - which arrives at Le Tréport, opposite Karl Casper's 48. ID (who is used to defending since his fighting in Romania last year), and above all on its right by the 5th Canadian Armoured (Guy Simonds), which continues to overtake everyone with Croixrault in its sights, covered as it is by the 2nd Canadian Infantry (Charles Foulkes). Simonds arrives at his destination in the evening - the 26. Panzer and 4. Fallschirmjäger are far ahead, towards Amiens, Airaines and above all the Somme. It goes to show that the German command did not have much faith in a line across the Bresle either!

Oise and Picardy
Beauvais area - The 50th Infantry Northumbrian finishes securing Beauvais. Then, still unsure of its link with the rest of John Crocker's 1st Corps, it begins to advance cautiously towards Breteuil, on the Canadians' flank, following in the footsteps of Egon von Neindorff's 36th PzrGr. It is only halfway there by nightfall - the Creil affair has left its mark.
As expected, on the right flank, reorganisation continues: the 3rd Infantry (Tom Rennie) is towards Bresles, in liaison with the 15th Scottish Infantry (Gordon MacMillan), which is arriving at Clermont, and above all with the 53rd Welsh Infantry (Robert Knox Ross), still trapped between Creil and the forests of the north of the Oise. Behind, the 7th Armoured (George Erskine) continues to reform, when Erskine receives a message announcing a visitor for tomorrow.

Ile-de-France
Paris region - William Gott's British XII Corps is making good progress - this is because, despite its urban density and the host of different units located there, the French capital remains a major communications hub. All being well, it should complete its transit to Villepinte and Gonesse within 48 hours. In fact, the first elements are already in Sarcelles, or even at their destination, despite the festivities that are still in full swing in certain districts! The Paris region is therefore deemed to be covered - Hauteclocque will soon be able to leave the camp to seek even greater glory elsewhere...
.........
North-east of the Seine - Sidney Kirkman's British VIII Corps has finished crossing the Seine and the Pontoise region. It approaches Chambly - to the rear of the 1st Corps - and prepares to take over. Kirkman's corps is admittedly a little tired after Normandy - but it still represents three infantry divisions, an armoured division and an AGRA. With Gott's troops, that makes no less than six infantry divisions, three armoured divisions and two heavy artillery regiments. That's more than enough to break through the Hun lines on the way north. What's more, the Imperials aren't alone: they even have people with them who have good reason to be in a hurry!

Back to the Flat Country
Paris region - The Benelux AC begins to advance towards Meaux - all the more easily because the French in front and the Americans behind are rapidly moving eastwards. Caution is still the order of the day... but a little less so than yesterday. In fact, Victor Van Daele has just been given some great news: in Meaux, they will be joined by some of their compatriots, before marching home together.
.........
Forest of Fontainebleau - Now fully relieved by the units of the 1st French Army - General de Lattre de Tassigny's IIIrd Corps, which is beginning to advance into Champagne - Lieutenant-General Jules Bastin's IInd Belgian Corps receives an exciting order: head for Meaux, link up with Van Daele's boys and then march towards... the officers don't need to say any more, everyone already knows. "To Brussels! To Brussels! To Brussels!"

2nd Armoured Division
Porte de la Chapelle, Paris - At his HQ, Philippe de Hauteclocque finishes putting his division in marching order. He has to finish clearing the nests of resistance to the north of the capital, then head straight for General de Lattre's IIIrd Corps, which he would have to integrate with the 14th and 19th Divisions, left behind by the remainder of the Belgian IInd Corps.
.........
HQ of the 521st RCC (Paris) - A young man in civilian clothes appears before one of the orderlies. Well-dressed, handsome, tall and haughty, he has everything it took to make the front page of a propaganda poster. But only one poster: his falsetto voice deprives him of any chance in front of the cameras, thinks the soldier on duty, who is unaware that this young man has just spent four years acting in theatre and cinema (and had been scorned by the critics), before taking part to some extent in the Paris insurrection. The young man has no experience of armoured vehicles***, but he has his driving licence and is a volunteer, which is something. The orderly points him in the direction of the support group of the 521st brigade, which is only too happy to recruit Second Class Jean Marais as the driver of the Jeep Célimène, whose driver had been killed a few days earlier.

1st US Army and 7th US Army
Montargis (Vienne) - General Patton was known - and feared - for his... explosive temperament. Seeing that the units of his 1st Army are outnumbering those of IV Corps (7th Army), which are standing still, his volcanic temper leads him straight to Patch's HQ to order him to get back on the road with him. And the leader of IV Corps sees a volcano appear in his house just as he was about to leave for Orleans...
- Sandy****, can you explain this mess to me? What the hell are your divisions doing? They've got a boulevard in front of them!
- General, my men are exhausted after two weeks of frantic pursuit and intense fighting a few days ago. The equipment is failing, the logistics don't even go as far as Orléans, the leading units have suffered severe losses...
- I couldn't care less! Do you think the fighting in Normandy was all in good fun? You think our last few weeks were easier than yours? You're going back, and right away, that's an order! The Germans are finished, one last push and we'll be on the Rhine by 4th July!
- With all due respect, General...
- Sandy, be very careful what you say next!
- I'm not under your command. I have another mission, assigned to me by General Bradley, and I intend to obey his orders. I'd like to make it clear, General, that your units haven't been in the breach for eight months, and this is only their second major offensive in two months! My men are resting because they have defeated their enemy, fulfilled their mission and can go no further for the time being.
- You're soft, Sandy. It's precisely when the enemy is defeated that we must pursue him.
- And that's exactly what I've just done, General. The LXIV. ArmeeKorps was facing us on the Dordogne. Since the 28th, this corps has been destroyed in open country before crossing the Seine. My men were tired, as was their equipment, and the units had little more than 50% of their fighting capacity. They will go no further. I'd also like to remind you, General, that the Germans are very fond of surprise counter-attacks when you pursue them too hard.
- Decidedly, you are not only spineless but also a coward. You disgust me.
And Patton emerges as he had entered, while his tanks try to cross the Briare canal on Bailey bridges.
In Montargis, Patch's worried staff sends the "Old Man's" aide-de-camp to assess his condition after the altercation. To his surprise, Patch seems... satisfied. It would have been much easier for him to talk to Patton if he had been his equal, but sending him to the ropes by declaring himself a prisoner of his superior's orders comes in very handy. What's more (and Patton may well suspect this!), the fact that Patch seems so disciplined is obviously linked to the advantage this gives to the man who will shortly be the new leader of the 7th US Army.
.........
Sens - Old Blood'n Guts has not finished storming when his units finally reach Sens without encountering any resistance. The XIX US Corps begins to deploy on the plain, while the V US Corps should catch up within a few days, after crossing the Seine-et-Oise. At this very moment, the V US Corps is organising to cross the southern approaches to Paris, clearing them of the few disorganised German elements roaming the area.
But with the four divisions already at his disposal, Patton is determined to take Troyes within two days, before moving on to Metz. That evening, XIX Corps begins marching towards Troyes on the Senonnais plain. Once it had crossed the Seine, V Corps deploys on the plain east of Melun to cover the northern flank of this advance. The two corps thus advance independently, Patton considering that each would distract the enemy from the other. Or that each would be beaten separately, said the malicious tongues that Patton had always irritated - and always would.
In the great mix, indeed the great chaos, of units south of Paris (no fewer than sixteen American divisions!), a few particular movements should be noted. Matthew Ridgway's 82nd Airborne All American marches towards Tours, where the station, which is larger than Angers, resumes operations, albeit on a reduced scale. It is at this station that Charles Gerhardt's 29th Infantry Blue and Gray embarks for Orleans, watched by Harmon's cavalrymen, who would not take the train until after the two infantry divisions have passed. As the 1st Armoured Old Ironsides belongs to the 7th Army, it does not return to the front immediately.
In addition, instead of joining the mass of American divisions, the 35th Infantry, which has arrived directly from the United States via Marseille, is to join the Alpine front. No matter how much Patton railed against it, this arrangement between the French and Americans had been decided at the highest level since Eagles' 45th Infantry Thunderbird (VIII US Corps, 7th US Army, 15th AAG) has found itself bogged down in front of La Rochelle. The 35th was 'loaned' to the French in exchange for a French metropolitan infantry division taking charge of the siege - or rather guarding the town, to use the fashionable expression in headquarters. And Frère has just told Ike that the 1st Infantry Division is now assembled around Toulouse. This unit is not really capable of manoeuvring in the field; it lacks men, specialists, staff, equipment - in short, everything. Made up of a few thousand men from the maquis in the west of France, it has virtually no armoured vehicles and much of its artillery dates from the start of the war. But the Germans in La Rochelle are in no better shape and would have neither the means nor the interest to attack frankly if they wanted to break the truce. Next week, the 1st Infantry Division will be fleshed out, gaining in substance and effectiveness, before relieving the 45th Infantry, which will then be able to be employed on a more important front.
.........
Nemours - A rather lame but epidemic joke has spread among the GIs of the 1st Army since D-Day, and now Corporal James C. Kilroy sure hates his name. For almost a month now, he's had to deal with half a dozen "Kilroy was here "s a day, and his superiors find the situation more hilarious than distressing. At least the French haven't taken up the joke yet.
A few paces away, the first sergeant of his company is trying to negotiate its passage over the only bridge in the town before a company of horsemen from the 7th Army crosses. The bastards have already been in town for four days and are moving their vehicles slowly, preventing Kilroy's battalion from passing quickly, even though they are expected on the other side! But the cavalrymen are intractable, and as they are the ones in control of the field, the first sergeant can do nothing about it. Kilroy just sees him climb into a jeep and drive off in the direction of the 3rd Armored HQ, set up a few hundred metres away in the town castle, while the Shermans advance. And the poor corporal, on returning to his lorry, discovers that its sideboard has been smeared with a magnificent "Kilroy was here"...

