Chapter 131: Lead for Breakfast (17 to 21 May 1941)
Prologue – Cagliari, Sardinia 16-17 May 41
In the end, Cennet decided that in this case, telling the truth (or most of it, anyway) would be the easiest course of action. She explained, without going into detail about the mission at the time, that Luca Brasi was a top agent of the Turkish intelligence services. She said (quite truthfully) he had been betrayed and almost killed by Mafia goons – probably working in tandem or with the tacit blessing of the Italian secret police. She thanked the British for passing on the lead to the Turkish authorities and – by invading Sardinia themselves – inadvertently but happily permitting the circumstances that had led to him being able to return.
Given his recent circumstances, she noted Luca had no current information on the Italians of much use to either Turkey or Britain but would be able to once again contribute to the joint effort against “our mutual Axis enemies” eventually, once he’d had a chance to recover. If MI6 representatives would care to contact Ambassador ‘Mike’ Ceylan in Switzerland, she was sure he would agree to a full mutual exchange of information on Italian espionage operations and related Mafia efforts in the Med, if the British could facilitate the repatriation of Agent Brasi and Cennet’s return to
Zurich.
She also hinted that an assurance of a mutual agreement by both Britain and Turkey to not conduct antagonistic intelligence operations against each other would both ease the sharing of information and build a degree of confidence between the two co-belligerents, who needed to work together (as they already had a few times) in the Middle East and Med. Both sides understood that general informants and 'agents of interest' were quite another matter: direct and malicious espionage activity was the potential sticking point.
“Rupert, let me be frank: we need to avoid any potentially
thorny issues between us!”
“Connie, I will relay everything you have suggested back to my superiors in London.” The reply was polite and encouraging but, of course, entirely non-committal. But Menzies would certainly understand the message.
While this matter was being negotiated at the higher level, Connie and Luca were given comfortable – but well-watched – lodgings in war-torn
Cagliari.
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17 May 41
The defence of
Ada, which had been proceeding reasonably well, took a sudden turn for the worse with the immediate joining and reinforcement of yet another fresh Axis infantry division – the Italian 13th – at 4am. The rotation of fresh Axis divisions through the attacking echelons, the dogged persistence of 7th Pz Division and continued heavy air raids were making the task steadily harder, despite Eldelhun’s effective delaying tactics.
With the slowly deteriorating situation in the Balkans on one hand and the near destruction of the Italian fleet on the other, Inönü decided it was time to start using the militia and garrison units spread guarding ports around the Med as supplements to the reserve defensive lines being prepared in the Balkans. Those in southern Greece would be left in place, but the rest would be concentrated at key points and more units made available for an extended delaying defence on the main front:
- To start with, two garrison brigades from Izmir and Antalya would be sent to form a militia division to start digging in at Sofiya. A full-strength infantry division was already fully prepared in Istanbul – the key city and northern province of the Calistar Line.
- Two militia and two garrison brigades scattered around the Balkans would concentrate in Tirane and Skopje to start preparing reserve lines there, to be reinforced with front-line divisions later, if necessary.
- In Turkey proper, the single cavalry brigade keeping an eye on Vichy Syria would relocate to Ankara, bringing the Quick Reaction Force (the last strategic reserve of the Union) to full strength. Whether it would stay there or be deployed further forward would be decided later, depending on events at the front.
- The garrison division in Alanya would relocate to Adana, guarding the end of the new rail line and providing the sole border guard for the neutral but Axis-leaning Vichy state from there.
- Meanwhile, the entrained Soviet rifle division had by then made its way from Iran to eastern Turkey, en route to Istanbul (in the first case).
At 6am, a terse message was received from MAJGEN Orbay in
Faget:
“Romanians have ordered a general retreat. Defence over, chaos, no detailed battle report available. Out.”
Even though the three Turkish units engaged all still had some fight left in them, the Romanian commander had ordered the withdrawal.
Where was Luca Brasi when you really needed him!? thought Inönü wryly to himself, having just heard about the discovery of the old campaigner alive in the hills of Sardinia
. [Because of the Romanian command, no post-battle report was received and the units retreated where the AI sent them. Curses. 
]
NB: This unplanned retreat created a potential gap in the line to the south in the mountains of Resita, between there and Caransebes, where Turkey was now relying on the Soviets to hold the line.
At the same time, the situation in
Ada was deteriorating. The defence was still tactically effective and causing enemy heavy casualties, but the defenders were simply tiring too quickly.
Soldiers from the Turkish 7 Inf Div repel yet another Axis assault on Ada, this time troops of the German 23rd and Italian 13th Divisions, attacking from the direction of Senta, morning of 17 May 1941.
