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

[Wings]

January 8th, 1944

Nothing new...
Balkans - Today, no particular event is to be reported on the front, while an icy rain continues to pour down on the earth and on men, as if trying in vain to wash the world of its misery.
However, well sheltered in the warmth of embassies and ministries far away and experienced in the most arduous negotiations, educated men speak to each other to evoke the past - and especially the future - of the kingdoms of Hungary and Yugoslavia.

 

[Wings]

January 8th, 1944

Operation Gaston
Italian front - Despite his reluctance, General Mordant, head of the 83rd DIA, accepts the overrun maneuver proposed by the young General Carlo Fassi, of the 4th Italian DI Alpine Cuneense, and by General Emilio Battisti, commander of the Italian Mountain Corps.
The French are to fight alongside the Alpini, while they are fighting in the Alps against other Alpini...
The Alpini's 2nd Rgt overran the snow-covered hills in the direction of Santa Brigida. At the same time, the Richard brigade redirects its effort due north towards hill 430, fortified by the Germans and which prevented any progress. However, the rest of the 83rd DIA is still blocked by this Gothic Line so much praised by the enemy propaganda, and this, despite a raid by the 23rd EB and 322nd BG. Worse, some American projectiles fall short, hitting infantrymen of the Magnan Brigade (a far too frequent episode, which is not yet called friendly fire). On the right wing, the Belgians are still content with fixing actions, because the orders are still to save the division while keeping the uncertainty on the main axis of the attack.

* General Battisti proved his loyalty to the royal government in Greece, by bringing back to the allied lines the majority of the Cuneense division, which he commanded at the time.

 

[Wings]

January 8th, 1944

Operation Dague
Massif du Canigou - After a last stand in the hamlet of Velmanya, the Germans abandon the latter during the night to retreat northwards, in the direction of Prades, following the valley of the Lentilla. Arriving on the heights above Vinça, they could only see that the Têt valley is teeming with enemy soldiers and vehicles.
Turning to the southwest, the survivors take the forest paths along the foothills of the Canigou. Running out of ammunition and exhausted, they arrive at Taurinya where they are ordered to go directly to Villefranche-de-Conflent, not to Prades, where the situation is hopeless.
.........
Prades - At the end of the morning, the small town is cleared of any German presence, but the installations of the station are quite heavily damaged. Colonels Frederick (1st SSF) and Leblanc (1st GTM) consult each other to decide on the next steps.
The securing of the Canigou massif is well under way, but it will probably take two or three days to make sure that no Germans are still hiding there. This is the role of the 2nd Moroccan Tabors
The 3rd Regiment of the 1st SSF, supported by the light tanks of the 757th Tank Battalion, would continue the progression in the Têt valley towards Villefranche-de-Conflent. It will be reinforced by the 2nd Regiment, once it had descended from the Canigou.
Finally, the 3rd Tabors will move onto the RN619 [today's D619] to probe the terrain in the direction of Sournia, but especially on its annex, the RN619A [today D14], which leads to Molitg-les-Bains. Beyond this small town, the Castellane valley leads to the Col de Jau, towards the plateau of the Pays de Sault. This last perspective is very promising, because this wooded area is home, according to the latest reports, to at least one important maquis and would make it possible to emerge in the south of the department of the Aude, then to the lower Ariege or to flank the German defenses between Carcassonne and Narbonne.
In the middle of the afternoon, the American troops set off again in the direction of Villefranche-de-Conflent. The distance to be covered is less than 10 km, but the road is strewn with trees cut down by the retreating Germans.
Arriving in sight of the station, where the railroad coming from Perpignan stops to pass the relay to the famous Yellow Train (with narrow gauge), the leading elements are attacked by several guns and machine guns, installed in the citadel of Fort Liberia, which dominates the plain, but also on the ramparts of Villefranche*. After a moment of hesitation, the Americans withdraw. The lock of Villefranche-de-Conflent is going to be a difficult nut to crack!

Operation Scissors
Hérault and Aveyron - To exchange time for space and shorten the lines, order is given to the 756. GR of the 334. ID to abandon the defense of the hills north of Anduze and to retreat to the next compartment of ground, a dozen kilometers to the northwest, around Saint-Jean du Gard. This movement allows a tired 866. GR, helped by a 394. StuG Abt, also well underway, to establish a proper defense on the positions reached the day before. Meanwhile, the American 86th RCT reorients its effort towards the north-west and regains contact, after a day of mopping-up operations.
In a daring maneuver, the 87th RCT seizes Notre-Dame de Rouvière. It forces the support KG of the 355. ID to retreat to the neighbouring hills, a little to the north.
The shortening of the German lines also allows the 85th RCT to be redeployed to the west, where it takes over from the 88th US-ID in the Vigan sector. The American mountain men are surprised to find the village almost abandoned by the German infantrymen.
Indeed, the grenadiers of the 868. Rgt, facing the risk of having to defend themselves on three sides, withdrew on order a few kilometers to the north around the observatory of Moufflon, in order to remain aligned with the rest of their division.
The 88th US-ID is also in the process of redeployment, since the opening of the road towards the west, from Le Vigan, created a threat to the rear of the 867. GR. The latter, in order to avoid encirclement, took advantage of the night to leave the line on the Virenque. It blew up the bridge and withdrew, realigning its position around the Saint-Jean du Bruel road junction. The 351st RCT spends the day taking possession of the plateau and getting back in touch with its neighbour, the 350th RCT, while the last Regimental Combat Team of the 88th US-ID, the 349th, spends the day clearing the division's rear.
However, the Germans react. The KG Horstmann, of the 14. SS-Division, consisting of the 38. SS-Panzergrenadier Rgt and elements of the SS-Panzerjäger and the 14. StuG Abt, counter-attack south of La Cavalerie, on the Larzac plateau. Sturmbannführer Horstmann establishes his HQ in the small military camp of Larzac, deserted by the French since the reversal of the FST. The pseudo-army of the NEF had hardly used it.
The German strike falls on the 350th RCT of the 88th US-ID, the most advanced. But the Americans are supported by the 6th Artillery Group and by the Armee de l'Air (whose pilots will speak of a "billiard"). Moreover, it is rallied by the 70th Tank Btn and the 636th TD Btn. This does not prevent it from requesting reinforcements; during the day, the 601st TD Btn arrives, having moved in twenty kilometers to the north.
At the western end of the operation, the 17th and 32nd RCT finally take Lodève, aided by a population that did not hesitate to shoot with its liberators. Opposite, the 708. ID reorganizes and retreats slightly to the west.

