Chapter 141: The Big Squeeze (1 to 4 July 1941)
1 Jul 41
Some more general reports were presented to the Milli Şef to follow on from the usual monthly summaries, to mark the mid-way point of the crucial year of 1941.
Turkey was clearly the second most powerful Comintern member after the Soviet Union in land forces, and now also in the air.
The US was still firmly neutral, though diplomacy from the UK ensured they were irrevocably within the Allied bloc in their sympathies.
[Three days later, President Roosevelt would make another significant speech on US Independence Day.]
As War Minister, Inönü also reviewed the allocation of the UGNR’s precious leadership distribution. Given he had the capacity to conduct 10 more diplomatic missions to the Soviets for any future licences, Foreign Minister Aras was instructed to make do with what he had at the moment. With the production of new units and casualties, officer numbers were starting to decrease proportionally
[had been up to 113% previously], so the small amount saved was directed there.
A new ‘cleaned up’ map of the Patriotic Front had been produced for the start of July.
The start point of the Great Liberation War (the borders as at 1 June 1940) is marked in red, current positions in green [as usual] to make changes since that time a little easier to see. The occupied Romania-UGNR border segment is marked in yellow.
Also, at the President’s request, a map of the proposed
‘Blue Line’ (the possible intermediate defensive line from
Tirane on the Adriatic to
Sofiya, then across to
Varna on the Black Sea) were provided. The first showed where that line lay in relation to the current Turkish sector. It was principally based on hills and mountains (except on the last two eastern provinces), with a small protective buffer around
Sofiya.
The first decision to be made early on the morning of 1 July was over the failing defence of
Rudo. Soviet reinforcements had not yet arrived, with 217 SD now apparently heading north-east to
Pozega rather than to relieve 17 Inf Div in
Rudo. 4 SD was approaching from the south-west but may not arrive in time to make a difference. Despite the odds, they had inflicted significant casualties on the enemy attacking them from
Visegrad. Köldecan was ordered to withdraw to join 3 Mtn Div, which was still working up to combat readiness in
Pljevlja, in the hills behind the Sava River.
The rest of the day passed with the forlorn Axis attack on 2 Mtn Div in
Nevesinje grinding away (another example of the ‘Haarde Way’ being taken by that unfortunate German divisional commander, who never seems to be given proper support for his attacks). There was no reported air activity during the day or indeed for the next three following.
OTL: Eastern Front. German forces captured Riga.
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2 Jul 41
In
Istanbul, the high life continued for many. At a nightclub, a Japanese piano-accordion player squeezed out tunes and requests. Currently, he was playing a composition of his own, though it did sound somewhat discordant: even for a squeezebox!
In the corner of the club, a man in a grey trench coat took shorthand notes. His colleagues scanned the crowd, looking for anyone paying especially close attention to the performance. They could find no-one obvious.
The note-taker looked up after consulting his jottings at the end of the tune. It turned out he was a cryptographer from the Interior Ministry’s counter-intelligence unit. “It’s definitely some kind of code, all right.”
“OK, cuff him boys and we’ll see if we can ‘squeeze’ some info out of him to crack the code as we take him back on the
Midnight Express.”
A couple of burly secret policemen nabbed him while he was back stage, so as not to alert any accomplices who may have been in the audience. Perhaps someone would be flushed out later – more likely they would go to ground.
That’s what you get for playing a piano-accordion in public: all of them should be arrested, whether spies or not! [Apologies to any players or aficionados out there, but, well … 
]
A message was also received at Army HQ noting supply problems for 3 Mtn Div: it is hoped these won’t persist or interfere with their working-up efforts. COL Diskoerekto will not be pleased if he fails to receive fresh supplies of his favourite beverages and food!
Rudo fell to the Germans at 6pm; the Soviet 4 SD diverted its move to
Pljevlja instead. A further request was made to STAVKA to help defend
Užice, where neither of the defending Turkish divisions was yet recovered to full strength.
17 Inf Div had made good time and now joined 3 Mtn Div in
Pljevlja. Having withdrawn while still in fair shape, given a little time they
should be able to recover a reasonable level of organisation before they would have to defend the river.
Entertainment News: US. The biographical film Sergeant York about the life of Alvin C. York was released, starring Gary Cooper in the title role.
(2:29min)
‘Sergeant York’, 1941. It may be about Great War One, but scenes not dissimilar to this are taking place all along the trenches of the Yeniçeri-Danube line. Almost exclusively infantry battles hard fought and without respite.
Late that night, word came through from MAJGEN Türkes in
Nevesinje: the German attackers had been thrown back in disorder, having taken heavy casualties. Vur ha!
“This is excellent news, My General,” said the duty officer enthusiastically.
“It certainly is, Captain. I will retire for the night - but as always, be sure to wake me if anything important happens.”
“Will do, General!”