7th US Army and 1st US Army
Versailles - Bradley lands at Villacoublay airfield, then goes to Versailles to see Eisenhower, who is starting to set up SHAFE at the Trianon. Despite Franco-British misgivings, Ike is increasingly establishing himself as the Generalissimo of the Western Front, as he is beginning to be known. He explains without too much annoyance to the current head of the 7th Army that the establishment of the First US Army Group (FUSAG) that he is to entrust to him is the subject of discreet and polite, but nonetheless obstinate, opposition from the French, who do not want to lose their last Army Group command on the front.
Bradley, who knows the French better than anyone, having fought alongside them and under their orders for a year, cannot but recognise the political nature of the matter. But from an operational point of view, there is no hesitation: the most logical course of action is indeed to reunite the 1st Army and the 7th US Army within the FUSAG, and so much the worse for the wounded pride of the French. Bradley nevertheless indicates that it would be highly inappropriate to propose to their allies that the French 1st Army be included in the FUSAG.
Eisenhower agrees, well aware of the humiliation this would represent. The French are free to organise their forces as they wish, as long as they play their part. In any case, with Allied logistics in northern France almost exclusively controlled by SHAFE, they would soon be gently brought to heel.

Paris - Having received his instructions, Bradley leaves the Trianon for Paris, where he meets the future FUSAG staff, made up of officers from all the American troops present in Europe: some are veterans of the Italian front, others had recently been in England, and the last has been in France since September '43.

Orléans - As soon as Patton has passed through, Patch goes to his new HQ, where the commanding bodies of the 7th US Army, currently enjoying a little rest, are beginning to gather. Willis D. Crittenberger, his successor at the head of IV US Corps, has landed in London the day before and would be sent to him shortly. Although Bradley is still officially the commander of the 7th Army and Patch that of IV Corps, both are beginning to take on the responsibilities that would be theirs in a week or two.

Poitiers - Four days' rest for the divisions of VIII Corps, it's Byzantium! But all good things must come to an end, and the 85th Infantry takes the train to Orléans. With no enemy on the horizon and the possibility of catching the train at Tours, progress is going to be rapid. In particular, with the increase in logistics from the south, repairs to the railway are progressing well: trains are starting to run again and can go without stopping from Marseille to Orléans via Bordeaux and Poitiers, and soon via Limoges, once the bridge has been repaired.
The 2nd Armored, on the other hand, still has a number of vehicles out of action and will have to wait another day. No problem - in any case, the docks at Saint-Pierre des Corps still need several hours of preparation before armoured vehicles can be moved onto the platforms.

1st French Army - Operation Marguerite
Between the Seine and the Saône - While the Americans are reorganising their forces, the Belgians are concentrating and the Poles are completing their landings in the south of France, the French have to reorganise themselves. Several changes affect the structure of the 1st Army and the distribution of its units. The 14th and 19th Infantry Divisions, until then part of the Belgian II Corps, join General de Lattre de Tassigny's III Corps. Philippe 'Leclerc' de Hauteclocque's 2nd DB would also soon be joining the III CA. At Montagne's HQ, it is not yet known how the two men would work together, but some officers who have worked with them suspect that things would be tense...
The 14th and 19th Infantry Divisions therefore set off for the North-East. Eisenhower, aware of Patton's desire to rush headlong, has told the French that it would be better to let him take Troyes and march on alone. Eight divisions are rushing in two echelons to Troyes and then Metz, so there is no need to add more people. In short, Champagne is Patton's business, while the French complete the liberation of Burgundy and enter Lorraine.
After a day in which the bad roads are a much more difficult enemy than the retreating Germans, the two divisions cross the last hills of the Morvan. After the 19th ID has left Haut de Baissey behind, the division is the third to enter Lorraine, followed by the 14th in the evening.

Langres - The breakthrough by the two armoured divisions of III Corps pushes the Germans far ahead. The 1st and 5th DB are not overly enthusiastic, particularly because of the presence of small KGs ambushed in the vicinity. The 1st DB first has to reduce an improvised and unfortunately solid blockade at Rolampont. Using the old fort at Saint-Menge and a mixture of fighting holes and trenches to channel the armoured columns, the Germans of the 243. ID force the cavalrymen to be cautious. They buy precious hours to allow the remnants of the 1. Armee and the LXXXVI. AK. Von Rundstedt wants to lay a trap for the "Friends", and he needs all the men he could get. The 243. ID is not intended to stop the French here, but to calm their ardour by giving them "a good blow between the legs", before withdrawing in good order. André Sudre therefore has to devote his day to reducing the strongpoints one by one, penalised by the terrain and the wooded gaps that allow the German infantrymen to maneuver without exposing themselves to armoured fire. As for the old fort, abandoned between the wars, it is protected by the many trees that had grown around it over the last twenty years. It therefore takes several hours before the artillerymen manage to reach its exact position, despite accurate maps. What's more, the wet weather makes it easier for the shells to penetrate the ground without exploding*****. As night falls, Otto Schonher is faced with the loss of several critical points and the fact that his troops are being bypassed by armoured vehicles that have circled around the Charmes lake. Although badly bruised by the recent fighting, the 243. ID gives the French a run for their money: the 1st DB loses several tanks, almost 50 dead and more than two hundred wounded, although most of them are light.
For its part, the 5th DB also has to deal with a stopper between Neuilly-l'Evêque and Bonnecourt. But the terrain is much more suitable for armoured maneuvers and Vernejoul quickly clears it. The day brings some interesting news for... historians: artillery can - in very rare cases... - be useful for archaeology. An explosive shell fired by the German artillery at a squadron of the 507th RCC, which was overrunning through Andilly, misses its target and blows away an enormous mound of earth near the railway line. The blast reveals a Gallo-Roman complex that had been suspected to exist in the area, but whose exact position was unknown. Until then, German artillery had been more accustomed to turning recent towns into ruins than unearthing the ruins of ancient towns.

