Chapter 163: Something in the Air (0900 15 February to 28 February 1942)
Recap. Action resumes where it left off in the previous chapter: the skies busy with air raids and dogfights in and around
Beograd; the SS attacking
Pozega again after having been beaten back from
Beograd; and two Afghan attacks that began just four hours ago. In
Ankara, Perse ponders a change of citizenship; in Italy, the Secret War seems to have turned in Turkey’s favour; and in
Baghdad Rosencrantz and Stoppard have been debriefed by Callan, where they are concerned about the possibility of Soviet infiltration of MI6. The US is yet to react to the various requests made of them by its Comintern partners at the Big Four meeting in
Tehran, but it is early days yet for that. It may take them months to build up their capacity sufficiently to make a genuine impact in the Asia-Pacific or European theatres.
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15 Feb 42
From 9am, Turkish fighters are engaged in two separate air battles. Over
Pozega, 1, 2 and 3 AFs are attempting to drive Italian bombers off (an Italian night raid had finished at 5am that morning, causing 113 casualties). And above
Beograd, 4 and 5 AFs had been intercepted by three Hungarian fighter wings. After three hours of aerial combat, the Italian bombers had been badly damaged and were unable to complete their raid in support of the SS attackers on the ground in
Pozega. The Italians were not seen again for the rest of the day. In
Beograd, both sides sustained damage, with one of the Hungarian fighter wings left in very bad shape.
The air battle over
Beograd continued in the afternoon. After another stoush with the Hungarian fighters, 4 and 5 AFs were withdrawn to rest, with 1 and 2 AFs ordered to intercept the Hungarians. Both sides had taken heavy damage by the time the latest dogfight finished at 4pm.
The fighting extended into the night, with 3 AF alternating with the two older wings to engage the Hungarians. The old Hawk 3s of 1 AF were heavily damaged by midnight, but all three Hungarian wings were now badly weakened.
Örlungat was determined to win this exchange – perhaps even destroy one of the Hungarian wings, or at least savage them. He continued to press the attack into the early morning.
Air Report. Apart from all the aerial combat, the morning raid on
Pozega by the Italians was the only damage caused on the ground, killing 113 Comintern troops.
OTL Event: Singapore. The Battle of Singapore ended in decisive Japanese victory. The Japanese occupation of Singapore began. [Comment: still a good way off in ATL.]
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16 Feb 42
A welcome advance in AT barrels and sights was completed and another round of upgrades was set in train for the specialist ‘home-designed’ AT brigades. The same teams were directed to then do the same for Turkey’s significant holding of field and medium artillery pieces.
With 1 AG (1 and 2 AFs) now carrying significant damage and being rested, 4 AG was ordered back up at 1am after their all-too-brief pause to engage the Hungarians and see if they could be finished off. Even with their previous damage barely dealt with, 4 AG now had more organisation than most of the other aircraft engaged. But in the end they weren’t required, as the Hungarians broke off at 4am, defeated after their last engagement with the fresher LaGG-3s of Gataly’s 3 AF. Rotation of wings rather than large flying circuses was again proven to be the superior way of conducting such running dogfights.
[Hats off to the AI there for managing it quite nicely. Well done Örlungat!]
In distant Afghanistan, a completely different type of war was being fought. The Afghan Royal Guard was in retreat
Kala I Mor and 47 SD in
Kashmar – now under Turkish command – was ordered to pursue them.
[There was no after-battle report, as I think they were attacked from the north by the Soviets. Or maybe because they had been under Soviet command when the battle started. Or something 
.] In
Herat, 1-13 Inf Bde was holding on against the numerous but not very well-trained Afghan militia, led by their inexperienced expat Italian commander, MAJGEN Bardolucci.
In
Pozega, the SS was making little headway against the well-prepared Comintern defences. As SGT Metin Sadik heard the familiar whizz-pftt of 7.62mm bullets flying over the earthen parapets of their entrenchments and the thud of impacts into sandbags, this was no great personal consolation. But the
Fighting 15th had certainly been in more desperate circumstances than this before. For him, it was an eternity since his initiation to combat on the
Dodecanese in their amphibious attack what now seemed like so many months before. With the Hungarians having vacated the skies and no incoming air raids, all the Turkish fighter wings were stood down at 7am. They would furiously conduct their repairs and seek replacement aircraft and pilots in whatever time they had left before the alarms went off again – as surely they would.
17 Feb 42
An assessment of the Secret War in Italy estimated that the enemy had only one counter-intelligence team (plus an unknown number of Axis stooges) in action and no reserves. An adjustment to priorities was made, with one third of the agents switched from counter-intelligence to technical espionage tasks. They would see if it was possible to pry a few secrets out of the Italian research facilities.
