Chapter 37: Split the Difference (9 December 1937 to 9 January 1938)
Prologue: Istanbul, 9 Dec 37
Braanszon
[with a silent 'z'] ‘BJ’ Guildenstern and Persephonee Fotheringay-Phipps
[pronounced 'Fungi-Fipps'] are visiting Istanbul, in search of what Guildenstern euphemistically calls ‘inspiration’. Persphonee (privately) considers it to be more akin to hedonistic self-indulgence and moral turpitude: but it pays the bills big-time, so she trails along with her boss and does her best to keep him out of terminal trouble. As always.
“This new national name gig is doing my head in,” BJ slurs through a daze of whisky and a haze of cigar smoke. “We need a distraction. For ourselves and our bosses. And for the people of Turkey – especially here in Istanbul. This year of wars is really dragging on.”
He leans back in a torpor of self-pity and
faux despair … then springs upright (spilling his whisky without caring). “I have it!” he exclaims. “What we need is a good old-fashioned Broadway style musical to improve the spirits, make the Path to Glory a little more entertaining along the way - and perhaps make a bit of money on the side.” He is by now very pleased with himself and rides his stream of consciousness as fast as it will take him: “I miss the good old days of Broadway shows, fast cars, fast women and fast bucks. This will bring a little slice of New York into the Old World.”
Persephonee thinks this is one of the best ideas Braanszon has had in quite some time. “Well, yesterday I ran into a visiting Broadway producer in the hotel lobby. He said he was here to take a well-earned break in between hits and gain his own 'inspiration',” she says, looking sideways at Braanszon with an unfathomable expression. “Though by the look of him, I think he was more likely fleeing creditors and trying to gain a bolt-hole where US debtor’s law would not apply."
A look of haughty distaste affects her otherwise faultless visage: "And his clothes had the look of once-fine but now worn threads that have been maintained well beyond their style shelf-life.” From Persephonee, that last comment is indeed a stern criticism.
“OK, OK. Let’s track him down and see what he can do for us!” the re-energised Guildenstern enthuses.
Later that day …
A hall way outside a hotel room. An elderly lady, richly dressed and with a chihuahua on her arm, is leaving the hotel room. She blows a kiss and waves goodbye to the man standing in the door, who responds in kind. This saccharine exchange continues as she heads down the corridor to the elevator. As she is about to get in, the man calls out to her.
“Don’t forget the checkee, Mrs Artunkal. Can’t produce playees without checkees.”
“You can count on me-o, you dirty young man.” Mrs Artunkal replies, all a-flutter. “Come along, Küçük. We’re going to be in show business, my little pumpkin!” She disappears into the elevator. As she does so, the man’s smile quickly fades and is replaced by a look of disgust. He hurries back into his room and closes the door.
Braanszon and Persephonee, who had been standing in an alcove and had witnessed all this, exchange a smile. They recognise one of their own kind: a charming huckster, out for a quick buck made in style. BJ knocks on the door.
The door opens. The man sees Persephonee first. His faint looks of distracted irritation disappears, replaced by an oily smile, as he takes in her stylish, expensive-looking and very attractive presence. “Ah, my dear, how delightful. To what do I owe this great pleasure?” As he takes in BJ’s lurking presence, his defences go back up a little, but he can still smell some lira in the offing.
“My, ah, business partner and I are looking to make an investment. We are both devotees of the theatrical arts and I understand you may be able to help us fulfil our artistic dreams.” Persephonee’s face lights up with her most innocent and beguiling smile. “May we come in?”
Not realising he is himself being played by a master of the craft, the door is opened wide and he sweeps his arm into the suite in an extravagant gesture of welcome. “Please do, my dear. Max Bialystock, Theatrical Producer, at your service.”
Broadway producer Max Bialystock cannot resist the seductive guiles of the lovely Persephonee,
with her glamor, style and upper-class English accent. It takes a swindler to trick a swindler!
But now, back to the harsh winter mountains and snow-covered plains of Yugoslavia as the fourth hard war of conquest for the year slowly approaches its denouement.
9 Dec 37 (D+41)
Recap. Our last report saw the final Yugoslavian lines of defence beginning to crumble. In the South, the Serbian Pocket is contained and being squeezed tight. In the Centre, Turkish and Romanian troops push west towards
Split against light resistance in most areas, except for a small pocket of Yugoslavian troops in the mountains south of
Sarajevo (though they have essentially been bypassed and are largely irrelevant). The Northern sector sees Romanian troops making good westward progress, with their 1st Armd Div in the process of breaking out on the far north of the front, as 1 Mtn Div continues its hard fight for
Tuzla and HQ 1st Corps races forward to support. In the West 15 Inf Div, having won the
2nd Battle of Nevesinje, moves forward to occupy the province and cut off the supply lines of any remaining Yugoslav forces to the east. The stage is set for victory, but the last few yards before the finish line are always the hardest – or in this case the most time-consuming.
