Post by Diarist on Apr 25, 2015 7:02:48 GMT 1
We took the train to Portsmouth and boarded HMS Rodney just before 10:00 - a few minutes later we left for Cherbourg. There were a few surprised faces when we introduced the commander of the French Mobile Corps - Lieutenant-General George P. Smith, (Smith is George Patton's middle name). Admiral Keyes explained the reasoning for this decision. The French members of our team went quiet when the two LTC's were told that they have been promoted to Colonels - in fact all the French personnel received a promotion. The team was also informed of the true nature of our mission - an attack against Italy if they attack Abyssinia. They were told that under no circumstances were they to tell this information to anybody else and they do not decide who needs to know. Only a handful of people in France know that we are not sending an Expeditionary Force to East Africa. The French commanders will be informed at the last minute. Our HQ is in Gibraltar because it is a long way from London, Paris AND Rome. The official HQ of the Expeditionary Force is in Toulon and once our plans are finalized we shall send people there to modify their plans as required. Only our personnel in Toulon will know the true plan. Our plan can only succeed if the Italians have no knowledge of the plan.
In Cherbourg a dozen French officers came on board. Admiral Muselier brought with him Rear-Admiral François Darlan as well as Brigader Jean-Baptiste Molinié. Admiral Darlan's mission is to ready the French fleet by mid-August - he will not be informed of the Italian plan. Admiral Musiler is Admiral Keyes Deputy C-in-C and Major-General Molinié will be LG Smith's Deputy Commander - he will be informed. The other members were Commanders and Deputy Commanders of the 4 Divisions assigned to the Mobile Corps as well as Major-General René Prioux who will be the commander of the armoured formations assigned to the Corps. LG Smith and BG Molinié went with Admiral Keyes while the remainder were informed about the Abyssinian plans.
Darlan was informed that all the French battleships will be readied including those designated to be training ships. Furthermore all capital ships will be receiving extra light and medium-range anti-aircraft protection. This has been made a priority at French shipyards, also on the Atlantic coast. General Prioux, who is currently commanding Cavalry forces in Tunisia, was informed that he will be receiving one, possibly two, divisions from French NW Africa as well as armour and artillery reinforcements from Metropolitan France. An extra wing from the Armée de l'Air will also be sent. This should deter the Italians from attacking Tunisia or transferring troops from Libya to East Africa. A similar build-up of forces is planned for British forces in Egypt.
The preliminary objective of the AEF is to capture the port and airfield at Assab which is the at the southern tip of Eritrea. We will be supporting forces moving north from French Djibouti. Our forces will then continue north to Tio then eventually threaten the main Eritrean port of Massawa. Further north a British force from Sudan will be heading south towards Massawa while a second British force will advance east from Kassala in southern Sudan into NW Eritrea to capture an important airfield. British forces will enter Italian Somaliland if Italian forces there attack Abyssinia. There goal is to capture the port of Kismayu as well as Italian supply depots in the south. Our main modification to the Cherbourg plan is that we don't fight with the Abyssinians in their country. We operate mostly in their colonial territory.
We finished the presentation in time for evening dinner and shortly afterwards we arrived at Gibraltar. More in my next entry.