* The city walls, as well as the fort, are to the credit of Vauban. Fort Liberia, after having served as a state prison, notably during the famous Poisons affair, welcomed during the First World War a dozen captured German officers, some of whom managed to escape to Spain.

 

[Wings]

January 9th, 1944

Alger - Letter from Donald A. Lincoln to the Editor of the New York Herald.
"As you know, I am at present taking a few days' rest in Algiers before returning to the front. A French contact has brought to my attention an interesting current affairs debate in the National Assembly, which has decided, at least for the time being, to wait for the Liberation of Paris to return to the Metropole. It seems that the insistent rumors about the seriousness of the persecutions organized by the Germans in all the zones under their control are well founded. It was known that they were deporting Jews, men and women, including children, to concentration camps in Poland. However, it seems that these camps were not forced labor camps, but places where these unfortunate people would be purely and simply massacred. The French government decided to use its air force (and no doubt the armed Resistance) to disrupt the movement of the deported trains.
The current debate has, of course, indicted Nazi barbarism, but has especially highlighted the action decided by the government, the fact that the Germans deported French citizens, leaving aside the fact that they were Jews (and often foreign Jews who had taken refuge in France). A communist deputy demanded that the government ask for help from the RAF and the USAAF "to protect French people who are suffering, while English and American civilians are safe" and a request to this effect will be sent to London and Washington.
I am at your disposal for a complete article on this story, with interviews of some of the higher-ups; it would be interesting to know what our government thinks about it."
The New York Herald simply told Lincoln that the matter was being followed up by the political department, but no article was published.
.........
"The RAF and USAAF were to agree to lend a hand to the French, not without reluctance and only because it was a matter of protecting the citizens of their ally. Each of the two air forces organized a single high altitude bombing raid in February 1944, targeting what was identified as "a sorting station for deportation trains". There were no raids in Poland, which was considered too remote and would soon be liberated by the Soviets. Lancasters bombed Dachau at night on the 5th and B-17s bombed Ravensbrück by day on the 12th.
Ironically, these were not extermination camps, but concentration camps, with a "political" sector. The well-known inaccuracy of these bombings showed itself once again: the railroad network feeding these camps was severely hit, but the prisoners' barracks and the guards' quarters were hit. The bombs caused many deaths on both sides, justifying the refusal of the Anglo-Saxon staffs to carry out further missions of this kind.
However, in the spring of 1944, when the administration of the camps considered, in front of the Soviet advance, to recreate in Germany the extermination facilities that had been abolished in Poland, in both cases it gave up because of the damage suffered in February."
(According to A. Wievorka, La Libération des Camps, in L'Histoire special issue, July 1994, La Chute du IIIe Reich).

 

[Wings]

January 9th, 1944

Alger - The audience is chosen: three ministers and secretaries of state - Defense, Air, Research - and staff officers from the three arms. All are very attentive. It is because that over the months and years - three years already! - the news coming from Hammaguir have become more and more attractive.
- Gentlemen," René Leduc begins, "this is probably the last time that I will have the honor and the pleasure to talk about the progress of our work under the Algerian sun. Our next conference will take place... Elsewhere.
He does not specify, it is of course useless. Then he continues: "My machines will not have been able to participate in the ongoing Liberation, but they will help France to regain its place in the first rank of world aviation. The drop tests of our models gave very encouraging results. The 1/4 scale model dropped from an MB-175, the 1/2 model dropped from an MB-161, then the full size model of an LB-30 validated the aerodynamic configuration up to 500 km/h, as well as the radio control. A model dropped at 30,000 feet glided for 50 km. Alas, the development of the nozzle is very difficult taking into account the lack of means. But thanks to the rockets of my friend Professor Barré, we will be able very soon to validate the behavior of the plane beyond Mach 0,8, speed which represents a jump in the unknown, no wind tunnel in the world can simulate such a speed.
He then gives the floor to an enthusiastic Barré.
- Our projects for self-propelled vehicles are progressing well. The EA-42 engine, with a ton of thrust, is now running like clockwork. The EA-43 variant, which is much more powerful, has reached 1,800 kgp. It is no longer time for bench testing. THE EA-44 will be flying soon!
But what will it bring you? Is it a new type of gun? No gentlemen, I am not a cannon smelter, I propose you better than that, I propose you the weapon of the future. My self-propelled projectile EA-44 will carry 45 kilograms of explosives at 120 kilometers thanks to its 1800 kg thrust engine.
The range of the device can be considerably extended by adding a second stage: second rocket, thermopropulsive nozzle of the Leduc type or a simple glider of the Dewoitine type. In all the cases, the guidance will be ensured by radio from an aircraft.
To increase the power - thus the carrying capacity - we will undoubtedly have one day more powerful engines, but we will also soon be able to assemble four EA-44s "in a bunch of asparagus" to obtain four times more power!
The audience is half fascinated, half skeptical. But Barré is not done with his futuristic ideas.
- A quadruple EA-44 could carry a Leduc nozzle equipped with a very powerful explosive charge. The whole thing could be embarked on a fairly small ship and even take place in the hangar of our old Surcouf, for a shot against Japan!
Of course, such a shot would risk being inaccurate. But the Leduc nozzle could be radio-guided on the first part of its route by a long-range plane flying at 3 000 meters of altitude and used as radio relay (the end of the path being left to a guidance system, to preserve itself from an enemy jamming). Thus one would be sure to reach, for example, Tokyo, without any risk for the launcher !

Air France Bloch MB-161, Rocket experiments, Algeria, December 1943

 

[Wings]

January 9th, 1944

Indochina Campaign
The rule of the game
HQ of the Japanese forces in Indochina, Hotel Metropole (Hanoi) - General Andou Rikichi looks at the map on the wall with a bit of perplexity. In front of the intelligence officer at attention, he sticks a red-headed cedar pin on the locality of Baò Lac, on the border with China. The Colonizers and their Communist henchmen had been spotted in this region. But what are they doing there? They can't be strong enough to launch another attack on Cao Bang? Not after the defeat they had just suffered.
Intelligence estimates enemy casualties at over three thousand regulars and probably more than five thousand irregulars. Not to mention the material losses! The enemy being mainly supplied by man or animal - the Japanese have finally understood this - it will take months to replace what had been abandoned.
The general rereads the message and leafs through the excellent pictures brought back by a Ki-15 [Babe] reconnaissance plane. One recognizes horse-drawn artillery caissons.
Yes, these are French colonial troops, probably pieces of the 4th Colonial Artillery Regiment. They pass like that, in broad daylight, along the road to Bac Me - and without fearing any bombardment!
Under the effect of new stomach cramps, the general winces. What should he do? Order an air attack... and sacrifice how many planes? For what results? The time to assemble a sufficient force and to send it on the spot, the enemy will have disappeared. After several months in the hell of this war, Andou Rikichi assimilated well the rule of the game imposed on him by his adversaries: "If you go forward, I go back. If you stop, I will harass you. If you start again, I attack!" Intellectually, the general admires the courage and the control of his nerves that it takes to never deviate from this doctrine. For his opponents, it is the key to victory...
Rikichi is enraged to blaspheme in this way, even in thought, but he feels it well, Japan is losing this war. Here, and maybe also in China. The Americans already have troops in
Laos*, perhaps they will land in Indochina!
Having remained silent for a long time in front of the map, the general suddenly remembered that his subordinate is waiting for his orders.
- Reinforce the garrison of Cao Bang, but don't let yourself go after the enemy! That would almost certainly be falling into a trap!
Even as he gives this order, Rikichi shudders inwardly. How to win the victory by staying on the defensive?

