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

[Wings]

May 23rd, 1944

Terror
A village in Liguria - A small crowd of journalists visits the village of Santa Anna di Stazzema this morning to see the mass grave discovered a little to the south of the village, at the edge of the woods. A few days earlier, the ruins of the village were passed through by the men of the 91st US-ID without them paying any attention. After all, it was apparently only one of many villages deserted by their inhabitants and destroyed as a result of the fighting - moreover, it was located in a bowl off the main road. The Americans were content to note the absence of Germans in the area and especially at the top of the nearby ridge, where it was feared that an artillery observatory existed.
Two days later, an artillery officer from the Ariete discovered the reason for the destruction of the village. The Resistance had declared the area a "white zone" (where it was necessary to avoid attacking the Germans), so great was the risk of reprisals against the civilian population. This did not prevent the 15. SS Panzergrenadier from mounting a terror operation at the beginning of the month, officially to cut the links between the population and the Partisans. Guided by a few Blackshirts, three companies invaded the village, with a fourth deployed to prevent any escape. The massacre claimed 560 victims, the youngest only 20 days old. After three hours of slaughter, in which even the cattle were slaughtered and the buildings burned, the SS took their meal on the spot as if nothing had happened*.

* It was not until 2003 that a trial was held, with a detailed reconstruction. The prosecution, based on documents from the period, demonstrated that it was not a reprisal but a meticulously prepared terror operation. However, requests for extradition of the last surviving SS men, some of whom had boasted of having killed dozens of people, including women and children, went unheeded. In 2008, Spike Lee made a film that, apart from historical inaccuracies (the presence of black American soldiers in the area, for example), was criticized in Italy for arguing that Resistance fighters who had defected to the enemy might have been responsible for the tragedy. In 2014, only a dozen survivors remained among the perpetrators of the massacre, including a single officer - they will never be tried.

 

[Wings]

May 24th, 1944

South African Armoured
Pescara - A new armoured unit, the 6th SA Armoured Division, has been officially declared operational during an arms ceremony. Formed in part with personnel of the 1st SA Infantry Division, it will soon go on line to reinforce the armoured forces of the British Vth Corps. His Majesty's generals hope to break through the Gothic Line.

 

[Wings]

May 25th, 1944

United colors
Naples - The 371st Infantry Regiment (colored) lands directly from the United States. It is accompanied by several artillery battalions and part of the 92nd US-ID (the rest would arrive in the following days). It was the presidency that hastened the arrival of this division, citing the pressing needs of General Clark, but above all the fact that all components of the American nation have to take part in the fight for freedom. The 371st has a short but glorious history, since the French awarded it the Croix de Guerre in 1918.
The Colored Division will soon be operational. One of its three regiments (along with the 370th and 371st RCT) is, however, the 442nd RCT, a Nisei regiment (of Japanese origin) and not black. A third colored regiment is planned, but it is still in training in the United States.

 

[Wings]

May 26th, 1944

Air warfare
Italian Front - On the ground, everyone is recovering from the recent Operation Olive, but in the air, the fighting continues to rage as German fighters attempt to block Allied heavy bombers from the south. Kommodore Werner Shroer of II/JG 27 today scores a hat-trick (one B-24 and two P-38s) for a total of 81 victories, as he is due to take command of JG 54 in a few days. Later in the day, Lt Joachim Pichler of JG 77 shoots down two American aircraft, giving him 68 victories. But the four-engined planes continue to pass...

 

[Wings]

May 27th, 1944

Lull
Italian Front - There are a few reports of air battles, but the news on the ground is very limited, to the delight of the basic infantryman. There is nothing special to report apart from the usual patrol clashes or artillery exchanges.

 

[Wings]

May 28th, 1944

Home, sweet home
Bari - There are men who breathe happiness today. They are those of the 5th Indian Division, who are returning to India after almost a year and a half on the Italian front. The return of this division to Asia, after the reconquest of Burma was completed the previous month, is a preparation for the next step: Operation Dracula, the reconquest of Malaysia and Singapore. For now, the men are all about the joy of returning home and the relief of having survived.