In
Pozega, a single Hungarian bomber wing began to conduct ground attacks throughout the day. But the damage was light enough and the position on the ground strong enough that Örlungat decided not to activate a fighter response at that stage. He wanted his wings refreshed for the next major challenge.
By midday, the War Ministry reported that 12.54 units of industrial capacity were now devoted to upgrading units: for Turkey, by far the largest such bill they had ever paid. And one of the most welcome: it would complement the coming army organisation reforms. The reinforcement demand had also increased – mainly due to the recent aerial combat losses. Together, the two were accounting for almost 10% of Turkish industrial output at the time.
A few hours later, a phone rang at 1st Army HQ in
Sofiya.
“It’s the land-line from Pozega, General,” said one of the HQ 1st Army duty officers later that afternoon. “General Gataly on the line.”
“Commander 15 Div, or of 3 AF?” One of the Gataly twins had been providing air cover for his brother on the ground during the recent battle.
“Er, 15 Div, sir,”
“Right, let me speak to him. Gataly? Inönü here. What is happening?”
“One word, Milli Şef: VICTORY!”
Once more the SS had been driven back with heavy casualties. Though not without loss on the Comintern side. Many brave Turkish and Soviet soldiers had perished. But not young Metin Sadik, who would be able to write once again to his mother back home after surviving another battle. Though he certainly now found himself in a ‘hot’ sector of the line.
In Afghanistan, the Soviet 67 SD had occupied
Kala I Mor to the north of
Herat, but the Afghan militia still pressed home their attack. While the enemy were taking casualties, 1-13 Inf Bde was also slowly being worn down. And relief was still some way off. The Turkish high command suggested
Kabul as an offensive objective for the Soviets, which would complement Turkey’s plan to strike there once they got their reinforcing divisions into place. And a closer look had revealed the mountainous capital also had fixed fortifications in place. It could prove a tough fight if properly defended.
Air Report. In three light raids, a single Hungarian TAC wing caused a total of 84 casualties in
Pozega.
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18 Feb 42
Agent SkitalecS3 received a report early that morning on the situation on the wider Patriotic Front. It did not make for cheery reading. There were no outright disasters but the Soviets had lost ground in both the Northern and Ukrainian sectors. Romania had also lost territory in the north, but had held or advanced the line in the south. The Axis was far from a spent force yet.
As usual, green marks the front line at the beginning of the month.
A period of relative calm descended on the Turkish sector in the Balkans, while the desperate battle for
Herat continued.
In
Ankara, Perse had decided she
would take up Calistar’s offer to become a Turkish citizen. It was where all her emotional energy was now invested and she was a smart enough operator to know it would also be in her personal best interests to demonstrate her loyalty by whatever means at her disposal. It may also open doors that otherwise wouldn’t be to a non-national. Perhaps even a promotion, in due course? The ceremony would be conducted sometime in March. For now, she returned to her work in the propaganda Department with renewed determination and diligence.
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20 Feb 42
A report from Afghanistan was waiting for Inönü when he arose that morning. Bardolucci’s Herat Militia had not only withdrawn from the attack on
Herat: it was spotted retreating eastwards.
“Executing textbook Italian tactics, I see!” remarked the President, to polite chuckles around the briefing table.
[Well, they had to, didn’t they? ]
A more Afghan-sounding General Daoud from the Kandahar Militia had taken over the attack, but it looked like 1-13 Bde had their measure by now.
Entertainment News: US. The comedy film Ride 'Em Cowboy starring Abbott and Costello was released. With [in the ATL, I stress] the popularity of the duo even greater in Turkey now due to the recent joining of the Comintern Pact by the US, the film was a smash hit after being dubbed into Turkish.
News Report: Moscow, USSR. Joseph Stalin marks the 24th anniversary of the founding of the Red Army with a statement broadcast to all Russians declaring that a "tremendous and hard fight" was still ahead, but now that the Germans had been "bled white for over a year and a half" the Soviets were confident that "the Red banner will fly everywhere it has flown before." [Comment: I’ve just edited some of the quotes a little to reflect the ATL.]
News Report: Washington D.C., US. President Roosevelt gives a fireside chat on the progress of the war. "We have most certainly suffered losses – from Hitler's U-Boats in the Atlantic as well as from the Japanese in the Pacific – and we shall suffer more of them before the turn of the tide," Roosevelt said. "But, speaking for the United States of America, let me say once and for all to the people of the world: We Americans have been compelled to yield ground, but we will regain it. We and the other United Nations are committed to the destruction of the militarism of Japan and Germany. We are daily increasing our strength. Soon, we and not our enemies, will have the offensive; we, not they, will win the final battles; and we, not they, will make the final peace." [Comment: words unchanged from OTL. The principal difference in ATL is the ‘United Nations’ is currently a Comintern-dominated grouping.]