Intelligence Update. Ögel reports that our spy strength in France remains at 10, with 5 more in reserve awaiting deployment. However, French counterespionage strength remains stubbornly at 5. Given the maintenance of our spy strength and reserves, he decides to keep our own counterespionage efforts in France at the top priority (three bars), but tech espionage operations are simultaneously commenced (two bars). Even though our Balkan conquests have been slowly increasing our leadership, we remain backward in this area and in need of any tech improvements we can find - or steal.
0400. In the centre, 1 Cav Div arrives in the mountain province of
Niksic and proceeds immediately west to
Gacko: next stop after that Turkish occupied
Ljubinje, linking up with our troops on the Adriatic front and ideal cavalry country along the coast from there to
Split.
1400. Half-frozen and with no organisation, but now in supply and most losses having been reinforced, the battered heroes of 3 Cav Div complete their tortuous retreat from
Nevesinje and arrive in
Ljubinje to regroup, awaiting their comrades from 1 Cav Div who are on their way from the east.
10 Dec 37 (D+42)
1000. 1 Inf Div arrive in
Vlasenica, just to the north of
Sarajevo, and attack west to
Zenica, where a Yugoslavian infantry division is attempting to hold the line. Further to the north, 7 Inf Div arrives in
Semska Mitrovica at
1200 and straight away rushes to join 1 Mtn Div’s attack on
Tuzla, where the battle continues. By
1400 they have joined it, in reserve for now but having swung the odds into Turkey’s favour. Yugoslavian resistance there is now almost exhausted, but their 15th Div fights on stubbornly.
11 Dec 37 (D+43)
1400. 3 Inf Div, still only at around 50% organisation after the earlier tough fighting in
Visegrad, arrives in
Rudo, just to the east of
Sarajevo, and holds there to recover further and block any wandering enemy units.
1600. A weary but proud MAJGEN Muzir reports that the
Battle of Tuzla has finally been won! His 1 Mtn Div is again very low on organisation, so will hold in
Tuzla while they wait for 7 Inf Div to follow up and pass through to continue the offensive. Another tough fight with heavy casualties, but more glory for the unit’s battle history.
Simultaneously, 1 Inf Div reports victory in
Zenica in one of four breakout thrusts now heading west along the front.
2300. Back in the Serbian Pocket, 17 Inf Div arrives in
Bosilegrad, to the south of the final province containing Yugoslav troops in
Vlasotince. That province is now surrounded by Turkish and Romanian forces, so the last desperate fight begins against these determined hold-outs.
In the north, the Romanian 1st Armd Div has made rapid progress, having pushed through
Subotica to
Slatina in only two days. They are now in contact with a number of enemy units, but while their progress has been checked and they must now defend, they have done their job well of protecting the northern flank and distracting the enemy from the critical objectives of
Sarajevo and
Split. Further south, 1 Mtn Div has reached
Tuzla and 1 Inf Div is in
Vlasenica keeping pressure on the enemy and not letting them settle - classic Turkish
RAW War doctrine. In between them, HQ 1st Corps closes in on the unoccupied
Zvornik.
11 Dec 37. Romanian troops engage Yugoslav forces on the northern front, where
significant enemy forces remain in the field.
12 Dec 37 (D+44)
1200. HQ 1st Corps arrives in
Zvornik and heads further west to
Zavidovici to extend the breakthrough.
13 Dec 37 (D+45)
0300. MAJGEN Namut reports momentous news:
Sarajevo has been captured! They almost apprehend the Yugoslavian Supreme HQ, but they escape under cover of darkness. A check of enemy surrender progress shows it is up to 93.3%. As previously assessed,
Split will still need to be captured to enforce a capitulation.
A postcard of Sarajevo in 1937. As there has been no heavy
fighting nor bombing of the city, it is largely intact.
0500. 7 Inf Div arrives in
Tuzla and is ordered to advance all the way to
Split: the race is now on to secure the last VP required to achieve victory in the war.
