The Dunkirk evacuation was a spectacular allied rescue operation organized by the Allies in the early days of World War II, but the evacuation itself marked the forced withdrawal of the Allies from the European continent and was a huge failure. However, the wind and water took turns, and after the Allies had gained a comprehensive advantage over the Axis group, it was time for the Axis group to begin to stage one large-scale retreat after another. There have been more than one evacuation like Dunkirk, and today, let's talk about the relatively unpopular Battle of Corsica and see how the Germans staged a scaled-down version of "Dunkirk".
Corsica was originally under the jurisdiction of the Vichy government after the defeat of France, but after the Allied Operation Torch, German and Italian forces quickly occupied southern France, including Corsica. Following the control of Corsica by more than 80,000 Italian troops in November 1942, the German SS "National Leader" Assault Brigade (14,000 men) landed on the island in June of the following year, and corsica's 200,000 inhabitants faced a total of nearly 100,000 occupiers.
▲ Italian troops stationed in Corsica, Italian troops stationed in Corsica more than 80,000 people of the 7th Army
After all of North Africa was occupied by the Allies, the islands in the Mediterranean became hitler's targets for strengthening his garrison, and the threat of Corsica to the European continent was also very large, and the flames of resistance on the island were quietly brewing. The Free French side sent successive troops to Corsica to organize the resistance movement of the local people.
Fred Scamaroni, de Gaulle sent him to Corsica to organize various local rebel forces, but unfortunately was arrested by the Italian secret police and committed suicide in prison in March 1943
At the same time, the submarine Casa bianca arrived at its destination loaded with members of the French National Liberation Commission and weapons and ammunition, arming the members of the island's resistance groups. Although the Germans and Italians tried to forcibly stabilize the situation in Corsica, as the Allies began a new offensive and the Italian government surrendered, the German-Italian occupation forces had to think of their own way back. On 8 September, General Giovanni Magley of the Italian occupation received telegrams from the Germans and the Resistance, respectively, and he chose to fight with the French.
Friction between the Italian and German forces on the island continued to increase, and in the early morning of September 9, the two sides exchanged fire in Bastia. The Italian garrison opened fire on German aircraft at the airfield, and an Italian ship that was about to set sail was attacked by the Germans and burned and sank. At dawn on the 9th, several German ships were shelled and destroyed by several Italian artillery battalions, and the captives were forcibly detained by the Italian authorities. On the same day, Italian troops and local patriots preemptively occupied castles, fortresses, and railway stations in the town, blocking the main roads of the city; the building where the Légion des Combattants (Fighting Corps) was located became the headquarters of the resistance of the "National Front".
On September 9, 1943, Ajaccio's resistance and popular uprising were unveiled
Ajaccio declared an uprising on the morning of 9 September, and the fiery tune of the Marseillaise resounded over the city, and the pseudo-government personnel immediately surrendered. Nearby Germans attempted to suppress the uprising, but were met with strong resistance from the resistance and were forced to abandon the attack on the 10th. Under the blows of the superior number of resisters, the German army was struggling, and even the use of roads was a very dangerous behavior. As a result, the port of Ajaccio was secured, and reinforcements continued to flow.
General Girold, fearing that the insurgents would face great danger, resolved to help them. He ordered the 1st Army of General Henry Martin to be sent to reinforce the resistance in Corsica.
The first French to arrive in Corsica was the 1st Assault Battalion, created by General Girod in April 1943, and under the training of Commander Gambiez, they possessed extremely high combat qualities, especially in melee combat. They were transported to the island by the submarine Casa Bianca, waiting for the arrival of the main force. From 14 to 17 September, they awaited orders to march and incorporated the battle sequence of the 1st Moroccan Sniper Corps, which landed from Ajaccio. The regiment consisted of French colonial soldiers from North Africa, accompanied by artillery and engineering units. Over a period of 10 days, a total of 6,000 people, 400 tons of weapons and ammunition, jeeps, fuel and supplies of food were transported to Corsica.