If the Turkish High Command was hoping for some relief at this point, they were sadly disappointed. Mid-morning brought a fresh attack on the
Yeniçeri Line, this time on
Sabac. The position was guarded on all enemy approaches by a river, though the terrain was flat. A naturally strong position, but only guarded by one division with a ‘rookie’ commander – any additional Turkish troops having previously been sent north-east to try to stem the enemy tide around
Timisoara.
The land line rang insistently at the HQ 1st Army CP. Bözer was soon speaking directly to his President and Army Commander:
“Bözer here, Milli Şef. Four enemy divisions are attacking from Semska Mitrovica and Zvornik. Estimate we are outnumbered three-to-one. No enemy tanks sighted yet. We will mow them down by the bushel: TEMEŞVAR'I HATIRLA!”
“That’s the spirit, Bözer! That position is a key point of the line. If the enemy get in there, they can flank Beograd - and the defensive terrain behind you is not the best. Hold on for as long as you can. I will see what I can do to assist!”
But to himself, he thought: Bözer is about to learn the hard way – not that there is any other in war.
After assessing the developing situation, Inönü issues orders to begin reorganising the front and depth lines.
- First, 6 Inf Div had arrived in Beograd. It was still very disorganised: he hoped it would have time to recover before it was called on to defend the great city.
- Of the two fresh divisions being brought by rail to the front, 3 Cav Div would continue on as planned to Mehadia, where it would form a mobile reserve to help protect that flank: either to hold the line, or to cover for as long as possible while retreating units made it to reserve lines to the south.
- The Soviet 156 SD was diverted to the mountains of Zrenjanin, to form the second line behind Ada in anticipation of its fall. He hoped they would have time to get there and begin digging in before the next Axis onslaught.
- Inönü had by now come to the conclusion that Ada could not be held for much longer and that Sabac was the next key defensive battle. 12 Inf Div – by now almost spent – was withdrawn before it collapsed. The others remained in Ada to provide as much delay as possible for Zrenjanin to be held.
- 4 Inf Div’s march to Ada was countermanded: they were instead ordered to Sabac, where it was hoped they could make a real difference. It would take less than two days to get there: Bözer must hold on until then. But at least now he had some relief to hope for.
An hour later, Namut’s crack 5 Inf Div – badly battered in a series of recent engagements – was sent south from
Lugoj to start recovery and preparation of a fall-back position in mountainous
Resita.
As troops moved around to a complicated but considered rearrangement of positions in the Balkans, a report to Fleet HQ came out of the blue: the ‘Mk1 Eyeball’ sub flotilla had become caught up in an attack by Italian naval bombers on a British task force in the
South Ionian Sea! Cebesoy had been patrolling around the Eastern Med these last weeks – to no real effect. They were ordered back to port in southern Greece.
Air Report. The remainder of the day passed quietly, other than the last of three air raids by Italian and then Hungarian TAC on
Ada, which together killed 451 defenders.
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18 May 41
Midnight. A dingy apartment in downtown
Ankara. A man of Asian appearance sits at a small card desk, reading a book of beautifully illustrated Qing poetry by candlelight. It is a scene of simple peace, harmony and contemplation.
Lotus Flower Breaking the Surface (出水芙蓉圖) by Yun Shouping, a renowned 17th century Qing dynasty classical painter-poet.
A scene rudely interrupted by the smashing down of the flimsy door to the small apartment and the tramp of a squad of Kaya’s goons who quickly filled the small room. They grab the man – a Manchurian they have had their eye on for a few days now.
“Welcome aboard the Midnight Express, chum!” Their leader sneers as he sees what the man had been reading. He rips out the page with
Lotus Flower Breaking the Surface and sets its corner to the candle flame, then drops it to the table as it burns to a pile of curling ashes. The agent from Manchukuo is horrified at this barbarity. As was intended.
The spy from Manchukuo – it seems Kaya’s Secret Police have plans for him, so in this case ‘neutralisation’ doesn’t mean a swift and painful execution. For once.
“This will be happening to
you soon – unless you cooperate with us," says the Chief Goon as he looks evilly from the ashes - to his captive's now ashen face. "Of course, perhaps you will feel like holding out. I hear the ‘Red Butterfly’ is back in town temporarily,” the man is not game to utter the name of the Dark Lord of the S.I.T.H. aloud at midnight, in a dingy, shadow filled room. A wise choice.