Vesoul - Within IV Corps, the 83rd DIA pursues the 91. LFD, or rather what is left of it, but this remnant division manages to give it the slip in the surrounding woods. von Schweppenburg is determined to defend Nancy! There is no point in losing what is left of a division, even a weakened one, for a meaningless village south of the Saône. The 83rd DIA is therefore content to line the river and be in a position to cross it.
Louis Kœltz, a good tactician, knows that his trump card is Jean Rabanit's 3rd DB. If the division manages to push back the 39. ID and inflict losses, the cavalrymen could ride into the back of the LXXXV. AK and condemn the 2. FJD and the 5. FJD. He therefore orders the assault, but Franz Kerch had been able to take advantage of his withdrawal the previous day to organise ambushes, stoppers and other delays along the road to Montbéliard. Rabanit, aware of these difficulties, sends word back to Kœltz, who nevertheless gives the order to advance... but not recklessly. The 3rd DB could perhaps have charged towards Epinal but, isolated and far from its supplies, it could have come up against a violent German counter-attack, which Kœltz is determined to avoid. From then on, the 3rd DB's program is limited to a methodical sweep of the southern foothills of the Vosges where, to make matters worse, most of the heights are more wooded than the plains. The division manages to advance, but at a snail's pace.
No matter: the Germans crack all over. The Legion's four brigades around Pontarlier have just finished overrunning Koh's 2. Fallschirmjäger when Alberto Pablo's 6th BMLE Brunete reaches Lods and threatens to take Valdahon - thus cutting the last link between Koh and the rest of his corps. In the evening, it is a routed and almost fleeing division that gathers its forces and hurries to recover on Morteau.
The French brigades then begin a pivot towards Valdahon and Beaume-les-Dames. Wilke's 5. Fallschirmjäger has obviously not yet achieved this, while the infantrymen of the 5th RI take Saint-Vit, supported by the 61st RA. The infantrymen thus add another victory to the long history of the 5e RI in Burgundy. For almost four centuries, the former Navarre regiment has taken part in all the French campaigns in the region, with varying degrees of success (the battle of Arnay-le-Duc) and failure (the siege of Thionville).
For the time being, the German parachutists lock themselves in Besançon, but as soon as he learns of the rout of the 2. Fallschirmjäger and the difficulties of the 39. ID, Wilke prepares his 5. FJD to abandon the town, where things are beginning to look bad.
Meanwhile, Kœltz is pleased to see Marc-Elie Pellet's 9th DIC arrive. He would soon be able to commit it, no doubt to finally clear everything south of the Ballon d'Alsace and to flank the Belfort-Montbéliard defensive sector, which would no doubt be much harder to break.

* More precisely at Kéringar, where the defensive complex has been completed, but not the casemates, allowing the guns to turn 360°. An advantage... as long as the bad weather prevents the air force from attacking.
** It is located not far from the ruins of former housing occupied by Spanish Republicans in Plœmeur, which formed the "Franco camp".
*** He served in 39-40 in an AdA battalion as a spotter, although he was very short-sighted! He escaped capture by taking refuge in Paris with Cocteau, who got him demobilisation papers that were more or less in order.
**** Alexander Patch's nickname in the US Army.
***** After the war, the area around the fort was closed to traffic after a German veteran who returned to the site in October 1947 died in the explosion of one of the shells buried in the mud. A local cheesemaker who wanted to use the fort's cellars as a ripening shed paid for the entire site to be cleared of mines - successfully, in fact.

 

[Wings]

June 2nd, 1944

Liberation and Liberators
The Brittany Festungen
Brest - Ploughing continues in the persistent rain - at least for the air force. On the eastern side, the 359th Inf Rgt has finally rounded the Festung: from the Portzic lighthouse, the GIs have an unobstructed view of the military port, the harbour, the heavy grey clouds... and more generally of the city already smoking with rubble. They don't linger: you never know where the Krauts might fire, and there are whispers that snipers are always on the prowl... As for the rest, the US Army hasn't even pretended to tighten its grip yet.
.........
Lorient - The fighting is as fierce as the day before in Lanester, between a 942. Grenadier Rgt (Major Görtmüller), as stubborn and at ease in defence as ever, and the 9th Infantry Varsity (Manton Eddy), which has to make do with all these annoyances. The road to the ruins of the Saint-Christophe bridge and the Gueydon bridge in the arsenal - the latter was still vaguely passable, and therefore the object of all covetousness - is negotiated at the highest price, while the American infantry is still trying to force its way through. The Saint-Joseph-du-Plessis sector, and in particular the area around the church of the same name, is the focus of intense fighting.
With insufficient air support and artillery shells, and with the 79th Infantry Cross of Lorraine (General Ira Wyche) still some distance away towards Keraude and Soye, Manton is reduced to bulldozing the ruins... literally. A dangerous, costly and arduous task! Worse still: in the evening, John S. Wood's 4th Armoured Division is ordered to withdraw to the Hennebont sector, to regroup before an imminent departure for Champagne. Patton had got what he wanted! And Collins has to go in hard with even fewer forces than expected.
.........
Saint-Malo - This morning, we can't really see Ile Cézembre any more, drowned as it is in sea spray and smoke. It's a good thing - but one that doesn't affect Taylor, who has been ordered to deal with the citadel of Aleth as quickly as possible. He's needed elsewhere, and things have been dragging on too long here too, for god's sake! Well, he has been promised powerful support, which will be deployed tomorrow.
.........
Saint-Nazaire - The night's reconnaissance operations have finished producing their reports - to sum up, the German perimeter seems impenetrable for the time being. Massive shellings would have to be carried out over a long period. In his report to Collins, Raymond Bardon shows no more enthusiasm than his colleagues in Lorient: "It's tough stuff! Rocky Mountains indeed!" And yet we're not in Colorado, but on the banks of the Loire. Joseph Collins therefore decides to halt all offensive operations here. One hare at a time...

Normandy
Second defensive perimeter of Le Havre, 07:00 - After another night and morning of artillery strikes and bunker-busting, carried out in particular by the Avre, the Crocodiles move forward again - this time towards the second line of defence, whose strong points are known to them thanks to the local Resistance networks.
Once again, it's a gloomy morning. But that doesn't stop the tank commander of the lead tank from observing that the white flag is being raised in front of him! The Kraut servicemen obviously don't want to be cremated for nothing. "They're surrendering, they're giving up!" shouts the tanker, who had unwisely stuck his head out of his trunnion to get a better look through his binoculars. And the news spreads amid cheers as Gustaw Paszkiewicz's infantry pours into town.
.........
Le Havre, harbour master's office, 11:45 - Considering that his wound, although not serious, prevents him from continuing the fight, Colonel Eberhard Wildermuth officially presents his personal surrender, as well as that of his entire staff. He refuses, however, to order the rest of his troops to surrender - thus sending everyone back to their own responsibilities, perhaps with a touch of hypocrisy. A detail... Transferred to Trent Park in England (the prison camp for important officers), Wildermuth would later happily report to those in authority that he felt he had kept his oath by immobilising substantial enemy forces for just under ten days*.
By the evening, the rest of the port was under control. The Poles of the 4th Infantry Division take great pleasure in personally flushing out every smart aleck who tried to hide in a cellar. The Allies recover just under 10,000 prisoners. The port is ruined and sabotaged - but repairable - the town is tormented - but less than if the affair had lasted a long time - and above all the Seine estuary is cleared. Repairs are well under way**!
As for Paszkiewicz's 4th Infantry Division, it is already preparing to leave camp to join its compatriots in Champagne.