 

[Wings]

May 29th, 1944

Air war (and political war)
Italian Front - A new South African squadron is deployed. It is Sqn 41, equipped with Mustangs like its predecessor. Its arrival coincides with a message from London to the South Africans, promising to re-equip the 7th Wing SAAF Squadrons with Spitfire IXs very soon.
.........
During the day, the 324th, 325th and 350th FS of the USAAF, as well as the 1st BFS (Brazilians), all equipped with P-47s, launch a major operation against the German airfields of the Po plain. Despite the loss of a dozen aircraft, the results are quite positive: in addition to five confirmed victories in air combat, no less than a hundred German aircraft are destroyed on the ground.

 

[Wings]

May 30th, 1944

British reorganization
Ancona - A meeting is held with General Alexander to complete the reorganization of the British 1st Army. In the coming days, the 78th Infantry Division will be transferred to army reserve and relieved by the 6th South African Armored Division. Together with the 2nd South African Infantry Division and the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, they will form the new Vth Corps, deployed in the Plain of the Marches. The corps is commanded by a South African, General Georges Brink, who had been on Alexander's staff after the Sicilian campaign. The new corps has an armoured brigade and an AGRA, thanks to the maple leaf division, and the Xth Corps takes over the 3rd and 4th Armoured Brigades as well as the 6th AGRA.
General Alexander smiles, not only because he now has the means to achieve his ambitions, but also because London had promised him other reinforcements soon. Only bad tongues would claim that he was also smiling because of the troubles of his colleague Montgomery...

 

[Wings]

May 31st, 1944

Bingo
Italian Front - The Mustangs of Sqn 41, which had recently arrived, made their first sortie. Accompanied by the Spitfires of Sqn 7, they escort the regulars of this tour: the bombers of Sqn 24 and 25 SAAF. The JG 27 and 77 are conspicuous by their absence. Only one bomber is damaged by flak.

 

[Wings]

 

[Wings]

Taking the time to say that the 1944-45 section in page 1 is of course being regularly updated.

 

[McAuslan_in_the_Rough]

Can't help but wonder how the Normandy landings will play out ITTL. The Germans are obviously much weaker (No armour or almost none in the area). Are the allies somewhat weaker too, due to commitments in southern France?

I think the British might grab Caen on D+1 or D+2 and the hedgerow fighting may end up being limited to the Cotentin peninsula. Will the Germans even fight for Normandy, or will they run for the Seine to create a defensive line there? Also, might we get another amphibious landing in 1944? In OTL we got Overlord in June and Dragoon in August. ITTL, maybe an end run in the Adriatic to help Alexander's summer offensive?

 

[demolitiondan]

Can't help but wonder how the Normandy landings will play out ITTL. The Germans are obviously much weaker (No armour or almost none in the area). Are the allies somewhat weaker too, due to commitments in southern France?

I think the British might grab Caen on D+1 or D+2 and the hedgerow fighting may end up being limited to the Cotentin peninsula. Will the Germans even fight for Normandy, or will they run for the Seine to create a defensive line there? Also, might we get another amphibious landing in 1944? In OTL we got Overlord in June and Dragoon in August. ITTL, maybe an end run in the Adriatic to help Alexander's summer offensive?

Not gonna spoil but of course, what have been in 43' Provence will not be in Normandy 44'. However, even if some amphibious subtilities are indeed programmed, do not mistake : US rules the UN. And it does want one thing, as OTL : direct warfare onto Germany Heart. All other priorities rescinded

 

[Wings]

May 1st, 1944

Malaya Campaign
Operation Mary
Gulf of Thailand - Since sunrise, the PBJs (naval version of the B-25) of 17F and the Beaufighters of 10F have been flying their first missions over the Gulf of Thailand. The Japanese, who had already reacted to the 10th Air Force's incursions by taking a route further south to supply Singapore and the Dutch East Indies, did not expect to see enemy aircraft as far from their bases as the Riau Archipelago.
For this first mission, luck is with the French: the patrol, comprising four "Michel" and four "Beauf", comes across the cargo ship Nishiro Maru, a veteran of the evacuation of the 9th Burma ID, escorted by the only submarine hunter CH-18 Oki. As the ships force the pace, zigzag, and the little Oki unleashes its 25 mm and its single 3-inch gun, the French aircraft maneuver for the kill. Like the Americans, the French PBJs removed the stabilizers of their bombs in order to take advantage of a skip bombing effect. While the twin-engine 10F took on the small escort, whose superstructure was soon transformed into a cheese factory, the PBJs attack the freighter, which is moving amidst explosions and projectiles ricocheting off the surface of the water. The Japanese captain thinks he's out of the woods when the last attacker shows up and drops two eggs that appear to fall into the water, but they ricochet before hitting the hull. A cargo hold containing ammunition or fuel is hit, starting a fire that quickly gets out of control. The Japanese ship is lost. In the evening, the atmosphere is festive in Tavoy: one ship was sunk and another damaged, without loss.