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3 Jul 41
Just two hours later …
“General, I’m sorry, but you
did ask to be woken if anything happened.”
“Yes, what is it.”
He was handed a report:
“One this is Two Mike: contact 0100 hours. Four fresh Axis divisions, one Hungarian and three Italian, attacking from three directions. Defence is hard pressed by shock attack, out!”
It seems the first attack on
Nevesinje was a preparatory raid: the main show was now on – and there were no more replacements nearby to throw into the defence. For Inönü, despite the good defensive terrain, the numbers were telling and 2 Mtn Div had only just finished repelling the previous attack. The writing was already on the wall for this part of the
Yeniçeri Line, defended so long and successfully until now.
MAJGEN Türkes has now progressed to Sk1: it’s a rapid learning curve at the front!
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Cennet is now plying the theatre scene in
Naples, seeking to rendezvous with her new contact, a young up-and-coming operator making his name (and his bones) in the Neapolitan underworld. She was to meet him in the manager’s office of a small burlesque theatre. As she approaches the office, she witnesses a menacing scene being played out and stays out of sight to watch.
In Naples, Cennet approaches the back stage of a small theatre, where she has been directed to meet her contact.
“We'll talk about it tomorrow,” says a man sitting at a desk – the theatre manager by the looks of it.
“Tomorrow - always tomorrow. You'll pay me today! You'll pay me today!” says a heavy-set man in a white suit, broad brimmed white hat and sporting a gold tooth. He seizes a young woman standing next to the manager and puts a knife to her face.
“Not my daughter! Let her go! Here take all my money!”
The man in white takes money out of the box offered by the manager, releases the girl and walks away nonchalantly.
A young man, who has also been watching this tawdry little drama, then emerges from the shadows and approaches Cennet. “I’m Vittorio.” They shake hands – this is her contact.
‘Vittorio’, a junior but ambitious member of the Black Hand in Naples.
“I know what you're thinking," he says. "But that’s how things are here. Don Fanucci there is the local boss of the Black Hand. The whole neighbourhood pays him. They know they have no-one else to protect them. Maybe
I will provide that protection one day – as leader of the Black Hand.”
Don Ignazio Fanucci, leader of the Black Hand in Naples.
“Sure, good luck to you. But I come on business from my
patrone,” says Cennet. “Is there somewhere we can speak? Confidentially?”
“Come to my ‘office’ in the afternoon. Here’s the address. We’ll talk then.”
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Back at the front, the situation in
Nevesinje steadily deteriorates. By mid-afternoon, Inönü decides that sector of the
Yeniçeri Line cannot be held for much longer. 2 Mtn Div is ordered to continue to delay the enemy and soak up the attention of the attacking Axis divisions while 1 Mtn Div completes its retreat to
Gacko. It will also cover the withdrawal of HQ 2nd Corps to
Kolasin, and the construction of a hasty delaying line extending from
Pljevlja to
Podgorica and
Cetinje (marked in purple on the map below). 11 Inf Div would remain in place for now, to be withdrawn later that evening.
The main set of initial moves to reorganise the line was made at 3pm that afternoon. In
Valjevo, 15 Inf Div, now fully reorganised, would remain to cover the withdrawal of the other units there: 6 Inf Div would link up with HQ 2nd Corps to prepare a hasty river defence in
Kolasin, to the south of 3 Mtn Div. 3 Inf Div would move to
Podgorica. 7 Inf Div, sent south some time earlier to recover, was sent back forward to prepare the defence of the hills of
Centinje on the Adriatic coast. HQ 1st Army Group would be redeployed from
Sofiya to
Istanbul, replaced by HQ 1st Army, which would finally leave its long-time base in
Kraljevo: it now found itself far closer to the front than it had been weeks before. HQ 1st Corps was ordered out of
Beograd into
Pozega, its slower movement rate a potential problem if
Beograd became more isolated and a quick withdrawal was necessary. 11 Inf Div was ordered out to
Podgorica at 11pm, once HQ 2nd Corps had a bit of a head start and when 1 Mtn Div was almost in
Gacko.
These developments triggered the calling of an Emergency War Cabinet meeting to convene in
Istanbul the following night, to decide what to do next. The initial moves were just a short-term tactical response to the anticipated breach of the line at
Nevesinje: whether there would be a serious attempt to continue holding the
Yeniçeri-Danube Line beyond 4 July would be decided at the Cabinet Meeting.
OTL: Eastern Front. The Battle of Białystok–Minsk ended in German victory. 290,000 Soviet troops with 2,500 tanks surrendered in the Białystok pocket. Joseph Stalin made a broadcast calling on the people of the Soviet Union to pursue a scorched earth policy and conduct guerrilla warfare against the invaders.