Picardy Coast - Along the Bresle, the 4th Canadian Armoured and 3rd Canadian Infantry begin to test the defences of the LXVII. ArmeeKorps. The LXVII. ArmeeKorps can no doubt hope to contain the enemy for a while - if not actually hold out... But the overall strategic situation and (above all) the current overrun by the 5th Canadian Armoured (Guy Simonds) - which is approaching Amiens with the 2nd Canadian Infantry (Charles Foulkes) in its rear - makes the exercise as risky as it is pointless. At the time, the Picardy capital is held only by the remnants of the 26. Panzer under Generalleutnant Smilo von Lüttwitz, poorly reinforced by various marching units and the 902. StuG Abt under Hauptmann Frerich von Lessen.
At Blangy-sur-Bresle, the 49. ID (Sigfrid Macholz) - which had already largely filled up its withdrawal route - is ordered to withdraw and move up towards the Somme via Airaines and Picquigny, in order to contribute to the defence of the river. On the way, it comes across Heinrich Trettner's 4. Fallschirmjäger, on its way to take its place towards Pont-Remy. As for Karl Casper's 48. ID, of course, it heads for Abbeville. All at night, and under the gentle pressure of the Canadians who cross the Bresle early the next morning.

Oise and Picardy
Beauvais area - The 50th Northumbrian Infantry (Douglas Graham) liberate Breteuil without a fight - the town has been deserted by the enemy. In the centre, the 3rd Infantry (Tom Rennie) advances towards Saint-Just-en-Chaussée, with the 15th Scottish Infantry (Gordon MacMillan) on its right at Ressons-sur-Matz, while the 53rd Welsh Infantry (Robert Knox Ross) finally enters Compiègne, following in the footsteps of Balck's formidable 16. Panzer. Of course, the ammunition depot at the Sablons camp, the Margny-lès-Compiègne airfield and the bridges over the Venette dam and the boulevard Gambetta had already been blown up... But all is not doom and gloom. The proof: a train carrying deportees to Germany was diverted to Péronne. It is now wisely waiting to be picked up there, on a siding and under the guard of local FFIs...
John Crocker's 1st Corps has thus reached a line roughly extending the Bresle for 90 kilometres. It is ordered to halt its offensive movements here, to allow Sidney Kirkman's VIII Corps time to pass in front of it. This should be done by midday tomorrow.

Chambly - General George Erskine is discharged from the 7th Armoured! Judged responsible for the disastrous affair at Creil (risking defeat against a defeated opponent, what a shame!) and also more generally - albeit somewhat paradoxically - for excessive caution that had led to an "indifferent performance" by his unit, he is sent back to the reserves. Later, a staff post would take him to the Far East and then to various police responsibilities in Africa, where he performed more or less well...
The division is entrusted to Gerald Lloyd-Verney - an armoured officer since 1940, personally recommended by Montgomery (who would have liked to have him back) and who no-one doubts would give full satisfaction.

2nd Armoured Division
Paris - The last German points of resistance north of the Petite Couronne are falling one by one. Without wasting any time, the 2nd DB sets off again towards Melun. The aim is to follow the Seine behind Patton to reach de Lattre. Leclerc is in no hurry to see his future leader again: it is common knowledge that the divisional officer's fiery character is the opposite of the methodical and measured corps general. This contradiction is unlikely to get any easier, if we are to believe the rumours that Leclerc could be awarded a fourth star for the liberation of Paris... but not just yet, of course.

On the German side
Heeresgruppe G HQ, Metz - A fine drizzle makes it difficult to see through the windows of von Rundstedt's office. So much the better: it prevents the Allied air force from playing spoilsport! And above all, he thought, it would prevent him from spotting the 8 divisions, 4 armoured brigades and a battalion of tank fighters that are starting to cross the Rhine to reinforce the Reich's defences. Gerd von Rundstedt has no illusions: the war is lost, whatever happens. The Reich has already been deprived of its greatest conquests: Poland, almost all of France, Ukraine... Last month had definitively extinguished his last doubts about the end of the conflict. But his duty as a soldier takes precedence over his defeatism. And von Rundstedt is an excellent soldier.
The map on his desk shows the positions of friendly units, but also and above all enemy units, as provided by the Abwehr and reconnaissance units. The objective of the operation he is planning is relatively simple: to break the Americans' teeth on the solid positions on the Meuse, evacuate them when holding them would become too costly and, when the 1st US Army had followed and was disorganised, to counter-attack violently in order to bleed this army dry. No false hopes of recapturing Champagne or defending the Marne, the Westheer no longer has the means! But it can make its enemies pay.
To achieve this, it is imperative to save the three army corps still in the Champagne plain, which are at risk of annihilation in the face of the British and Americans, who are more mobile but for the moment fortunately constrained by logistics. The last divisions of HG G therefore leave the Provins, Romilly and Troyes line on which they had been based, and retreat to the Marne. The command organisation is changed for this purpose. The 1. Armee takes over the LXXVI. AK from the 19. Armee, for its evacuation and then the temporary defence of the Marne, with the LXIV. AK. Both would be reinforced by two of the PanzerGrenadier divisions it would soon receive.
Unusually, most of the remaining divisions in the area are more or less at full strength... thanks to the recovery of those who had fled from the west. Rudolf Friedrich's 327. ID, for example, is almost fully staffed - with the exception of the artillery, which had been decimated at Montargis. For want of anything better, it was given weapons taken from the beginning of the war: 75 mm French or Belgian guns, for the most part, stored at Verdun. A sad symbol of the decline of the Wehrmacht, these guns, modified for motor towing, would have to be towed by horses.
The 19. Armee of von Schweppenburg, will recieve, instead of the LXXVI. AK, the reinforcement of the XC. AK of the 1. Armee. Two army corps are thus exchanged on paper, but they are debris, far from the solid formations of a month ago. Von Obstfelder does not need them to be full for his delaying tactics, and although reduced, the XC. AK would be critical in defending Nancy as the French try to advance into the Vosges.
Meanwhile, Anton Freiherr von Hirschberg's 363. ID is crossing the Rhine at Vieux-Brisach, taking advantage of the drizzle to avoid the attention of the allied air force. In two days' time, it will be in Belfort and will be able to defend the town with the help of the two parachute divisions that are retreating in more or less good order in the Doubs valley. Erich Straube is therefore back to a decent density with four divisions in line, even if three of them are much reduced. One or two more days and the two Panzergrenadier divisions that arrived would be able to garrison the Vosges front. The other reinforcements would have to fill in the gaps - with the exception, of course, of the two SS-PzK, which would form the armoured fist of his counter-attack. "It can work... it must work," sighs Rundstedt, a bitter crease on his lips.

1st US Army
Seine Basin - Von Rundstedt has the sense to order a withdrawal. Even as the Germans evacuate Troyes, Patton relaunches his offensive and leaps in from behind the Yonne and the Seine. In one day, Provins, Nogent and Villeneuve-l'Archevêque are taken, leaving Patch's divisions far behind. V US Corps is already beginning to deploy north of the Seine, progressing parallel to the XIX.
"Here we go again at last!" Patton can say with satisfaction, after silencing the officer in charge of logistics, who is worried about supplying the 1st Army. Stewardship would follow, as it always does, and it isn't Ike or Brad who would get in the way: his relations with them are distant but relatively cordial. In fact, while the two generals are increasingly critical of the fiery Patton, they like him on a personal level.
And then reinforcements arrive: the 29th Infantry lands in Orleans. In a few days' time, it would have caught up with the V US Corps. And in Tours, the 82nd Airborne takes up rest quarters. In an emergency, it would be easier to redeploy from a functional station than from Angers.