2000. That night, significant news arrives from the south: another tough battle has been won, this time in the last Yugoslavian stronghold in the Serbian Pocket, at
Vlasotince. More heavy casualties, more honour for Orbay’s 17 Inf Div
[Ed: a tip of the hat here to markkur’s ‘Orbay time warp’ in his UK Motorway AAR.]
Romanian and Turkish troops meet on the battlefield of Vlasotince. The Serbian Pocket is
finally liquidated. And the successful cooperation here means the Romanian commanders
need not fear suffering the same fate from ‘Capo’ Luca Brasi – for now, anyway!
15 Dec 37 (D+47)
1300. 15 Inf Div arrive in
Nevesinje. A last small pocket of Yugoslav troops is cut off in the mountains to the east. They will be largely left alone as they pose no serious threat, will eventually run out of supplies and are not relevant to the final attack on
Split. They must just be kept out of
Sarajevo. 15 Inf Div is ordered to rejoin the race to
Split, which it had to break off back on 23 November, when they were forced to turn aside to recover
Nevesinje from the Yugoslav counter-attack.
16 Dec 37 (D+48)
1000. We are still mopping up in the Serbian Pocket at
Vlasotince: The enemy's 1st Corps HQ had earlier tried to escape north-west to
Nis, where Artunkal’s HQ 2nd Corps were sent to prevent just such an eventuality. As Artunkal arrives, they turn the enemy back to where they came from. 17 Inf Div have almost reached
Vlasotince, so the end will come soon.
1400. More mopping up in the Pocket: 17 Inf Div has attacked and defeated the trapped enemy HQ in
Vlasotince, which is forced to retreat while surrounded. We’ll gather up the prisoners in due course.
17 Dec 37 (D+49)
0700. 1 Inf Div has arrived in
Zenica: they too join the
Race for Split [Ed: with apologies – of sorts – to El Pip and his ‘Race to Bratislava’ in his 'Inevitable Defeat' AAR. But at least there is a point to this race and now four divisions have joined it!] At the same time, in the south 17 Inf Div arrives in
Vlasotince, finally extinguishing the Serbian Pocket.
1900-2200. Back up north, 7 Inf Div moves through
Tuzla (and the recovering 1 Mtn Div) to attack
Doboj: it looks like they will catch the previously weakened enemy 15th Div before they can be reinforced by the stronger 8th Div. We just want to move them on their way with a minimum of fuss and casualties, to continue the advance. They succeed in doing this by
2200, suffering 44 troops lost to the enemy’s 51. The latter retreat to the north-west,
away from
Split.
18 Dec 37 (D+50)
0200. 1 Cav Div have made it through to the mountains in
Gacko and now have a clear path through
Ljubinje then over fairly open terrain along the coast to
Split. Although further back than the lead elements in the
Race to Split, the famed speed of Wehib Pasha’s division gives them a good chance of winning: they join the race!
1800. HQ 1st Corps arrives in
Zavidovici and continues westward at a more sedate pace: Inönü has no need to prove himself in anything so crass as a
race. He is content to see his forces press home to the final victory. Let
them impress
him!
21 Dec 37 (D+53)
2300. As units in the western sector hurry forward to
Split as best they can in mid-winter conditions, HQ 2nd Corps and 17 Inf Div embark on trains in
Nis and
Vlasotince and head toward the Adriatic front line. They will be available should any late Yugoslavian resistance be encountered.
26 Dec 37 (D+58)
1200. Fewer than five days later, HQ 2nd Corps has debarked from its trains in
Niksic and commences a rear area security operation against enemy troops holed up in the mountains of
Foca, south-east of
Sarajevo. More just to keep them occupied while our lead elements head west and
Sarajevo is secured.
1700. The largest identified concentration of Yugoslav Army units remains on the northern flank, above
Doboj (now in Turkish hands) and
Tuzla. Our main concern is to keep an eye on them and screen them away from approaching
Split, where they might interfere with our final operation to end the war.
27 Dec 37 (D+59)
0400. 5 Inf Div encounters resistance to their advance in
Konjic, which they intend to push aside while they advance towards
Split.
28 Dec 37 (D+60)
0600. A day later, the battle in
Konjic is won, with the last mountain province before
Split cleared out. Turkey loses 55 men, while Yugoslavia loses 34.
1700. Turkish units now advance on a five-province-wide front towards
Split, from
Travnik in the north through
Zenica-Sarajevo-Nevesinje to
Metkovic in the south, where 1 Cav Div is now moving along at speed. All these units are now three provinces away from
Split, except for in
Sarajevo, which is four distant. All serious Yugoslavian resistance has now ceased, except in the north (where a counter-attack is being made against the unoccupied
Doboj) and in the
Foca-Pljevlja pocket in the centre, neither of which now really matter.