* General Rikichi mistook the Belgian Public Force, made up of black Congolese commanded by white Belgians and wearing American uniforms, for American troops.

 

[Wings]

January 9th, 1944

Maskirovka
Belarus - The bad weather continues over the Drut and Dnieper front. The situation remains calm. This is not good news for the German veterans, who tell the young recruits: "It's Russian weather!" But there is no general to hear them.

 

[Wings]

January 9th, 1944

Forced migration
Bosnia and Herzegovina - In an atmosphere of bad temper and coercion, the 117. Jäger of Karl von Le Suire arrives in Goražde to act as a reserve for the XV. GAK. Her teammate 114. Jäger is not far away - but she will not arrive in Užice for another four days at best. In the meantime, it is important to make sure that the roads remain open. Which, on reflection, seems notably easier than usual. The silence reigns in the countryside. But for the veterans, that doesn't say much.

General Montgomery's Holiday
10 Downing Street (London) - General Bernard Law Montgomery was invited at the beginning of his leave by his Prime Minister, for an informal collation that had all the makings of a reconciliation meeting. In fact, once at the table, there are no formal speeches or other pompous customs! On the contrary, the old bulldog maliciously sets out to create a warm atmosphere conducive to frankness - even to confidences - even if he is obviously the only one to really consume the numerous alcohols served.
Because, in spite of the misunderstandings, regrettable errors of comprehension and other squabbles, an obvious fact remains: the two men need each other. The former will not be able to do much without the support of his powerful protector - as for the second, he knows that Montgomery remains his best weapon to accomplish his grand project in Central Europe. Finally, after the banalities and other meteorological discussions that are so British, Monty attacks - or rather, he announces:
- Prime Minister, since we will inevitably come to talk about my plans in the Balkan theater, and you have already suggested several times that Vienna was a major objective, I must inform you now of the... difficulties we are having with certain... native governments.
Churchill smiles amiably: "Difficulties? Are the Albanians still giving you pains you again, Monty? Or maybe the Greeks?
- No, in the present strategic situation, the savages of the Albanian mountains don't count for much - we've bypassed them, thank God. As for the Greeks, I must recognize that, even if they remain as tough negotiators as they are fierce fighters, they now seem to be much more flexible towards us. Did you have anything to do with that?
The friendly smile is now on Montgomery's lips - but it takes more than that to dismantle Churchill: "Indeed! But nothing that impinges on the military thing, which remains your domain, dear friend! So... (the august Premier swallows a glass of excellent Swiss white wine) who is bothering the armed forces of His Majesty? Apart from the Huns, of course.
- You can imagine that it is the Yugoslavs - and in particular the loyal subjects of His Majesty Peter II. I fear that our successes, to which his troops have of course contributed - but not more than ours and moreover with French equipment - have gone to the head of this young sovereign. And the forfeits of the Croatian sicarios that the Teutons use do not help him to come down to earth. It must be said that I myself have witnessed in this damn country of things that I'll tell you about at the table - and I've been told of worse things by men I trust. However, these deplorable events cannot authorize Peter II to take himself for my superior, and to claim to direct my group of armies according to his moods or the persiflage of his ministers.
- I see... and I won't hide from you that I had been somewhat informed. You would like me to calm down our impetuous young Slav?
- I would like him to understand that if he is now in Belgrade, it is thanks to our forces - which are under my command. And that he should stop taking our armies for his police, as others have done before him.
- And our Greek friends had far less to worry about than the Yugoslavs. We have not heard the last of Belgrade and Zagreb.
- I'm afraid so, Prime Minister. It would be a pity, however, if our march towards Austria is interrupted by sordid settling of scores, by some kind of... bloody transhumance among the pines...
This discreet reminder of Churchill's unfortunate phrase of last September 17th does not make its author laugh. And Montgomery drives the point home, knowing full well where to press it - while helping himself to a mouthful of salmon in the process: "Unless you want us to go through Budapest to reach Austria?
- Monty, old chap, stop playing the fool. You know as well as I do that Hungary will be very difficult to wrest from the Reds - you didn't want to go to Sofia last summer, you're not going to improvise a waltz to the Danube?
- No, but in this case, it will be necessary to pass by the valley of the Sava. Which might not please the king of the Serbs - oh, sorry, of Yugoslavia.
Churchill frowns. With an authoritarian gesture, he orders his butler to clear the way. The dessert will arrive soon. But first, let's get something straight.
- Do the right thing. I will support you as much as necessary. As always. And even more, if you're worried about that. I have brought the Greeks to heel, I will bring the Serbs too. And since you ask, I intend to settle things this winter.
- I am delighted, Prime Minister! Moreover, a message received this morning from Athens suggests that my good friend Audet had some... minor difficulties with the Soviets regarding the use of their railroads - well, the Bulgarian and Romanian railroads. And, speaking of our Moscow allies, it seems to me that the Greeks continue to fear the communist agitation, which, according to them, could give the Red Army a pretext to invade their country. May I abuse your benevolence and ask you to obtain from Moscow the use of the railroad network of their new vassals, as well as an insurance capable to tranquilize the Greeks?
- That goes without saying... I will take care of it myself if necessary. But as far as Hungary is concerned - I'll come back to that. Don't close the door on action in this direction - study, prepare, plan. I trust you. The next year will be decisive in many ways...
The Prime Minister is wearing his favourite air of mystery. He knows something that he takes pleasure in hiding.
- May I ask you to elaborate?
- Let's just say that... Quis invenit amicum, invenit thesaurum*.
After a moment's thought, tinged with concern, Montgomery replies, "I see. But please, no improvisation this time. As you know, Errare humanum est, perseverare diabolicum!"
- Perserverare communistum, even, my dear friend! Ah, finally, dessert.
We'll leave it at that - for now, at least. But, besides the promise of a political intervention (and even several) to solve its Serbian, Greek and Soviet problems, Bernard Montgomery now knows that the door to Budapest is not closed - at least as long as it opens to Vienna.

