Bloody Revenge
1200 August 12th 1944
LXXXIV. Armeekorps Headquarters, Tours, France
The Allies had ships near Cholet, and this could be felt by the attacking German divisions who were under Allied shore bombardment. Nevertheless, the five defending divisions were slowly losing the battle.
Nothing could come to Allied help.
1300 August 12th 1944
15. Armee Headquarters, Avranches, France
Blaskowitz lost the race with the American divisions, but that didn't worry him too much as they were running out of space.
Instead of overrunning them, Blaskowitz would fill them with bullets and blood.
0630 August 14th 1944
III. Panzerkorps Headquarters, Zamosc, Poland
Von Rundstedt, after a meeting with von Manstein, met Field Marshal Model in his headquarters of the III. Panzerkorps.
"You know the plan. We can no longer trade space for time, and time has come to show them who's in command. Field Marshal Model, I hope you can do your best as you did in defending Stryj; now it's your turn again to take that piece of land back."
"As taking Stryj back means shortening our lines even further and making our position stronger, I will of course try my best to ensure victory."
"Not only that, but by attacking Stryj you'll leave some pressure from the other two Heeresgruppen. I have reports of more and more divisions amassing in the North, and we cannot risk another breakthrough like the one in Stryj. Remember Field Marshal, this time it's not a delay attack. It's a serious attack we need to win."
"This I will try to do. I only have one question: since this is the first serious offensive operation we start after Operation Citadel, will we be granted air support this time?"
"This is something I was going to tell to you soon. You need to hold out for some days pressing the Soviets in pure land combat. We know that Hausser is emerging victorious in his French campaign, and that his airforce is rarely needed now in that theatre, but we haven't been given authorization to move such airforce back to the Eastern theatre again yet. Ringel promised me he would soon do, however."
"That's good to know, then." the two knew whatever they needed now and there was little else to talk about. An attack against the weakest Soviet point and the most pivotal German point of defense had to be carried out.
0700 August 14th 1944
III. Panzerkorps Headquarters, Zamosc, Poland
At 0700 one hundred thirty-four German, Hungarian and Romanian divisions assaulted Soviet positions in Stryj consisting of thirty-six divisions.
Many of Model troops had rested enough, although many of them were still quite understrenght, especially the Hungarian ones, which would be withdrawn a few hours after the battle started.
Soviet answer was immediate, and many of the surrounding divisions came to help the Soviet positions in Stryj. Three hours into the battle, three more Soviet divisions arrived; two hours later, another three; meanwhile, a German breakthrough had disrupted some of the Soviets' organization, but by the early hours of the following day their number grew to sixty total divisions.
2200 August 14th 1944
II. Fallschirmjäger Korps Headquarters, Cholet, France
Six days of combat brought the last truly fit-for-combat American divisions in France to the knees of their German counterparts.
The II. Fallschirmjäger Korps would be the first to enter Cholet and complete the creation of another pocket.
Speer would be happy to know that Cholet contained quite a lot of useful material useful to German aims. The Americans liked to waste their supplie, or thought their troops would hold on forever.
0300 August 15th 1944
1. Armee, Orléans, France
Four divisions were trapped in Le Mans after the capture of Cholet, and five more retreating divisions would soon join them. General Burgdorf attacked even before dawn arose, giving the four divisions - and soon the five entering Le Mans - no respite.
Nine more divisions would start to count their last seconds of freedom.
0600 August 15th 1944
15. Armee Headquarters, Rennes, France
Rennes fell to German hands again.
The defending troops would retreat to Brest and gaze at the Atlantic Ocean for one last time in their life.
0700 August 15th 1944
III. Panzerkorps Headquarters, Zamosc, Poland
Morning brought new hope for the attacking forces in Stryj; an ambush attempted by Model did not change much in terms of odds, however. It would become another battle of attrition, and Model was confident that he could win such battle, provided that the Soviets wouldn't even out the odds with even more divisions.
The only thing that could swing things in the Axis' way was the presence of Fighters and CAS swarming uninterruptedly over the skies of Stryj. This, however, Model could only dream for the moment.
1100 August 15th 1944
15. Armee Headquarters, Rennes, France
The two retreating divisions from Rennes had a hard time trying to defend something in their current state.
"Something" was Brest in this case, but that made little difference.