Reinforcements in the Andaman
Car Nicobar - Elements of the 10th Air Force operating in the Indian Ocean continue their build-up and redeployment. It's the 89th FS's turn to exchange its P-40s with Banshee heads for P-47s. The 80th Fighter Group will now have two squadrons on Jug to provide escorts for Operation Stoker.

Indochina Campaign
Three-band billiards
Phuc Hoa (Tonkin, on the Chinese border) - "The date of the launching of operation "Granite" was not fixed. However, it took several days to prepare it. So, everything depended on the Japanese. Lieutenant Peyrard had never seen himself as a strategist with nerves of steel. His skin was itching from the combined effects of perspiration and anxiety. It was as if he had needles sticking into him everywhere. He felt like scratching all the time.
Even more nervous than he was, a young blonde girl was sitting on the floor, amidst reports forming an arc around her. Her eyes went from one to the other. She would flip through a few pages of one, then move on to the next. It seemed incredible, but she could divide her attention between a dozen subjects without losing track of any of them. Victoire Dubois called the information Lieutenant Peyrard's agents brought her "chaos". A heap of disordered facts that arrived in packets, a mixture of unverifiable rumors, isolated events... All of this was collected patiently.
At the time of the invasion, the Vietminh already had an intelligence network throughout Indochina and even beyond (in France, in China...). Its agents were certainly diligent amateurs, but amateurs. Many had ended their days at the hands of the Kempetai. Moreover, when Laurent Peyrard arrived, France still had part of the Public Security intelligence network at its disposal... That is to say, those of its agents who had escaped the Japanese gendarmerie after the seizure of its archives. Finally, there were the agents of the Second Bureau, who operated from China and had been more spared. But the Army's network was mainly interested in China.
Peyrard's job had been precisely to merge all this into a coherent and operational whole. The lieutenant had pushed Vietnamese to join the pro-Japanese militias to act as "penetrators" and gather information from the inside. He had also turned captured enemy agents to serve as double agents. He had approached officials of the puppet Cuong De regime through "native" agents supplied by the Vietminh - they had turned on him when the situation began to turn sour for Japan. The famous workers of the eleventh hour... At the time of the Warring Kingdoms, had not the jester of the king of Ts'in lost his country by working for the king of Han?
Gathering all this information was a challenge, but interpreting it was even more difficult. French intelligence in Indochina did not have sufficient personnel, nor even a qualified analyst. It was not a service in itself, just a simple subdivision of the China Department.
This lack of means had been the main problem of the Indochina division until Lieutenant Peyrard found the rare pearl. Sometimes he was frightened by this young woman with a doll-like physique.
Victoire Dubois possessed an innate gift for finding meaning in the chaos of raw data, in order to predict people's actions and even provoke them. Mademoiselle Dubois called it Ordo ab chao, order out of chaos.
- How can you be sure that General Rikichi will do what you expect of him?
Pushing back a lock of blonde hair, Victoire continued to read the reports, one line here, another pulled from the open shirt beside it. She did not look up to answer.
- Calm down, lieutenant, we control the information. We know what they want, as well as their means of action. And we provide them with the data on which they base their thinking. So they can't do anything that goes beyond our predictions. If they don't react soon, we can always attack another of their garrisons. At worst, we would have to cut them down one by one, which would take time and cost people... However, with each victory, our chances of the Japanese following the scenario I have imagined will increase. We have reduced their options to an alternative. On the one hand, "stay and die for nothing", well, for honor - I know it matters to the Japanese, but still... On the other hand, "leave and live". We just have to push them little by little towards the one we want them to choose.
Laurent Peyrard had feelings of extreme ambiguity when he saw her like this. One day, General Mast would ask him where he got the idea for "Granite". Then he would have to introduce her to Mademoiselle Dubois. Would he look upon the young woman as a genius or as...
- A charming monster.
- Excuse me?
Victoire Dubois looked at the lieutenant. For once, she seemed the most surprised: "My father had the same eyes as you, Lieutenant, when he asked me to solve problems for him. And he called me that: the charming monster."