7th US Army
Orleans - Patch finishes taking charge of what would henceforth be "his" army.
The VI and IV US Corps are completing their period of rest and reconstitution; they would wait until logistics worthy of the name have been re-established before moving forward again. At the end of May, we had at times come close to running out of food, so ammunition and petrol... With the progress made in getting the SNCF back on track (literally), we can start up again in three days' time, and really resume the offensive a week later.
What's more, the first divisions of the VIII US Corps are beginning to arrive in Orléans. The 85th Infantry, or at least its light elements, are already unloading at Les Aubrais station, while heavy elements such as artillery are still on the road and should arrive tomorrow. The 1st Armoured is also approaching the martyred town. The 2nd Armored has left Tours to take part in the movement towards Orléans. At Olivet, an area is quickly prepared by the engineers to accommodate the expected mass of soldiers - the locals will be duly compensated***.
.........
The 'social' event of the day is the official funeral ceremony for Maurice Rose. The general had already been buried a week ago in accordance with Hebrew rites at Orléans cemetery, but this is the first time since his death that enough senior officers had been able to make the trip, so a new ceremony is organised in front of his grave. All the stars and stripes from the front are there, but they are not preoccupied with current operations. Patch, of course, but also Ike and Bradley, who made the trip together. Frere and another Frenchman who Patch doesn't recognise at first glance. The British are represented by a Scotsman, as Orleans obliges, and there's even a Pole, as Rose's family comes from that country.
The ceremony continues not at the cemetery but at the Campo Santo, a Catholic cloister that currently houses Orléans' only synagogue. Rose is no less than the highest ranking Jew in the American army! A Polish Jewish sergeant, a rabbi in civilian life, had been rushed in to organise the ceremony, as the Jews of Orléans are scattered to the four winds and their rabbis are nowhere to be found.
As he stands by Ike's side, Patch learns from him of his forthcoming promotion to the rank of lieutenant-general, which will be official the day he takes command of the 7th US Army. The handover ceremony will take place on the 5th, exactly the same day as the army moves into favourable positions on its return to the front.

1st French Army - Operation Marguerite
Lorraine - The two "new" divisions of III Corps continue their cautious advance towards the German lines. The news of the previous day's clashes at Rolampont have renewed the vigilance of the troops, who do not want to be trapped. Progress is therefore slow, reconnaissance methodical, and by the evening the 14th DI has only advanced around ten kilometres, the fault of the drizzle which turns the ground to mud and prevents aerial reconnaissance. The two divisions cross the Aujon and spread out between Cour-l'Evêque and Marac. The soldiers of the 19th DI can even see the Maison-Dieu in Mormant from Bugnières. At first glance, the plain to the north seems empty.
However, unbeknownst to the French, a large number of German soldiers are resting for the night on the former Luftwaffe air base at Semoutiers. These are the two surviving divisions of the XC. AK as well as the two remaining squadrons of the 341. StuG Abt, which have just evacuated Troyes. They all have to reorganise and keep the French at bay on the Meuse while the other forces redeployed. The poor weather helps them by masking their movements from Allied air supremacy and speeding up the evacuation of the Champagne plain.
As for the two armoured divisions of III Corps, the 1st DB cautiously resumes its advance despite the costly clashes of the previous day. It reaches Thivet, but has to stop before reaching Nogent. Aimé Sudre fears a repeat of the ambush at Rolampont: the woods to the south of Nogent are very dense and the D1, which leads to the small town, runs for more than two kilometres through thick woodland. This caution is justified: the 243. ID had been in the forest since the previous day, deploying several anti-tank guns in anticipation of the French armoured assault. A reconnaissance vehicle is lost, but Sudre immediately orders a halt. We would not reach Chaumont as quickly as planned...
Important news, however, for the Allied cameras: the 5th DB reaches the source of the Meuse! Not the source as such, but the point where the river officially becomes a river by the confluence of two streams. Radio-Marseille, sorry, Radio-Paris obviously draws a parallel between Marguerite and the Meuse-Argonne offensive, which pushed the Germans into the armistice. Alas, although from the point of view of the general staffs, the Westheer is well and truly defeated, the war is not over and Germany has not yet been defeated. But the infantrymen of the 19th Infantry Division and the dragoons of the 1st Armoured Division do not care: this time, it is clear, they could honour their comrades of the 15th RDP (formerly Noailles-Cavalerie) who had fallen in 1940. The French are retaking Lorraine, and this time they would not be content to let their horses drink from the Rhine...

Vesoul - The 83rd DIA moves down along the Saône, but as with its colleagues in the IV Corps further west, caution is the better part of valour. The poor weather makesit impossible to know exactly where the Germans are and what they are planning, and Eugène Mordant is not keen on surprises. He therefore stops at Port-sur-Saône, and his reconnaissance tries to find the Germans' trail, without success. The 91. LFD has disappeared into the woods.
What Mordant and Koœltz could not know is that the German redeployment was rapid. The very next day, the entire LXXXVI. AK would be in line to defend access to the Vosges, relying on a large amount of cover and on positions that had been prepared for a skirmish battle throughout the area between the Saône and the foothills of the mountain range. Meanwhile, the 91. LFD enters Epinal, where it has to diligently prepare its defence.
For their part, Rabanit's tanks continued to advance, but Franz Krech's infantrymen defend the access to the Doubs valley foot by foot. At the end of the day, after reducing several stoppers and pushing the 39. ID on Villersexel, the 3rd DB is finally able to enter the valley, but too late to envelop Wilke's 5. Fallschirmjäger, which had abandoned Besançon in flames as soon as Krech had informed him of the loss of the stopper at Vallerois-le-Bois. The parachutists make their way along the river as quickly as possible to take refuge in Baume-les-Dames for the night.
Wilke reports to Straube, who can only accept the definitive loss of the Doubs valley. His orders are to fall back and embed themselves in the fortifications of the Belfort-Montbéliard sector. However, the fighting would have to last and the French would have to be exhausted in order to hold Belfort. The retreat would therefore take place in drawers, using the skirmishing tactics in which the Landsers are masters.
Further south, the 2. Fallschirmjäger should be able to keep the Legion's mobile units at bay. They have paid a very heavy price since the beginning of May and would probably soon have to be withdrawn from the front for rest and reorganisation. What Straube does not know is that the 9th DIC, which the Germans thought still well south, has just arrived in Dole. It would take over from the exhausted and emaciated Legion units, which are reaching the end of their potential.

* Classified by his interrogators as a "patriot who was strongly opposed to the Nazis" (he is said to have known about the operations to eliminate the mentally ill through his brother, a doctor, and may have played a small role in Walkyrie), Wildermuth later became a particularly positive figure in post-war Germany, recommending political figures and running seminars on... war crimes for some of his former colleagues. Elected as a Democrat MP for Württemberg-Hohenzollern and member of the Bundestag, he was a minister in the first German governments, responsible for reconstruction. He died of his injuries in this post in 1952 - his legs, already worn out by the First World War, had finally given out on him and he could only get around in a wheelchair.
** Today, on the Pont de Normandie, you can admire a curious statue, moved from the former headquarters of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (itself once a major structure in the port): a bull supporting a white eagle, itself carrying a flame lit in a cauldron - the horned beast being the badge of the 79th Armoured and the cauldron with the flame that of the 4th Polish ID.
*** After the war, the site became the garrison for several American units, as well as two French regiments: the 6th and 12th Cuirassiers.