The prisoner almost passes out – he has clearly heard of the mysterious ‘Darth Kelebek’. Not a surprise, as Turkish Intelligence has been spreading word of his deeds (actual or attributed) where foreign agencies will hear about it, as a deterrent.
“Take him away, boys. He is just the baitfish.”
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More research has also come to fruition. The cavalry arm continues to be improved – for the existing units and the hoped-for capacity to train (and convert to) motorised infantry units in Turkey, without recourse to licenses. The line of cavalry research is switched to anti-tank weapons.
At 1am, the air raid warnings go off in
Sabac: Italian TAC have commenced bombing there. It looks like they are serious about forcing it and will keep it up all day. By 4am, the harsh truth is apparent for all to see:
Ada is a lost cause. 2 Inf Div is now ‘thinned out’, making their way out of
Ada towards
Zrenjanin, with very little organisation left. Hungarian TAC continues to hit them – though this will be the last raid in
Ada for the day. 7 Inf Div remains for now as the rear guard – Gürzlin now has the command for the short remaining Turkish occupation of this key part of the
Yeniçeri Line.
By 8am, the defence of
Ada is over: 7 Inf Div breaks contact and heads south to
Ruma. It is hoped they might have time to recover and entrench there before the next hammer-blow falls, replacing 4 Inf Div which is in turn moving south to reinforce the hard-pressed defence of
Sabac. The Axis have again been forced to pay a heavy price for
Ada, but it will soon be in their hands, as 7th Pz Division now has an unopposed crossing open to them.
At the same time, the partly-recovered 14 Inf Div is sent back from
Lugoj to start establishing a secondary delay line at
Pozarec. An hour later the full-strength 10 Inf Div in
Kikinda is ordered to do the same in
Velico Gradiste. It is hoped the forests and river line there can be used to provide a strong delaying line while the troops in front slow down and blunt the enemy advance. It will be up to the Soviets and Romanians to hold the line to the east of that: Turkey does not have the troops to extend any further. If the Axis break through in Romania, a more general retreat to the depth
Tirane-Skopje-Sofiya line will likely be required.
Just a few hours later, at 11am, the advance elements of 7th Pz Division occupy Turkey's former positions in
Ada. Another sad day – but the Turkish Army lives on to continue the fight! In the early afternoon, the first of the units forced to retreat from
Faget – 1 Mot Div – arrives in
Caransebes. It is immediately ordered to get to
Velico Gradiste as soon as possible. Not only can it strengthen the proposed line there but it will be another mobile tactical reserve formation – in case something goes badly awry over the border in Romania. But it will need to recover further before it will be of much use in that role.
In
Cagliari, word came through that a deal has been done between MI6 and S.I.T.H.: there will be information exchange and exploratory ‘confidence building’ between the two agencies, starting with Luca Brasi’s repatriation. The next St Louis shuttle run to
Malta for him, then the next RAF air transport to
Alexandria. From there, a special Turkish flight back to
Ankara. It would take some days to complete the transfer all the way to
Ankara. Cennet began to travel back the way she had come to report back to Mike Ceylan in
Zurich. There was much to discuss. She and Luca bade a fond farewell to each other: with this war, they never knew if they would see each other again. But that was true every time an agent said farewell to a colleague.
Air Report. As the fighting in
Sabac drags on, Bözer’s 13 Inf Div continues to resist stoutly but at considerable cost. Otherwise, the rest of the day is relatively quiet – except, again, for enemy air attacks, where four Italian raids (one every six hours) reap a terrible toll of 740 defenders in
Sabac. Grim indeed. The last raid in
Ada in the morning had killed 81 troops there.
News Report: Belgium. The ‘Strike of the 100,000’ officially ends in Belgium after the German occupiers agree to raise wages. That could have turned out a lot worse!
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19 May 41
The unfortunate Manchurian spy caught the night before in
Ankara has decided to save his skin (literally, if Kelebek had become involved) and cooperate with Turkish authorities. His reward will be a commuted death sentence and the hope – many years in the future – of being released, after the Comintern has won the war. Or rendered into fertiliser at the whim of Kaya or a successor. Life is a lottery! Reinstalled in his apartment, the true target is lured in: a Japanese-Manchurian master spy, the ‘Mata Hari of the East.’
At midnight (of course) the trap is sprung at their pre-arranged rendezvous. Another agent from Manchukuo books a ticket on the Midnight Express. She is too important to execute, so is held in the deepest cell in the subterranean prison under Kaya’s Interior Ministry.
Yoshiko Kawashima (川島 芳子 Kawashima Yoshiko, b. 24 May 1907) was a Chinese princess of Manchu descent. She was raised in Japan and served as a spy for the Japanese Kwantung Army and the puppet state of Manchukuo. Captured in Ankara, 19 May 1941. Not The Thorn perhaps, but a good catch nonetheless.