* Who finds a friend finds a treasure (Roman proverb).

 

[Wings]

January 9th, 1944

Operation Gaston
Italian front - By dint of stubbornness, the hole is made: the Richard brigade takes hill 430 and advances northwards, while the Alpini of the Cuneense, although fixed at Santa Brigida, send elements south to reach out to the French.
The Allied plans are thus changed. As a result, the 6th BMLE, which was supposed to intervene in the center, in operation, after the initial attack, is introduced on the wing, since the door has just opened there. The French have learned from the failure of the British the previous month, they prefer to keep their tanks for the exploitation, leaving to the infantry and the engineers the care to penetrate the enemy's defensive belt. The cavalry-legionnaires therefore exploit the eastern part of the breakthrough from Molino del Piano, under the cover of the 3rd EC and 53rd EACCS. However, the advance is only three kilometers, because of the enemy's defenses and artillery.
In the air, Lieutenant Charles Goffin, of the Belgian Aeronautique Militaire, celebrates his eighth victory, obtained against a Ju 88 of the LG 1.

 

[Wings]

January 9th, 1944

Operation Dague
Villefranche-de-Conflent - All day long, the Americans try to destroy the heavy weapons positions defending the access to the small town, without success. In spite of the bell-shaped mortar fire, the German howitzers installed in the courtyards of Fort Liberia are very difficult to reach and their servants are well sheltered. On the other hand, the German fire, well directed from the fort and the neighbouring heights, effectively beats the valley floor.
Finally, the defenders, supplies and ammunition can circulate easily, as the fort is connected to the city by an entirely underground passage with a difference in level of 180 meters: the Thousand Step Staircase*.
Colonel Frederick considered committing one or two battalions of the 18th Artillery Group to crush the fortification built by Vauban. But the deployment of the heavy artillery would take time, at least three or four days, and would not be easy in this narrow valley. Moreover, the prospect does not arouse the enthusiasm of the French.
Another option is to call in the 363rd Fighter Sqn, recently rebased at Perpignan-Llabanère. But a precision bombing mission in this steep valley, covered by a strong German flak installed in the fort and on the ramparts of Villefranche, would not be a piece of cake!
Without waiting, Colonel Frederick orders the 2nd Rgt of the 1st SSF to take the RD27 towards Vernet-les-Bains, in an attempt to bypass the Villefranche lock.
.........
Massif de l'Agly - The detachment of the 3rd Tabors engaged on the RN619 in the direction of Sournia is blocked shortly before the Col de Roquejalère by elements of the 855.
Grenadier Rgt who hold the heights, a hundred meters above the road. The Moroccans do not insist and bring in their mortars to give the illusion of a future assault in due form. If the Germans fall for it and reinforce their position: this will facilitate the attack on the massif from the plain, which should start the next day.
.........
Castellane Valley - Further west, on the RN619A, the scouts of the 3rd Tabors push on to the small town of Mosset, liberating the spa town of Molitg-les-Bains in the process. In Mosset, the goumiers are welcomed by the former mayor François Pujol, who has resumed his duties. He had been replaced in the fall of 1940 by a special delegation set up by the NEF and whose members have now wisely stepped aside - the scores will be settled later.
As the soldiers begin to settle in for the night, the officers confer with the mayor and a few other residents. The last retreating German vehicles, one of which was towing a cannon, had driven by late in the afternoon the day before.
In all likelihood, they are entrenched at the level of the Col de Jau. Framed by two wooded peaks, this crossing point could prove difficult to force. Nevertheless, it will be possible to count on a small maquis installed in the talc mine of Caillau, located in the massif to the west of the valley, whose production feeds a factory in Prades.
Composed of STO refractory soldiers and other fugitives, as well as some survivors of the Velmanya maquis, this group did not attract the attention of Algiers because it was small in number and, above all, has very few experienced men. Nevertheless, its current location is a valuable asset, as it could facilitate an overflow of the Col de Jau from the west.
The mine being served by a small Decauville train leaving from a farm where a transport goes up from the valley, the routing of equipment and in particular mortars would be facilitated.
A plan is quickly drawn up for the following day. At dawn, a group goes on a reconnaissance mission towards the Col de Jau; it would take advantage of this to seize the Mascarda watchtower, located a few kilometers from the village and whose function, since time immemorial (this tower dates from the XIIIth century), is precisely to ensure the surveillance of the pass. A second group will make contact with the maquis thanks to some inhabitants who supply it, to study a way to approach by the heights.
.........
From the plain of Roussillon to the south of the Corbières - In the rest of the allied area, the troops complete their preparations: the general assault is scheduled for the following day. A first regiment (the 180th) of the 45th US-ID Thunderbird (Major-General Eagles), recovered from the fighting at Nordwind, will participate in the operation.

Operation Scissors
Hérault - The Germans of the 14. SS-Panzergrenadier Division spend the day counter-attacking to chase the 88th US-ID from the Larzac plateau. These attacks are each time repulsed because of an unfailing air and artillery superiority. However, the control of the air does not mean that the Luftwaffe is absent. Thus, it is in this sector that Kurt Bühlingen, of JG 2, shoots down two Mustangs of the 86th FG. Bühlingen notes in his diary at that time: "There are only half of us left in the group to be considered veterans. We don't get attached to the newcomers, they are only used as cannon fodder, and few of them have more than ten missions. The last ones to arrive had never even had shooting training in school. During today's mission that they operated for the first time the control of the MG-131s on their aircraft."
Meanwhile, to the east, the 349th RCT relieves the 85th Rgt. of the 10th U.S. Mountain Division against the grenadiers of the 868. Rgt of the 355. ID. The American mountain men can then reposition themselves for the next attempt.
The American staff is aware that the reinforcements of the 14. SS-PzrGr could be decisive. Therefore, the 1st Armored Division is ordered to leave its positions in reserve around Béziers and to move about fifty kilometers to the rear of the 7th and 88th US-ID.

* This one actually counts only 734. Originally, the underground was supposed to go under the Têt river bed to reach the city directly, but the project was considered too expensive.