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21 Feb 42
A report from Kaya (delivered at midnight, of course) alerted the military that an Italian resistance base had apparently been completed in the
Dodecanese. Fortunately, there was a garrison in place – it was hoped they could keep order if a rising was attempted. Kaya also sent information on the perceived revolt risk throughout the Glorious Union. It was worst in the Balkans away from major troop concentrations, in Arabia and Iran. Which was to be expected, really.
At 2am, a report relayed from
Herat asserted that the battle there was almost won
[11% in favour of 1-13 Bde], but the defenders would be quite badly worn out by the time it ended. And by 9pm that night, the battle was over and the Kandahar Militia was also withdrawing east. The isolated and outnumbered (by six to one) infantry brigade had given an excellent account of itself. A map showing the approach of other Turkish units indicated that the Turkish outflanking plan was coming into focus. But it may not have enough punch to take
Kabul if the Afghans had been able to properly organise their army by then. A little more assistance from the distracted Soviets
might be needed, but that remained to be seen.
22 Feb 42
A day later, 47 SD (EF) arrived in
Kala I Mor (due north of
Herat) and was ordered to continue advancing eastwards to
Qal ‘eh ye Now, to clear the southern flank for the two divisions earmarked for the northern sweep towards
Kabul.
On her way back from
Tehran, Cennet had stopped over for ‘consultations’ in
Ankara at S.I.T.H. She was briefed into the detail of her next task back in Italy. Following the
Tehran meeting and Turkey’s proposal for an invasion of Sicily, the pieces fell into place regarding her mission in
Naples to recruit and assist local Mafia muscle, through Vito Corleone. And the importance of developing those ‘business’ links in Sicily itself.
Before undertaking the trip back to
Naples (a boat from the Mark 1 ‘Eyeball’ Submarine Flotilla was to be placed at her disposal for a clandestine link-up with one of Corleone’s smuggling vessels), Cennet paid a call to Luca Brasi’s GENCO Olive Oil corporate HQ in
Istanbul.
“Luca,” she said with genuine regard as they met once more. “It’s nice to have the our ‘Old Firm’ working together again, even if you are running things from back here these days.”
Luca smiled – always a scary and insincere looking sight, even when he actually meant it – and nodded. An almost verbose response by his standards!
“Let us talk about the uses we may be putting the export and distribution network GENCO will be setting up in Sicily and southern Italy …”
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24 Feb 42
The Secret War in Italy was by no means over yet. A Turkish team was taken by Slovakian operatives, proving they were still active. The Italians had only one team still in the field but another was ready to deploy. The Turks though had
two in reserve: one to replace the loss and another on call if required. They new team was in position the next day, bringing Turkish strength back up to ten.
OTL Event: Ankara, Turkey. German Ambassador to Turkey Franz von Papen survived an assassination attempt in Ankara when a Macedonian student fired a gun that missed and then accidentally blew himself up with a bomb that exploded before he could throw it. Later it was determined that the Soviets had supported the attempt on von Papen's life. [Comment: This was too good not to note! Of course, in ATL von Papen was expelled long ago on the declaration of the Great Liberation War in mid-1940. But the sentiment remains! Some of Cennet's 'special home-made gnocchi' would have been a better option, I think. A diplomatic passport would offer no immunity to strychnine poisoning. ]
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26 Feb 42
The Turkish effort in Italy was now paying off handsomely: all Italian field agents had been eliminated for now and they had none in reserve. More agents were allocated to tech espionage – but counter-espionage remained highly active. They didn’t want to let the Italians (or their lackeys) get back into the game.
At 5am, the US 1 Mar Div ‘The Old Breed’ finally drew into
Istanbul after their leisurely procession along the coast from
Athens (they were marched at normal speed rather than railed). They now constituted the new theatre reserve, as well as being on standby for eventual amphibious operations. A curious Army Group Commander (FM Arikan) inspected them to see how they were trained and equipped. Their organisation was high, experience low, basic infantry equipment fit-out reasonable though not ultra-modern. But the Americans had spared no expense with giving their troops gear for all types of weather and terrain!