At 4am, as heavy fighting continues in
Sabac and with 4 Inf Div on its way (due later that morning), Bözer is asked for a sitrep. His 13 Inf Div is reportedly down to about 2/3 effectiveness and the enemy still seems relatively fresh and well-provisioned. His report is succinct:
4 Inf Div arrives in
Sabac at 9am. The enemy air raids, after the pounding the day before, had not resumed that morning. And then something quite unexpected happened: the enemy broke off their attack! They must have disliked the new odds and the difficult river assault on a well-entrenched position, now reinforced. Huzzah! Bözer’s stocks were now sky high at HQ 1st Army. His curt response of ‘Let the bastards eat our lead!’ became a byword throughout his division. Was this just a trick to be quickly followed by a new attack, as in
Faget, or had the latest Axis offensive been temporarily halted?
The Mighty 1 Inf Div was the next to arrive after the hasty retreat from
Faget of a few days before. Down to about 25% effectiveness, they were also sent south, to reinforce
Beograd and recover strength in case needed as a reaction force for the next line of defence. At the same time, 3 Cav Div disembarked after their long train trip from Anatolia in
Mehadia, where they began digging in and remained on standby for any quick reaction tasks. Inönü remained concerned about the vulnerable boundary with his allies in Romania.
That evening, after a slow march into the mountainous countryside, Namut’s 5 Inf Div arrived in
Resita and set about recovering and entrenching. With German medium panzers in
Faget, this province was now on the front line. They had a long way to go before they were back at full organisation readiness. It is a potential weak point endangering units still defending
Lugoj.
No enemy air action was recorded for the day.
News Report: Vietnam. The Việt Minh is formed. Oh, Comintern Peoples, hail the brave revolutionaries. May they strike at the Japanese Imperialists until none remain in the whole of Indo-China!
Hồ Chí Minh (b. 19 May 1890 as Nguyễn Sinh Cung) is a Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader and Chairman and First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Vietnam. As of today, Hồ Chí Minh now also leads the Việt Minh independence movement.
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20 May 41
Another day of relative quiet. More redeployment was the main activity, with units beginning to arrive at their new depth positions and the front line (now somewhat thinned but still stoutly held) not under any direct enemy attack. At 2pm HQ 3rd Corps arrived in
Caransebes from
Faget and were sent south to take charge of the bulk of their units now developing the secondary defence line east of
Beograd. At 3pm, the fresh 10 Inf Div made it to
Velico Gradiste, the crucial east end of the new Turkish reserve line – a very good defensive position. And in the best news of all, the Soviet 156 SD
[EF] finished disembarking from its trains in
Zrenjanin at 4pm, plugging the last gap in the reconstituted front line. They were fresh, full of fight and soon madly entrenching in the difficult countryside. German panzers may have a little trouble attacking there! That said, the long green line is still quite thin.
Way to the south, the reallocated militia brigades had concentrated in
Tirane, while their garrison compatriots would soon do the same in
Skopje.
14 Inf Div was the next to arrive in the reserve line, which was beginning to take more solid shape.
“There must always be another line of defence. Let us make it as hard as we possibly can for the enemy to get our backs against the wall,” was Inönü’s guidance to his staff. For them, the
Calistar Line was that final wall. If
that fell, the Motherland itself would be next.
Again, no Axis air activity was reported that day.
OTL Event: Greece. The Battle of Crete began with an airborne invasion by the Germans. [Comment: let’s hope they never get their evil hands on it!]
OTL Event: Washington DC, US. Japanese ambassador to Washington Kichisaburō Nomura sent confirmation to Tokyo that the Americans were reading some of their coded messages. [Comment: If they are reading their messages in this ATL, I hope they’re getting ready to do something about it!]
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21 May 41
And back in the Motherland, the new strengthened
Adana garrison was now concentrated. They would keep an eye on those untrustworthy Vichy dogs in Syria – who kept sending their incompetent spies over the border.
Later that morning, 2 and 12 Inf Divs both arrived in
Zrenjanin from their hard defence of
Ada. Alas, neither was in a state to be used on the front line yet. 12 Inf Div was sent to plug the gap in the reserve line at
Arandelovac, while 2 Inf Div was deployed to the main theatre reserve gathering in
Beograd. Units there would be available either to hold the city or to push forward to help defend
Zrenjanin,
Ruma or
Sabac (again, once they were in a fit state to do so). Meanwhile, 1 Mot Div arrived in
Velico Gradiste, which was now strongly defended.