Sino-Japanese War
Operation Ichi-Go - Preparations
Nanking - Marshal Shunroku Hata, supreme commander of the Japanese expeditionary forces in China, has not been idle in recent weeks. In response to the Chinese offensive in Guangdong, he and his staff drafted plans for an ambitious counteroffensive to regain lost ground: Operation Ichi-Go. Taking advantage of the Chinese loss of momentum, the general staff meets today to set the final date.
.........
Pearl River Valley - Following the decision to suspend offensive operations for the capture of Hong Kong, the 52nd Army begins to entrench itself in the northern New Territories, while 1st and 5th Armies take up quarters in Canton. All three have been severely tested by the fighting of operation Bailu and have to reconstitute their forces.

 

[Wings]

May 2nd, 1944

Malaya Campaign
Operation Stoker
Lhokseumawe, Sumatra - New B-24 raid by the 436th and 492nd BS, escorted by the twin-tailed dragons of the 449th and 459th FS. The raid is detected early enough to allow the Hayabusa of the 24th Sentai to position themselves properly. At the cost of six of their own, they manage to shoot down two Liberators (one by collision) and two P-38s. This is Captain Walter Duke's 10th and 11th victory.
To avoid any unpleasant surprises, the Allies set up a patrol on the way back from the raid to welcome the bombers, protect Air Rescue and eliminate any scavengers. F/O Misseldine of Sqn 132, on a Spitfire, spots a G4M following the American formation at a distance. In his report, he said: "We had passed the Liberators about ten minutes earlier when I spotted a dot on the horizon. The leader detached my wingman and me to check the identity and condition of this new arrival. Soon, there was no room for doubt: it was a Japanese, a Betty who was probably trying to infiltrate by following the US formations to bomb the runways just after they landed. I announced Tally-Ho and opened fire at about 400 meters with my 20 mm. After just one second of firing, the Jap burst into flames and exploded in the next second like an overfilled balloon. So I claim this victory."

Indochina Campaign
The war is over... in Cambodia
Cambodia-Thailand border - A little behind schedule, the last Thai unit is preparing to leave Cambodia. This gives the opportunity to put some official varnish on the evacuation. The Thai flag is finally brought in with honors and replaced by that of the Khmer kingdom.
While the Indochina War is not yet over, this day allows for a major step in the rewriting of events. As usual, King Norodom Sihanouk, who comes to preside over the event, allows himself to be guided by his infallible inner compass to weather the storms of history. His lengthy speech is an example of verbal tightrope walking worthy of applause. In forty minutes of verbiage full of quotes from General de Gaulle, the young monarch manages not to utter the words "invasion" or "occupation" once. Forgotten the past exile in Dien-Bien-Phu, where the king was shouting against the occupation of the national soil by the Thai. In the future, Thailand will be a friendly neighbor to Cambodia. By one of those prodigious sleights of hand of which the greatest politicians have the secret, Norodom Sihanouk accuses the Japanese alone, helped by Son Ngoc Thanh, of having led the kingdom to disaster and dismantling. The first ones will make very decent enemies, the second one is not there to protest and it is well known, the absent ones are always wrong.
The Thais present applaud politely - and no doubt with more than a touch of relief - at the end of the speech. After a handshake with the previous day's Occupiers, the sovereign withdraws, surrounded by his umbrella bearers and young girls who throw flower petals under his feet.
If the Thai military leaves, they leave behind them policemen. Inspired by neighboring Laos, King Norodom has just signed an agreement with the Thai ambassador to "supervise and train" the new Cambodian police. An initiative very well received in Bangkok, since it allows Thailand to leave Cambodia without quite leaving. And for Phnom Penh, being able to count on a neutral force to stand between the local warlords is an invaluable advantage. Of course, the agreement is not well received by the French and even less so by the Vietnamese, but there is not much they could do about it for the moment...
World War II is over in Cambodia, but the post-war period promises to be a tough one. The Japanese have swept away the French colonial order and no stable structure has yet replaced it.