At 6am, Örlungat reported the new air base at
Kursumlija, south-east of
Beograd, was now fully operational (they could maintain and repair one air unit). It was possible a single fighter wing could be based there, to be closer to the
Yeniçeri sector and ensure all wings could be simultaneously repaired (
Beograd had a current repair capacity of six but had seven wings based there). The older 1 AF
could be detached from 1 AG and sent south, with the newer planes of 2 and 3 AFs linked together instead. No decision was taken as yet.
Entertainment News: US. The 14th Academy Awards were held in Los Angeles. How Green Was My Valley won Best Picture, and its director John Ford won his third Oscar for Best Director. The category Best Documentary (Short Subject) was awarded for the first time, won by the National Film Board of Canada's entry Churchill's Island.
27 Feb 42
The speed of Turkish research was improved by the introduction of a radical new technology: the first stage of electronic computing! Given recent heavy air combat and the vital role played by the Turkish fighter arm, the next research priority went to improve fighter ground crew training. This should improve turn-around times for all of Turkey’s older fighter wings, including those acquired from the Soviets.
28 Feb 42 – Monthly Summaries
With a quiet end to the month for Turkish forces in Europe and Central Asia, it was time for the President to review developments in the past month from around the world.
On the
Patriotic Front, things had deteriorated further since the last snapshot on 18 February. The Soviets were being pushed back on all sectors in Russia itself. The situation in the Ukraine was something of a worry, though Romania was, on balance, still holding. Air action again illustrated where the heaviest fighting had been during the final week of the month.
The
Northern Sector (now designated as everything north of the Pripet Marshes) had seen a disappointing breakout in the area of former Baltic States, where the month before there had been hopes of a Soviet offensive. The Germans had driven a wedge into the Soviet line towards
Vitsyebsk and had moved to begin surrounding
Minsk (see orange flag markers).
In the
Ukraine, the Germans were inching towards
Kyiv on a broad front. Axis forces had thrust through to the natural defensive line of the Yuzhni Bug River, reaching it just south of
Vinnytsya. They were also attempting to sweep along both the northern and southern banks of the Dnestr River on the Romanian border.
Romania, as we have seen, was a mixed bag. In the north,
Iasi still held but the Axis was again pressing towards it. But in the south, the defensive line based on the hills and mountains north and south of
Brasov had been restored, shielding
Bucharest and
Ploiesti from immediate threat. And safeguarding the Turkish right flank – for now.
There was no change of territory during the month on the
Yeniçeri-Danube Line – though not for a lack of trying by the Axis.
British Reporting
The situation in
Egypt was interesting. Amid attack and counter-attack, the during February the British had lost
Alexandria again, taken
Cairo, then surrounded
Alexandria and looked like they might be about to retake it, perhaps even pocketing some Italian divisions trapped there, even as an Italian rescue column approached
El Hamman to its west.
And at last, a British armoured formation had been introduced into the fray: by midnight on 28 February, the 2nd Armd Div (medium tanks) were trying to hold the ground they had seized south of
Alexandria in the
Battle of Ezbet Abü Keifu, waiting for reinforcements to arrive from the east as they fought off four enemy divisions. The situation to the south of that was more confused as the British-Iraqi forces and Italians seemed to swap positions with each other along the Nile. The British had also provided a summary of the forces they had in the sector.
The RAF also supplied a report on
air activity in the region over the last week. The Italians had aircraft based in
Alexandria, but numbers and types were not included in the report. The map also showed the situation in the south of Egypt. And a US submarine pack was patrolling the coast of Libya - useful!
In the spirit of post-Tehran cooperation, the British also provided information on their dispositions on the
‘Home Front’, where they still guarded against the threat of a German invasion (even if there was no evidence the Germans still had an active navy capable of doing anything much in terms of an amphibious assault of any size). To be fair, the British now had one of their only four armoured divisions in the Middle East. Though at least another and a MOT division or two, plus a couple more ‘foot infantry’ divisions could really make a difference in Egypt. The rather surprising location of the fourth armoured division would be revealed shortly.
South East Asia
Burma was quiet and the Japanese had been almost quiescent in Malaya, making only minimal progress since the beginning of the month. They had been a bit more active in the Philippines.
It was revealed that most of the forces present in
Malaya were actually from the Thais, either under their own command in the north, or as a Japanese EF in
Teluk Anson (or retreating
from it). The British had four fighting divisions present in Malaya at that time and they were a real hotch-potch. The big surprise was the 1st Armoured Division, commanded by MAJGEN Bernard Montgomery, in
Kuala Lumpur and spearheading an attack on the Japanese lodgement in
Teluk Anson, supported by the Singapore Command (a small infantry division) from
Kelang! It looked like the battle was still in its early stages. Funnily enough, Montgomery wasn’t in command of the battle: MAJGEN de la Poer Gough of the Singapore Command was leading But he was doing a good job by initiating a ‘shock attack’ on the Japanese marines of 4 Rikusentai. Then there was an Australian ‘marine’ division in the centre, and the Belgian MOT division at risk of being stranded in the jungle to the north, facing off two Thai infantry divisions.
