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

[Wings]

September 30th, 1943

Italian Campaign
Italian front - Until now, each of the German mechanized divisions in the rear of the front, the Hermann-Göring, the 29. Panzergrenadier and the 10. Panzer, had three missions to carry out for which they had each split into three Kampfgruppes. The first mission was the direct support to the infantry units holding the front - role of fireman in case of an enemy breakthrough. The second was to keep a highly mobile group on alert, in order to be able to react quickly in case of an allied landing on the rear. Finally, the last Kampfgruppe had the mission to ensure the security of supplies and the anti-partisan fight.
It is a relief for the commanders of these units to see a division land in Verona, although it was only recently created, but it was highly politicized and imbued with national-socialist values, in order to ensure this third mission. It is the 15. SS Panzergrenadier Reichsführer. Its membership in the SS makes it administratively dependent on the police force of the SS Sturmbannführer Herbert Kappler. But Kesselring knows that he can rely on the 15. SS PzGr to ensure the security of his supplies, and its presence greatly relieves the units in charge of holding the front.

Greek and Balkan campaign
While the confrontation continued in France, where the Allies liberated Montpellier, the pause was prolonged in the Greek-Balkan sector. Both sides reorganize and try to reconstitute their stocks.

Bulgaria - The 1st Bulgarian Army crosses the town of Petrich quickly and without joy, where it recovers the means of transport and ammunition reserves gathered with great difficulty by the services of general Marinov. No break for these convicts who have been marching for six days - it is necessary to border as soon as possible the withdrawal of the 2nd Army and the evacuation of Thrace! The 27th Division takes position at the Kulata Pass. As for the 22nd Division, it obliques north, towards Simitli, in order to cover the road to Bansko and Khadjidimovo. But to hold Koprivlen and the road to Drama, it will be necessary to wait for the other units to return from Macedonia.
.........
Thrace - The 2nd Army, well informed of these movements, arrives on the southern outskirts of the Serres plain, on a Strymoniko-Nigrita axis. It will have to continue to withdraw little by little towards the east and Drama, but once the road to Bulgaria is locked.
The former army of Stoychev makes a welcome halt in the shelter of the reliefs, before crossing a vast plain favorable to an encirclement. And the men of the 16th Division are going to be able to take advantage of the occasion to warn all their Bulgarian brothers of the White Sea that the national army will soon be unable to do anything for them. More or less official emissaries are thus sent in the municipalities of Serres, Drama, Kavala, Xanthi and even to Alexandroúpoli. Some will take one or two days to arrive - but everywhere the same news will trigger the panic: "The Greeks will return!"

Athens - General Montgomery weighs the consequences of the Bulgarian withdrawal - for him, a priori, it can only be a tactical adjustment, even a retreat intended to bait him. The German armor has not returned to Axioupoli, perhaps on the lookout for a bad move towards Salonika with the support of the Romanian forces? Considering the vital importance of this port for the future, where titanic restoration works are in progress, it seems to him impossible to take the least bet on the future to go and liberate... Xanthi or Drama ?
In spite of King George II's wishes, the XIIIth Corps is content to border the Bulgarian retreats, observing a safety distance of about ten kilometers, in order to remain sheltered from any counter-attack. As for the Yugoslav 1st Corps, it is reinforced by the ANZAC troops, which are to be positioned in the second echelon. Finally, the 6th and 10th Armoured Divisions of Gairdner and Gatehouse will remain around Agios Athanasios, an impressive armored reserve that could be given at any time. The orders are sent during the day and will be quickly executed - the Australians are not really needed in Salonika anymore.
However, without knowing it, Monty fulfills the wishes of the Bulgarians and their leader, the wise Marinov.

Bulgarian affair
Dark prospects
Sofia (Reich embassy) - Summoned - that's the right word - to Adolf Beckerle's office, General Marinov is not doing well. This time, he is afraid he will have to bend in order not to break.
A fake smile pretending to soften an aggressive chin, the robust man from the Ruhr looks at his interlocutor and says with a cordial expression: "My dear General Marinov, we have been working together for ten days. Until now, the Reich and I have only had to congratulate ourselves on the trust and hopes we have placed in you. I note that the reorganization of the Bulgarian army, carried out under your patronage and with our full support, is progressing well. We will soon be able to count on the support of your soldiers for the defense of the new European Order against the Anglo-Saxon Jews, the neglected French and certainly later on against the Bolsheviks. I would like to inform you that I personally see to it that the setting up of this famous armored brigade for which so many voluntary men have already worked be completed as soon as possible.
This new unit, generously trained and equipped by Germany, of course, will be the spearhead of a regenerated Bulgaria and a shining symbol of your nation's commitment to the
nation for the final victory!"
A moment's pause. Marinov stands perfectly neutral and impassive: for the moment, the "diplomat" has essentially spread his influence and recalled the facts. A good way to affirm that the balance of power is very unfavorable to the Bulgarian. And to this salvo of self-satisfaction, there can only be one continuation...
"However, I note with regret that this collaboration between the Reich and Bulgaria does not seem to have to produce before a long time the effects that we hoped for! The reorganization of the order of the country does not advance quickly enough, general Marinov! And the Reds are already at our doors as well as their English friends! You must show more diligence and authority!"
All in an unambiguous tone.
There, it is planned. Walking a fine line between self-effacement and insubordination, the Bulgarian general argues: "Of course, Herr Beckerle, I can only understand your disappointment. I share it: we both know that I cannot reasonably be held responsible for the mistakes of the past, and that I am not responsible for the mistakes of the past, and even less for the fact that my country's scarce resources were squandered and then thrown to the four winds in a foolish adventure. You are a soldier like me [a slight flattery - the SS was never an army man in the strict sense of the word, and Beckerle spent most of his career in the police anyway], you know how difficult and time-consuming it is to build an army. A reliable army, that goes without saying..."
The SS man settles back in his chair, detailing his cautious contradicter. A slight smile is his first response. Then: "No doubt, no doubt... But under these conditions, what can Bulgaria do to prove her loyalty to the Reich, General? Loyalty of which we have had very recently too good reasons to doubt! "
- Well... I humbly ask you, Herr Beckerle.
An angel - or rather a winged creature of scarlet color with a pitchfork - crosses the room, before the SS man resumes: "And I answer you, General! Another problem that is close to our hearts. A problem that is simple to solve, but for which the solution has been constantly postponed by the deleterious influence of that degenerate dog Kyril of Preslav."
Then, in case Marinov did not understand: "The Jewish problem!"
But Marinov understood.
Coming out of that cursed office half an hour later, General Ivan Krastev Marinov's face has turned a light green color, not unlike the color of his uniform. The SS was uncompromising and seemed to have taken time to think about the subject - he had an answer for everything. Lack of manpower and questionable reliability of the police units? No matter! The 4. SS-Polizei-Panzergrenadier-Division would be happy to provide the necessary manpower. And if necessary, Beckerle was determined to obtain reinforcements from Berlin to continue this mission throughout the country. The poor general has thought of warning his fellow citizens, but this will obviously be impossible, at least on a large scale - a complete failure of the roundups would be a clear proof of his duplicity. Beckerle also quickly mentioned the failures of similar operations launched in France, but mainly to remind us that the French had an alibi: their services were disorganized by the activities of the "Africans". Nothing of the sort in Bulgaria, the departure of a few dozen "rotten dignitaries" would not diminish the efficiency of the police. The general's Jewish fellow citizens, mostly concentrated in Sofia and its region, are at great risk. Protected until now by the Regent, they had not all been able to disappear during the German invasion.
As for the Hebrews of Thrace, which are quite numerous... this is no longer Marinov's problem: Beckerle informed him that SS detachments are already on their way, to "clean the ground" in front of the Bulgarian units that are withdrawing. Improvised on the model of the Einsatzgruppen, these detachments execute nearly 2,500 people in the following days, Jews or supposed to be Jewish. In fact, in the rush, the SS operated mainly on the basis of approximate information, sometimes provided by the population of Turkish origin. While the exodus of the Bulgarians from the White Sea obviously favors the settling of inter-ethnic settlements in this region where Turks, Jews and Slavs seemed to coexist more or less harmoniously with the Greek majority.

 

[Wings]

September 30th, 1943

Liberation - As the western front stabilizes, the Germans notice the appearance of a new American infantry division, the 45th US-ID. The Thunderbird Division comes to settle in Ardèche, around Barjac, between the 1st and the 28th US-ID.
In the northern sector of the front, the Belgians take their place on the eastern bank of the river, not without a last stand at Pont St-Esprit to commemorate the recent dead, but also those of 1940.
............
Montpellier - On the fringe of the fighting, a huge explosion shakes the whole city. The Germans, before fleeing, left an explosive charge of several tons with a time detonator in the cellars of the Grossetti barracks, which served as the Gestapo's interrogation center. The explosion kills more than 100 civilians.

Drôme - It feels like the end of summer, but it doesn't feel like the end of the war.
Corporal Santini mops his forehead with a handkerchief edged with a fine lace, once white. As for the color of the handkerchief, since it had once been used as a tourniquet (but not on him), another to collect various metal parts of an ingenious mechanism, and that the corporal - who was very fond of it - kept it away from any soap so as not to harm it, well, as for the color of the handkerchief, we must admit that it could have been clear. But that was not the question.
It had been two days now that he had been walking these damn hills with his guide and with Laurel and Hardy. About the two scoundrels, he thought he understood their presence in these parts.
A dark story that involved a feathery moron, a mule (or two), a cousin (if not the whole family) and some sheep (in place of a material so indispensable that no one in his right mind had noticed the substitution). In short, while it was flinging around, something that had pissed off the colon.
So it goes for the soldiers El Mardi and Abisbor, whom the captain had decided to put in the green while some documents got lost. But him, Santini! Him! What had he done to deserve this? Or was there a little ass... who had spoken?
- Corporal, he said, the 'captain, we have information about the possible presence of individuals behind our lines. Certainly not Teutons. Probably either maquisards with unclear consciences, or guys in Laval or Doriot, SONEF and consorts. In both cases, "they" want us to get our hands on them, and you surely understand why. Bad luck, we are short of people. That's why you volunteered with soldiers Abisbor and El Mardi. Congratulations.
He pats him on the back before continuing: "Lucky for you, we found you a guide. A priest. Father Léon. Former military chaplain. To bring back lost sheep, nothing better. No fuss, no muss. If you find a Panzer division, come back soon. If you don't find anything, which is most likely, come back before you leave. If you find any suspects, leave me alone, turn them over to the provost marshal. And this is not a vacation, Santini! You have four days. It's over there."
And the captain had pointed in a vague direction, to the hills drowned in blue mist, at the foot of which they had passed shortly before.
And there it was.
Father Léon was sitting on a large stone, dressed like a local peasant, the regulation cassock being very inconvenient on this terrain. No hair on the rock (the one on top, not the one below. Although...), a stone on which he was crushing an Alpine pie, and a huge white beard framed by a pair of turquoise suspenders, clashing horribly with a shirt of an unusual red.
After having let Santini scan the surroundings in vain, he throws him: "Leave, I say to you! We are coming. Athanasius' hut is just behind the hill, there. If there are people around, he will have seen them. We'll soon be tipped off."
- There are sheep not far away, chief," says El Mardi.
- Sure," replies the priest. "They are the sheep of Athanasius. With a little luck, we'll find him taking a nap in the corner.
- Do you know him well, this Athanasius?
On the lookout, despite what the priest had said, Farid and Mourad had come closer. Out of the atmosphere proper to troops in barracks or in the field, all these hills in green and blue make them uncomfortable. They see it as a waste, to say the least.
- Athanasius? Well?... Well, that's a big word. He must have served mass at least once, one Christmas. We rarely see him down there. Lives only with his sheep. And his dog. You may find him strange, but deep down, I'm sure he's a good boy. A little... dumb, maybe. As for the rest... As a lost sheep...
- I see a sheep. With horns. And black, too.
- It's a ram, chief.
- Ha! It's Romuald!
- Romuald?
- Your name is Angel Santini.
The priest stands up: "Athanasius can't be far away. Let's go."
They find the individual in question by ear, for the fellow was soliloquizing. The solitude of the shepherd, no doubt. He is dressed in a beret, a sweater artfully knit from balls of yarn and not always matched in their colors (the fault of the rationing tickets) on a pair of tired canvas pants, with discolored knees (not the fault of the prayers).
A big red dog is lying next to him. Both of them barely stand up when the four men come forward.
The herd, scattered here and there, converged on them in small, nonchalant groups.
With astonishing oratorical circumlocutions, Leon said that they had nothing against the herd - in these times, isn't that so? - but that, speaking of sheep, they were, so to speak, looking for lost sheep and that if by chance...
Athanasius cut him off to tell him that he had no lost sheep, strictly speaking, that Centripète and Galipette, the two on the rock in front, were waiting for Cousette, Satinette and Tractionette to join, and that consequently none could be regarded as lost, and then initially, one does not mislead a ewe like an opinel, that would know.
During this time, grazing and chewing, the flock had grown and surrounded them.
Mourad appreciated it as a connoisseur. The sheep here were much fatter than the goats there. It seemed to him that one of them was looking at him with an unkind eye.
Then Athanasius, apparently satisfied with his tirade, continued by declaring that apart from the little Mariette who brought him from time to time fodder and old newspapers (in the mountains, the grass is short), he had not seen anyone for a while, except, at least a good fifteen days earlier, two gray uniforms that smelled of requisitioning, which had forced him to move all his troop two fences away, and the animals have their habits. Not easy to make them move like that.
The dog had sat down, it looks like he is smiling, and the sheep are crowding around them.
We are in the open air, but I don't want to tell you the smell. Gallinette, a cheeky one, absolutely wanted to compare the taste of the clerical hair with that of the alpine herbaceous plants of which she made her daily life.
The little patrol, relieved by the turn of events, returns to the village. Nothing had been found, and that was just as well. But they had taken to the air.
Father Léon, however, seemed rather mortified by certain words of Athanasius, who, under his benign airs, had shot a few arrows at him that Santini had not picked up, preoccupied that it was by the growing press of the sheep, which missed to make fall by pushing their noses in his pockets.
In their back, the shepherd resumes his monologue. Santini perceives like a history of search to the body. Completely mad, the civilian.
Mourad and Farid remain strangely silent...

 

[Wings]

 

[Wings]

October 1st, 1943

Bucharest - Circulating information from Romania to Greece with speed - thanks to Bulgaria, still poorly controlled by Germany, and a front line in Thrace that is worse than porous (at least on the side of the Axis) - Iuliu Maniu contacts his former antennas in Ankara, Athens and Cairo. He wants to start talks with the Allies and inform them of the creation of the National Democratic Bloc.
Perfectly lucid on the current geostrategic situation - that the recent misadventures of Bulgaria did not really improve - the man knows that he does not really leave in position of strength, and that it will obviously be impossible to ignore Moscow. But, well aware of the strategic character of his country, he still has good hopes of succeeding in negotiating with the Westerners then with the Soviets thus a kind of gentlemen's agreement which will satisfy everyone. And to carry out such a delicate mission, what better than a gentleman, former diplomat and statesman as refined as well in court, whose affinity with France is well known? In the discretion of his property in the suburbs of Bucharest, the "White Prince" Bearded Alexandru Știrbey is preparing for another long journey... but without credentials this time.