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That evening, Perse was a prominent guest at a cocktail reception for British expatriates in
Ankara. She mixed easily – and glamorously – among the British and Turkish guests. Here at least, she could talk enthusiastically about her admiration for Winston Churchill – now British Prime Minister and no longer a political outcast – among fellow countrymen. The relationship had become warmer since both countries found themselves sharing a foe, though it would be going too far to say there was deep mutual regard. But Turkey had come to France’s aid in 1940 when the then Government of Chamberlain had done nothing to help them. So British opinion was mixed regarding Turkey: tinged with a degree of guilt over the fate of their two principal allies, Poland and then France. But also lingering suspicion about Turkish expansion in the pre-war years, especially in Greece.
Perse mixes among the influential guests at the British Embassy reception. She has many men paying her close attention – though not Tom Rosencrantz: the firebrand Communist activist is persona non grata at the British Embassy.
“So lovely to meet a true English Rose here among the cultural wasteland of Ankara!” oozes one ingratiating Englishman.
“We all serve as we must in this time of war,” replies Perse, attempting to give him the brush-off. “The Turks may not be to our liking sometimes, but they fight the common enemy. And I help them do it.”
“Each to their own,” he says. “Perhaps you could offer me some –
personal advice.”
“Some other time, perhaps,” says Perse as she deftly avoids this unctuous suitor.
What an odious little creature, she thinks to herself.
Not like darling young Tom at all.
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4 Jul 41
Another contact report was received on the secure land line from HQ 3rd Corps during the early hours – the ‘dog watch’ – this time from
Pozarevac on the until-now quiet
Danube Line:
“This is Yamut. The enemy – Germans and Hungarian infantry – are trying to establish a bridgehead across the Danube in Pozarevac, attacking from Panavo and Vrsac. They are having a hard time of it so far. All looks fine for now, but I will let you know if they bring up reinforcements.”
“Very well sir. Should we inform the Milli Şef? He is resting.”
“I think this can wait till the morning. I’ll let you know if things get urgent.”
A rare direct report from the Far East is received not much later: the Romanians had occupied the Mongolian province of
Ulankom, just south of
Kyzyl, after the fall of their ally. The Japanese were now in possession of it, giving a second flank on the Tannu Tuvan capital. The Romanians, through Agent RasaUrs75, also reported that a number of Romanian units had been released to return to their homeland and, accompanied by some Soviet formations, are now approaching from the east, north of the Crimea.
The Romanian sector of the line is currently quite active, with the
Baja de Arama Gap now being plugged by at least one Soviet rifle division, with others approaching from
Lupeni.
The next news to break was a new Axis attack on the 15 Inf Div rear guard in
Valjevo: the enemy had waited until the other two divisions had exited before commencing a strong assault, enveloping the defenders from three directions, outnumbering Gataly’s veteran division by four-to-one. 15 Inf Div would only be asked to hold for a short time – otherwise they would be badly damaged. Following their withdrawal,
Beograd would be left in a salient. The attack on
Pozarevac continued to the west.
The new holding line when 15 Inf Div is withdrawn is marked in purple.
With expenditure on upgrades and reinforcements lower than in recent days, there was enough excess industrial capacity to put two new militia brigades into training. They would be ready in just a little over two months and could either form a new binary militia division, augment one or two of the current binary militia divisions holding on the
Blue Line, or be added to bolster HQ 4th Corps.
1 Mtn Div finally completed its tortuous retreat to
Gacko from
Nevesinje at 10am. It was immediately put on trucks and sent to the mountains of
Podgorica, where (if it could recover in time) it could be of great defensive value. The tactical positions in
Nevesinje and
Valjevo continued to steadily worsen – the kind of constant pressure that staff officers had begun to refer to as the ‘big squeeze’.
Three hours later, as 15 Inf Div prepared to pull out of
Valjevo, the defences of
Pozega were reviewed. 1 Cav Div was back up to full efficiency, but both 13 Inf Div and 3 Cav Div had recovered less than 50% of their organisation. They were defending open country with no river to provide an obstacle to an attack from
Valjevo.
2 Mtn Div was ordered out of
Nevesinje at 9pm that night, their screening job completed. With the enemy now advancing on
Metkovic, there was no desire for them to risk being outflanked and cut off. Given the odds, they had accounted for themselves as well as could be expected.
An hour later, 15 Inf Div was also ordered to fall back from
Valjevo to
Pozega before they were too badly mauled. Corporal Metin Sadik would live to fight another day – as would those of his squad members who had survived to that point. But casualties had been heavy – being caught outnumbered and in the open, even without enemy air attack, had proven costly. The only Axis attack still being contested was at
Pozarevac, where the situation remained relatively favourable: though a German panzer division had now been spotted assembling in
Vrsac.
OTL: Eastern Front. The Germans captured Ostrov in northern Russia and a bridge over the Dnieper at Rogatchev.