 

[Wings]

January 10th, 1944

Atlantic
Bilbao - Loading completed, the Himalaya sets sail for France at night. The orders from Berlin are strict: night navigation only and daytime stay in French ports whose Flak was reinforced for the occasion by flak trains. From Saint-Nazaire, the cargo is to be transhipped onto trains - the English Channel had become uninhabitable for the Germans.
At Saint-Jean de Luz, the 5th Zerstörer Flotilla, Z-5 Paul-Jacobi, Z-6 Theodor-Riedel, Z-20 Karl-Galster and ZH-1 and the 4th Flotilla of Torpedo boats, T-24, T-25, T-26 and T-27, will take over the escort of the cargo. The importance of this cargo is so vital for the industry that Gross Admiral Dönitz committed all available ships on the Atlantic coast to this mission.

 

[Wings]

January 10th, 1944

Long live the war...
Monaco - The (newly promoted) Warrant Officer Grimaldi Rainier, of the 7th Algerian Rifle Regiment, will have waited until his disgraced grandfather has taken up his exile in the Balearic Islands with his "great love", the interested Ghislaine Dommanget, to go to "his" Principality, that soon he will govern. During his three days of official leave, he will concentrate on his reunion with his mother and his sister. But what will mark the Prince's interlocutors and the witnesses of his public appearances, it is his presence. Thanks to the war, Rainier had left behind his image as a nonchalant prince of the European gotha for that of a young man who has matured and that the test of fire has prepared him for the responsibilities that would soon be his.
No official declaration for the young prince, but he had numerous leaflets distributed including this profession of faith:
"During the last four years of war, I have witnessed with you the misdeeds of the politics of the individuals who had succeeded in obtaining the benevolent confidence of HRH the sovereign prince, my grandfather. This policy made us lose the rank and the role that we should have held and deprived us of our neutrality and our independence. I have watched helplessly the evolution of events, without ever associating myself with them but without ever being able to fight them.
Today, more than ever, our country must be considered as a sovereign, independent and neutral state. For this, the Allies need a guarantee. I offer them this guarantee.
That is why I wanted to join the ranks of an allied army: the French army. I did not ask any of my compatriots to follow me, I ask everyone to understand me. I only wish to keep your confidence and your affection, which have so often given me courage. May God protect you! May God protect Monaco our dear country! "

 

[Wings]

January 10th, 1944

Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Jäger!
Berlin, Wilhelmstraße - Publication by the RLM of the "Emergency Fighter" program decided by Göring. He wants to stop the Allied bombers from flying over the Reich at all costs which discredits him with Hitler and earns him (in a low voice) the nickname of "Herr Meyer" (as he himself had requested, in case - implausible! - if the enemy air force bombed Berlin...). Under the leadership of Albert Speer and Erhard Milch, General Keller, head of the NSFK (Nazi Party Air Corps), elaborated a request for a jet fighter using a single BMW Jumo 003. The plane must be simple to fly (Keller even thinks of entrusting it to the young pilots of the NSFK !), composed of a maximum of non-strategic materials and simple to produce by manufacturers not necessarily specialized in aeronautics. The name of it will be "Volksjäger", the hunter of the people, a term well anchored in the ideological terminology.
Four manufacturers received the program, to which they had to respond... within five days (!): Arado, Blohm & Voss, Focke-Wulf and Heinkel, Messerschmitt not wanting to get involved, being already very busy with the twin-engine 262, which exists and flies, it.

 

[Wings]

January 10th, 1944

Burma Campaign
Air front
Occupied Burma - Above the front and immediately behind it, the Beaumonts assist the Hurribomber in their hunt for depots or artillery positions, duly covered by the Spitfires of Sqn 17, 113 and 136. For once, the American Warhawks operate with the British Beaufighters in the Mergui sector and some engagements follow. Although outnumbered, the experience of the Americans and the firepower of the British pay off: four Hayabusa and two Shoki are shot down or destroyed on the ground against two P-40s and a Beaufighter. Back from the mission, the USAAF pilots are impressed by the firepower of the twin-engine aircraft - with its arsenal (4 x 20 mm and 6 x .303 in fighter version), the expression "one shot kill" has never been more justified.

Rangoon - The C-47s of the 1st Air Commando Group are used to bring back the 42nd Royal Marines from the Andaman, who had been sent there in a hurry a few months earlier. This unit, trained in amphibious operations and commando actions, is placed in general reserve.

Indochina Campaign
An alliance of circumstance
Between Cho're and Cao Bang (Tonkin) - The rain drips, splashing on the ground, covering the bark and the leaves of the trees with an oozing humidity where parasites swarm. The only thing dry in Captain Lamarquier's equipment is the map of the region, well sheltered in a waterproof case at the bottom of his saddlebag. The captain has to find a path for the artillery to get through to Cao Bang. Nothing very easy, but the Vietminh of his escort do not seem to realize it... or rather - this is what worries him - do did not see how to transport 75 mm guns in this chaos of valleys covered with tropical vegetation poses any problem. Every time they enter a village, they count the adults and warn them of their next requisition.Many coolies already follow the convoy from the Highlands. Soon, thousands of peasants will be able to clear a path for the cannons.
As Lamarquier examines the nearby hills with his binoculars, a noise makes him turn around.
Two Vietnamese in rough uniforms climbed toward him. Captain" Nguyen Bac, tall enough for an Asian, has the slimness of a hungry wolf. His small round glasses give him the air of an intellectual, but the Frenchman feels a deep antipathy for this man who is in charge of protecting him. He is a patriot with a strong character - to put things nicely... In fact, he is a real fanatic! The "lieutenant" is also called Nguyen...Nguyen Hoan Phuc, but he is not related to his boss. Small, fat, sweating and loaded with his leader's gear in addition to his own, he almost runs to stay three steps behind him.
- So, Captain Lamarquier?
The French officer hands his binoculars to the Vietminh.
- Look over there, between the two hills. There's a big rock. To get through, I think we'll have to build a ramp with tree trunks. What do you think, Captain Nguyen?
- We will build your ramp, Captain, nothing is impossible for our people. You know, my ancestors chased the Chinese out of the Tang Empire, they stopped the armies of Kubilai Khan, so we do not fear the Japanese. The conquerors stay for a while in this country, just enough to dig their grave... The wiser ones go back on their own, don't they, Captain Lamarquier?
That's why he doesn't like "Captain" Nguyen. He doesn't even pretend to like French people. Depending on the day, he is scornful or threatening. But he never condescends to consider Lamarquier as anything but dead weight and he never fails to remind him of this.