 

[Wings]

October 1st, 1943

Burma Campaign
Operation Tigertooth
Myitta (occupied Burma, 30 km inland from Tavoy) - The peasants of the village had not seen for more than a year and a half men wearing the uniform of Her British Majesty, whether they were natives or whites. And such men began to fall from the sky in the night, hanging from great corollas of cloth! It was a spectacle worthy of the best tales that we tell, to relieve one's boredom, during the long days of monsoon. At first, this rain of men creates an immense disorder, then the order springs from the chaos. Some columns form and leave the village, heading east and north into the jungle, preceded by vanguards tasked with ambushing potential adversaries from Thailand. A detachment remains behind to deal with any Japanese patrol that had the bad idea of coming from Tavoy to inspect this area.
Cover and lighting are provided today by American P-38s. All day long, in groups of four, they maraud in the area and up to the coast, strafing the road traffic and blinding the Japanese to what had happened in the previous night. These aircraft belong to the 449th Fighter Squadron, now veterans, but also the 459th FS, which has just been formed with pilots fresh out of fighter school. Inspired by the nickname given by the Japanese to their aircraft, they had their fuselages painted with two-tailed dragons. The 459th wins its first victory at the end of the day - a light aircraft on reconnaissance.
On the ground, at the end of the day, the soldiers who had fallen from the sky - the Chindits of the 77th Indian Brigade - also have their first contact with the enemy. A convoy of a few trucks coming from Thailand is ambushed and wiped out.

Indochina Campaign
The Hanoi revolt
Hanoi - General Andou Rikichi comes in person to inspect the station after the attacks of the previous day. He is furious when he discovers the roofs gutted and the floors strewn with rubble. But through the more than embarrassed explanations of the engineering officers, he understands that the real disaster is the complete destruction of the signal box.
With the destruction recorded since the invasion of 1941, spare parts have become rare and it is impossible to manufacture them in Indochina. The station will be completely blocked for at least three days and will not be able to start working normally only after having received the necessary parts, which are only available only in China - and this is fortunate: the railroad in the south-east of China was built by the French!

Dien-Bien-Phu - This morning, several rather large boxes come out of the holds of three C-54 Skymasters. It is a radar, in this case a Type 79, with spare parts and two generators.
The machine is a rather old model. It was used on board one of Her Majesty's ships before being replaced by a more modern one, and ended up in a hangar at the Chittagong naval base. It seemed destined to gather dust there until it was scrapped, but the British authorities heard the calls of the French of the Epervier base who asked for a radar, any radar! After a quick overhaul, the "79" was dismantled and shipped. A team of English technicians accompanied it to supervise its installation and to train the staff of Epervier.
Although it is an old-fashioned radar and not really intended for use on land, it is a huge progress for Tonkin. Devèze and Scott welcome it with enthusiasm, delighted as young parents! But the head of the British technicians, observing the landscape, is worried: first, they would have to find a suitable location, high and clear, in this area of multiple hills covered with forests. Secondly and most importantly, the device is large. Once you have chosen a location, how do you go about installing this monument?
The answer comes from one of Giap's deputies, who directs the coolies who had unloaded the crates. "Don't worry about it, sir," he says in broken English. "Just tell us where to set up your machine, and the rest will be our business."

New Georgia Archipelago
Operation Littlefoot
Vella Lavella - Two barges that survived the previous day's naval action and remained behind transfer 150 men of the 13th Kolombangara Regiment to Horaniu at night to reinforce the defense of the anchorage. They then ensure (still at night) the supply of Vella Lavella from Kolombangara, as far as their weak capacities allow.
In total, the Japanese forces on Vella Lavella now amount to nearly 800 men.

Sino-Japanese War
Preparations
Jiangxi - The day is just rising when 19 B-17 of the ROCAF escorted by 16 P-40 appear over Nanchang (a twentieth B-17 had to turn back because of engine problems). But the Japanese fighters are present in force with 24 Ki-43 and the Chinese lose two Flying Fortresses and four Warhawks, while three Hayabusas are shot down. Combined with the poor visibility due to a persistent morning fog, the effectiveness of the raid is bad: the bombs, dropped more or less randomly, cause only minor damage.

 

[Wings]

October 1st, 1943

Operations Kutusov and Rumyantsev
Kutusov - The fox's skin
Berezne sector - The 3rd Ukrainian Front continues its fruitless actions in the direction of Sarny, with the support of a growing part of the 8th Air Army of Timofei Kutsevalov.
Its effectiveness remains limited, however, both because of the terrain and the opposition of a Flak, weak but still biting, compensating a little for the absence of a Luftwaffe that we do not see in these latitudes. Thirteen Stalin's Falcons are lost - MiG-3U in marauding surprised by a 20 mm or Il-2 hit in the radiator.
Anyway, the day is not very productive. Towards Borshchivka, the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps takes over from the 5th GAC Zhitomir and will face Gollnick's panzergrenadiers alone, still as aggressive as ever. To do so, he is forced to go on the defensive - but the important thing for Vatutin is not there anymore. Indeed, the leader of the front has given up his plan to attack Antonivka: it is now obvious to him that the fascist forces in this area are too numerous to break through. So Pliev is in charge of gaining time and the two armored corps of Vasilev and Poluboiarov to push back the XLIV. AK towards the Sluch - which is done rather sluggishly, the fault of fatigue, lack of infantry and the shortage of supplies: the Germans still retreat a few kilometers to the south of Holubne.
The Zhitomir no longer aims at the north but at the west - in this case Kostopil. This in order to cut in two the 6th Army, a more modest and secondary objective, which became the main one - that is to say Nikolai Vatutin is revising his ambitions downwards... Dimitri Lelyushenko leaves Borshchivka to rush towards Kostopil, in a coordinated assault with the 37th Army in order to take the 294. ID in a pincer movement towards Mala Lyubasha and Lisopil'. The attack is successful - the Landsers are undermanned, the machines of the 210. Stug Abt are bogged down and the 168. ID was unable to clear its teammate on its own.
However, after 3 kilometers, the progression stops, for lack of momentum and while the Sarny-Rovne road finally seems to be within reach. The Soviet infantryman has given too much - he can no longer advance. The men sleep standing up and stagger from one shelter to another much more than they advance despite harangues that no longer do anything for them. Most of them have not really sleptfor five days - Grossman would later listen to a company commander tell how, as the only conscious individual in his unit, he was shooting to protect his drowsy men from Germans who came to stab them with their bayonets without them waking up...
Obviously, the commanders might not be satisfied with this result - already that Kutosov has not won anything for a while... Vatutin therefore considers going to the front himself, in order to assess the situation in person. But for the time being, he is content to send a rather critical message to Vasily Chuikov, who will draw the necessary consequences, notably at the disciplinary level, by summoning his main subordinates tomorrow morning.
Thus, the Red Army multiplies the offensives by seeking to leave the woods around Kostopil, like a fly struggling in a spider's web without achieving anything.
Fortunately for the Red Army, the arachnid itself is very tired - and the insect is a bit big for her. The fine rain which starts to pour again at the end of the afternoon completes to sound the end of the fights.
.........
Rovne sector - In Buhryn, the butchery (there is no other word) continues in circumstances which are not without reminding those of the fights of Dubrova, in Belarus - but without the means. Two weakened rifle divisions faced two thinly spread German divisions (one of which is a quasi-reservist division) for the possession of a modest village of 200 inhabitants - dogs and cats included - and about 400 hectares of devastated fields all around. The Wehrmacht bids with more men - the Red Army follows, and
and outbids them with artillery. But as in Belarus, because of the lack of any entrenchment (Ivan Chernyakovsky did not have the time to build one!), the situation evolves little by little in favor of the Germans. Failing to crush the bridgehead, the XXIX. AK will now eliminate it progressively, like a splinter in its flank - it will be long and painful, but with a little skill, we will succeed.

Rumyantsev - Waterways and splashes
Slavuta sector - The 1st Shock Army continues to throw itself with ever greater violence on the positions of the 223. ID - which remains without support and subject to the fire of artillery and VVS bombs, which inflict significant losses. For if the ground is clear for us, it is also clear for them, comrade! Vlassov clings on with determination to a fragile advantage: a bridgehead of 4 km by 2.
From there, he tries to advance westward to overrun Ostroh by the left before, eventually, to move up towards Rovne to threaten the rear of the 331. ID.
Christian Usinger and his soldiers are alone - totally alone. In the north, the 6. Armee has its own worries. In the south, the 304. ID has to face the 1st Cavalry Corps while the 205. ID and the armor that must assist it have plenty to worry about. However, the 223. ID does not break, despite fatigue, losses and doubts which infiltrate in the ranks.
In the evening, Ostroh is not even threatened and Vlassov struggles to get a second division on the west bank. The Heer is facing. But this pin at the birth of the Geländer des Todes is still very painful.
.........
Sector from Iziaslav to Varyvodky - In Iziaslav, the 4th Guards Army does not give the 205. ID any time to breathe. Ivan Muzychenko having spent the night waiting for a counter-attack which he noted with pleasure that it did not come, he resumes his advance towards the east at dawn, following the road to Plujn to threaten at the same time the rear of the IX. AK and that of the LIX. AK, further south - an encirclement even seems possible in the second case.
However, the Soviet assumes a little of the weakness of his opponent: such a threat could not remain without response! After a few kilometers, the frontovikis are assaulted by the 7. Panzer (von Funck), which comes to support the 205. ID in a counter-offensive "in the purest Teutonic tradition". Without the support of the VVS and the sacrifice of about twenty vehicles of the 1st Armored Corps, this maneuver could have succeeded, the tanks could have pushed to Iziaslav and rejected the Red Army in the water. However, the bravery of Chanchibadze's tankers, the fatigue of his men and a rain of shells from the other bank of the Horyn stop von Funck a few hundred meters from the water, as he was about to cut the 4th Guards in two. Strongly upset by what he considers to be a failure of the infantry, depriving him of a certain victory, the General der Panzertruppen accuses Ernst Michael of "passive resistance, cowardice and incompetence" in his report. These terms are heavy of meaning, and will go back very high.
On the front of the IX. AK front, the 26th Army does not leave the 305. ID - whose existence becomes almost theoretical - the opportunity to recover. Lev Skvirsky launches a series of coups de main all along the Horyn, maintaining a constant pressure that forces the 305. ID to disperse its meager forces. The 8. Panzer, however already engaged the day before, has to replace Bernhard Steinmetz's formation, while it already has only 35 operational tanks - which would be very useful on another hot spot...
Finally, between Bilohir'ya and Varyvodky, the 5th Guards Army frankly attacks the combined forces of the 323. ID (IX. AK), the 6. Panzer (III. PzK) and the 311. StuG Abt, with the support of about twenty T-34 from the 4th Armored Corps. With always this obsession of the front that characterizes the Stalinist strategy, Fyodor Remezov makes very little progress in the end. He advances 500 meters to the north in the direction of Stavyshchany, retreats 750 m around Varyvodky... But at least, it keeps occupied almost all the German forces of the sector, harshly engaged and trapped in a losing battle.
In desperation, to gather a mass of maneuver - his three PanzerDivisions are dispersed against three different bridgeheads! - Kempf asks the 8. Armee the engagement of the four last Tiger of the 504. schw Pz Abt (the mechanics of Hauptmann Kühn were able to repair two of them!). But for these pachyderms to be able to (perhaps) weigh in the battle, it will have to wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, the flow continues to pass.
South of the Geländer des Todes, the Heer manages to face the rising tide. But, little by little, the tide washes away its dams, overturns its dikes and seeps with sagacity into the smallest fault line that could be widened.
.........
Yampil sector to Lanivtsi sector - The 10. SS-Panzergrenadier Frundsberg does not manage to reduce the abscess of Yampil, where Pukhov makes pass group after group of soldiers, covered by his artillery. Poorly supported by a 329. ID completely atonic (but could it be otherwise for a unit of the Heer ?) Lothar Debes has to use his grenadiers to compensate for the lack of line infantry, and to engage his elite unit (at least that is how it considers itself) in a very costly battle of attrition from which it was difficult to extricate himself.
Nevertheless, the SS do their best, with their proverbial finesse and at the cost of some sacrifices. In the evening, the situation of the 9th Guards in the Yampil pocket is desperate. It is likely that the survivors will not see the next night - it would probably be better to get them out of there.
But the martyrs of Yampil, by their very existence, prevent the II. SS-PanzerKorps from concentrating on Lanivtsi, where a good part of the hopes of the Red Army in the sector are massed. The Hohenstaufen, reinforced by the Totenkopf and a small part of the 125. ID - hardly wanted by the SS, it was mainly used as a guard - slam into the poor Soviet village, which is subjected to a veritable deluge of fire from all sides. The 9th Guards Army holds on to the town with the energy of despair: each house, each grove, each ditch becomes the object of a bitter confrontation, which often ends in hand-to-hand combat. From time to time, one of Pliev's T-34s or T-50s charges the black phalanx, a group of infantrymen in its wake. Sometimes, the invader disperses and retreats - usually to better bring in his own machines - sometimes the red star simply explodes in front of a Leopard or Panzer IV fire.
Sad evidence: the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps (which does not yet have T-34/85s) is no match against the best of the PanzerWaffe on this front. Inexorably, the pocket shrinks.
It is necessary to outbid urgently not to sink! Despite the risks, KV-85s of the 2nd Mechanized Corps (V.T. Volsky) start to cross in the night, covered by SU-122.
.........
Volotchysk sector - No progress in this area: the GrossDeutschland and the infantry that it supports hold firmly close the road to Ternopol. However, the 3rd Army must make some effort! At the rate things are going, Walter Weiß will be able to consider transferring troops from this sector to the north - which would obviously be catastrophic. Mikhail Shumilov is therefore forced to prepare something big for tomorrow - something sacrificial, in fact.
.........
2nd Ukrainian Front - Would the frontovikis of the 1st Ukrainian Front be galvanized if they knew what was happening on their left? Indeed, in the city of Bar, the 88. ID is fighting on both sides of the river, despite the heroic efforts of the Hungarian 4th and 7th Corps (József Heszlényi and István Kiss), which arepowerless to break the Soviet steel and can only slow down its advance...or serve as a diversion.
The 59th Army entered Bar since yesterday evening. At 10:00, the 3rd Armored Corps is in sight of the southern suburb of the city - a last action of the Hungarian 2nd armored division delays it by one hour, at the cost of about ten Turans. At midday, the situation seems to be hopeless: it is in in vain that StG. 77 sends its Stukas, badly covered by the III/JG. 54 and which still lose 9 of theirs... unless a miracle, it is done. Each death only delays a little the inevitable, i.e. the encirclement of the IV. AK and XLIX. AK. In despair, von Arnim had already taken it upon himself to order them to retreat westward in a hurry, despite Hitler's instructions and the pressure of the 2nd Shock Army. With a little luck, they could still force their way through...

Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, 11:50 - For the past two hours, the generals convened by Field Marshal Keitel have been debating the situation in Bar - a debate that, admittedly, is going in circles, as the facts are so stubborn that they have to be admitted that they are going round in circles. Hitler arrived late, of course - but it is the privilege of the leader to impose his own imperatives on others. Faced with the assembly that looks at him as if he were an oracle, he first asks for a new description of the situation of the 2. PanzerArmee. One never knows, the course of things could have been reversed during the night...
It is a Manstein visibly more and more exasperated (as much as the circumstances allow it, at least) who takes it upon himself to do so.
Each one of them then goes on to say a few words. First, Göring, of course, red in his white uniform and who assures that "obviously, the Luftwaffe can protect the Bar lock, and even supply two army corps with supplies by parachute and glider, while waiting for a clearance offensive." After all, we are not talking about a complete army, and we are not, let's say, on the Volga in winter!
Let's admit it... but what clearing offensive is he talking about? For the HG Sud-Ukraine, it will certainly not come from the 17. Armee - certainly, this formation is the one that suffered the least from Molot's hammering, and it could (probably...) provide the equivalent of an AK, as the 11. Armee did some time ago to correct Bulgaria, but it will take a week to do so. And without mechanized forces, how to break through the Soviet flank on this ground already not too favorable to the offensive? With the III. Luftwaffen-Feld-Korps perhaps?
The remark does not make the ReichsMarschall smile, one suspects. As for soliciting the HG Mitte or the rest of the HG NordUkraine, it is either a dream or a joke. And as for reinforcements, there is no such thing - not from the Schutzstaffel nor from the Heer (dixit von Herff - the SS cannot do everything...) - Erich von Manstein heavily emphasizes the necessity of the inevitable evacuation of the salient east of Bar before it is really too much...
At this moment, Oberst von Freyend enters the room and announces that the 2. PanzerArmee has just transmitted that it has lost control of Bar. Two of its corps are now surrounded and threatened with destruction. The Luftwaffe only has to keep its promises...