News Report: Washington DC, US. President Roosevelt makes an Independence Day broadcast warning that "the United States will never survive as a happy and fertile oasis of liberty surrounded by a cruel desert of dictatorship. And so it is that when we repeat the great pledge to our country and to our flag, it must be our deep conviction that we pledge as well our work, our will, and, if it be necessary, our very lives."
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Emergency War Cabinet Meeting of 4 July 1941 - Agenda
The agenda for the meeting, to be held in
Istanbul on the night of 4 July 1941, is below. Notes broadly describing the intent of each option are also included.
[For the purposes of consideration, we will assume all readAARs received this agenda earlier in the day and assembled that night as the war continued until midnight. Any decisions by the Milli Şef following the Cabinet meeting would be implemented early on the morning of 5 July.]
War Ministry and Supreme HQ descriptive notes for each option:
Option 1: An immediate and expeditious withdrawal to the Iskandar-Calistar Lines. No formal intermediate delay positions will be occupied, once an initial fighting withdrawal is conducted from current positions. The intent is to make as clean a break as possible, minimise casualties and ensure the Army of the UGNR is preserved for the fight ahead and manpower is not wasted in defending inferior lines before those already prepared. The key centres of Beograd and Sofiya would be surrendered, while the defence of Romania will be the responsibility of the Soviet and Romanian Armies.
Option 1: 'Precipitate Withdrawal' or 'Plan Yellow'.
Option 2: Continued initial delay on the Yeniçeri-Danube Line followed by a withdrawal in depth to the Iskandar-Calistar Lines. The current Yeniçeri-Danube Line will be held for as long as possible, including the use of local delay lines. Badly damaged units will be the first to be withdrawn and will be moved by strategic redeployment straight back to the Iskandar-Calistar Lines, as under Option 1. The aim will be to impose maximum delay in superior defensive positions (ie current and final), though risking some increased manpower losses in return. The hope would be the additional delay imposed will allow initially withdrawn (thinned) units to reconstitute in depth by the time the rearguard units arrive at the final defensive lines.
Option 2: 'Shoot and Scoot' or 'Plan Green'.
Option 3: Maximum delay using an intermediate defence on the Tirane-Sofiya-Varna (Blue) Line, followed by an anticipated withdrawal in depth to the Iskandar-Calistar Lines. Based on a light initial delaying defence of the Yeniçeri-Danube Line, with a significant number of units immediately beginning to occupy and fortify the Blue Line from Tirane-Sofiya-Varna. A further withdrawal to the Iskandar-Calistar Lines would be anticipated after further delay has been imposed at the Blue Line. Aim is to keep Beograd, Sofiya and Romania in the war as long as possible and impose maximum attrition on the enemy. Of course, this option exposes UGNR forces to the highest degree of risk and would absorb additional manpower for reinforcements.
Option 3: 'The Bitter End' or 'Plan Blue'.
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Summaries
In the first four days of July, on the
Patriotic Front the Soviets and Germans have exchanged ground in Russia, with no more ground conceded (yet) in Romania and just
Rudo lost in the UGNR. But more ground is on the point of being conceded in the Balkans.
The provisional 'Blue Line' in the Balkans has been marked for reference.
In the Balkans, the
Battle of Pozarevac continues in the Turkish sector. The odds remain favourable, despite 11 Pz Division recently joining the enemy reserve. The wooded river line is proving a significant obstacle, while having a superior commander (General Yamut, Chief of the Army and Commander 3rd Corps) in charge of the defence has also paid dividends, 14 Inf Div being one of the formations without a dedicated leader.
The situation in the south of the
Romanian sector remains fluid, with
Baja de Arama now seemingly firmly held, securing the Turkish eastern flank and providing a strong position for the rest of the Soviet units caught in the
Lupeni Salient to withdraw through. But to the north of that, the line looks insecure, with a number of Comintern units withdrawing in the face of Axis attacks.
And by midnight, the staged realignment of the western flank of the
Yeniçeri Line was progressing. Whether there would be an attempt to seriously hold this line or a more general retreat would be sounded was to be determined at the Emergency War Cabinet Meeting being held late on the night of 4 July.
The
Far East continued its slow descent, with Tannu Tuva now seriously threatened.
AuthAAR’s Note: My two (and a bit) week holiday now commences. This will allow those catching up on the story some time to do that and to have a good debate in Cabinet over the broad strokes of what to do next in the Balkans. I’ll still be checking in during that time, but no further update is likely until approaching mid-December. In essence, the main questions are: should we attempt to hold the current line for a while longer and endure the Big Squeeze of the Axis? Is the Blue Line worth attempting to hold for a while? Or should we cut our losses and go all the way back to the Iskandar-Calistar Lines (great terrain, narrow fronts, forts and provincial AA defences) when it is decided to break from the Yeniçeri-Danube Line?
Thanks to everyone (readers and contributors) for your support!