 

[Wings]

May 3rd, 1944

Malaya Campaign
Operation Stoker
Sabang - The port and the nearby airfield are visited by B-25s of the 490th and 491st BS and Sqn 18 (RAAF), escorted by the 80th FG. If the P-40s need an extra tank, the Thunderbolts of the 88th FS (reinforced by four aircraft from the 89th) are much more comfortable in terms of autonomy and had the luxury of going down to strafe the almost empty port. The flak is more than moderate and the Jugs transform the few barges present, usually used to supply the island from the north coast of Sumatra, into small wood.

A Duke in dry dock
Espiritu Santo - The HMS Duke of York arrives at Espiritu Santo, where the US Navy had installed the floating dock ABSD-1. The battleship is immediately installed and work begins, while the armor plates needed for a proper repair are ordered from Pearl Harbor. Nearly a month of work is required.
During this time, the escort of the large ship returns to Darwin.

Indochina Campaign
Three-band billiards
Cao-Bang area (Tonkin) - Japanese garrisons begin to abandon the outposts surrounding Cao-Bang. The garrisons converge on the main town. Although reports from reconnaissance aircraft show that the movement is general, it was not yet known whether it is a temporary regrouping before an evacuation of the entire region.
During the diversion that preceded the Tet offensive, the Japanese had concentrated all their forces in the border town, hoping to resist the expected assault. Officially, the maneuver had been a success, forcing the Franco-Indochinese to retreat. The Japanese would not be the first to believe their own propaganda and call a fortress that was never designed to withstand a long-term siege impregnable.
Like a vast spider's web, Lieutenant Peyrard's intelligence services wait, eyes and ears wide open.

 

[Wings]

May 4th, 1944

Malaya Campaign
Operation Mary
Kampung Tegala Batin - The Halifax and Wellington of Bomber Command Far East based in Rangoon attack again the east coast of Malaysia. The target this time is the airfield north of the regional capital Kuala Terengganu. The British, Indians and Australians are now conducting a methodical campaign on the penetration routes over the colony's eastern coastline. Their goal is to eradicate Japanese port and logistical capabilities. The raid returns without loss, having successfully placed several bombs on the runway and on hangars.

Alor Setar - After a period of rest and reorganization since the end of Black Prince, Spitfire VIIIs of Sqn 81 and 136, now operating from Kampung Ulu in southern Burma, conduct a Circus (with extra tanks) mission in that area. Opposing them are Ki-43 and Ki-44 of the I and II Chutai of the 50th Sentai. This first engagement in this sector ends in a draw: the superiority of the Supermarine fighter is counterbalanced by its limited endurance so far from its bases. The Japanese lose two Oscars and a Tojo against two Spits, plus one whose pilot was forced to jump on the way back (he was recovered).

Sino-Japanese War
The British back in China
Kunming - British General Geoffrey Scoones, former commander of the Eastern Army's IV Corps, arrives from Burma to oversee the establishment of the newly formed Commonwealth Expeditionary Force in China (CEFC), which had been created a week earlier to assist the Chinese... and incidentally to prevent them from being tempted to keep Hong Kong for themselves, should they succeed in liberating the city. The CEFC will consist of three elements - an infantry division, an armored brigade and the equivalent of a "special" regiment:
- 11th East African Division (General Charles C. Fowkes);
- the 252nd Indian Tank Brigade, recently formed: a battalion on M5 Stuart (the 4th Duke of Cambridge's Own Lancers, or Hodson's Horse), a battalion on Valentine (the 5th King Edward VII's Own Lancers, or Probyn's Horse) and a battalion on Sherman (the 9th Deccan Horse). These Shermans are M4s of the very first models, equipped with the standard 75 mm gun and no longer wanted in Europe, but which would do very well in Asia. A mechanized infantry battalion, the 2/6th Gurkha Rifles, was added to these tanks.
- finally, the brand new W Force (Australian... in theory): 1st Australian Parachute Battalion, with its support (engineers and field artillery), 154th Gurkhas Battalion (airborne), and n°1 British Commando (airborne).
For now, the CEFC is still in pieces; it is up to General Scoones to organize it. In any case, the Chinese will not be in a position to launch a new offensive in the Hong Kong area for at least two months, and the Japanese are holed up in what remains of their occupied territory.