Moscow - While the battle of Horyn is in full swing, the Vojd does not use - unexpectedly - that the threat to push Zhukov and the Red Army to go forward. So even as the Marshal triumphed in Bar, and before he tried to negotiate a suspension of Rumyantsev, as he had already tried to obtain the stop of Kutusov - an operation that is no longer a priority in terms of reinforcements - Stalin launched a vast press campaign intended to create an expectation in the Soviet opinion, inflicting a new form of pressure on his soldiers. Thus, he wrote in the Pravda of the day:
"The Bug is there, before the eyes of our intrepid fighters. The borders of the People's Republic of Ukraine are there, under the eyes of a whole people. Lvov, Loustk and Chervonohrad, so many cities once torn from the horror of the German occupation by the brave hands of our soldiers*, all of them hope in the fire and smoke, every hour, that our Red Army will give them back their sacred rights and honor. From the heights overlooking the banks of the Horyn, one discovers the extent of the Western Ukraine, which waits for its hour to come."
Zhukov has little choice - to please his Vojd, he must take over Rumyantsev, after having obtained the means to make the expected triumph. He must therefore leave the command of the 10th Army to others, and to entrust to Ivan Bagramyan the liquidation of the Bar pocket.

* One will appreciate this reference to the "humanitarian" annexation of the eastern part of Poland in 1939...

 

[Wings]

October 1st, 1943

Italian Campaign
Milan - Reports from various sources clearly show that the Germans diverted the production of automobiles in Milan for their own purposes. For the Allies, there was no question of tolerating such a situation: the USAAF launches a raid on the Lombardy capital. For the occasion, the 8th Air Force adds to the P-38s of the 1st FG the P-47s of the 362nd FG, recently arrived on the Mediterranean front.
During the ensuing air battle, the Thunderbolt had the opportunity to show all its qualities at high altitude: four Axis aircraft are shot down by the P-47s, compared to only one by the "double-tails". Two B-24s and two P-38s are shot down. The damage inflicted on the production of the factories was real, but the American bombers had to come back.
On return to the ground, the crews of the bombers, among the many victories that they claim, report having destroyed a Bf 109 which, in addition to its black crosses, had a large rectangular Italian flag on its side (without the royal arms, of course). In fact, the fascist RSI has for some time had a (small) autonomous air force for some time, despite the lack of good will of the Germans. They fear desertions from the Italian pilots, whose quality of fascism they carefully evaluated before resuming their deliveries of fighters.
In addition to the Bf 109s (often second-hand), the RSI uses Italian aircraft, notably Fiat G.55 Centauro. The slow development of this very good aircraft has of course suffered from the change of camp of Italy and its dramatic conditions. The Turin factories, also affected by the Allied bombing, will be able to produce only a small number of them before the end of the war.

Greek and Balkan Campaign
Calm reigns on the whole front. On the allied side, supplies are being transported from Athens, with difficulty, while the port of Salonika is being worked on with great effort. On the other side, Bulgarians and Germans reorganize, sometimes on lines that have clearly retreated, and wait for the next enemy movement.

Redeployment
Occupied Yugoslavia - After having crossed almost all of Serbia and caused many deaths during this, Walter Kruger's 1. PanzerDivision moves to Smederevo, about forty kilometers east of Belgrade, on the banks of the Danube. The area had a lot to offer: far enough from the front line so as not to attract the Allied air force, the city is nevertheless close to an important crossroads...and in the middle of a sparsely wooded plain, in other words, in an area not very favorable to insurrection or ambush. Held in reserve and at rest, the powerful armored unit can therefore intervene wherever necessary: Macedonia, Bulgaria or even Romania.

 

[Wings]

October 1st, 1943

Operation Mandragore
Alps - In the Valdrome sector, the 21st Infantry Regiment of the 10th French Infantry Division carries out offensive reconnaissance actions, supported by a powerful shelling of the 12th BACA. Surprised, the Gebirgsjägers of 297. Rgt hide in their holes. This action is intended to prevent any attack towards the east by the Germans, although the 4th BMLE had set up a hedgehog along the course of the Buech between Serres and Aspres.
The real beginning of Operation Mandragore is the attack of the 5th Infantry Regiment, supported by the divisional artillery, from the south in the direction of the Dubron forest.
At this point, the Italian positions of the Gruppo Aosta of the 2nd Alpine Division Monterosa are fragile. In fact, having been delayed in their deployment after the incidents in Turin, they lose the race with their French counterparts of the 27th DA and have to make do with mediocre positions by stretching their defensive network. This weakness is not lost on the French Alpins and the 11th BCA of the Durand Brigade infiltrates towards the west. At the end of the day, after having opened a passage through some mined areas, the battalion takes the farms of La Glaise and hill 1519. Further east, the 13th BCA, supported on the counter-slope by a company of the I/4th Chasseurs attacks along the D937 towards La Cluse, overrunning the defenders of the Gruppo Bergamo through the Sauvas forest.
The rest of the brigade also goes into action. The 15th BCA advances from the head of the Clape. But the bulk of the resources are engaged in the valley north of Gap, where the 24th BCA, reinforced by the rest of the I/4th Chasseurs, as well as the divisional engineers and artillery, faces the Bergamo group on the slopes of the Chaudun mountain, which blocks the valley.
On the other side, the Galy Brigade is content for the time being with a fixing action carried out by its 7th BCA on the slopes of the Cuchon and the ridges of the Petite Autanne.

Provence - A deceptive calm reigns in the Vaucluse, where the 16. Panzer finishes taking position alongside the 14. SS Panzergrenadier, at the outlets of the Montélimar gap.
This division, which has just come on line after the battle of the Vaucluse, has been re-equipped for the western front: its Panzer Regiment received Pz IV Gs but still has an Abteilung on Pz III L - it is estimated at the OKW that the KwK 39 of 50 mm of this armor, if it is totally ineffective on the Eastern front, is quite sufficient to face the tanks of the Westerners.

Delays
Languedoc - Bad news for the US Army headquarters in Arles: the arrival of the 1st Armored Division would be delayed due to supply problems on the Italian front, which complicates the change of equipment for this large unit. Indeed, before leaving, the Old Ironsides has to receive the first new Shermans equipped with the French 75s, which are said to be very good. It will therefore take longer than expected.
In order to keep some punch to the allied armoured elements in the Languedoc, the British are asked to leave the 10th RTR in place for a while.
More importantly, the American staff decides to accelerate the arrival of the 3rd Armored Division Spearhead, part of which is still training in Algeria. It is to embark urgently for
the French front.
On the other hand, while the British elements involved in operation Steamer, which is now over, have started to embark for other theaters of operations, London has been asked to leave the 10th RTR in place for some time to keep some punch for the Allied armored elements in the Languedoc.

 

[Wings]

October 2nd, 1943

Medmenham, RAF Photographic Interpretation Centre - The latest estimates are sent to 10 Downing Street. Many "ski" sites have been identified. Twenty-six are half completed and at the present rate of construction, should be completed by early December. Fifty-four should be completed in January. It is urgent to act, as Hollard said!

 

[Wings]

October 2nd, 1943

Bucharest - Returning from the German capital without a shadow of a breakthrough, but with the certainty that the Germans hold him in deep contempt and promise to punish him at the first misdeed, Ion Antonescu logically decides that it is time for Romania to leave the Axis. The first attempt should obviously be the right one.
He reached precisely the same conclusions as his rivals and compatriots of the Democratic Bloc, except that he plans to stay in power! No more popular or supported than before, but still benefiting from the collaboration of the Romanian state apparatus, the Conducator formally requests his diplomatic service in order to start peace negotiations with the Soviets. It's better to talk to Satan than to the minor demons... His Excellency Frederic Nanu, stationed in Stockholm - a neutral country... - will pass the message to Moscow.

 

[Wings]

October 2nd, 1943

Burma Campaign
Operation Tigertooth
Tavoy (occupied Burma, on the coast) - The Japanese now know that an airdrop has taken place in the Myitta area. All troops are put on high alert, especially since reports indicate that the ships of the Eastern Fleet, in Ceylon, are about to leave; a landing is being prepared.
In these conditions, the aim of the parachute drop seems clear: to attract as many Japanese troops as possible to the interior of the country to facilitate the naval landing. General Haruki Isayama, of the 71st Infantry Division*, in agreement with the Army Staff, decided to do nothing, or at least to send only a minimum number of troops to keep the road to Thailand open. These paratroopers are after all only a minor nuisance of which the jungle and the lack of supply will make things right.

Burma-Thailand border - The despised paratroopers - the Chindits - split into three columns. The first one, called W column because it is commanded by Wingate himself, goes northwest and reaches the first foothills of the mountains that form the border with Thailand. The day's stage, of twelve kilometers, will lead it to the border, which will be crossed the next day by walking in the mountains. Further south, the two other columns, A for Lt-Alexander and C for Lt-Colonel Cooke, progress in a drawer along the road which goes towards the border of Malaysia, in the south. The day is punctuated by a few clashes with Japanese reconnaissance elements and by two ambushes of convoys at night. In fact, these convoys circulate mainly at night, because during the day, the P-38s of the 449th and 459th FS are carrying out interdiction missions - missions that are all the more effective today since the Chindits have reported some targets by radio.
.........
Further north, the Beaumonts of Sqn 45 and 84 begin to take a close interest in the artillery positions of the Japanese around Moulmein. Two aircraft are damaged by flak, but the Japanese fighters are absent from the area because they are that day in Indochina.

Indochina Campaign
The Hanoi revolt
Hanoi - In search of the perpetrators of the previous day's attacks, the Kempetai conducts a series of searches in the capital of Tonkin - with brutality, it goes without saying!
In the city center, the inhabitants are dragged out of their houses with rifle butts, soldiers patrol the streets, jostling passers-by and pouring into the alleys where small merchants, installed on the ground, sell a little of everything. It is the ideal place to spread terror and the soldiers go on the rampage. They smash the poor bowls and overturn the pot of a soup seller, trample the goods and tear the clothes of the vegetable sellers, even killing the baby that one of them was holding in her arms, they hit the children who are playing and the passers-by who do not run away fast enough. The few who dare to rebel are beaten or, worse, taken to the police headquarters. The wounded lying on the ground are left to their own devices, the Japanese arresting anyone who tries to help their victims in order to destroy any solidarity.
In the working class districts and the suburbs, the raids are even more brutal but not without risk. In some places, Vietminh tu-vés (militiamen), ambushed on the roofs, fire a few shots or threw home-made grenades. In the workshops and the hiding places of the members of the Communist Party, people are busy hiding documents and material. It is all the easier that the buildings where the workers live have many secret exits, even if it is most often only a simple hole roughly hidden by a piece of furniture and leading to the next building. The whole neighborhood is a single labyrinthine building.
All day long, sporadic shootings break out here and there, while the streets of the city empty. At 8 p.m., the curfew is total, but there is still fighting. Far from fading, the clashes gain in intensity. The brutality of the Japanese will provoke the insurrection of the city well before what the Vietminh had foreseen!
The electric plant suddenly blows up. The streetlights (those that were still working after two years of occupation) suddenly go out. At the same time as the darkness, a tremendous rumbling rises from thousands of chests.
The isolated patrols in the streets are victims of a mob thirsty for revenge who tear the soldiers to pieces with their bare hands. But, lacking sufficient weapons and no real coordination, the insurgents fall en masse around the barracks of the Citadel, covering each other, lying down by hundreds under the fire of the FM posted at the windows.
There is also fighting around the Metropole Hotel. Here the attackers are better armed because they are mostly Vietminh soldiers, but the neighboring streets are guarded by Japanese posts. Sandbag bunkers surround the colonnade of the entrance and the first floor windows are barricaded in the same way. Some officers shoot at the crowd from the windows of Charlie Chaplin's or Somerset Maugham's room, reminders of an entirely different era.
In the same way, on the western outskirts of the Paul-Doumer bridge, the Japanese forts repel all the attacks, which follow one another until dawn.

Dien-Bien-Phu - Day after day, air rotations drop more and more equipment and supplies into the basin. Currently, the air convoys come mainly from Lashio, an important stage of the Burma Road. This base allows more regular rotations and avoids the detour via Kunming. These few hundreds of kilometers less, it is fuel and risks saved, because the distance is almost reduced by half and above all we avoid the "hump" of the Himalayas. The disappearance of Japanese and Thai fighters from the north of Burma and Indochina makes things much easier.
At Epervier, the Lodestars of 344 Squadron, escorted by Mustangs of 340 Squadron, have become familiar. All are delighted with the help provided by the Belgian transports, who efficiently support the Air Transport Command aircraft. A small plus, the Lockheed crews bring from time to time a few kegs of beer to boost the morale of the garrison in the basin. If it is most often Chinese beer (all that remains of the German counter of Tsing Tao), it is sometimes a beer produced in Algiers in a brewery itself built and managed by Belgians! This drink is now very popular with the Vietnamese - so much so that after the war that they decided after the war to build a brewery and asked for help from Brussels to set it up.

Laos and Tonkin - The harassment of Japanese and Thai troops is permanent, whether it is Vietminh ambushes or aerial bombardments.
The Japanese and Thai fighters are most often reduced to strafing a jungle where the enemy has disappeared, unless they are circling in an empty sky.

New Georgia Archipelago
Operation Littlefoot
Vella Lavella - General MacClure's troops continue to accumulate reinforcements and supplies in preparation for advancing into the jungle. In the morning, several LSTs land M3 tanks from Munda in Barakoma Bay.
At the end of the morning, under a cloudy weather that reduced the efficiency of the Allied air cover, the transports start to withdraw. As they leave the bay, a raid of 15 Val, escorted by 12 Zeros, chooses to strike. The escort's flak is unleashed and the escorts draw a curtain of smoke, but the ships cannot zigzag across the shoals. Two transports are hit by bombs and the LST-396, hit, is set on fire and hasto be abandoned.
While maneuvering to extend the smoke curtain, the destroyer Philip blinds the Waller (a Fletcher class, like him), which loses sight of him. And when the Philip emerges from her own smoke, her crewman blocks her path and rams her brutally. The quick action of the damage control teams, however, prevents any serious water damage - the flak guys stay at their posts and the Philip's gunners even claim two of the six Japanese aircraft shot down. However, the Waller has to leave the combat zone and return to Nouméa for two months of repairs.

Sino-Japanese War
Preparations
Huangshi (Hubei) - A double raid of the ROCAF, comprising on the one hand nine B-25 escorted by 12 P-40s and 14 P-38s, targets the railway station and the river port.
The Japanese, who had expected it, reinforced both air cover and flak.
First, six Ki-43s and six Ki-61s shoot down two Warhawks and damage a Mitchell, at the cost of a destroyed Ki-43. Then, the Chinese, who attack once again at very low altitude, are shot at from the ground; two B-25s are hit hard - one crashes on the harbour master's office, the other one has to be abandoned by its crew on the way back. But the obstinacy of the attackers pays off: the new damage to the railroad yard, which was still being repaired, prolongs the paralysis of rail traffic to Wuhan for many days.
Meanwhile, the P-38s attack the river traffic. Two are shot down by the flak, but a dozen coasters of various tonnages are set on fire, and a Japanese patrol boat is sunk.