 

[Wings]

January 10th, 1944

Maskirovka
Belarus - It may be raining and snowing, but the frontovikis continue their frenetic activity at the back of the Belarusian fronts, in order to be ready for the upcoming offensive (even if, for the time being, it is obviously only a rumor). In the HQs, the staffs are doing the same and multiply the Kriegspiels (!) - almost always with Marshal Zhukov as referee, advisor, teacher, and even corrector if necessary.
It is that given the ground that it will be necessary to cross - one remembers it, since Suvorov - and a fortiori with the considerable forces which were accumulated here by Moscow, one fears a traffic jam all the same. In fact, no less than 400,000 tons of ammunition, 300,000 tons of fuel and 500,000 tons of food and fodder have been stored in the region - nothing less! It will be necessary to use them in the best possible way, according to a plan - and that is why the Marshal is once again on all fronts, regularly inspecting in person the two future breakthrough sectors, which will be split once again as soon as the first penetration is achieved.
In the north, starting from the area between Talatchyn and Orsha, a strong grouping composed of the 1st and 3rd Guards Armies, 3rd Tank Army and 18th Armored Corps must break through the defenses of the 4. Armee and (with the support of forces further north) cut it off from the 2. Armee - which will be doomed to fall back to the Northern HG or be annihilated. It will then push towards Baryssaw to cross the Berezina before splitting into two groups: the infantry will continue towards Minsk, the tanks will go straight to the west and Vilnius.
In the south, it will be the business of the 3rd Shock Army, the 4th Guards Army and the 1st Tank Army. From the Jlobin plain, they will take Babruysk in the rush to cross the Berezina before dividing into two forces, respectively intended to rush towards Minsk and to run towards Slutsk along the Prypiat marshes.
In any case, the troops in the center of this pincer, although powerful (two armies, two cavalry corps, an armored corps and an airborne corps!), will not have the task to rush forward. They will only have to press hard the Fascists to prevent them from maneuvering - once threatened on their rear, these will thus inevitably be either destroyed on the spot, or routed.
In the end, Zhukov has few concerns for the southern sector: Konstantin Rokossovsky is perhaps the most brilliant general in command of the Front, still crowned with the glory of his successes of the last year. Even though this Pole is not the most...appreciated by Stalin (and still, it is getting better...), he is very respected by his peers and enjoys the full confidence of the Stavka.
Vasily Sokolovsky, on the northern sector ... it's another thing! Appointed to the 1st Belorussian Front more or less by default, in order to satisfy Ivan Konev's ambition (since gone to other horizons), the man does not lack know-how, and even less loyalty. No - what he lacks rather, to Zhukov's great regret, is a foundation, a serenity. Some would say stature - this former seminarian, who has not known a real post in the fire since 1918 (he stayed between the staff and the academy), has a tendency to drown in details and thus lose the sense of operations, or even simply the initiative, before finally acting clumsily under the pressure of events. This worries some people at the Stavka... The marshal has already noted that it would be necessary to keep an eye on him (more or less discreetly).

 

[naraht]

These exchanges will lead in 1945 to the transformation of India into a Dominion. This transformation, made possible by the solidity of the British imperial power at the end of the war, will allow later a serene accession of the immense ex-colony to independence.

(The only more ASB thing possible iTTL include Stalin making Leo Blum his successor and then retiring to a Monastery)

 

[Wings]

January 10th, 1944

Forced migration
Kosovo - On the allied side of the front line, and in a rainy and no less gloomy atmosphere than the one suffered by the Jägers, the Greek 2nd Corps of Georgios Tsolakoglou arrives in the Blackbird Valley, where it reinforces the Corps of Brian Horrocks, who is very discouraged to have to deal with a situation of civil unrest. The Hellenic formation is still amputated of the 5th ID of Dimitrios Papadopoulos (which remained in Xanthi, in Thrace, to guard the Bulgarian border), but it gives the possibility to the allied troops to leave the Pristina valley to deploy in force in the surrounding sectors. The following days, the Greeks will thus send troops to Gjakovë and Pec, finally bringing order in this region abandoned by the gods, but not, alas, by militias of all kinds.
With the units of the XIIIth Corps currently deployed between Pristin, Vučitrn and Shtime, there are now no less than three Allied divisions, plus two armored brigades, that hold Kosovo. This is a lot for a province in a country that is considered friendly. And this risks to hinder the plans of the 18th AAG - which must therefore find a way to finally free the XIIIth AC from these desperate law enforcement considerations...

The transfer season
Athens (Syntagma Square HQ) - Sylvestre Audet has not moved from the great allied headquarters for three days now, still overloaded with work as he is. The French general clearly needs a vacation. Alas, this vacation is not scheduled until the end of the month - and even then, at best.
So when the phone rings once again at his office, Montgomery's deputy is not very enthusiastic - to say the least. But on the other end of the line, surprisingly, it's not London, but Algiers. The minister, Mr. Paul-Boncour, wants to speak to him personally! And he announces... One more star and a new position as boss of the 2nd Army! In place of Dentz, who is called to other tasks, far from Greece.
Legend has it that a loud noise was heard in the general's office, and then a voice - that of General Audet himself - singing at the top of his lungs something that the Greek secretaries did not understand, but which was certainly not the Marseillaise...
As we all know, Mediterranean people always tend to exaggerate, but it is worth noting that the English secretaries heard the same thing (without understanding more).
One thing however will be quickly obvious for everyone: at 60 years old, Audet is delighted to leave Athens, to be free from political intrigues and a certain temperamental general with a black beret to return to the field and command one last time in the fire - until the upcoming fall of the Reich.
..........
Tirana - A few hundred kilometers further north, General Henri Dentz also receives a phone call that he welcomes with great satisfaction. He is going to leave Tirana before the end of the month to go to Marseille and become Major-General (i.e. head of the Army's GHQ). A nice promotion, which assures him at the same time the reputation, the pleasure to contribute to the liberation of the national territory... and the personal joy of leaving Albania. He learned that Audet would take his place - he should not be too disoriented.
"I did the right thing in meeting Besson last year," Dentz muses. "Who knows what would have happened to me if I had stayed in the shadow of that fathead Giraud?"

 

[Wings]

January 10th, 1944

Operation Gaston
Italian front - While Alpini and riflemen of the Richard Brigade join forces, the 6th BMLE arrives in sight of Rufina, thus unblocking the situation for the Magnan and Brosset Brigades. The latter finally manages to break through thanks to the massive support of the 13th BACA, which devotes all its activity to it. It takes the village of Borselli, emptied of its inhabitants and fortified.
On the German side, faced with a deteriorating situation, the 29. Panzergrenadier sends new reinforcements towards Rufina. However, they are delayed by the action of the P-47s of the 324th FG, which harasses all movements on the rear of the front, and by two ambushes of the Italian Resistance. The Panzergrenadiers waste further time in ferocious repression. There are forty people shot at Razzuolo, including women and old men.