After arriving in Corsica, General Martin commanded with Magley, agreeing that the Italian "Friuli" and "Cremona" divisions would fight in concert with the French, and Girod also landed on Corsica on the 21st and personally took command.
French officers, Moroccan soldiers and local civilians together
In September, tens of thousands of patriots joined the Resistance, often without sufficient weapons, experience in armed struggle, let alone rigorous military training. In the first 8-10 days, they were fighting almost entirely on their own. The Germans have been launching counterattacks with the intention of opening the way to the western part of the island. In the south of the island, the troops of the SS "Imperial Leader" brigade were stationary at Sartène, a great threat to the Resistance.
The emblem of the 16th SS "National Leader" Division, although they received the official designation after they withdrew from Corsica
The Germans wanted to keep a few reserve depots that were vital to them, but the insurrectionary forces coming from all directions exhausted the Germans, the troops were not enough, and the transportation points were seriously threatened, so Senger decided to shrink the troops. From 17 September, he concentrated his forces on the eastern tip of the island in an attempt to hold the local coastal road and gradually withdrew his troops from the port of Bastia. In addition to the "National Leader" brigade, reinforcements from the 90th Panzergrenadier Division transferred from Sardinia also arrived. As a result, a total of 32,000 men retreated to the mainland with a large amount of equipment; an Italian paratrooper battalion also moved with them. Although Hitler had decided to retreat, the Germans had to guarantee control of the road in order to buy time.
On the Allied side, on the 18th they took control of the commanding heights around Bonifacio to Porto Vecchio, and on the 22nd they occupied several hills near Conca, but the 90th Panzergrenadier Division, which came to reinforcement, was strong, and the Allied blockade could only slow their speed, but was powerless to stop their advance.
The guerrillas were also ordered to join the fight against the Germans. On 23 and 24 September, partisans around Vezzani and Prunelli di Fiumorbo launched an offensive and captured the Airfields held by the Germans at Ghisonaccia and Borgo, depriving the retreating Germans of air support. At the end of September, the fighting progressed to Casinca. Without a military map of the area, the assault battalion hired a guerrilla as a guide. At the same time, the assault battalion recruited locals to form a 4th company. The local people actively provided food and water to the soldiers and acted as guides for the Allies.
On 30 September, the French launched an attack on the port of Bastia to prevent the Germans from retreating. Moroccan forces took part in the battle for the city and eventually entered Bastia on 2 October
At the end of September, the Germans all shrank around the port of Bastia. Allied forces approached the northeastern tip of the island from three directions. The port of Bastia was finally liberated on 4 October, but was greatly damaged by heavy fighting and American bombing.
The Germans finally completed this thrilling retreat, losing about 100 tanks, 600 guns and more than 5,000 vehicles of various types. During the battle, the French, the Resistance, and the Italians each suffered one casualty, and some were captured by the Germans — at least 25 of whom were immediately shot by the Germans. The fighting between the two sides in Corsica resulted in 1,600 German losses, of which 1,000 died and 400 were captured; 637 Italians were killed and 557 wounded; on the French side, Resistance casualties recorded 170 deaths and about 300 wounded, and regular troops 75 dead (including Cadet Michelin, the officer who first parachuted into Corsica), and 239 wounded. The damage to various facilities in the combat area was very serious, many bridges were broken, houses were destroyed, especially the port of Bastia suffered five consecutive US air raids, coupled with the bombardment of ground artillery, the entire port has been completely unrecognizable.
Bombing of the port of Bastia by the Allied Air Forces
Although the battle was small and the German casualties were small, it lost a lot of heavy equipment and had to be replenished after the withdrawal - this was the same as the Dunkirk evacuation. The French army, which had paid a heavy price for the Dunkirk evacuation, began the first step in the counterattack on the continent, returning all the humiliation to the Germans.
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