Again, the reprieve from enemy attack continued during the day, with Turkish forces making good use of the time to recover and harden their positions. 7 Inf Div arrived in
Ruma from
Ada at 4pm. But they had run out of supplies during their retreat from
Ada and were now in a parlous state. The decision was made to send them all the way back to the nascent
Tirane-Sofiya Line. If not needed down there after they had recovered, they could be used as a strategic reserve.
Simultaneously, the lightly armed and slow-moving HQ 4th Corps was ‘thinned out’ of
Kikinda. The defence was now left in the hands of the experienced 15 Inf Div (where young Corporal Metin Sadik remains alive and leading his squad - a mix of veterans and more recent replacements) and a Soviet division which it is hoped might stay there. Ominously, heavy Axis concentrations are building in
Ada,
Senta and
Timisoara. Young Metin may be in for a torrid time in the next little while. But for now the front remains quiet except for the odd probe and exchange of long-range artillery fire.
News Report: US. Reports have emerged that the American steamship SS Robin Moor was stopped in the tropical Atlantic by the German submarine U-69. The ship's crew and passengers were allowed to board lifeboats and then the Robin Moor was torpedoed and scuttled. This has created an international incident between Germany and the United States. [An OTL event on that day – no game effect.]
The SS Robin Moor – picture taken just a few days before the incident. The ship was clearly marked and the Germans knew full well what they were doing here. This kind of provocation will gradually wear down the resistance of the US populace to direct involvement in the war: but will the accumulation of such minor incidents be enough to bring them in? Or would it take something far larger and more damaging to provoke that?
OTL Event: Moscow, USSR. The Central Committee War Section met in Moscow. Joseph Stalin dismissed intelligence indicating a German attack on the Soviet Union was imminent, believing it was misinformation from the British trying to draw the Soviet Union into the war. When the head of Soviet intelligence argued with Stalin he was arrested and shot. [Comment: don’t mess with Comrade Stalin! Speaking truth to power there can be very hazardous to your health. Watch out, SkitalecS3!]
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Abbreviated Theatre Summaries
Selected summaries show what has been happening elsewhere in the Second Great War as at the end of 21 May 1941. Dashed arrows/icons represent territorial gains made since the last report (end of 16 May).
The
Patriotic Front has seen most fresh action in
Romania – but in some cases, previous Axis gains have been reversed. The
Northern sector has remained stable for the last five days – the previous rapid German offensive around
Riga has ground to a halt. In the
Centre and
South, the Soviets have actually retaken some ground, though retreated in other places. But no German breakthrough – yet.
Looking more closely at the crucial
Southern sector, below the Pripet Marshes to the Romanian border, the Soviets have held strong and conceded little ground in net terms over the last five days – and are counter-attacking recent German gains in a few places. Clearly, the diversion of the Germans to the Balkans has slowed their efforts here significantly.
As we have seen, things have been tougher in
Romania, but it is not all gloom there either. The Axis have succeeded in pushing south from
Cluj and east of
Timisoara and of course took
Ada, but the Soviets successfully counter-attacked the salient in the centre. The front still remains continuous, if tenuous, east of the
Yeniçeri Line. The new Turkish front line is marked in darker blue (‘Line A’), with the reserve line (‘Line B’, lighter blue) already forming east of
Beograd. If pushed back that far, the boundary past which Turkey does not intend to deploy troops has been marked in yellow. If the mountains and hills to the east of the border fall (or there is an Axis breakthrough further east), a general retreat to the depth
Tirane-Sofiya Line would be triggered.
A general report on the
Far East front will be provided subsequently – not too much has changed in the last five days, although Soviet defences furthest to the east seem to be dissolving. Of some concern is a pocket containing largely Tannu Tuvan and some Soviet troops. Given the catastrophic destruction of the bulk of the Soviet Far Eastern Army the previous year, this is the stuff of nightmares for the Soviets. The Turks hope they can escape in time (which they now seem to be attempting, at least).
No significant changes were reported in Libya or Sardinia.
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Coming Up: How long will the temporary pause in the Balkans last? And can the Turks hold when the next blows fall? Can the Romanians and Soviets hold on in Romania as they look to be doing in the Ukraine? Is the Far East a potential disaster, or just a largely irrelevant distraction? And how will the partnership of convenience between MI6 and S.I.T.H. work out? What of The Thorn? Will Luca, after debriefing and recovery,
really retreat to grow his tomatoes and olives? Will Hess stay in place, or ‘do his nut’ (as he did in OTL) and flee to England?
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