Realising his coalition partners were unlikely to help those who wouldn’t help themselves, it looked like Churchill had finally started to instil some fighting spirit into his two most troubled theatre commands. The reason for his return trip via Egypt from
Tehran earlier in the month was also clearer now.
The Philippines
Manila had fallen a few days previously, as had
Quezon City.
San Pablo would soon fall to a concerted attack by three Japanese marine divisions. The Philippines fought on, but their will to resist was being sorely tested as they continued to retreat to the south of Luzon.
The Far East and Central Asia
Initial Afghan gains in
Central Asia were now starting to be rolled back from joint Soviet-Turkish action. No US forces had arrived in Kamchatka yet. Whether they would in time was unknown – a matter for the Soviets and Americans to sort out. Turkey had done all it could to bring the two together.
The Japanese continued to slice through Soviet lines in the
Far East – the only consolation being the vast distances involved. The question had to be asked: was this all worth it for the Japanese, given their other priorities in the Asia-Pacific? Were they being sucked into an ever-widening and more distant conflict in the depths of Siberia?
[Comment: this really could end up being their equivalent of the Sino-Japanese conflict in OTL. So long as it’s not also the Soviet’s equivalent of the German two-front war on 1914-18!]
A more detailed view of the
Western Sector shows there is still some fighting spirit left, with a Soviet attack on
Aktash in progress. Even if it seems a bit
optimistic. And the enemy may have overextended and are falling back from the tip of their spearhead, with a Romanian division deploying to try to scramble a defence.
Naval Report
The heaviest losses in the last month were felt by the British Royal Navy, losing a battleship, a light cruiser and a destroyer flotilla, all to the Japanese. The Soviets lost another submarine flotilla in the Far East (they have now lost 10 so far in the war). The Royal Australian Navy also had their first loss at sea: a submarine flotilla. On the Axis side, the Italian Regia Marina lost another three transport squadrons (they must have been sending them out unescorted again) and the Thais had another coastal cruiser sunk.
HMS Valiant was a
Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the Royal Navy. She participated in the
Battle of Jutland during the First Great War as part of the Grand Fleet. Laid down: 31 January 1913; launched: 4 November 1914; commissioned: 19 February 1916; refit: 1937-39. Displacement: 32,468 t; complement: 1,218; main armament: 8 (4 × twin) 15-inch (381 mm) guns. Sunk by
IJNS Haruna (BC) February 1942
[survived the war in OTL].
HMS Ajax was a
Leander-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. Laid down: 7 February 1933; launched: 1 March 1934; commissioned: 3 June 1935; recommissioned after refit: 11 January 1938. Standard displacement: 7,270 t; complement: 680; main armament: 8 (4 x twin) 6 in (152 mm) guns. Sunk by
IJNS Chokai (CA) in February 1942
[survived the war in OTL].
RTNS Dhonburi (Thonburi) was a coastal defence ship of the Royal Thai Navy and sister ship to the
RTNS Sri Ayudhya. Laid down: 12 January 1936; launched: 31 July 1937; commissioned: 31 January 1938. Displacement: 2,265 t; complement: 234; 4 (2 × twin) 8 in (203 mm) guns. Sunk by the
HMS Ark Royal (CV) in February 1942
[damaged, repaired, survived the war in OTL].
Midnight Express
It is likely that some or even all of the enemy spies from Mengkukuo and Slovakia were in fact caught in Italy, but the details remain highly classified
[! ]. Clearly, the fears of the three agents in
Baghdad were valid, with the agent caught earlier in the month (on 7 February).
Coming Up: With the Soviets being hit hard on both fronts and the distraction of Afghanistan, can they survive the next period of trial without something breaking? Will the British resurgence in Egypt and Malaya continue, or is it a ‘flash in the pan’? Can Turkey afford to wait until its reorganisation and repositioning is done before deciding to launch an offensive from the middle of the year? Or will events on the wider Patriotic Front cause a more precipitate response to help stabilise the front? Can Afghanistan be wrapped up quickly or will it become a long, drawn out and bloody distraction – as it so often has been throughout history? Will Italy be kept under control in the Secret War or will they and their cohorts be able to stage a comeback? What name will Perse choose for her citizenship ceremony? And will the US start to exert any pressure of its own in the Pacific, to help divert Japanese effort from their sorely beset Soviet partner?