* This division is composed of the 87th, 88th and 140th Infantry Rgt, the 171st Cavalry Rgt and the 71st Mountain Artillery, Engineer, Transport and Signal Rgt.

 

[Wings]

October 2nd, 1943

After Suvorov
Red Lampists
Kremlin - Now that the fighting has finally stopped in Belarus, the Red Army undertakes to compensate - that is to say to act - the colossal losses incurred by the 1st and 2nd Belarusian Fronts. The 10th and 18th Armored Corps suffered very heavy losses, as well as the 29th Army - these three large units are no longer operational. The state of the 7th Armored Corps, the 3rd Guards, and the 15th and 20th Armies are only slightly better.
In addition, it is time for some reshuffling of the Soviet command. These restructurings - as often after a failure, and even if "Suvorov" is not officially a defeat - have a strong
officially a defeat - have a strong smell of witch-hunt and settling of scores... And as Ivan Konev is today untouchable, with his new title of marshal, it is therefore necessary to look elsewhere.
The command of the 1st Belarussian Front passes from Andrei Eremenko to Vassili Sokolovsky. The first one seems to sink more and more into a kind of depression and is no longer able to assume his post - which is convenient for some, even if they won't admit it. Especially since the new boss - although a very capable chief of staff - lacks a bit of stature for the task ahead. Sokolovsky is a former rural schoolteacher, who graduated from Frunze in 1921 and who has only seen fire in Samarkand, during the civil war... A political profile without asperity, a theorist above all, he will not overshadow anyone.
Then come the army generals. Managrov and Kurushkin both give up the keys of their units - the first one pays for the disaster of Kirawsk, while the second one is sanctioned for his defeat against Rommel west of Vitebsk, as well as by the general lack of energy of his formation. That the latter had been of a format notoriously insufficient for the task that had been assigned to it - to hold a front of 75 km and to advance against two AKs in difficult terrain! - is of course irrelevant. They are respectively replaced by Alexander Gorbatov (for the 29th Army) and Vladimir Kurassov (for the 20th Army). The profiles of these two newcomers are at least different...
Kurassov knows Konev well - he has already served under him as head of the 3rd Shock Army during "Gallop". He is an early Communist, and a very competent, if not truly brilliant, soldier. A very good choice, perhaps even the one made by Stalin in this mess, which allows us to wait for the next part with interest.
As for Gorbatov, he is... a survivor. A former close friend of Tukhachevsky, expelled from the Army and the Party in 1937, arrested in 1938 during the great purges, horribly tortured by the NKVD, he did not confess to anything - even if he confessed much later that from the third interrogation (and he was to undergo five!), he only wanted to die as soon as possible. In fact, between each session, the executioners had to take him back to his cell on a stretcher and wait three days before starting to work again... Finally condemned to 15 years of hard labor, he was sent to the gold mines of Kolyma (Magadan oblast, northwest of Kamchatka) after a long crossing on the steamer Dzhurma, during which he almost died of scurvy. He was released in March 1941 "after a new examination of [his] file" - but without a word of apology - he has since regained his rank after a long stay in a Ukrainian sanatorium and an accelerated refresher course at the Moscow Military Academy. As talented as he is ungrudging, Gorbatov is another choice addition to the Belarusian fronts. Proof that, despite all the whispers in Moscow, this sector remains strategic.
Let's go down one more rung - Alexei Rodin abandons his 7th Armored Corps to Aleksei Panfilov, martyred at Chachersk and then mediocrely effective against the panzers north of Jlobin - even if, in both cases, it was above all due to risky tactical choices which did not depend on the corps commander. Although a graduate of the Stalin School of Armed Forces, Panfilov is above all a different profile: from the Party, former head of the political bureau and deputy prosecutor of the Leningrad district. In 1942, it was he who proposed to the Polish internees to re-enlist against the Reich under the Soviet uniform - without much success, as the news that Westerners were recruiting in the same way had spread... Panfilov also replaced Golikov as head of the GRU in 1942. A perfectly safe individual, but whose competence remains to be proven!
Finally, as the last expiatory victim of "Suvorov-Center", the case of Nikandr Shibisov is settled. Although he is obviously not for much in the disaster of the battle of Dubrova, he is formally sacked, on direct instruction of Stalin. It is true that Shibisov had already been the target of criticism as violent as timely from Panteleimon Ponomarenko, who - in addition to his title of general of the Partisans - is also the boss of the Belarusian CP... Ponomarenko would later explain: "Shibisov was removed from his post because Konev and I were dissatisfied with him and spoke to Stalin about it."
Obviously, one should not see in the words of this pure Stalinist any other wish than to follow the mood of the leader. Moreover, Shibisov was not expelled from the Army, but simply transferred to the Reserve. It is therefore possible that he will be called later to new functions.
Thus, as is customary in the USSR, the Stalinist power gradually takes over the military hierarchy - sometimes with discernment, but also and above all with arbitrariness, even brutality. Obviously, Zhukov could do nothing about it: his (red) star even seemed to be fading lately and he had to defend the results of Kutusov and Rumyantsev.

Kutusov and Rumyantsev
Kutousov - The fox's skin
Berezne sector - "Let me repeat..." "Huh?" "I said, allow me to repeat!" Violent and impulsive, the fist leaves and will hit the jaw of Colonel Serafim Krasnovsky (295th Rifle Division), who literally crashes into the wall behind him.
Just to his left, General Nikolai Vasiliev (216th Rifle Division) freezes in a statue-like attention - he has, however, taken the precaution of clenching his teeth and sticking his tongue...
At the 37th Army HQ, still lost in the woods north of Richytsya, a drama is playing out.
General Vasily Chuikov, commander of the 37th Army, sees the opportunity of his life escape him while his troop collapses at the threshold of victory. Facing him, the Fascists of the 6th Army are worn down by fatigue and attrition from the fighting - they would surely fall back in the face of a determined liberating offensive. But here, the Red Army in general, and the 3rd Ukrainian Front in particular - is not advancing at all. Everywhere on the front, men, tanks and trucks are wading through the mud, with insignificant results, in spite of the (in their opinion) obvious disproportion of the forces involved. And Chuikov, condemned since the beginning of Kutusov to play second fiddle with his decimated army while absorbing the multiple German counter-offensives, sees the laurels of an unexpected triumph escape.
And if that was all there was to it: the general in command of the Front, Nikolai Vatutin himself, is on his way to personally inspect the lines of his formation, after having gone further north to visit the tankers of the 19th and 20th Armored Corps. The tour was to be unpleasant. If Vasily Chuikov is frustrated - to the point of reproducing the worst mistakes of the tsarist army - it is also because he is afraid for himself. The leader is necessarily demanding, his eyes are sharp - and he has the ear of the Vojd, even if his influence seems to have diminished... No doubt that if tomorrow, it was necessary to find a culprit for the failure of Kutusov, the 37th Army will be designated, whether by one or the other. While the Soviet infantry has nothing to blame, far from it!
The review will therefore be painful - even downright risky. And while Vasilli Grossman observes the movements of the 37th Army with an entomologist's eye, as well as the precise gestures of the men sweeping the room, everyone waits with apprehension for Vatutin's arrival.
.........
A forest in the south of Holubne, 13:15 - In his Gaz, preceded by an escort vehicle also serving as radio, the general Nikolai Vatutin goes back down bumpily towards Richytsya, after having quickly inspected the two armored corps that Rodion Malinovsky was willing to "lend" him to pursue Kutusov. As expected, the visit went badly - not that Vatutin really had anything to reproach to Ivan Vasilev or Pavel Poluboiarov, but he found the progress of their formations mediocre, to say the least, if not downright insufficient.
The final push required from the 3rd Ukrainian front to finally unblock Kutusov (who skated in front of Korosten and then in front of Olevsk, before stalling in front of Berezne) proved difficult to provide. However, with the 3rd Belorussian Front, he destroyed considerable forces and the Fascists now seem at the extreme limit of their resistance. Faced with the T-34s, what is left for them? One, maybe two army corps, weakened, decimated, scattered among 35 kilometers of forest, without a single panzer and under a red sky... So, what's the problem?
In truth, Vatutin does not understand that a 6. Armee obviously defeated and exhausted can still block his advance. Of course, he knows nothing of the suffering and fatigue of his own troops. He is not a butcher - like others before him, as usual full of will and energy, it is precisely now that he must seize the slightest opportunity to turn it into a triumph, even if it means ignoring those that end in failure. Attacking, infiltrating, over-maneuvering - this is the essence of success. As for the losses...well, it was worse last month, let alone last year! Rodina first of all! As he once said, "It's the roads that hold our feet." And also: "It is easier to crush the enemy than to break the resistance of my officers." So, with a few strokes
So, with a few strokes of the stick and as much sound advice, the breakthrough and then the apotheosis should be soon.
These very patriotic thoughts - as usual very clear and organized, nobody will say otherwise** - will of course guide his visit to the 37th Army. However, deep down, Vatutin is also anxious for himself, like everyone in the Red Army. His reputation as "Stalin's protégé" has often made his life easier - but it is as much a burden as much as a distinction. Much is expected of him and he is constantly under the eye of the Kremlin. He suspects that he would not be easily forgiven a failure, while his former subordinate Konstantin Rokossovsky triumphs in the south with Rumyantsev - without specifying that Kutusov made his task easier! And if this operation would stop tomorrow, many would hasten to put on his back the whole responsibility of all that happened since August 30th. They would say that he is proud, intriguing, willingly anchored in his certainties. And yet, the revision of Kutusov that he carried out - with the formal agreement of Zhukov but at the expense of Malinovsky - was the obvious solution.
Will his supposed credit still be a reality after this offensive? For that, it is necessary that it succeed: its future and perhaps its survival are at this price. For Vatutin has taken a risk - to make enemies in order to win. He must therefore achieve at least a limited success before stopping the expenses. To continue to be able to impose his views, namely those of a Red Army that maneuvers, with leaders who listen (at least a little) to their subordinates and to a certain extent encourage their reflection**.
Well... The Red Army of 1943 is not the one of 1940, full of gaps and obstacles. He knows Vasily Chuikov, his firmness, his tendency to demand. It will undoubtedly be necessary to put it back a little square, draw up plans with him, direct him in short... he won't like it, but never mind! Vatutin already had to be forgiven for neglecting to inform the 56th Army about his withdrawal from Ovrucht at Zitadelle, so it is better to avoid further mistakes.
The car now passes through a small village called Matiivka - the driver follows the road without worrying too much about it. We are at the back of the front line and the road is considered to be safe as long as one is wary of possible aerial strafing. Suddenly, as we reach the intersection, the two vehicles (Vatutin's gas and the escort car) turn right, to cut short the road to the 37th Army HQ. However, this road is not secured by the platoon in front, which turns left. And behind the curtains of Matiivka's windows, a few shadows are smiling.
For two more kilometers, nothing happens - but suddenly the escort vehicle jumps on a mine and crashes into an oak tree. Then, detonations burst out, seeming to come from
everywhere. The general's vehicle stops right in front of the crater and hesitates. Nikolai Vatoutine comes out of his GAZ, Tokarev pistol in hand, to fire against this invisible enemy The general is not particularly worried - the shots are confused, clumsy and the escorting platoon has probably heard the explosion. In any case, the area is teeming with soldiers. In a few minutes at most, dozens of frontovikis or NKVD will be there and...
The bullet, fired from behind, penetrates the right buttock, breaks the femur and exits from the front. Vatutin collapses in the mud. The shots redouble - the escort finally arrives! The assailants disappear, with waves of NKVD and Smersh sections on their heels, who arrive on the scene in a hurry. In one hour, no less than 15,000 men will sweep the woods. As for the general...
.........
37th Army Hospital (Krynychky), 18:15 - Coming out of the surgical tent (in a clean, if not sterile, environment), Major General Ivan Ischenko, from the medical services, is not optimistic. "The case is serious. The wound did not reach any artery or vital organ, but the bone is broken and the comrade general has lost a lot of blood. The wound is ugly, with a large amount of dirt - mud and all, which did not help.I stabilized him, but he must be transferred urgently."
In the evening, Vatutin is taken by truck to Novohrad-Volynskyi, where a train or a plane is waiting to transfer him to Kiev. The proximity of the front line will not facilitate this 80 kilometer journey, on bad roads - not to mention the state of the infrastructure in the city ravaged by the recent fighting... But it is the safest way, as night falls, that it starts to rain again and that we still fear marauding enemy fighters...
.........
Rovne sector - While Ivan Chernyakovsky continues to send his men across the Horyn to make life easier for his neighbors (or so he hoped), the leader of the 5th Shock Army learns about the Matiivka shootings and especially about their consequences. With sagacity, the general deduces that Kutusov - already in a bad way - was now doomed. Awaiting new orders from Kiev, or even from Moscow, he wisely decides to place himself on the defensive behind the Horyn, by evacuating without saying it too loudly the bridgehead of Buhryn.
After all, the offensive of the 37th Army is obviously suspended, while the armored formations further north seem unable to continue on their own. No one would blame him for taking some precautions in case of a fascist counter-offensive, perhaps associated with actions of sabotage, always to be feared in this country of kulaks! The frontovikis leave under the shells the ruined village where they fought during three days, and for which no less than 6,500 of them died, together with 3,600 Fascists... These immediately reoccupy the locality - they are warmly welcomed by the red shells!
.........
Radio Moscow, 22:15 - The Voice of the Soviet Union announces that "General Nikolai Vatutin, heroic commander of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, named to the Order of Lenin and Order of the Red Banner, holder of the Order of Suvorov and the Order of Kutusov, was wounded in a shooting on the Ukrainian front against a group of 100-200 people. Glory to the valiant hero, who will soon return to lead his men to victory!"