Pljevlja has just been retaken by Yugoslavia, but the pocket is hemmed in on most sides by Turkish and Romanian units and is of no serious concern.
29 Dec 37 (D+61)
0200. The largely recuperated 3 Inf Div arrives in
Sarajevo, to ensure there is no chance of any Yugoslavian unit slipping in from
Foca while 5 Inf Div advances west to
Konjic.
1400. 1 Mtn Div, now sufficiently rested for combat again, is sent to
Doboj from
Tuzla, just to ensure the enemy unit attacking there cannot slip between our lines to cause any supply problems for our western-most units advancing on
Split.
1600. 1 Cav Div is now making good time in the south through open country. They have reached
Korcula, from which they attack
Makarska, routing some enemy stragglers (some infantry and a HQ) after a very quick skirmish.
30 Dec 37 (D+62)
1300. Cakmak’s 1 Inf Div has reached
Prozor, where they win a quick skirmish with the retreating enemy 13th Div, losing only one man to the enemy’s ten. They continue south-west towards
Split; with 7 Inf Div to the north in
Travnik, they are effectively screening 1 Cav Div’s advance to the south from intervention by the remaining enemy corps whose advance elements are now at
Banja Luka, also racing towards
Split.
2000. 5 Inf Div encounter more enemy troops - the 13th Div (again) - in
Konjic. This shouldn’t take long, but it again slows down their progress towards Split.
31 Dec 37 (D+63)
0100. Just after midnight, the short battle in
Konjic is over: 5 Inf Div loses 22 men, the enemy 13th Div another 17. They also flee to the south-west.
2 Jan 38 (D+65)
0000-0400. The new year had come and gone with no end to the war. 1 Mtn Div arrives in
Doboj, to head off the Yugoslav 8th Div attack from
Prnjavor, allowing 7 Inf Div to continue their advance from
Travnik. Four hours later, the Yugoslavians give up the fight, as soon as they realise defenders are now in place. We lose 8 troops and they lose 11 in this skirmish.
3 Jan 38 (D+66)
2100. Units in the
Race for Split are now closing in. 1 Cav Div has now entered
Makarska and has begun to advance on Split, which is unoccupied by ground units. 1 and 15 Inf Divs are further back: they will only be needed if the enemy manage to get a defender into
Split in the next few days, before 1 Cav Div can occupy it.
8 Jan 38 (D+71)
1800. 1 Cav Div arrives in
Split to win the race for the city - and the war. PM Inönü sends an emissary to King Peter II seeking his surrender, to spare further bloodshed. The lack of support from Yugoslavia’s northern (especially Croatian) provinces means their NU has been eclipsed by the loss of their major southern cities. The terms are for unconditional surrender.
With no fighting in Split, its attractive waterfront and port - seen
here on the evening of 8 Jan 38 - is occupied undamaged.
9 Jan 38 (D+72)
0100. The surrender terms are accepted: at midnight, both the conquest and wargoal of ‘acquire (all) Yugoslav territory' are enforced. The war with Yugoslavia is over, also bringing to an end the
New Balkan War that has seen Turkey become the master of the region.
A new Balkan Order has been established. Turkey, with its now proven Romanian ally, bestrides the Balkans and Asia Minor.
Immediate Aftermath
Luca Brasi, his work done, returns to Istanbul for some rest and relaxation. But in this troubled world, his services will no doubt be called on again by Intelligence Head Ögel. Victorious but tired from a year of glorious warfare, the people of Turkey, its Army, Cabinet and Leader pause to rest and celebrate. The next Chapter will deal with the reaction to the Yugoslav surrender; a campaign summary; and a review of production, research, diplomatic and political developments. Having taken stock, Cabinet will then turn its gaze to the next challenges, including the ‘Persia Question’ and the defence of the new empire. There is already much commentary and debate in the AAR Press and within Cabinet, but Atatürk and Inönü will, as always, consider all aspects carefully and come to a decision on all these vexed matters.
Coming Up: Surrender ceremonies are conducted and prisoners rounded up. The Turkish Press has a field day! Stocktakes, reviews, assessments and strategic planning occupy the Turkish leadership. A new theatrical production takes shape in Istanbul. Threats and opportunities abound. Will anyone sell Turkey an aircraft license (none seem willing to at the moment, even where there are good relations)? The thought of wasting production on more obsolete Curtiss Hawk 3s excites no-one, not even the Air Force Chief.