 

[Wings]

January 10th, 1944

Operation Dague
This is an important day in the Dague calendar. It marks the beginning of a general push on all axes of progression, now that the German position has been destabilized in the south and that the enemy can no longer use the Canigou massif.
.........
Villefranche-de-Conflent sector - In front of the Vauban citadel and the fort that dominates it, the situation is still blocked. Further east, the 2nd Rgt of the 1st SSF begins its march towards Vernet-les-Bains. The Americans initially progress without difficulty along the RD27, but also along the route of the small mining train*, above Taurinya, until they reach the Prades train station.
The situation becomes more difficult after Taurinya, as the road twists and turns in the direction of Fillols, in a heavily wooded area. There, the Germans not only had time to cut down trees across the road, but also to build a few log forts to shelter a machine gun or gunners. All day long, the Americans continue to advance slowly but surely, not hesitating to outflank the enemy positions by making wide detours in the rugged terrain.
.........
Castellane Valley - The bulk of the 3rd Tabors settle in Mosset and spend the day preparing for the assault on the Col de Jau, where the presence of about one enemy company is confirmed. The liaison is established with the maquis of the Caillau mine and they start to move in, under the cover of the forest, a part of the troops and mortars intended for this sector. The maquisards are more than happy to finally receive the attention and especially the equipment that they have lacked until now.
.........
Massif de l'Agly - The men of the 1st Rgt of the 1st Special Service Force set out to attack the massif starting from Estagel, along the Agly river. The situation becomes more difficult after Planèzes, in an area with many small rivers. The Germans take advantage of these tributaries of the Agly to wage a stubborn delaying battle.
At the same time, the 4th Ranger Btn, which had been repositioned for several days at the aptly named Col de la Bataille on the RN612, set off towards Bélesta; a detachment is charged with seizing the Pic Aubeill, which dominates the sector. The Rangers do not encounter any difficulties before approaching the sector of Caramany, where the wet cuts are multiplying. Part of the battalion tries to continue towards Sournia, but is caught under fire from German mortars installed on the Sarrat d'Espinet massif.
To the south-west of the massif, the detachment of the 3rd Tabors blocked at the Col de Roquejalère contents itself with harassing the enemy with mortars and launching a few fixation attacks.
.........
Fenouillèdes Valley - In this usually rather quiet valley, except for the passing of a train from time to time, a powerful rumbling can be heard on the Estagel side: the three medium tank companies of the 757th Tank Battalion are moving along the RN117 towards the German positions of Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, about twenty kilometers away (the M5 Stuart light tank company was still blocked in front of Villefranche-de-Conflent). In total, about fifty Sherman tanks, six 105 mm assault guns and three mortar-carrying half-tracks. The vehicles are accompanied by the 180th IR of the 45th US-ID and a mortar company of the 3rd Chemical Mortar Battalion.
It is at Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet that most of the artillery of the 344. ID is positioned, on well-prepared positions with observers posted on the nearby heights.
The German heavy guns cover a rather dense minefield barring the whole valley, which is about three kilometers wide. Infantrymen and anti-tank guns of Grenadier-Rgt 855 are camouflaged in the buildings on the edge of the city, emptied of their inhabitants and transformed into forts. The defences are extended outside the town, in the form of trenches and concrete casemates installed behind the river Agly. This one goes down from the gorges of Galamus towards the massif that bears its name and its flow in this season is quite strong.
The Americans have learned their lesson from Prades: they engage the Germans at a good distance, but it is going to be a tight game, because the defenders have had several weeks to reinforce and camouflage their positions. Moreover, thanks to the observations made from the castle of Queribus, they have a fairly accurate idea of the number of enemy troops.
All day long, artillery exchanges take place, interspersed with American armored vehicle charges in the direction of the town or the railway bridge over the Agly, to the north of it.
All of them are repulsed.
.........
South of Corbières - From the sector of Tuchan, the 337th and 338th IR of the 85th US-ID, supported by a part of the divisional artillery as well as by a company of mortars, begin to push westward against the 950. Grenadier Rgt, supported by a battalion of riflemen. Further north, the 339th IR remains for the moment in its positions facing the 158. ID, contenting itself with offensive patrols to keep the enemy in uncertainty, but also to avoid a too quick reaction of the 60. PzGr in a very undulating sector.
Taking advantage of the smallest ridge, the smallest stream, the smallest grove, the Germans delay but the terrain is not sufficiently hilly to hope to hold out against the American superiority, which is obvious in terms of artillery. On the other hand, the tactical aviation, in this case the P-51s of the 363rd Fighter Sqn, have appeared the day before. General Coulter's strategy in this sector is simple: advance methodically, bludgeon any point of resistance and move forward again.
.........
Axat - At the headquarters of the 344. ID, the more or less alarmist reports of the different units are pouring in. In spite of his repeated calls to his superior Walther Nehring in Carcassonne, Generalleutnant Felix Schwalbe has no reinforcements to send in the immediate future, all the more so that the geography of the area covered by his division does not facilitate movement.
Fortunately for him, the relief considerably hinders the allied aviation, except in the Corbières.

Operation Scissors
Hérault - The 350th RCT bends but does not break. It clings to the ground, in company of a TD Btn and a Tk Bn, on the Larzac plateau. It should be noted that in addition to the support of the Mustangs and Thunderbolts of the VIIIth Tactical Air Command, the ground troops are supported by the Mitchell of the 340th BG, which attack the enemy positions with full loads of parafrags, which in this terrain have a devastating effect on unprotected infantrymen.
As part of the 340th BG, the B-25 Legal Eagle flies its 43rd and final mission. It will return to the United States for a tour to promote treasury bonds to support the war effort. This aircraft and its crew also have the distinction of having won the unofficial award for the longest name painted on an aircraft, requiring the aircraft to be renamed to the Legal Eagle. Indeed, one of the crew members, of German origin, had come up with the name "Superdurchschnittsgeschwidigkeiter", which can be translated simply as... "The Fast One".
On the left wing of the 350th RCT, the 351st RCT, while acting as a guard, put pressure on the 867th. Grenadier Rgt towards Saint-Jean du Bruel, while the 85th IR of the 10th
Mountain Division overruns the rear. The German regiment is forced to abandon its positions with heavy losses and to take refuge further north. It cannot even mount a counter-attack, because its retreating elements are pushed aside by the US mountain men.
This breakthrough in the hills opens the door to a flanking attack on the 14. SS-PG Division's positions, while the corner driven in by the 85th US-IR forces the grenadiers of the 868. Rgt to refocus and extend their defense around the hamlet of Espérou.
At the end of the day, the SS still cannot break through on the plateau and the situation of the 355. ID becomes untenable. It is spread out over more than 40 km and can only rely on the terrain and the cuts. The German general staff decides to stop using up its troops in vain counter-attacks and to regroup the SS around Millau, while the 355. ID, already withdrawn to the north-east, covers the outskirts of the Causses.

