Briefing: April 1, 1943
Senators,
March 1943 was perhaps the biggest month yet in this war. It was so big that General MacArthur himself has temporarily relocated to the Continent to supervise the biggest amphibious landing in US Army history: the invasion of northern France.
It is said that the General specifically chose the infantry commander of the new 14th US Army Corps, General Clay, to head this operation. Although surprisingly junior for such a position -- some even advocated General Eisenhower being named to command the force -- given the results of the operation, we can safely say that General MacArthur's choice was justified. 14th Corps and the 2nd USMC would be the main units tasked with the invasion, and they set out for their objectives in the early hours of March 1. With operations in Norway drawing to a close, General Vandegrift was ordered to expedite his units departure via Trondheim. In Greece, two infantry divisions -- the 26th and 36th -- were ordered to eliminate the German presence in southern Greece, while 1st Armored seized Thasos.
At 1600 hours, Operation Hannibal officially began. The 4th and 6th Marine Divisions assaulted the beaches at St. Malo.
Seven hours later, the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions attacked German positions in St. Nazaire.
Our forces in the Balkans had their own successes, and on March 2, the key city of Belgrade was captured. With this strategic prize -- including the valuable radar station -- in Allied hands, General Taylor of Army Group 'Mediterranean' was given the order he'd waited to hear: to seize Bucharest as quickly as possible.
General Clark asked what his parameters were for negotiating with the Romanians; the President authorized him to press for a temporary puppet government in Bucharest until such time as Hungary had also surrendered.
By March 4th, Operation Hannibal's first phase was completed; that meant it was time for the six infantry divisions to secure the beachhead, cutting off Brittany from the rest of France.
However, despite American success, President Willkie knew that this war was far from over, and authorized a temporary diversion of funding to raising additional troops to replace those killed or wounded in 1941 and 1942.
March 6th marked the beginning of phase 3 of Operation Hannibal: securing the key ports of Cherbourg, Brest, and Nantes. Later that day, the 15th and 16th Infantry Divisions proceeded to assault German positions in Sonslett.
The island of Lesbos fell to the 5th Marine Division the same day. In Germany, General Patton's Fourth Army had almost completed a solid line of defense from Switzerland to Hungary, while pressing on Ljubljana, Split, and Sarajevo.
Second Army, meanwhile, crossed tenuously into Romania.
March 13, 1943 marked the official opening of the Atlanta Nuclear Reactor. America's scientists remain hard at work at a weapon that could be potentially devastating to America's enemies. The next day saw status reports from the Balkans and Germany. General Taylor's Second Army continued to push east into Romania, but the original strike was losing a bit of momentum.
On the German front, General Patton announced the imminent fall of Zagreb.
On March 19th, General Stilwell, Commander of Army Group 'France', accompanied General Vandegrift and 7th Corps on SAG 'Arkansas' on a trip from Trondheim to St. Malo. Although General Vandegrift's boys knew that they were in a for a much tougher fight in northern France, at least it wasn't so bitterly cold! Romania recaptured the province of Craiova; one of Second Army's divisions had left the province uncovered, but as more and more troops moved up from Greece, it became clear this setback was only temporary.
On the 21st, General Wedemeyer, Commander of 3rd Corps, was ordered to move to Narvik, along with General Hickey's 29th Infantry. Storslett remained in German hands, but not for long. Soon, all American troops would be out of Norway. The next day, the situation was so calm that General Clark made his way to Trondheim, ironically making the last commander to arrive in France the man who was ostensibly in charge of the wildly successful advance.
March 25 was a big day for our nuclear physicists; they now say that by 1945, they should have at least tested the concept of making what they have dubbed the "atomic bomb" and have some usable prototypes.
March 30 marked the first confrontation between the IJN and American naval forces in the Pacific since 1943 began; SSQ 'Raven' encountered
Akagi,
Chitose, and a destroyer division. After taking a few shots, they wisely departed for the nearest base in the Pacific.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I feel confident that 1943 could see the end, or perhaps the beginning of the end, to use Prime Minister Churchill's eloquent phrase, of the Nazi regime. While the Soviets have made little progress this month, the United States and Nationalist China have driven back the Axis. I have attached some briefing maps for your consideration. Thank you, and good night.
France, April 1, 1943 (Brest and Cherbourg circled):
German front, April 1, 1943:
The southern European theater, including all American deployments:
Chinese progress:
Technology researched: Education 4, Civil Nuclear Research 2, Strategic Bomber Armament 3
Convoys lost (escorts/transports): 6/3 (by Japan)
Units built: 3 x transports (deployed to Norfolk, VA)
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In addition to DOPEA, which is still under revision, I'd also like to see the Senators consider a bill for peace with eastern Europe. Specifically, Romania and Hungary. What terms will we ask for, what shall our war aims be? I do not think Romania will last another month, with a bit of luck, and Hungary is our next target.
Of course, any other bills may be proposed, but I'd like to address these two areas before we continue. Tom, I don't know that we'll need much in the way of new orders, but please do review the situation and decide whether or not you want to make any changes. I'd like to update again by
Thursday at 10 PM (-6 GMT), so let's have the bills settled by then, if possible.