 

[Wings]

June 3rd, 1944

Liberation and Liberators
The Brittany Festungen
Brest - Rain, shells and dust - the day on the Festung Brest is not much different from yesterday. In fact, in its current configuration - isolated at the end of the peninsula, facing an entrenched opponent as strong as itself - General Jay MacKelvie's 90th Infantry Tough Ombres is unlikely to do much more. So that's where things stand until further notice.
.........
Lorient - Lanester still refuses to give in! Despite the melee of the previous day, the American infantry formations are still scattered from Guidel to Quiberon, facing a host of coastal batteries. The Varsity division is therefore left alone to send a large regiment (the 47th, supported by the 15th Engineer Btn) against Görtmüller's 942. Grenadier Rgt. Obviously, in these conditions, progress is bound to be slow - especially as the American army is, as usual, thrifty with the lives of its soldiers. And finally, just as Manton Eddy was hoping to finally break through the Kraut line towards Saint-Joseph-du-Plessis, a powerful artillery barrage falls on his front line. In fact, from his HQ buried deep in the submarine base, Paul Mahlmann also commands a considerable strike force: around 140 guns of all calibres!
In short, it is a failure. At least for the time being - the fall of Lanester seems inevitable. Nevertheless, VII Corps has to think of a new strategy that would finally crack this nut...
.........
Saint-Malo - The citadel of Aleth is bombed by around a hundred B-24s, which completely demolish the superstructures of what remained of the German defence complex. Watching the devastation from their windows in the old part of the town, or in Dinard, the inhabitants can only turn pale with horror. To think that all this rage could have fallen on Surcouf's town! Immediately, the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles launch their assault - which proves to be quite deadly, and not just for the Axis.
The outnumbered paratroopers nevertheless manage to break through the enemy perimeter, which has been shattered by the explosions, blowing open door after door with Gammon bombs. Stuck in his shithole at the bottom of a bunker sweating with every tide (the pumps have run out!) and ironically short of drinking water, Colonel Andreas von Aulock can feel that this is the end...

North
Côte d'Opale - The Bresle has been bridged! The 4th Canadian Armoured Division arrives at Huchenneville and then Cambron, having followed the RD 28 as it had the day before. George Kitching looks through binoculars at the landscape in front of him: the Somme and Abbeville, held by the 49. ID of Sigfrid Macholz and no doubt a large part of the 48. ID of Karl Casper, which Rod Keller reports has already ran beyond the Bay of the Somme. It has probably since moved eastwards - it is not as if the 3rd Canadian Infantry is going to cross through Le Crotoy!
The position therefore seems rather solid, if not truly formidable. But the Canadians are far from home, supplies are uncertain, fatigue is certain, and the Kraut remains cunning: a large number of traps on the road to the Somme had been defused.
Facing Amiens, at the level of Salouël and Dury, the 5th Canadian Armoured (Guy Simonds) makes the same observation, with one nuance however: most of the town, on the south bank, appears to be held by a group of scattered troops (the German FeldAbteilungen) reinforced by mobile detachments of panzers or self-propelled guns (from the 26. Panzer under Smilo von Lüttwitz and the 902. StuG Abt under Hauptmann Frerich von Lessen). Sherman, Churchill and Cromwell would instead try to bypass the town, or support Charles Foulkes' 2nd Canadian Infantry a little from afar, when it has to go to fight.
Well, enemy defeat seems certain, as Harry Crerar thinks from his forward HQ in Neufchâtel-en-Bray. The air force would hold up the sector until the assault can be prepared. And time too, for the British cousins, to take over on the wing. For Neil Ritchie, as for all the imperial staff in France, the decision would certainly not be taken on the Somme.

Oise and Picardy
Breteuil-Compiègne line - Rest for the 1st Corps (John Crocker), which goes on the defensive, before a probable halt that is perfectly deserved. The Tommies have been pushing non-stop since Caen! They are thoroughly rinsed out. New blood is needed for the new ride ahead.

Meaux - General Victor Van Daele's 'Benelux' Army Corps enters a town already liberated by the American-French vanguard. The day's visitors are not expected to stay long - they are expected elsewhere and their travelling companions are approaching.

Manstein's hopes
Lille Town Hall - In this grand 19th-century building, Erich Von Manstein, who is in charge of HG D's destiny, notes with relative relief that the Allied pursuit is slowing down. What if their advance stops there, for lack of momentum, who knows, and perhaps of supplies? A pleasant thought, it's true, but the Prussian has his doubts - he has seen in Ukraine last year the energy that the Russians, Slavs though they were, could display. And it seems unlikely that the Anglo-Saxons, who now enjoy a vast superiority in terms of both numbers and firepower, have not foreseen the dirty trick they are playing on the Reich.
So it seems clear that the assault on the Pas-de-Calais will come. When and in what direction, however, remains to be seen. Lacking both reconnaissance and intelligence, Manstein is completely blind! But with a little shrewdness - and a slightly perverse form of Schadenfreund towards Gerd von Rundstedt - he estimates that the bulk of the enemy's attack would inevitably head for Luxembourg, or even the Rhine. It's logical, the enemy will be looking for a knockout. And that's exactly what he would do in his place. In this configuration, his HeeresGruppe is probably not the main objective of the Allies, who would gain nothing by attempting a costly decisive battle here. No: if they were to launch a manoeuvre against him, it would rather be an overrun towards Saint-Quentin, designed to push him back towards the Boulonnais area, to force him to face the sea before annihilating him. A fine maneuver, mirroring the great triumph of 1940, except that today it would be pointless to hope that the Kriegsmarine would come to save it! And as the terrain is flat and open... The vanguard will have to be stopped before it breaks through its thin defences. After that, it would be too late!
In short, for Manstein, it is necessary to fight a stopping battle in the Amiens-Cambrai-Saint-Quentin triangle. A decisive, powerful and determined action, carried out with... his two half-PanzerDivisions, his single battalion of StuGs and his remaining mechanised infantry! Ideally, the front would have to be shortened so that infantry taken from elsewhere could be detached there. But since the Führer forbade any unauthorised withdrawal, too bad, we'd have to make do!
Manstein therefore begins to slide his pawns eastwards. The LXVII. ArmeeKorps would hold the Somme on its own, as it has no other choice. In the meantime, he also has lines of retreat prepared for each of the wet barriers as far as Belgium: the Ternoise, the Neufossé canal, the Saint-Quentin canal, the Sambre, the Leie, the Deûle canal, the Aire canal and then the Yser, the Scheldt and the Meuse. Just in case...

1st US Army: the battle for Metz
Troyes - The weather finally allows the resumption of extensive aerial reconnaissance. Patton is both disappointed and pleased to learn that there are no major German forces between Troyes and Reims. He is disappointed because he would not have the opportunity to destroy in detail the few large German units between the Vosges and the Ardennes. But satisfied, because it proves to him that the Krauts are in full rout and that all he has to do is push a little harder for the shaky edifice of the Westheer to collapse completely.
V US Corps is ordered to reorganise and move up towards Châlons, while XIX US Corps enters Troyes and begins to repair the bridges, damaged during Operation King's Eggs and then by the Germans. The distance is already beginning to complicate coordination between Gerow and Middleton.

