Athens, October 7th, 1943
The city had awaken to the news of the rebellion of Thessaloniki. And while the revolution made excellent propaganda material, Radio Athens was playing the news already for all it was worth and BBC was following suit it was also giving the Allied High command in the Mediterranean some major headaches. The continuing Allied offensive was aiming at the liberation of Thessaloniki both for political and strategic reasons, given its port. But the Allied armies advancing from the west still needed time to reach Thessaloniki. In the meantime the rebels of Thessaloniki could not be left to be crushed by the Germans and the Bulgarians, it would be a disaster for morale...
Sedes airport, Thessaloniki, October 9th, 1943
Over two hundred fighter aircraft from half a dozen Allied air forces had made their level best to turn everything in sight into a wreck. Before the Luftwaffe and and RBuAF airmen could recover the next formation of Allied aircraft came over the airport and the sky start filling with parachutes as the Greek III Airborne Brigade made its move to seize the airport...
Giannitsa, October 9th, 1943
The town finally fell to Allied forces. German and Bulgarian forces had pulled back north to Mount Paiko and east behind the Axios river, the Allies following them closely behind.
Alexandria, October 10th, 1943
Italia start raising steam. Near her so did Roma, despite the still visible gush where the Fritz X had hit despite the temporary repairs to patch her over. Allied plans had intended to intern the two battleships which had been moved to the Great Bitter Lake in the Suez canal, after all the ships had too short a range for the Pacific and were not needed against the Germans in the North Sea, Richelieu and Jean Bart were more than sufficient to keep watch on Tirpitz. But now plans had to change. The Allies had moved most their battleships from the Mediterranean to other theaters. But now battleships were needed in a hurry. And thus the Italian battleships would sail into harms way once more, this time on the right side...
Thermaic gulf, October 11th, 1943
Another S-Boot was cut in half as its torpedoes detonated from a 5in hit. The Kriegsmarine torpedo boat flotilla in Thessaloniki had come out in the dead of night to attack the minesweepers who were clearing the minefields the Germans and Bulgarians had placed in the gulf. The half dozen Greek destroyers covering the minesweepers, all radar equipped, had made certain not one had made it back. Mine clearing went on...
Sedes airport, October 11th, 1943
Colonel Georgios Grivas, jumped off the first C-47 landing in the airstrip. German and Bulgarian artillery was still intermittently hitting the airport but this was not going to stop the transport planes bringing his 3/40 Euzone regiment to come to reinforce the paratroopers of the 10th Para Regiment and the volunteers who had joined them. The entire area from Kalamaria, to Mount Chortiates to Sedes was a patchwork of Greek and Axis controlled areas. Further west into the main urban area of Thessaloniki it was even less clear who was controlling what. Christodoulos Tsigantes the commander of the III Airborne Brigade had slipped with the Sacred Band, technically the 2nd Raiding regiment of his brigade, into the city to reinforce the rebels. But even with all out revolt underway the Bulgarians and Germans were not willing to concede control of the city.
Occupied Armenia, October 11th, 1943
Ardahan was retaken by the Soviet army. Four days later the 68th Mountain Rifle division would seize Kars from its Turkish defenders. In the coast Poti would be liberated by October 16th. And despite mounting casualties on both sides the Soviet advance did not show any sign of slowing down...
Axios river, October 14th, 1943
Hundreds of guns opened up as the Allied attempt to cross the Axios river begun...
Epanomi, Thessaloniki, October 14th, 1943
The landing craft carrying the Greek 13th Marine Infantry Regiment hit the beach. Yet more landing ships carrying the 1re Division Francaise Libre and the Greek I Infantry division were also closing into the beach. A bit further to the north Salamis, Italia and Roma were doing their level best to wreck the coastal forts of Megalo Emvolo, that protected the sea approaches to Thessaloniki for the past six decades, the Bulgarian garrison was fighting back but the three battleships, designed to survive their own 16 inch guns were too thick skinned for the fort's 240mm guns. Churchill had been waxing over the past months over using amphibious lift to bypass German defenses. Now with the added incentive of Thessaloniki it was time to put Winston's arguments to the test...