Rumyantsev - boiling cauldrons
Slavuta sector - Andrei Vlassov and his men of the 1st Shock do not make much progress - between slight resumption of bad weather, major difficulties of liaison with the rear and resistance of the 223. ID, it was expected. The two adversaries, who seem to be fighting their own duel apart from the general battle, continue to wear themselves out north of Ostroh without nothing coming of it. Apart, of course, from the losses suffered by both sides (to which must be added those suffered by the 1st Cavalry Corps of Kryukov) ... and an additional pressure inflicted on Walter Weiß - thus, in fine, on the whole German chain of command up to Manstein.
However, in the absence of mobilizable reserves to counter-attack, Christian Usinger can only plug the gaps and watch the red spot grow, grow, until it risks exploding... and drip onto the map.
.........
Sector from Iziaslav to Varyvodky - Stable situation in Iziaslav: the 4th Guards Army, always reinforced by a constant flow of machines of the 1st Armored Corps, holds its line firmly, without daring to push again for the moment. Muzychenko and Chanchibadze are still recovering from the slap inflicted the day before by the 7. Panzer - it is understandable that they are cautious, considering the stakes, even if Konstantin Rokossovsky invites them (of course) to attack as soon as possible. The day is thus devoted to the consolidation of their positions, protected by artillery and the 16th Air Force.
On the other side, the Wehrmacht is counting. The 205. ID of Ernst Michael, although relatively spared compared to the average of the 8. Armee, is only 65% of its normal strength, not more. As for the 7. Panzer, if its two regiments of PanzerGrenadiers are more or less presentable, its armored regiment only counts about forty Leopard and Panzer IV, reinforced by a battalion of various PanzerJägers - everything else is destroyed, broken down or under maintenance. And since Hans von Funck's relations with the 205. ID are not particularly good - especially after the previous day's skirmish - it is likely that things will stay the same... until some kind of weight is put on the balance.
A little further upstream, the 26th Army tries its luck, with a small action at Mykhniv intended to prevent the 305. ID to rest - and by extension, to force the 8. Panzer to stay in the sector... There was already an attempt in this loop of the Horyn, but not in the last few days - so Lev Skvirsky believes he has a chance. Of course, he will not break through. But by holding on to this 2 by 4 kilometer promontory, he can hope to bring the Fascists under fire of his artillery. The action has limited success: if the 305. ID takes the bait by closing the Dibrivka loop at Zavadyntsi (3 kilometers, even the handful of men of Bernhard Steinmetz can do it), the 8. Panzer remained in the rear, out of range of the shells, visibly preparing to move tonight.
As for the 5th Guards Army, now reinforced with about fifty T-34s of the 4th AC of Andrei Kravchenko, is facing a counter-attack of the 6. Panzer towards Varyvodky. The battle is a meeting battle between two opponents on the offensive - but on a limited space, that is to say without surprise. It ends in a draw, with the destruction of 37 Soviet tanks against 21 German ones. The Tiger of Hauptmann Kühn do wonders in this battle in a closed field, where it is difficult to maneuver - it is a pity that they are so few in number! By the way, the 504. sPz Abt lost two more: one was thrown on its side by a 122 shell, the other was damaged by bombs - the big grey rectangle of the "T-6" is very visible from the sky, and its position even more easily transmitted to the artillery.
For the moment, it is the left flank of the Red Army that is targeted - on the right, Landsers and StuG are more or less quiet. Does this mean that they are out of harm's way? Or that they're up to no good? It's impossible to say, but Fyodor Remezov promises himself to keep an eye on the situation in the area leading to Varyvodky, critical for the survival of his bridgehead. And he soon orders the 1st Mechanized Corps to send its first machines through - the heaviest ones first, of course. And if the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps will follow, it will be all the better!
.........
Yampil and Lanivtsi sectors - This is the end for the soldiers of the 9th Guards isolated in Yampil.
Definitely crushed by the bombs, by the fascist artillery and even by the communist cannons - which do not really bother to aim anymore - its last defenders are eliminated by the SS of the Frundsberg in the middle of the afternoon. The few surviving frontovikis are forced to swim back across the Horyn, under the fire of the Germans who thus avenge (a little) the humiliation of the race to the Horyn and the battle of Kuz'myntsi that they suffered a week ago.
It is thus a victory (one more!) for the Schutzstaffel. However, this victory was obtained at a high, even very high price. Due to the lack of support from the 329. ID - which it was supposed to assist - the 10. SS-Panzergrenadier Frundsberg bore the brunt of the battle. It cost it a good number of its grenadiers - which, with the losses suffered since the start of Rumyantsev, only form the equivalent of a single regiment. And even if Lothar Debes succeeded in preserving most of his armored regiment, it is not certain that he can repeat this feat indefinitely.
Especially that in the south, at Lanivtsi, the Hohenstaufen and Totenkopf also incur losses, under the deluge of fire that the SU-122 of Volsky and all available Soviet artillery continues to fall on their heads. Moreover, a bad surprise for the Panzermänner SS: since that night, the presence of large steel cubes is reported: the KV-85, which resisted all their long-range fire, except on the sides of the box. It is therefore necessary to approach (which is risky, especially since the machine has more than enough punch to destroy a Panzer IV or a Leopard!) or call in a PanzerJäger. The counter-attack therefore continues to be dragged out in blood. Of course, the outcome seems certain. But at what price?
.........
Volotchysk sector - Under a deluge of shells (and few bombs: the events at Lanivtsi and around the Geländer des Todes mobilize the 16th Air Army of Rudenko), Mikhail Shumilov lands in force at Chernylivka, 8 kilometers south of Pidvolochysk. The Soviet is obviously trying to gain time for his comrades. And he acts all the more strongly on his right that he does not fear for his other flank, where are only the debris of the 257. ID - never recovered from Starokostantinov and absolutely unable to threaten him. Opposite, the 371. ID (recently arrived) has only elements of cover. In the absence of real opposition, the Red Army advances quickly enough and undertakes to pass tanks from the 5th Armored Corps.
But the ruse does not really take: if the XXVII. AK actually sends its 141. ID towards the south, the GrossDeutschland remains regrouped in the north, always able to strike a blow wherever necessary. Shumilov and Krivoshein are thus forced to rush westward, dancing ever more visibly under the tiger's nose in the hope of attracting his attention.
.........
2nd Ukrainian Front - After the closure of the Bar Kessel, and while the Hungarian forces (which are now almost all the remaining troops supplied to the 2. PanzerArmee!) reorganize for a clearing offensive, Hans-Jürgen von Arnim wonders. He had of course Manstein on the phone since the day before - from Rastenburg, then again from Kovel, where he had just returned with good news. The Führer sends reinforcements from the reserve of the OKH - the 909. StuG Abt (Major Rossi), what generosity! - but above all, he gave all the power to the chief of the HG NordUkraine to re-establish the connection with the IV. AK and XLIX. AK.
Manstein thus plans to bring down the PzGr Grossdeutschland as soon as possible (it is his reserve, he uses it as he wishes!) with one or the other of the divisions of Karl Burdach (XXVII. AK), plus the remains of the KampfGruppe with 257. ID and 23. Panzer, while we are at it. The Hungarians will also have to do their part, of course - that's the least we can ask of them after their failures... And the 17. Armee of HG Sud-Ukraine will be forced to send the equivalent of an AK. Hitler was perfectly clear on this - and when he calls Wilhelm List, Manstein is in the room. This group of armies had done nothing since the loss of Odessa - let it move a little and get out of the mountains, that will change it.
Certainly, all this is promising - in the sense that it will undoubtedly make up for past mistakes. However, for the moment, the weather is still good - but it would be better to wait for the rain. The latter would facilitate (paradoxically) the movements by preventing the red aviation from weighing down. Damn Luftwaffe, never there... - and let's not talk about the LFD !
The Heer will manage alone to re-establish the link and reopen the Bar pocket.
Even if the Reds push and align their tanks between Khmilnyk, Bar and Charhorod, it is not too late. On condition that they do not rush and that they make sure of their move.
.........
Bar pocket - In the Kessel, the joint forces of IV. AK and XLIX. AK did not wait to be cut off before attempting to withdraw to the west. Now concentrated in and around the the Chernyatyn-Mizhlissya-Noskivtsi triangle, they are preparing to force the passage westward, at the level of the 10th Army - considered the weakest of their opponents, thanks to the efforts of Comrade Golikov.
Erwin Jaenecke and Rudolf Konrad obviously talked - when you are both in the same boat and on equal footing, you might as well row in the same direction. And their joint forces represent the equivalent of four divisions, certainly not supplied, but still relatively fresh. Of the two men, however, Jaenecke seems to have a slight advantage - compared to Konrad, who joined the front only last year (he was an officer in the reserves, after participating in the Polish campaign and then in various staff positions): the Saxon has more experience: Spain, France and the Ostfront. For him, things are clear: it is necessary to break through as quickly as possible and evacuate, which is not exactly the content of the instructions received by radio - and not within his reach either, for the time being.
.........
HQ of the 10th Army (Charhorod) - After having briefly commanded it in person, Georgi Zhukov leaves the 10th Army to Vasily Stepanovich Popov. This officer, former corps commander, seriously wounded in Belarus last year, well-known*** cavalry general and among the few winners of the Winter War against the Finns, has all his confidence. As a good logistician (besides, his previous position was in this field, for the 50th Army), he will have at heart to fortify his positions, in coordination with the 59th Army, while leaving it to others (the 2nd Shock, the Armored Corps) to digest the Fascists. For Zhukov, it is already clear that the Wehrmacht will not accept to lose two army corps in this way - not after the events of last year! Even if the game is well underway, it is not yet completely won. But Ivan Bagramyan will know how to draw the chestnuts from the fire before advancing.
And speaking of advancing... Zhukov takes the plane to Moscow. Marshal Stalin wants to see him to speak directly about the operations on the Horyn, following his last message. And it will be also question of Vatutin's wound, obviously.

Southern Ukraine
To the frame
HG SudUkraine HQ, Brașov (Transylvania) - Even before the connection with Rastenburg is established, Wilhelm List already knows that he is going to have a bad day. With everything that is happening in Ukraine, if the OKH calls, it is surely not to promise him reinforcements... However, his Army Group could use some! Although entrenched behind the Siret and the Suceava and benefiting from the support of the Carpathians (probably more solid than the support of the Romanian 3rd Army), his HG has to defend 400 kilometers of front, with only two armies representing 19 divisions! This is a third less than in Belarus! And let's not talk about armored divisions either: the 11. Armee has... one, the 20. Panzergrenadier (Georg Jauer), on Panzer III (there are still some left!), reinforced year in, year out by three Abteilungs of self-propelled guns distributed on the front.
Of course, there is the army group reserve (three PanzerDivisions and two Abteilungs of heavy tanks) - a respectable force, but which remained deployed in the south according to a direct order from the chancellery, in order to encourage Bucharest to stay in line... Moreover, needless to say, List has not been a priority for replacements, whether in terms of men or equipment?
I might as well say it frankly: the HG SudUkraine is an evocation of an army group. It has the structure, organization and - to a certain extent - capabilities. But its consistency is hazy, evanescent - it is constantly in danger of dissipating, if it should happen to withstand too much pressure. And God knows that the Russian bear weighs its weight, the animal, says List, inclined to metaphors.
On the other end of the line, none other than his Guide himself. He ignores him at first, but Keitel and (especially) Manstein listen to the conversation, which takes place in a feverish atmosphere.
- Heil Hitler!
- General List, I need your troops in Bar urgently, in order to clear two army corps of the 2. PanzerArmee in Arnim, which are trapped.
- At... Bar? [Sound of crumpled maps, which an aide-de-camp eagerly unrolls] But my Führer, I have no forces available!
- Nonsense. Your front has not seen action since August!
- Without a doubt, my Führer. But that doesn't change anything to its strategic situation, nor to the less than productive attitude of the Romanians.
- Until proven otherwise, they haven't turned their backs, have they? Not like the Bulgarians - and a little bit thanks to you, by the way. So, when you want to find troops... Leave the politics to me, and concentrate on the military.
- Jawöhl mein Führer! In this case, I would like to inform you that the means I have at my disposal are just enough to defend our current positions and to guarantee... support to our allies if necessary. Any diversion of these means is therefore obviously a dangerous risk. Especially to send troops to... [Whispering: "Yesterday, Herr General"]. 200 kilometers from my lines!
- Look, I'm not going to argue with you - the situation in Ukraine is critical enough as it is. I order you - can you hear me? - I order you to send your armored reserve to Bar!
- But my Führer, it is even further away! At least 300 kilometers from the indicated area! It will probably arrive too late, what is the situation there?
- Critical, I told you. 300 kilometers is indeed too far. All you have to do is take some infantry from the 17. Armee. Your Panzers will take over as last time. But without clearing the Danube and the oil wells too much - especially not!
- My Führer, it will take me at least several days to organize this relief, and I fear that I will not be able to release many formations.
- But we will have to. The equivalent of an army corps. [Behind: "You think that will be enough, Manstein? Yes ? Good!"] I'll give you 48 hours to get organized and come back to us. By then, we will have an operation plan to clear the men of the 2. PanzerArmee. Keitel will give you the details. That is all.
- Heil Hitler!
- I'll leave you to it, I'm busy, and so are you. [Aside: "Manstein..."]
Then silence. Obviously, things in Ukraine are going even worse than they are whispered about in the corridors of the staffs. Which is not at all reassuring: stuck between the English who are coming up from Salonika (not for the moment, but tomorrow who knows?) and the Reds coming down from Odessa (that, on the other hand, is a certainty...), and on a territory whose loyalty to the Reich now seems at best to be constrained, the entire HG Sud-Ukraine could well end up being crushed between two masses. In this context, the failure of the 2. PanzerArmee of von Arnim is just as worrying: who will cover tomorrow the left flank of the 17. Armee, if the Russians broke through to Lvov, or even Košice? The Carpathians may be a formidable natural barrier, a barrier can be bypassed - the French know something about it since their Maginot line...
In summary - and beyond the obvious hierarchical subordination between him and OKH - List has every interest in supporting Arnim and helping him to make up for his situation. He will therefore do his best - as far as his limited means allow, but without exposing himself too much. It is useless to send troops to the slaughterhouse without visibility, or worse, by lending his own flank to a next attack - patience, method, and preparation...

* In his memoirs, Marshal Zhukov will describe Vatutin as "a military leader as erudite as he was courageous [with a] highly developed sense of responsibility for the task assigned." Of course, it is always nice to pay tribute to colleagues, but the compliment is rare enough to be noted.
** Nikolai Vatutin's subordinates were fond of recalling his ability to listen and his tendency not to abuse his authority. General Chistiakov - who in the meantime had become chief of the 1st Guards Army - told that, in front of Rokossovsky, Vatutin suggested, pushed to the initiative and influenced by his conviction on the decisions of his subordinate, so that the latter would accept them as his own.
*** His thesis in Military Science (1937) had as subject The action of the Cavalry Corps in breakthrough operations.

 

[Wings]

October 2nd, 1943

Italian Campaign
Naples - The first elements of the 1st Armored Division embark for France. The Old Ironsides is the third American armored division to land in France. The division is not exactly armed according to the US Army manual, but General Lee managed to negotiate with his counterpart in Marseille that the last missing CMEs be taken from his stocks from Algeria.