 

[Wings]

May 5th, 1944

Malaya Campaign
Operation Stoker
Medan - The bludgeoning of air bases on the north coast of Sumatra by the heavyweights of the 10th Air Force continues. Despite the fact that the 24th Sentai tries to interpose, the runways are severely damaged. There are no casualties on either side.

Naval blockade
Borneo - The loss of Timor opens a gap in the Japanese defenses in the Java Sea, through which many submarines of various nationalities rush. The HMS Taurus manages to place a torpedo on the tanker Enoshima Maru before being repelled by the submarine hunter escorting it, assisted by a Mavis seaplane. The Enoshima Maru, formerly the British RFA Enobol, had been captured and damaged in Hong Kong, before being refitted and renamed. It manages to reach Banjarmasin with a strong list, but will not set sail again before the end of the conflict.

 

[Wings]

May 6th, 1944

Malaya Campaign
Operation Stoker
Bandah Aceh - The medium bombers based on Car Nicobar (490th, 491st BS, Sqn 18) attack the runways of this locality located at the northern end of Sumatra. The raid is successful, but does not cause any damage to the runways abandoned by the IJA since the previous raid. Indeed, the 24th Sentai, lacking manpower, regrouped further south along the coast, attempting to cover the island of Sabang from Lhokseumawe (and the Sigli loosening track), about 150 kilometers away. Taking advantage of the lack of opposition, the P-47s of the 80th FG took advantage of the situation to strafe the port. However, the Army's flak is more aggressive than a few days before. They succeed in shooting down a P-47 while a damaged Mitchell is forced to land on the runway being completed at Campbell Bay, on Great Nicobar.

Sino-Japanese War
Operation Ichi-Go - Preparations
Zhejiang Province - The 39th Division of the Japanese 11th Army takes up positions south of Hangzhou, on the railroad line to Nanchang.

 

[Wings]

May 7th, 1944

Malaya Campaign
Operation Mary
Kuala Terengganu - For the second time in a few days, a menacing sound of engines can be heard in the night. Although the bells and sirens of the civil defense are ringing, the inhabitants do not care. It was a bad idea, because the target of the RAF's heavy bombers is the port located in the estuary. The attack is a success and the few installations of this modest port are destroyed. The Japanese propaganda does not fail to exploit the civilian victims of this raid, but what the inhabitants would remember in the weeks to come is the forced relocation of many families near the airfield and the port, to be used as hostages in case of another attack.
.........
Penkalan Chepa - This airfield, the northernmost on the east coast of Malaysia, is visited by a motley crew of Beaufighters from Sqn 27 and Banshees from 2 Sqn RIAF, covered by Spitfires from Sqn 113. The twin-engine planes arrive from the sea at low altitude and surprise the defense, which is only able to take off a few Hayabusa from the 77 Sentai, while the attackers are already on their way back after having sown desolation. Sergeant Aran Singh on Banshee, even set fire to a Ki-43 just after takeoff; he will be credited with this victory, his machine guns confirming his wingman's report. The flak still takes its toll by shooting down a Beaufighter and damaging a Banshee.
The Japanese pilots race after the twin-engine aircraft, which continues to fly low. The latter are almost in range when the Spitfire Vs, stationed at the collection point, fall out of the sun and save the damaged Banshee by shooting down two IJA aircraft. The Japanese Army pilots claim four victories, but all the Spitfires return to their base.

Sino-Japanese War
Operation Ichi-Go - Preparations
Anhui Province - The transfer of two divisions of the Japanese 13th Army, the 15th and 116th, from Nanjing to Zhengzhou, does not go unnoticed by the Chinese partisans of the Anhui maquis, who pass on the information to officers of the New 4th Army. But the latter, who had been holding a tenacious grudge against the Nationalists since the clashes of 1941, have not yet digested the new pro-Chongqing line imposed by General Peng Dehuai, and are careful not to inform the latter. The nationalist staff receives only a few vague echoes of Japanese troop movements through its own intelligence networks, but without being able to deduce their scope.