1st French Army - Operation Marguerite
Lorraine, III Corps - Emerging from the woods bordering the Aujon, units of the 14th and 19th Infantry Divisions advance onto the plain leading to Chaumont. The town is only about fifteen kilometres from the 14th Infantry Division, but Montsabert has to be careful in his approach because there is a wooded hill along the way. Good for him: the XC. AK has reorganised during the night and is engaged in delaying action. Sections of the 266. ID (Karl Spang) multiply their ambushes and make generous use of their collective weaponry. Advancing in support of the infantrymen of the 3rd Demi-brigade de Chasseurs, two armoured vehicles from the 2nd Squadron of the 5th RCA are engaged by Landsers dispersed in skirmishers at the edge of the woods. Pivoting to deal with the enemy, they fall right into the trap set by the German infantrymen: from an unnoticed position on the armoured tanks' flank, two explosions indicate the firing of two Panzerfausts. One of the tanks explodes on the spot, while the other is lucky enough only to be torn apart - too vulnerable, it is abandoned by its crew. Having fought hard to conquer the woods and drive the Germans from the outskirts of Chaumont, the 14th Infantry Division recovers the damaged vehicle and restores it to working order. In short, the Germans are still fighting, and devilishly well.
Similar opposition awaits Kœnig in front of Villiers-sur-Suize, as he tries to reach the Marne. The French are still in control of the ground, of course - the Germans are not trying to hold on to it, but to make the Germans pay for every metre with blood. Faced with Koenig's progress, however, Sudre turns his 1st DB towards Nogent, which is liberated. But his progress stops there: the liberation of the little town has been achieved by playing cat and mouse with anti-tank teams scattered in the woods, and Sudre does not like playing the role of the mouse for very long.
The 5th DB, for its part, sees a boulevard some 20 kilometres deep opening up before it. Vernejoul does not hesitate for a second: clearing the woods east of Val-de-Meuse, he enters Breuvannes-en-Bassigny. A few light aircraft (liaison and observation) are even able to land at Damblain, a secondary AdA airfield maintained by the Luftwaffe. The runway is not hard-surfaced, but the cows are not grazing on it, which is something.

Vesoul, IV CA - IV Corps reorganises its position to allow the integration of the 9th DIC and the pivot of the 10th DI towards Vesoul to flank-guard the advance in the Doubs valley against any German attempt to repeat the sickle blow of 1940. The weather here is still poor and the air force is far from seeing everything.
Given the lack of reconnaissance possibilities and the risk of ambush, the 83rd DIA is content to methodically beat the woods and stops at Conflandey for the night. The good news is that the retreating Germans had not destroyed the wire-drawing mill, which appears to be intact. In accordance with the plan drawn up the previous day by IV Corps staff, the 10th DI leaves Besançon to move up quickly and defend Vesoul against any German attack from Lure or Luxeuil. The 3rd DB organises itself around Rougemont to resume its advance towards Belfort, while the 9th DIC moves to its right to reach Beaume-les-Dames. Meanwhile, the Legion units gradually withdraw for rest and replenishment. They have given so much, and with recruits no longer rushing to the gate, some of them would have to be merged and their use prioritised.
Opposite, the 243. ID (Otto Schönherr) and the 182. ID (Richard Baltzer) had discreetly watched the French movements and are preparing to delay the final crossing of the Saône as long as possible. The Landsers prepare the ground with mines, foxholes and sniper positions while awaiting the French assault. Although German morale is low, if Belfort fell, the Alsace plain would be open to the French, and therefore the Heimat itself. So they had to be bled dry to calm the furia francese.

French forces
All-out recruitment
Liberated France - During the May operations, German losses were equal to the disaster. If he were still alive, Lüdendorff would not have failed to mark May 15th, 1944 as the German army's second day of mourning, when the Normandy defence collapsed for good, the Dordogne-Linie burst open like an overfull wineskin, and the defensive lines in Burgundy cracked one after the other. There were many dead and even more wounded. But there were also a large number of prisoners, and this is of great interest to several Allied countries!
It is no secret that the Germans mobilised indiscriminately in all the territories under their control, even when international laws prohibited them from doing so. From then on, most of the Allied nations that were still wholly or partly occupied had to sort through the "German" prisoners to find their citizens who had been forcibly mobilised (as well, of course, as those who had volunteered for other reasons). The Belgians, Poles and Czechs put a lot of effort into this, with mixed success. The French are also very active, motivated by the mobilisation of the Alsatians-Mosellans (but also by the scale of the French armed forces' manpower requirements).
This possibility of "parallel" recruitment had been identified by the French as early as the end of 1943, and by May 1944 the process was well under way. Some corps were less fussy about the origin of their men. After all, a man is a man. An artilleryman with an Alsatian surname? If he knows a few words of French and doesn't profess too much admiration for the Third Reich, he's offered the chance to leave his prison camp and change uniforms, keeping his rank and pay... and we conveniently forget that his surname is also common in Baden or the Palatinate, or that his French was learnt in a brothel in Paris (or elsewhere). Of course, the paperwork will be... properly updated. But whereas in the artillery or the engineers, these are only exceptions because the professional profile of the soldier is far too interesting to be ignored, some recruiting officers or non-commissioned officers are overzealous. It's true that this is in some way the vocation of their original corps, which is no mystery to anyone - even if officially, of course, new recruits are subjected to a strict selection process.
The Foreign Legion is therefore beginning, mutatis mutandis, to train a few hundred good little soldiers of the Republic. The runes tattooed on the chests of some of them will be ignored, or rather covered up by other, less politically sensitive tattoos. This is how Théo Müller, a simple infantryman captured in Normandy by Patton's troops, was recruited by an anonymous sergeant who, after the war, gave him an address in Mexico - that of a sort of... asset manager, also specialising in the professional reclassification of legionnaires.

 

[Wings]

June 4th, 1944

Liberation and Liberators
The Brittany Festungen
Lorient - After their bloody setback the day before, the American troops spend the day rallying in preparation for their next offensive action. Clearly, there is no hurry - at least not to the extent of 500 dead or wounded, like on the previous day. In liaison with his deported HQ in Rennes, Collins is still trying to organise a kind of bonanza between his divisions scattered all over Brittany - minus, of course, the 4th Armored, which had been withdrawn and is heading east. And since we are moving towards siege warfare, he now plans to attack the German supply lines. With the support of the air force (soon) and the navy (one day...). A shrewd strategy - because on the other side, although the sudden Yankee reserve is welcome, there is already the question of food and ammunition.
.........
Saint-Malo - The citadel of Aleth contacts the 101st Airborne Division Screaming Eagles to organise its surrender. The surrender takes place in the morning - the paratroopers take just under 1,000 prisoners, many of them administrative and naval personnel (including many sailors!). The Swastika comes down and the Stars and Stripes are hoisted, followed immediately by the Tricolor. Unnecessary, but the representatives of the French army insisted - let them pass to pay their respects, yes, but leave them alone, no!
There is only one place left where the arrogant swastika floats: Cézembre Island, held by a disparate contingent from the 608. Marine Artillerie Abt and the 177. Nachrichten Abt. Part of the Kriegsmarine, this contingent is commanded by Oberleutnant Seuss, under the authority of Admiral Friedrich Hüffmeier, who is entrenched in Jersey with the 319. ID under Rudolf von Schmettow. Believing that he is bound only by the orders of his commanding officer, Seuss refuses to surrender. A new phase of bombardments begins for Saint-Malo. At least it can no longer do it any harm, as Cézembre is 4 kilometres off the ramparts!

North
Côte d'Opale - Along the Somme, the shelling of the positions of the LXVII. AK begins. This ArmeeKorps fields... two divisions reinforced by a handful of StuGs and paratroopers rescued from all over the place. Objectively, the Canadians can undoubtedly break through - especially with the air force. But Harry Crerar doesn't see the point. In fact, he hasn't even been ordered to! All he has to do is keep up good-natured pressure all along the river, to prevent the Wehrmacht from moving elsewhere.
In fact, the 26. Panzer under Smilo von Lüttwitz and the 36. PanzerGrenadier under Egon von Neindorff are going to find it very difficult to maneuver today! If not at night, with all the risks and fatigue that entails.

Breteuil-Compiègne line - The British VIII Corps (Sidney Kirkman) begins to cross the positions of the 1st Corps (John Crocker), with the 2nd Armoured (Philip Roberts) in the lead. The plan is for the whole formation to spread out in an arc for around 40 kilometres to strike towards Roye, Péronne and Arras... to begin with. It is certainly a bold move. But the enemy is in agony and Kirkman is not worried: in addition to XII Corps (William Gott), he has partners on his right who are highly motivated to advance!