Greek and Balkan Campaign
(Forced) Homecoming
Thrace - Major-General Hristov's 2nd Army extends its halt in the foothills of the Vertiskos, for various reasons and not exclusively military. Indeed, if we except the fact that the valley between Drama and Khadjidimovo is not yet covered by Nikolov's 22nd Division, the catastrophic announcements of the envoys of the 16th Division led to chaos in the region. There are now many scenes of manhunts and other settlements of scores, individual or family, between Greeks, Bulgarians and Turks. This disorder does not do the business of the chief of the 2nd Army, who after an umpteenth tense exchange with Colonel Strashimir Velchev, finally decided to send the entire 16th Division to the rear to repair his mistakes and proceed to the evacuation of civilians who wish to do so. After all, they are their relatives, aren't they? The famous colonel will therefore have to take his responsibilities and keep his troops and the retreat schedule. As for his methods and their consequences, they are of little concern to Hristov, who is only in a hurry to leave the region. Meanwhile, his men are entrenched in Lachanas and Nea Kerdilia, on the shores of the Aegean Sea.
.........
"The arrival of the envoys of the 16th Bulgarian Infantry Division, called "of the White Sea", created by the famous Trifonov, will once again trigger scenes that do not do honor to humanity, but which the region was unfortunately becoming accustomed to. One would probably speak today of an "accelerated process of decolonization", words that hide a real uprooting of a part of the population - I think that French people could easily have been victims of such a phenomenon if the relations with the Algerian independence fighters had ended in a conflictual way. These events were all the more tragic that the vast majority of the Bulgarian community had been present in the region for several centuries (sometimes even since the 680s and the Byzantine Empire, for the oldest families!) and lived until 1941 in a relatively good understanding with the other ethnic groups. The latter obviously benefited from the consequences of the exodus and we witnessed scenes of looting and... of brutal appropriation. Nevertheless, there were some attempts to respect a certain integrity. The account of Mr. Ivan Dimitri Dimitrov Hadjiev that we reproduce below (interview conducted by the author in 1985).
"I lost my grocery store in Kavala in early October 1943. My family had been living on the Aegean Sea since at least 1860! It was nothing spectacular, a retail shop with our apartment upstairs. But it was in the family, our livelihood - and I cared. We had never asked for annexation by Bulgaria, and when the tide of war began to turn, like all those damn airplanes overhead, I could feel that we were heading for hard times. It was on October 2nd, a Saturday I think... A Greek named Ioannis - I never knew his last name, although I remembered seeing him many times as a customer - came to the grocery store with a large bag in his hand. My wife Rosica called me: this time he wasn't coming to buy goods, but the business itself! I thought it was a bad joke, or at worst a warning of some kind, and I was about to rebuke him energetically when he opened his bag wide in front of me. Banknotes, some twisted and torn, coins and a tiny ingot of precious metal... certainly all of the man's savings. "There are 750,000 Lev," he told me [about $6,250 at the time...]. All in 100's at the most! Stunned, I quickly came to my senses and retorted: "Who do you think you are, coming to my house like a German to steal everything I have? With the stock, there is enough for 2,500,000 Lev here!"
The Greek looked at me sadly and replied, "That was probably true, but before.
Today, your buisness is worth nothing because you are Bulgarian and Bulgaria lost the war. The English and their Greek friends are coming, maybe they have nothing against you. But tomorrow... it won't be your army that will rule here. And others than me could come and throw you out on the street, or even worse, without anyone caring. I'm honest - I buy your store with everything I have. And I have nothing more to offer you.
The truth is, no one will give you as much as I do!"
What to do?
Two days later I had given in. In truth, this Greek had raised the stakes a little to reach 800,000 Lev. I don't even blame him. I left the city of my ancestors with a cart full of furniture and a bag full of old money. Everything else I had lost!"
At these words, Mr. Hadjiev burst into tears and I preferred to cut short our conversation. I left him alone among the memories of his wife, in his building of Soviet architecture in the district of Elenovo, in the suburbs of Blagoevgrad. (Robert Stan Pratsky, The Liberation of Greece and the Balkans, Flammarion, 2005)

Perplexity...
Vathylakkos - General Brasic's men see the first elements of Freyberg's 2nd New-Zealand Division arrive in the afternoon, accompanied by the tanks of Robertson (1st Australian Armored Division). These units are positioned between the Yugoslavian positions, and partly in second echelon, dispersed over five to six kilometers to the south - an artillery bombardment is unlikely but you never know. In the following days, no less than two full army corps, four infantry divisions, an armored division and an armored brigade, are stationed on the plain. Not to mention the two armored divisions in reserve around Agios Athanasios. The control of the sky by the Allies being total, this concentration goes unnoticed by the Germans.

Irritation!
Athens - Alone among his files, reading and rereading figures and reports, General Montgomery is angry: nothing matches with his great project to come! The GHQ decidedly does not give its armies the means to its armies the means of its ambitions - not to mention those of the Prime Minister! High ranking military, knowing that he must be at least as skilful with politicians as with the troops, Monty thinks that one day he would have to make Churchill understand that war is not only a question of units that are moved on a map - but also (and above all) about the flow of supplies. Without supplies, no offensive!
The general is faced with a new problem: how to demonstrate that with his skill he could obtain spectacular results, but that he does not have the possibility, given the state of his supplies? Suddenly, by closing a drawer of his desk in a bad mood, the chief of the 18th AAG sees a second compartment of the cabinet open, under the first one. Monty opens his eyes wide - he has just had an enlightenment.

Shoah in Bulgaria
Sofia - In the morning mist, the half-tracked SS troops pour into the Jewish quarter, breaking down the doors of the Sephardic synagogue inaugurated in 1909. The building - a magnificent example of the double Byzantine and Moorish style - is promptly vandalized and searched. But it had long been empty. The excavation of the residential buildings did not yield much more results - the vast majority of the 3,500 Jews of Sofia have disappeared. Unfortunately, the men in black gather 450 unfortunate people who were grouped together in a shed near the central station before being transported to Treblinka. Only 37 return - most of them eventually emigrated to Israel with their co-religionists who were able to hide.
This failure, which caused Beckerle's fury, could not, however, be attributed to General Marinov - for his own benefit, it must be said. In fact, since September 16th and the capture of the capital by Nazi tanks, the Stiftung Jews had plenty of time to slip away, inspired by the eloquent example of the "Hebraics" of Macedonia and Salonika. The abolition of the racial laws by the Muraviev government - including the famous house arrest - gave them the opportunity, while the chaos caused by the attempt to turn the country around and then by the invasion favored their disappearance, although the government reinstated the anti-Jewish laws upon its return. Finally, the Bulgarian population, to denounce and collaborate with Germany, helped the majority of refugees to hide, supported in this by the Orthodox Church*.
This round-up was the only serious attempt by the Nazis to exterminate the almost 50,000 Jews present on Bulgarian territory. The rapid Soviet progress, as well as the weakness of the German means in the region, will not allow them to carry out a systematic search campaign in the small towns and villages, as was unfortunately the case in other countries. However, at that time, most of the Jews in Bulgaria were in the countryside, having been expelled from the cities in application of the acts of the Bozhilov government, as dictated by the Germans. This policy will therefore have paradoxically contributed to saving those it claimed to eliminate. Of the 48,565 Jews registered in 1936 only 1,350 (3%) fell prey to Nazi barbarism - a low figure, although still too high. Unfortunately, the victims in Thrace and Macedonia were much more numerous.

* This attitude had all the hallmarks of an official position. Thus, on September 27th, 1942, Metropolitan Stephanus declared during a sermon against wearing the yellow star: "It is not for men to torture or persecute the Jews."

 

[Wings]

October 2nd, 1943

Operation Mandragore
Alps - Although outnumbered and supported by the tanks of the I/5 RCA, the 50th RI of the 10th DI has to face a tough challenge. While maintaining the pressure on the high valley and its cliffs, it will have to attack on its other wing, on the mountainside, along the D61, in the direction of Bellegarde-en-Diois. His opponent is a KG from the 157. Gebirgsjäger, composed of the pioneers and Panzerjägers of the division, reinforced by artillery elements.
A little to the east, the 21st RI takes full advantage of its artillery support and reached the plateau, at more than 1,500 meters. The 297. Rgt of the 157. GD fights without any spirit of retreat, but it is dominated by the power of the French artillery.
Meanwhile, the 5th RI is still fighting in the Dubron forest, while the 11th BCA reaches the flank of the Gruppo Aosta. Having to deal with a strong party and facing the threat of encirclement, the Italian battalion withdraws to the Aiguilles ridge and in front of St-Julien en Beauchêne.
In the Sauvas forest, fighting continues between the 13th BCA and the Gruppo Bergamo.
In this sector, the Italians also have to repel the assaults of the 15th and 24th BCA, which, with the help of the division's artillery and light armor, begin to overrun on the flank in the Champsaur plain.
At the Galy Brigade, although the 7th BCA does its job well in fixing the flank of the 2nd Reggimento Alpini, the real objective is revealed: to cross the Durance in order to begin the ascent towards Embrun. This is the task of the 6th and 27th BCA, who launch a concentric attack from the the Marmottes mountain against the Germans of the 904. GbJg Rgt. The 22nd BCA, for its part, contents itself for the moment with keeping a flank against a possible reaction of the Alpini from the north.
The 4th DMM in turn launches an attack, with Barcelonnette as its objective. Reinforced with elements of the engineers and divisional artillery, part of the 7th RTM moves towards the Ubaye valley, while the rest, starting from the Col d'Allos, tries to overrun the south of the Agneliers and reaches the edge of the Bachelard forest.

Aerial activity
Provence - In the north of the Vaucluse, everything is quiet except for an increase in low-level activity of French fighter-bombers, looking for targets of opportunity.

Mutations
French front - The orders come from Washington: the 99th Fighter Squadron - the Tuskegee Airmen - have to leave the 27th FG, where they had integrated rather well, to return to Italy, to the 57th FG. The French front seems a little too rich in objectives for the taste of some.
On the German side, one can only observe that, for the past month, the new front has been sucking up divisions like a sponge absorbs water. In view of the lull in the fighting in the East, the OKW decides to assign two new divisions to France: the 243. ID (in Clermont-Ferrand) and the 245. ID (in Rouen). Both had been formed in Austria shortly beforehand around convalescing wounded from the Russian front.

 

[Wings]

October 3rd, 1943

"Republic of Montefiorino" - Despite several weeks of waiting, the Partisans have not seen the beginning of the promised airborne reinforcements. At one point, there was talk of an Italian airborne division, then rumors spoke of an American or British parachute division (they preferred to avoid the French...).
But nobody came. In fact, Dragon absorbs almost all the human and material resources currently available. Of course, some correspondents from the OSS, the SOE or the DGSS did arrive, and there were some drops of weapons and supplies, but not enough to dream of the establishment of a solid bastion.
The proof today: the Germans launch more than ten thousand men against Montefiorino. These are regiments or battalions detached from various units of the 14. Armee, the SS police force of Polizeiführer-SS Karl Wolff and the ground units of the Decima MAS. The Partisans, half as numerous, suffer from the very first fights. A bad omen for the fate of the small "Republic" - historians whisper today that the French forces of the Vercors should have meditated on this example...

 

[Wings]

October 3rd, 1943

Bucharest - General Constantin Sănătescu reports to his accomplices in the National Democratic bloc of the results of his little stroll on the front, which - it must be admitted - are frankly disappointing. Even though the majority of the leaders have listened to his suggestions (only the officers of the 1st Corps persisted in an attitude that could be described as "strictly legalistic", the other formations are much more receptive!), all have however kept a certain reserve that can be explained by only one thing: the fear of the German reaction. The 4th Corps was the most sheltered, as it was the furthest away from the Teutonic soldiery: logically, it was the one whose officers were the most virulent.
Moreover, as if to confirm his suspicions, Sănătescu received this morning a "courtesy call" from a member of the central staff who came to advise him that "the time has not yet come." So we will have to make do with it... In the meantime, the Bloc will try to loosen the German grip that strangles Romania, or at least to carefully locate each of its fingers, according to the program set up jointly. Without forgetting, of course, to accumulate the maximum number of troops and means in the capital, if possible discreetly...
Informed, king Michel struggles to contain his spite - he notes to proceed to a meticulous analysis of the loyalty of each one. One can never be too careful, and that can always be useful later.

 

[Wings]

October 3rd, 1943

Burma Campaign
Operation Tigertooth
Burma-Thailand border - The men of the W column, in the north, are exhausted but they succeed: they reach the passes, they cross the Thai border, and what's more, without encountering the shadow of a Japanese patrol. The program for the following days: to go down and settle in a plug near the Huai Kayeng Lake, seizing the locality of Tha Kha-nun, where they would normally join the other columns. The objective even has a code name: Hyde Park.
Further south, the other two columns had moved down the road, but at the end of the day, column A begins its regrouping before crossing the Thai border. The day passed like the previous one, with a few minor clashes. In the air, American P-38s continue to support the Chindits.
Lieutenant Duke, who would become the No. 1 ace of the 459th FS, scored his first victory against a Tachikawa Ki-36 "Ida" in reconnaissance.
However, this activity does not disturb the Japanese command: for him, there is no doubt following the ambushes of the last two days, that the parachuted enemy unit, of the order of one or two battalions, had been sent only to create chaos and to keep the Japanese troops away from the area of the future landing.

Indochina Campaign
The Hanoi Revolt
Hanoi - The first light of day illuminates a city ravaged by dozens of fires. Shots and explosions continue to be heard.
But the insurgency has failed. The key points of the city are still in the hands of the Japanese. However, fighting continues in the citadel area and around the small lake until the middle of the small lake until mid-afternoon.
Around 16:00, the insurgents who survived the clashes retreat to the outskirts to continue fighting. During the night, the Paul-Doumer bridge is attacked again, but without success.

Hanoi airfield - At the 3rd Hikodan HQ, the photo specialists try to make up their mind about the morning shots taken by a Ki-46 "Dinah" over Dien Bien Phu.
Aerial movements are as regular as ever around the basin, but it is mainly the expansion of the Tuan Giao airfield that drawsattention.
The lengthening of the runways could only herald the arrival of large aircraft, either heavy bombers or transports. A reinforcement of the Allied air presence in Indochina is to be expected soon, and this is not good news!

Sino-Japanese War
Preparations
Wuhan (Hubei) - For the fifth time in less than a month, the city was the target of a bombing raid. At first, 10 B-17 of the ROCAF escorted by as many P-40s arrive from the west at high altitude, attracting a powerful Japanese fighter cover of 25 Ki-43s and eight Ki-61s before dropping their bombs at random and their bombs at random and turn around.
Then USAAF aircraft, 22 B-24 escorted by 28 P-51, arrived from the north, forcing the north, forcing the Imperial Army fighters to interrupt the pursuit of the bombers in an attempt to intercept these new and otherwise dangerous intruders. In the meantime, the Liberator bombs caused significant damage to the Hanyang arsenal (as well as to the surrounding neighborhoods, ravaged by a fire which was not brought under control until the following day). Arriving in dispersed order, the Japanese fighters are assaulted by the Mustangs, who gladly accepted the fight, even if it was a spinning one.
No less than nine Hayabusas and two Hien are destroyed against a single American fighter.
This double raid is the last of the preparatory phase of Operation Zhulin. Indeed, the planes need maintenance and the men need rest in preparation for the weeks to come.

 

[Wings]