Reinforcements
A new Panzer Division
Nancy-Verdun Sector - The Panzer Lehr Division is officially formed from the two Panzerwaffe schools within the Reich (Panzertruppenschule I at Bergen-Belsen and Panzertruppenschule II in Potsdam-Krampnitz). The first elements had begun to be assembled from the previous November. It should be noted that the only non-SS Panzerdivision in this case, its infantry is entirely mechanized.

From Corsica to Marseille
Berghof (Berchtesgaden) - A difficult meeting that day for the Führer's staff. When he learned that the French ministers had all gone to Marseille to make it the provisional seat of their government, the "Austrian corporal" went into one of those fits of rage to which he was beginning to accustom his entourage. Since the arrival of the Allies on French soil, the anger was rising. Now the cork is popping and the whole volcano is exploding in a ferocious eruption.
Those damned French must be punished! They had caused him nothing but trouble since 1940, and now they come back from Africa to taunt him! Addressing Göring and Pohl, after the lack of progress in the work on retaliatory weapons, he orders them to activate the operations of these famous devices based in Italy and to point them, no longer towards Corsica, which became useless, but towards Marseille, this so-called provisional capital!
If, as usual, the Big Hermann plays the carpets and acquiesces, Pohl, who has taken knowledge of the technical requirements of the different machines, points out that it will probably be difficult for certain sites: the hard ramps have a very precise orientation that can't be changed unless you break everything and redo it. And above all, the topographical configuration of the Italian terrain may prevent us from aiming at the city of Marseille... But these arguments are of course brushed aside with a wave of the hand by the dictator who vociferates: "It's an order!"
Needless to say, when he hears this directive from Kesselring, Oberst Thom is stunned and dismayed. What could he do? He has to go back into the files of each site, eliminate those for which he knows perfectly well that he will not be able to modify the orientation of the ramp, then go and check the possibilities of the others in the field. Fortunately, this only concerns only the V1s, since the V2s take off vertically. Nevertheless...
Sighing, the German says to himself that the work on the sites that are now unusable will be stopped and the workers sent to the survivors of Hitler's diatribe, which will speed up their construction. Every cloud has a silver lining, and we must console ourselves as best we can.

* This train is a chain-driven funicular of the Decauville standard, of a type widely used in Europe from 1850 to 1950. Before the war, it conveyed the production of the iron mine of Salver (the massif of Canigou has numerous iron deposits, exploited since the Celtic period).

Operation Dague (South), January 10th, 1944

 

[Wings]

January 11th, 1944

Headquarters of the OKM (Berlin) - The engineers of the Central Directorates of Naval Construction and Naval Artillery present Admiral Dönitz and his staff with a report on the damage to the Tirpitz and the repairs to be undertaken to make her combat-ready.
The 15 cm aft port turret will be cut off on the spot and the debris will be put ashore by a crane. It will not be replaced because the turrets of this type, in reserve or offloaded from the Gneisenau, have all been reused by the coastal artillery in France, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Norway. The turret's well will be obstructed by armor plates and a Flakvierling carriage will take its place. The telepointer of the anti-aircraft artillery located on the starboard tower and its pivot will be disembarked. The wall of the tower, pierced by the shrapnel at this point, will be repaired by replacing the damaged sheets and the destroyed rooms will be rebuilt and re-equipped. A telepointer and its pivot will be recovered on what remains of the Admiral Hipper to replace the damaged one. In the meantime, the electrical circuits which transmit the pointing indications to the four starboard 10.5 cm turrets will be isolated. The four turrets will be temporarily controlled by the telepointer located on the platform surrounding the chimney*. The cantilever supporting a launch above the 15 cm mid-port turret will be rebuilt with its launch yard. The replacement of the destroyed boat is not a problem, as the Gotenhafen arsenal has spare from the Gneisenau. From this same Gneisenau, the stern mast is recovered to recreate the Tirpitz.
The most delicate point is the 38 cm Caesar turret. The motor that drives the rotation is irreparable. The mechanisms that allow the elevation of the guns are faulty but the corresponding motor does not seem to have suffered. To carry out all the repairs, it is necessary to de-armor the turret to install one of the engines that had been provisioned in view of the replacement of the 28 cm triple turrets of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau by double turrets of 38 cm.
To the question of how much time would be necessary for these various works, the engineers answer that they expect eight days for the installation of the new mast and the new radio antennas, eight days for the construction of the cantilever for the launch, two weeks for the landing of the telepointer and the repair of the tower premises, the removal of the 15 cm turret, the sealing of the shaft and the installation of the FlakVierling. For the Caesar turret, one month if the motor ensuring the elevation of the pieces has given satisfactory operation during the first tests before putting the armouring back in place.
But these delays are those of peacetime. With the raids of the allied aviation and a lesser personnel present in the arsenal**, these delays could be lengthened.
After listening carefully to his engineers and discussing with his assistants, Admiral Dönitz gives his orders. The Tirpitz would leave for Gotenhafen within 48 hours. His stay in Kiel is not safe: as soon as the British discover her presence, air raids intended to destroy it will follow.
Moreover, even a partial restoration of the ship would be contrary to the Führer's orders. Gotenhafen is far enough away from Berlin that the work can be carried out discreetly.
The priority of the work is as follows: removal of the 15 cm turret on the port side, installation of the Flakvierling, new mast and repair of the tower. The cantilever for the launch will be rebuilt if these works do not delay the previous ones. The installation of a new flak telepointer on the tower is subordinated to the possibility of adapting to the Tirpitz without risking a prolonged immobilization of the battleship. Indeed, even if it is not envisaged at the Wolf's Lair, the situation on the Eastern Front could require the use of the ship to provide fire support to the left wing of the Heer in the coming months.

* The wiring for these circuits was installed when the building was built so that in case of damage or destruction of one of the two telepointer systems, the other one could control the four turrets. A major drawback is that these four turrets can only fire against one enemy aircraft, whereas with the two telepointer, the two front turrets and the two rear turrets could be split into two sub-groups capable of engaging two targets.
** The Kriegsmarine had to second personnel to the arsenals of the occupied countries, either to supervise the employees of these arsenals, or to carry out sensitive work, such as the repair and maintenance of U-boos for example, which could not be entrusted to them.