Reunion
Meaux - Lieutenant-General Jules Bastin's II Belgian Army Corps arrives in the former capital of the Brie region of the Counts of Champagne. There they meet up with some very old friends and compatriots, some of whom they had not seen for two years!
The reunion is particularly moving and emotional - there aren't that many Belgians in the Allied troops, and the formation of a quasi-autonomous army is all the more of a sign of the coming victory, but also of the country's new-found unity and pride.
Bastin and Van Daele - one Flemish name, one Walloon name, what a symbol! - are not yet in the mood for effusive applause. They remain cool, professional and plan for the future. The hunter is never more excited than before the shot is fired - and that, too, can ruin everything. All the same, the leader of the 2nd comments: "Tonight's the night!"
- No, Jules. Tomorrow it'll be guindaille," replies his compatriot, brother in arms and friend, with a smile. The Belgians will have to wait a little longer to drink a local beer, which is beginning to resemble their national drink...

1st US Army: the battle for Metz
Troyes - The skies are clear and so are the roads. Patton takes advantage of the day to cover a lot of ground, despite losing precious hours to summarily build three bridges over the Seine and repair those on the Trévois canal. He also moves into town to direct the offensive against Metz that is under way.
Meanwhile, part of the rolling echelon of 12th AF has to take possession of Troyes airport and rehabilitate it to base the 84th Fighter Wing (on P-47s) and elements of the 97th and 99th Bomber Wings (on A-20s and B-26s). Patton greatly appreciates their support for his flying column tactics.
Along the Barbuise and Aube rivers, Gerow's three divisions (V US Corps) spread out between Romilly and Provins, and the 29th Infantry is on the road to Montargis. For his part, Middleton (XIX US Corps) begins to move his divisions across the Seine, taking advantage of Allied air supremacy to prevent enemy units from trying to surprise him during this delicate maneuver. Given the lack of bridges (the three available were far too few to carry four divisions, two of them armoured, not to mention corps and army support), the crossing is still not complete at the end of the day, and it would be necessary to wait until the 5th for everyone to reorganise.

7th US Army: Patch goes back to the front
Orléans - Ike gives Patch his orders, which would take effect as soon as he took command of the 7th US Army, scheduled for the following day. In a nutshell, to push north to insert himself between Patton and the British. At his disposal are the VI US Corps (Harmon), rested, fully charged and fully operational, and the IV US Corps, which Crittenberg is about to take in hand. Crittenberger has just passed on Ike's orders to his new chief.
Patch takes the opportunity to assess his next subordinate: a year younger than him, Willis D. Crittenberger is a straightforward man, an excellent trainer and organiser, who has achieved the rare feat of being equally appreciated by Patton and Eisenhower, having served under both! He also gets on well with Ernest Harmon, for whom he reorganised the 2nd Armored Division. The only fly in the ointment, which explains why Bradley doesn't want him: he lacks combat experience, having not taken part in the Other War and having commanded relatively little at the front. Never mind: the 7th Army has finished playing the lead role for the time being, so he'll have plenty of time to get his teeth into it.
With a positive first impression of the leader, Crittenberger can get to know his staff and units. His first test would be to assemble them and take them to the front: effective order on the 5th, departure of all units by the 7th at the latest.

1st French Army - Operation Marguerite
Lorraine, III CA - The battle for the sources of the Marne and the Meuse continues. Despite the advantage of their numbers and the condition of their units, the French suffer from the length of their logistical chain. The quartermaster's office is undoubtedly following orders, but it suffers from a number of difficulties, not least the lack of quality officers (the army had long followed the idea of "everything for the front"). In short, if Chaumont is finally liberated, it is a field of ruins, and several of the town's emblematic buildings are in a sorry state, notably the Basilica of Saint-Jean-Baptiste and the keep of the Counts of Champagne.
The 1st and 5th DBs, for their part, dig in until the petrol service can reach them: the divisions have to keep at least a day's supply of fuel in their tanks as a precaution, and we are getting dangerously close to that level. We won't be in Nancy tomorrow...
The 2nd DB, still on its way to join the corps, camps in Sens in the evening. The town's mayor is delighted to finally have a French unit in the area, to pass on some useful information to the Americans. Most of the French-speaking officers are not available, and the Louisiana-born lieutenant he had managed to find was not of a rank that would enable him to contact superiors in high enough places. After much discussion, Hauteclocque receives (and passes on to the appropriate people) a list of prisons, remand prisons, internment centres - in short, all the prisons available in the region to make it easier to manage the thousands of prisoners captured during the Battle of Montargis.

Doubs, IV CA - The divisions of IV CA resume contact with the German positions. This time, the music is different: the Germans have pulled themselves together and are playing for time. Progress is slow, mines and booby-traps are everywhere and the enemy is taking advantage of the loss of its heavy equipment to become elusive in the thickets. Kœltz has to order the return of at least one Legion unit to outflank the 5. Fallschirmjäger in order to reach Pays-de-Clerval by the end of the day.
The 13th DBLE, already weakened by the previous fighting, nevertheless storms Montby castle and the adjoining positions. The old stones of the castle are shaken, but by evening the half-brigade, if it has accomplished its mission, is in at least as bad a shape. The men are valiant, experienced, disciplined and behaved impeccably, but the losses accumulated since Nordwind - including that of Bazorka*, which is still deeply regretted - mean that, like the other major units of the Legion, they are less and less operational.
When the unit returns to the French lines in the evening, Colonel Pâris de la Bollardière receives a detailed report of the day's casualties. One name catches his attention: Sergeant Henri Orliac is among the casualties, mowed down by a machine gun as he ordered his group to cover the assault by the rest of the section. Orliac, Orliac... Searching his memory, the colonel manages to place the name. Orliac's face comes back to him: a man with excellent manners, obviously very well educated, committed to anonymity. In short, a mystery like so many in the Legion.
But there's more. The Legion hides many secrets, and while many are swept under the carpet in the hope that they will disappear for good, others can appear like a devil from a box when you least expect it. And Colonel de la Bollardière remembers that Amilakhvari kept a few letters from anonymous recruits giving their real names so that their families could be contacted in the event of misfortune. Digging through this file, he comes across a letter from Henri Orliac... on paper bearing the coat of arms of the Orléans family!
The colonel, although deeply republican, was obviously aware of the squabbles between Orleanist monarchists, legitimists and even Bonapartists, and his personal sensitivity to political conflicts means that he could smell an ugly affair of state from ten kilometres away. A quick read of the letter confirms his worst doubts and he immediately telephones Kœltz, who was having dinner and nearly choked on the name of the dead sergeant Orliac. The news travels up the chain of command with surprising speed for the death of an ordinary sergeant, to a certain Parisian office, furnished with odds and ends and decorated with a packet of Gauloises (which the smoker didn't appreciate all that much, but Player's are rare) and a two-star kepi (always temporary, of course). Charles de Gaulle's verdict on the Orliac case is brief and delicious: "Orléans are magnificent or infrequentable, depending on your tastes, but this one was just French, which is to say both at once".
Henri Orliac was none other than Henri d'Orléans, head of the House of Orléans and pretender to the throne of France since the death of his father in August 1940. His involvement and then his death played a major role in the lifting of the exile law... and the involvement in the Legion of several princes affected by this law, in emulation of the deceased - and of Prince Rainier Grimaldi. Henri d'Orléans' dealings with the occupying forces in July 40 were discreetly hushed up until the 1970s, when Alain Decaux was sued for libel by Henri d'Orléans fils for having revealed this fact during his programme "La Caméra explore le Temps" - the historian obviously won the case.

* The nickname given in the Legion to Colonel-Prince Amilakhvari, who fell on the field of honour in December 1943, after his native village, Bazorkino.