October 3rd, 1943

Operations Kutusov and Rumyantsev
Kutusov - The skin of the fox
Berezne sector - Suddenly, a kind of calm is established on the front, after the fighting of the last few days. The ambush (the attack?) of which General Vatutin was a victim the day before provides all the combatants with the opportunity they were waiting for to put themselves on the defensive. The rear of the 3rd Ukrainian Front was already swarming with NKVD battalions and special sections of the Smersh, gathered from all over the Union to Sevastopol to investigate, interrogate, imprison, deport and (as an end result) eliminate.
Obviously, the relatives of the general and his escort will be the first to spend long unpleasant moments. How is it that Vatutin took a wrong path? Were they there when he was being shot at? Why did it take so long to rectify this "trivial error of inattention"? And why, where, how, with whom... Initially limited to the ranks of the Red Army, the fury of the dreaded counter-espionage service quickly spreads to the whole region of Matiivka, until the Smersh finally decides to arrest all the inhabitants within a radius of 25 kilometers around the attack. In the meantime, those who are not subjected to interrogation dig Zemlianka* to protect themselves from the enemy as well as from the elements. It is raining hard again on the forest.
.........
Rovne sector - General Chernyakovsky also returns to a wise wait-and-see attitude. Now that all of Kutuzov seems to be suspended, why should the 5th Army be the only one to make efforts? And for what purpose? On the Horyn River, calm returns between the Red Army and the 6. Armee - completely unable to resume the fight.
.........
Kremlin, 14:00- Stalin preferred to wait until after lunch to receive again his Marshals Zhukov and Vasilevsky. The second is accompanied by General Aleksei Antonov, who serves as his deputy chief of staff (in reality, as chief of operations) during his long tours on the front. The topic of the day, of course, is the pursuit of Rumyantsev, according to the wishes of the Vojd - which means burying Kutusov. Obviously, this operation is pointless; the reinforcements and supplies assigned to it will be much more useful to the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Fronts. And since Vatutin is no longer there to defend his chapel...
- By the way, do you have any news about our dear comrade general?" asks the Georgian while pretending to look at the rain falling on the gray of the Red Square.
Vassilevsky answers - with Antonov on his right, who seems to mark every sentence with his approval: "General Vatutin arrived in Novohrad-Volynskyi very early this morning; a plane immediately transferred him to Kiev. He is now in the main clinic, where the best doctors have taken care of him. We have already mobilized several specialists, who will be coming to his bedside in the next few hours. They are..."
Sensing a lapse in his leader's memory, Antonov immediately adds: "...comrades Aleksander Nikolaevich Bakulev, Director of the Surgical Department of the 2nd Moscow Medical Institute, Miron Semyonovich Vovsi, Chief Therapist of the Red Army, Vladimir Nikolaevich Shamov, head of the Department of Hospital Surgery of the Academy of Military Medicine, and Sergei Sergeevich Yudin, senior consultant-inspector to Comrade Nikolai Nilovich Burdenko - our chief surgeon, who will of course come as soon as it is necessary.
Zhukov concludes, "The best doctors in the Union are with General Vatutin, let's trust them."
- Well... Good, very good. But I can assure you that the sons of bitches who did this to me are going to pay for it**. I talked to Lavrenti Pavlovich about it again this morning...
There follows a crystal silence, while the Vojd recomposes a good-natured composure, before turning around with his moustache raised.
- You are right, Georgi. Let's have confidence and think about the future. So let's think about the crossing of the Horyn. How does the next step look like?
- Well, Comrade General Secretary, the Fascists are putting up a fierce resistance: we have almost brought them back to... to their positions of May 1942. This was expected - they no longer have the necessary ground to retreat, except to Poland. We must therefore expect strong resistance, which requires us to prepare carefully for the final phase of Rumyantsev. The struggle will be hard, ruthless, but we will win. And to win, we must concentrate all our forces on a single axis.
A strategy that, as usual, Stalin does not believe in. He visibly gets carried away: "Easy to say - at the moment we do not even have a single real bridgehead. The only area where we are making progress is the peninsula south of Slavuta. And still!"
Fortunately, Vassilevsky - in agreement with Zhukov - has foreseen a response: "Of course, and this is precisely why it is not relevant to multiply the obstacles that our mechanized forces will face. As you rightly pointed out in your last instruction, the breakthrough must come as soon as the bridgehead is secured. Therefore, we will continue assaults on a broad front until we have a solid starting base. Then, we will make our tanks go across the Horyn before attacking from this point."
- Hmm! And of course, in the meantime, the Fascists will do nothing.How do you expect to outflank them if they know where we will attack! We will be immediately blocked and defeated! This goes against all the lessons of this campaign!
- Not exactly.
The world is coming to a halt. For the first time since the beginning of the exchange, Antonov has just spoken. As usual, the Belarusian imposes serenity on the debate by an impression of calm intelligence, coupled with a reputation for seriousness and energy. A real war machine above all pressure, he never loses his aplomb and even less his nerves - which greatly enhances his credibility. In the worst days of 1942, Antonov was neither overwhelmed by work nor by pressure. For this, he is respected by all. And that is precisely why he is here - he is among the very few general officers of lower rank capable of contradicting Stalin, of telling him the truth or even to go against his expectations - or even to anticipate them in order to manipulate him***. And since, in addition, the man has the spirit of synthesis...
- Explain yourself, Aleksei Innokentievich.
- Before being... made unavailable, general Vatutin had envisaged an evolution of Kutusov in the form of a diversion, which would have been extinguished in order to make it look like a failure. Then, once Roumyantsev in the dead end, Kutusov would have started again from the front, with replenished forces, to seize Sarny and defeat the Fascists in the north of Ukraine.
Silence - the Vojd does not interrupt. Antonov continues.
- Obviously, now that General Vatutin is no longer available, it does not seem possible to pursue Kutuzov. However, his idea is still relevant. And it is still possible to lure the Fascists into believing that they are smart enough to guess our main offensive axis. As you said, it seems obvious that we aim for the Slavuta peninsula. So let's make them believe it and strike elsewhere.
- So you propose to seize a bridgehead on the Horyn but not to use it?
- That's right.
- And what makes you think that the Germans will let us establish ourselves in Slavuta without wanting to drive us out immediately?
- Because it is in their interest - unless, of course, they want to let two of their corps of their army starve to death in Bar. Their reserves will be too useful in this sector to clear their encircled troops; they're not going to send them to Slavuta just for the sake of rejecting us in the Horyn. Without disengaging this sector, it is thus more than probable that they keep a strict defense there, at least for a while.
- Well... And where to strike, in this case?
- In Lanivtsi. Precisely where we will not be expected anymore. From this region, we will be able to drive along the Horyn, which will cover the right flank of our troops until Zaliztsi against reinforcements from the north. Then, it will be possible to go up towards Brody before continuing towards Chervonohrad to reach the Bug, to threaten Lvov and to definitively cut the fascist device in two between the north and the south of Ukraine.
A configuration quite close to the one of Starokostantinov - which had rather succeeded to the Red Army.
- And if reinforcements come from the south? From Romania?
- If they exist, they are already on their way to Bar. In any case, everything that leaves Romania today will not be on the way to the 4th Ukrainian Front tomorrow for the Vatra Dornei-Gheorgheni offensive.
All this is fully... logical. Zhukov, visibly impressed, considers Aleksandr Vassilevsky's deputy with a new eye. And he adds: "In both cases, we win. Either they give in to the south of Ukraine, or they give in to the Carpathians. We are advancing on a broad front, but breaking through on a single axis. Comrade General Secretary, I must be authorized to coordinate the first three Ukrainian fronts for the next few weeks. We should have reached the borders of Ukraine by... October 25th."
That is, on the anniversary of the Revolution - no doubt the political impact would be immense.
Stalin hears it, but does not break for all that.
- Perfect, Comrades. Write down everything that has just been said and present me with a coordinated plan for this... Rumantsyev development, including the start of Vatra Dornei-Gheorgheni. I will review and validate. I am counting on you, Georgi, to renew your success on the tactical level - because once the decision is made, there is no turning back. In the meantime, get a foothold in Slavuta, catch your breath, bring in cannons and ammunition... and attack again - we'll have to keep up the pressure.
Then he sits down at his desk and pretends to take out a file while looking for his pipe. This is a sign that the conversation is over - except for one thing, which everyone in the room is waiting for. At first, he doesn't seem to realize it. He signs three papers, fills his pipe - before finally looking up in a somewhat theatrical way and saying: "Oh yes, of course, Kutusov is stopping today. Prepare the report on the end of the operation, while the two fronts concerned are on the defensive. Who will replace Vatutin, at least
temporarily?"
One suspects that Vassilevsky has taken the time to think about the question and to discuss it with whom it may concern... "The Stavka recommends Marshal Ivan Konev for this task. Now that Suvorov is finished, he can coordinate the fronts around Pripyat, with Malinovsky and Sokolovsky under his command."
- No, that would be too much for one man. Zhukov, you will take care of it - relying on the Stavka for your other tasks. I don't doubt that you are capable of it.
This is not an assumption but a statement. Stalin has just refused to entrust Konev with what he is charging Zhukov with. It is up to Zhukov to show that he is better than his challenger - who may well take the supposed favorite place of Vatutin!
- Of course, Comrade General Secretary.

Rumyantsev - Boilers and boiling
Slavuta sector - In the morning, the 1st Shock continued its efforts to find a way through the loose lines of the 223. ID - which is forced to call on the 6. Armee to protect its left flank from Soviet infiltration. After all, now that the Buhryn affair was settled, the 331. ID has some free time, no? One suspects that De Angelis - who does not know that the end of Kutusov has just been decided - takes his time to answer.
In the meantime, the business continues. So that his 385. Grenadier Rgt does not find itself flanked, or even surrounded, Christian Usinger is forced to withdraw to Ostroh, leaving the 344 Grenadier Rgt to defend the western road to Hroziv. Still waiting for the 331. ID, he keeps the 425. Grenadier Rgt in the north, as a reserve in case of a hard blow.
This extreme spread of the German position allowed Vlassov to strike at the junction of the two formations - to the southwest, in the direction of Lyuchyn - in order to hope to isolate Ostroh.
However, after a promising start that allowed him to advance 2 kilometers and the Ostroh-Rovne road, the sudden arrival of a heavy rain showers the hopes of the Red Army for the day. Bad luck, Comrade!
.........
Iziaslav to Varyvodky sector - According to Konstantin Rokossovsky's orders, the 4th Guards Army moves forward to Lyutarka and Borysiv, with the support of about forty tanks of the 1st Armored Corps - Porfiry Chanchibadze's tankers are as numerous as the Germans, even though they have a river to cross! Faced with this attack - the axis of progression chosen by Ivan Muzychenko is the most dangerous, therefore the most obvious - the 7. Panzer continues to fight with bad mood at the sides of the 205. ID, but while retreating little by little under the losses and while the dissensions between Michael and von Funck reach a peak! Finally, after a full morning of seeing his tanks continue to lead what he considers to be an infantry battle, Hans von Funck obtains from Werner Kempf the authorization to retreat towards Mokrets' (halfway to Borysiv). If the Landsers are unable to win, we might as well take the field, we are not in front of Korosten. The last operational Panzers (25 approximately...) thus begin to retreat under the rain, having - obviously - warned the infantry.
Further south, still taking advantage of the dilution of the 305.ID as well as of the caution of the 8. Panzer - it also receives the order to stay away and supplies in Borysiv - the 26th Army continues to reinforce its promontory at Mykhniv and should - against all odds - survive the events. We might as well take the opportunity to see what happens next.
And the 1st Armored Corps of the Guard - once again operational after the bleeding of Topirchyky, could well join the party.
Finally, at Bilohir'ya, after the great steel fair of the previous day on its left, the 5th Guards Army is now beset on its right by the 323. ID (Hans Bergen), reinforced by the StuG of Hauptmann Karl Ludwig von Schönau. Obviously, Walter Weiß hopes to exhaust his opponent on the road to Varyvodky in order to strike elsewhere... It does not work: the KV-85s of Solomatin are present on the front line, alongside the SU-85s that fire directly, as good tank hunters, on those who are supposed to be tracking them. The assault stalls precisely for the same reasons as in Iziaslav two days ago. And while the 8. Armee is about to launch the 6. Panzer again to get the decision, the rain starts to fall again, mixing torrents of water with the shells. No luck here either. In the meantime, the Red Army continues to cross.
.........
Yampil to Lanivtsi sector- Now that the fight is only in Lanivtsi, the II. SS-PanzerKorps pushes hard to push back the last elements of the 9th Guards (Nikolai Pukhov) and the 2nd Mechanized Corps (Vasily Volsky) across the river, despite the storms of steel unleashed from the opposite bank by the guns of no less than four large Soviet formations. Paul Hausser takes his revenge, and he will not let go of his prey.
In doing so, he ignores all the calls for caution from his hierarchy - even Manstein himself, who would probably prefer to send this large formation south, to save the besieged of Bar.
The Schutzstaffel spend the whole day charging the Pukhov redoubt, in an atmosphere worthy of the Other War and with no less savagery. In the evening, the Red Army only holds, south of the local station, a strip of 2 kilometers by 1 ravaged by the fires which cast a sinister glow over the Horyn. The 1st Ukrainian Front is still holding on with obstinacy, relying on the ponds of the region. The Stavka finds nothing to do as Antonov's proposal has not yet been approved. And what could be better than a bloody defeat to convince the enemy that he has indeed triumphed?
.........
Volotchysk sector - The 3rd Army continues its maneuvers south of Pidvolochysk, now countered by the joint actions of 371. ID (Hermann Niehoff) and 141. ID (Heinz Hellmich) - the latter having taken over from the former to allow Niehoff to descend in the direction of Kachanivka. Mikhail Shumilov now holds a bridgehead of 4 by 4 kilometers. It could have been larger, but the Red Army expects a faster fascist reaction and is cautious...
The GrossDeutschland still does not seem to move, and the Soviet decides to invite the 5th Armored Corps to pass its machines as soon as possible. In reality - but Shumilov like Krivoshein ignore it - Walter Weiß doesn't care about Chernylivka like his first Mercedes. And so he therefore simply orders Walter Hörnlein and his panzergrenadiers to keep the southern road open, preparing to descend to Bar.
.........
2nd Ukrainian Front - Paradoxically calm situation on the new Khmilnyk-Bar-Shypynky front line - after so many efforts for eleven days (and even more for the 10th Army), it is not surprising. Both sides are in expectation. The Soviets have no reason to hurry - and in any case, they do not have the means.
As for the Germans, they still have to prepare their decisive counter-offensive.
.........
Bar pocket - In the Kessel, there is no panic - the four divisions (and two Korps-Abt), hardly solicited by the Soviet offensive, have a small week of reserves and the Luftwaffe promise (again) parachute drops as soon as the weather will be good again - which means that they will not take place today.
But if the situation is not visibly dramatic, it is nonetheless critical. And on the radio, Erwin Jaenecke is adamant: a double offensive is needed - that is to say, a convergent attack by his troops and the relief forces in order to link up towards Kyyanivka (between Bar and Shypynky) to evacuate without delay. Any attempt to maintain on the spot of its IV. AK and the XLIX. AK would be childish, pointless and dangerous.
Von Arnim does not dispute this - but his hands are tied by Rastenburg, as is Manstein's. So for the time being he leaves things in a kind of... artistic vagueness. Of course, he would not counter the instructions of his subordinates if they decided to withdraw by breaking through to the west, when the time comes. But for now, he can only say: "Help is on its way, so be patient and we'll see what to do then.
Jaenecke understands this message well - he is already prepared to override orders to stay put if necessary. In the meantime, he sends multiple detachments in the rain to search for weak points in the 10th Army's position.

HQ of HG NordUkraine (Kovel), 18:30 - Erich von Manstein has - once again - a very bad night of work, thoughts and nightmares. Under ever increasing pressure from the Soviets - in fact, he is suffering from the same wear and tear as his soldiers - the Prussian general faces the situation in Bar with sagacity but irritability.
Which threatens all the same to destroy the "good" half of one of his four armies, that is to say one eighth of his forces!
Fortunately, Hitler seems to have returned to a better disposition towards him - after all, he was right before anyone else... When he left the Wolf's den, did he not hear him say "Manstein, you are one of my best generals. A genius of defense, an outstanding tactician and a fanatic leader of men. I have full confidence in you to unblock the situation." Or how to raise an idol that you yourself have burned...
In short, he once again has the free hand to fix other people's mistakes. First thing to do: gather enough firepower to break the red lines at Bar. A modest ambition, but already notable in view of recent events. There is the GrossDeutschland, of course. But it will not be enough. And Manstein does not trust the Hungarians... He needs quality infantry (Deutsch Qualität!) to be sure to win, because there will be no second chance. So who?
The 17. Armee did promise, through the voice of Wilhelm List, to release an ArmeeKorps... while specifying immediately that its effective provision will depend on the evolution of the situation in Romania "where certain things can change suddenly from one day to the next." What did he mean? Manstein does not have an answer to this question - but probably nothing good.
In short, let's not expect everything from HG Sud Ukraine. His own army group will surely have to provide the bulk of the effort. And by none other than the 8. Armee. However, the latter is precisely bogged down - there is no other word - in a sterile fight for a loop south of Slavuta, already nicknamed "The Promontory of Death" and where three army corps, including an armored one. Can't we consider giving up this tiny piece of hostile Ukraine to save 80 000 sons of Germany? It would be fully logical: to block the road to the Soviets on a line Ostroh - Kutyanka - Varyvodky, two corps would be enough without a doubt. Of the 45 kilometers of front to defend, 25 would be based on the Viliya, whose banks have been made swampy by the destruction of the Netichyn dam and by rains. And the rest of it does not lead to anything important, except to a branch of the Horyn that leads to the road to Ternopol.
The necessary retreat would be temporary, of course. But it would allow to gain time while getting his soldiers out of the Bar pocket. Even if he had to assume all the consequences afterwards.
In the solitude of Manstein's office, the night-light of the kerosene lamp will illuminate the maps until late at night...

Lubyanka (Moscow), 16:00 - Barely 24 hours after the attack on Vatutin, the SMERSH forward their first conclusions to Lavrenti Beria. He has to read them before the SMERSH sends them to whoever is also entitled, higher up, obviously. Although this report is synthetic and factual, the icy coldness of its terms is nothing compared to the coldness of its conclusions - which are truly chilling.
But not to their first reader (who has seen others), nor undoubtedly to the next one...
"The findings and field investigations carried out in Matiivka already allow us to rule out any direct involvement of the fascist secret services. They do not have the means to operate behind our lines in such closely guarded sectors - our personnel are watching over it. Of course, we cannot totally rule out a possible betrayal or negligence for the time being (see list of suspect personnel in appendix 1 - pages 1 to 4), but this possibility seems to us reasonably unlikely.
The shells found at the scene of the attack are of various types: German, Soviet, Hungarian and even Czechoslovakian. The large volume of fire, the low accuracy of the assailants, and the absence of any shots specifically aimed at the general, do not argue in favor of an organized assassination attempt. The perpetrators seem to have committed their action simply by taking advantage of an opportunity, without knowing who they were dealing with, surprised by the strength of our reaction, they fled in a hurry without being formally identified.
All these observations lead us to a first series of observations:
1. the perpetrators are not directly linked to the fascist army, they are not professional fighters;
2. the perpetrators are nevertheless partly supplied by the Fascists - as shown by the nature of some of the projectiles present on site (see exhaustive photographic report in appendix n°2 - pages 5 to 7);
3. the perpetrators are perfectly at ease in the region where the attack took place, both from the point of view of the terrain and of the local population. The choice of location of the ambush as well as the passivity - if not the complicity - of the civilians present in the vicinity of the scene testify to this;
4. the attack was not coordinated with the operations of the German 6. Armee: no remarkable action was reported on the front in the hope of taking advantage of a possible confusion in the ranks of the 3rd Ukrainian Front,
Conclusion
For SMERSH, it seems obvious that General Nikolai Vatutin was the object of a cowardly attack committed by reactionary Ukrainian nationalists, opposed to the liberating and anti-fascist policy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. We suspect mainly the so-called "Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists" of Andriy Melnyk, which recently broke with the Axis without giving up its liberticidal objectives. This formation, however anarchic and corrupt it may be, is the only one to have the necessary means for the operation. However, we do not completely rule out the possible involvement of the so-called "Revolutionary Army of the Ukrainian People". of Taras Bulba-Borovets, who has been active in the Olevsk region for a long time, collaborating with the Fascists. In spite of the dissensions and confrontations between these two movements, we know that snakes know how to wrap themselves around the same stick when it is a question of biting (see synthetic descriptive cards of these two organizations in appendix n°3 - pages 8 and 9).
In any case, it is clear that the occupation of Ukraine by the Hitler regime allowed the emergence of a large number of deviant and seditious, nationalist and criminal movements that thrived on the misfortune of the people. We will have to repress them without delay and with the greatest vigor, in order to avoid any risk of contagion to the other free peoples of the Union - in this regard, there is no need to recall here the embarrassment in which the disappearance (for whatever reason) of General Khomenko of the 44th Army. The principles of the Revolution can only prosper in the Union only on a healthy basis - that is, free from all bourgeois nationalist stains. And it is only by securing the rear that we will allow our troops to defeat the Nazi hydra and carry the revolution to Germany.
While waiting for more precise instructions and planning of future operations, the arrests for purging and interrogation continue at a steady pace (see Appendix 4: List of persons incarcerated to date - pages 10 to 21).
Remaining zealous servants of the Revolution, we ask you to believe..."
Beria wipes the glass of his glasses. "Decidedly, that makes twice in very little time that the Ukrainians make themselves known!" he thinks. It will be necessary a good cleaning - besides, he was still talking about it this morning with Nikita Khrushchev, the head of the Communist Party in Ukraine.
The current head of the Political Council of the 3rd Ukrainian Front is always energetic, as appropriate. Already in 1936 - but Beria was not in his present position - he helped to purge the treason, to the point of arresting almost all his collaborators and colleagues in Moscow and then in Kiev****.
Khrushchev obviously saw the Matiivka attack as a humiliation that could represent a threat to his authority - and thus his own person. Thus, the NKVD already knows on whom to rely - as in the Crimea last spring. And the Gulag Archipelago, between prisoners of war and traitors, is not about to be depopulated! In the months to come Ukraine will have ample opportunity to compare the German and Soviet occupations. Some tens of thousands of people will have to pay the price of the illusions of some and the inconsistency of the others.

HG SouthUkraine HQ, Brașov (Transylvania) - Bending to the demands of his Führer, Wilhelm List painfully scrapes the bottom of his HG's drawers to find the force he has to send to the aid of the besieged in Bar.
Let's see... since the stop of Zitadelle and the end of the offensive operations in Ukraine, his forces (i.e. the 11. and 17. Armeen) have continuously moved southwards in order to take over an increasing part of the lines on the Siret. This is logical: the center of gravity of its theater of operation shifted, and the salient south of Kiev was emptied little by little (although obviously not as much as it should be).
At present, the 11. Armee (Georg-Hans Reinhardt) occupies a sector of 120 kilometers long, from Roman (with Philipp Kleffel's XXX. AK) to Mărășești (with the XLII. AK of Frank Mattenklott), where the Romanians are supposed to take over. This formation, which suffered a lot last summer, no longer has the means to act: it already has to hold its line and "protect" Bucharest, with the help of the bulk of the HG reserve stationed in Comăneștity and Focșani (15. Panzer, 24. Panzer, 502. s.Pz. Abt, 560 s.PzJ. Abt). This same reserve is also there in order to preserve the Romanian oil fields... and anyway, it is far from Bar (250 kilometers at least) - by the time it arrives, it would be too late.
As for the 17. Armee... Karl-Adolf Hollidt's force makes the big gap between Chernivtsi and Roman (about 160 kilometers). It has not really given recently, but this formation does not have impressive line density... One division for 18 kilometers of front - certainly, behind the Siret and Suceava, but without too many reinforcements that are immediately available, despite the presence of the rest of the HG reserve in Gura Humorului and Târgu Neamț (17. Panzer and 228. StuG Abt). It is that we do not envisage a red offensive here! And then, to go where? Into the Carpathian woods, in pursuit of Dracula? Hollidt's own reserves are already rather generous (two infantry divisions and the 190. StuG Abt) - and the protection of the Romanian oil fields remains the priority of the HG panzers.
The 17. Armee is not so badly off - and that is good, because it will be necessary to dip from it. Also, after a quick (less quick than expected...) exchange with Karl-Adolf Hollidt - who obviously understands the situation, as well as the fact that he has no choice -
List can count on the following.
The XLVIII. AK (Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach) will make his 328 available. ID (Hans Kissel), who currently occupies Siret. The 320. ID (Georg-Wilhelm Postel), who assists the LFD south of Chernivtsi, will go down to take over, with the 17. Panzer still in the sector in case of a hard blow, the LIV. AK (Carl Hilpert) will offer the 321. ID (Wilhelm Thomas), which will be replaced by the 370. ID (Fritz Becker), taken from the army reserve. The 17. Panzer will also be able to support it if necessary, with the 190. Stug Abt.
Whereas the XI. ArmeeKorps (Joachim von Kortzfleisch) does not have a real armored reserve in the sector, except for the 228. Stug Abt (the 20. PanzerGrenadier is weakened and depends on the 11. Armee), this formation will not be solicited. The 333. ID (Erwin Menny), deployed at the junction of the 11. and 17. Armee and part of the army reserve, will be made available.
Karl-Adolf Hollidt therefore plans to detach three infantry divisions (the 321., 328. and 333. ID) - the equivalent of an army corps. But these formations will not be free immediately - it will take at least 24 hours, and ideally 48, to allow the movement of troops in good conditions. Then, since these divisions are not motorized, it will take time for them to arrive in the Bar sector, after having crossed through the south of Ukraine, by its infamous roads and in its hostile woods. Finally, all this will be done at the price of a certain weakening of its device, already not too solid and counting above all on wet cuts to hold (the Carpathians are 40 kilometers behind the lines). The Russians should not have the idea to try to take advantage of it...

* A kind of improvised bunker called familiarly "Lenin's tent". This shelter dug in the ground, reinforced with beams and covered with earth, is so common in the Red Army that a song evoking the long winter nights of a soldier trapped in a shelter under the snow thinking about his fiancée was called Zemlianka.
** Contrary to the calm image that he willingly affects, Stalin is capable - like any Russian (or Georgian) of violent movements of mood and vulgarity when he feels a strong indignation or anger. This, of course, when he does not overreact to destabilize his interlocutors...
*** Sergei Shtemenko, who preceded him in his post before leaving to deal with Iran, spoke of his "courageous talk".
**** During the Stalinist purges of 1936-1938, of the 38 Party officials and 146 secretaries of the Moscow Oblast - of which Khrushchev was then First Secretary - 35 and 136 were eliminated. In his memoirs, the person concerned will comment soberly, with a crocodile tear: "Almost all those who worked with me were arrested." Eliminations that he had to personally approve and did absolutely nothing to prevent.
Subsequently, quotas of 35,000 arrests per month were established outright - in two weeks, Khrushchev reached 41,305 prisoners, thus far exceeding expectations! As for the Central Committee of the Ukrainian CP, it was so devastated by the arrests followed by capital punishment that the quorum often proved impossible to reach during its meetings.

 

[Wings]

October 3rd, 1943

Italian Campaign
Northern Italy - New Strangle mission for the 324th FG, which attacked bridges and railway installations (especially signal boxes) in Savona, west of Genoa. The aim is not so much to destroy locomotives as to disable the infrastructure, in order to block possible "horizontal" troop transfers to prevent the German forces in Italy from reinforcing the eastern flank of the French front.

O Corsa Bella
Alger, 21:00 - An extraordinary council meets, under the command of the general of the air force Pennes, the heads of the Armee de l'Air and US Army Air Force staffs (Generals Astier de la Vigerie and Odic for the French, Major Generals Doolittle and Spaatz for the Americans), with advisors who are members of the 2nd Bureau and the OSS. A civilian participates, Professor Ladislas, local representative of the Argos group.
Why this hasty meeting? Quite simply because between the identification of V1 sites in the north of France the day before, and the observations and photos made by the 324th FG during a raid on Savona the same day, the members of the intelligence services alerted their respective hierarchies, which quickly concluded that the situation was urgent. At last! One could say...
At first a little disturbed by the baroque appearance and the careless dress of Professor Ladislas, the members are reassured by the quality of his speech when he takes the floor to explain the German work on rockets. But they are much less reassured at the end of the presentation: these unmanned flying bombs can certainly do some damage, randomly of course, but all the same... If their range is really 300 km, Corsica is under a sword of Damocles, which could very well hinder the development of Dragon, even if many allied units are already firmly established in Provence. Indeed, the island of Beauty remains the main aircraft carrier for the Allied air forces. There is no need to procrastinate: these installations have to be destroyed before they can function.
As Dragon still requires the participation of the tactical air force, it is the strategic air forces, mainly American, which have to be employed to clean up the German sites on the Italian Riviera. This is a good thing: their work in occupied France had come to an end. But it is necessary to intensify the reconnaissance flights, as the intelligence services could only identify a part of the sites. Indeed, it is very likely - raids have already proved it - that the Germans have built ramps and depots as far as La Spezia, at the foot of the Gothic Line.
Doolittle sighs. His four-engine crews are tired from the campaign that has just ended, their machines too. No choice, we have to go: there will be no winter break. It will be the operation Balestra, the Italian counterpart of Crossbow, which will start in two days on the Channel coast.

Greek and Balkan Campaign
Back home
Bulgaria - After a few days of marching through northern Macedonia, it was the turn of the units of the former 5th Army of Nikola Mihailov Mihov (14th and 15th ID) to return to Bulgarian soil - the one before 1939. There again, the officers are welcomed by a governmental delegation, which informs them of the evolution of the situation (of the country) and of their (personal) situations.
In this case, there were some discreetly chagrined people in the General Staff who regretted Mihov's lack of initiative at the beginning of September, which led to the rapid disarmament and without much resistance of his divisions. As a result, the man learns that he is placed on standby until further notice, his troops being entrusted to the 1st Army of Nikolov. However, the major-general will not be sanctioned for his actions - once cornered by Kruger's panzers, there was little he could do.
The troop camps in the valley, but reach Kyoustendil the next day. There, they could be supplied and then transported, at least in part, to their destination. The sooner this happens, the sooner Hristov's 2nd Army will be able to continue its retreat through Thrace.

 

[Wings]

September 3rd, 1943

Operation Mandragore
Alps - Supported by the armoured vehicles of the I/5 RCA, the 50th RI overtakes Establet. Having secured the crossing of the roads at La Charce, it allows the 12th BACA to reposition itself in a central position, from where it is able to support the 50th and 21st Infantry Regiments. In the Valdrome sector, the 297. GbJg Rgt is even more under pressure as the 21st Infantry Regiment is pushing, bypassing by the north of its defenses around the Beaume river.
Indeed, the 4th BMLE has just come into play. It took advantage of the Gruppo Aosta's withdrawal to overrun by the D28, thus arriving almost in the back of the Germans. The movement also allows the 5th RI and the 11th BCA to reposition themselves beyond the hamlet of La Faurie, while the 13th BCA reaches La Cluse at the end of the day.
Meanwhile, the Gruppo Bergamo, under pressure from the 15th and 24th BCA of the Durand Brigade, also falls back. The Chasseurs Alpins arrive at dusk in sight of St. Bonnet en Champsaur.
Further on, the 7th BCA of the Galy Brigade liberates Ancelle, touches the course of the Rouanne and holds the Piolit, at 2,464 m. At the same time, in a daring coup de main across the torrent, the 22nd BCA positions elements on the D9, driving a wedge between the battalions of the 2nd Reggimento Alpini. The 6th and 27th BCA, on the other hand, continue to fight on the flanks of the Marmot Mountain.
In the Ubaye valley, the Austrian veterans of the 903. GbJg Rgt of the 188. GJD meet the Moroccans of the 4th DMM. If in the valley itself, the result is a draw, each one
positions, the same cannot be said for the east: the mountain people of the Atlas, despite the mines and other traps, infiltrate along the Bachelard Gorge and position themselves under the Chapeau du Gendarme. From there, they have a view on all the gorges, but also, a little farther, on the village of Sauze and on Barcelonnette.
In all the alpine sector, although it is far from being their first vocation, the SBD-5 Cormorant of GAN 2 are wonderful. Indeed, a good marking of the targets by mortars or by a Cigale artillery director, combined with the precision of the dive bombers, makes the Italians and Austrians live bad moments.

Reconnaissance
Provence - Under a powerful air umbrella, the 1st DB sent its 1st Rgt of Chasseurs to carry out a reconnaissance in force in direction of Donzère and Malataverne. The Chasseurs have the order to limit their losses, the goal is simply to reveal the enemy's anti-tank positions.
However, this offensive worries the German staff. If some fear an attempt to break through in the Rhone valley, others do not hesitate to qualify this action as a diversion in relation to a push in the direction of Grenoble, which would allow the entire German system in the Drome to be surrounded.

Amphibious attempt
Languedoc - In this sector, the Germans rely on a whole network of positions and concrete shelters in the Gardiole massif. The 752. and, a little to the north, the 751. Festung
Grenadier Rgt. are locking up the access to Sète.
The commander of the 4th Ranger is able to sell the idea of an overflow of the relief with his amphibious Buffalo. But this infiltration attempt fails and the Ranger battalion trying to infiltrate the German position is pushed back near the coast, towards Frontignan.
Further north, along the American-held front, the only notable activity is the repositioning of units, sometimes leading to artillery exchanges.