Up next is France, and I have a plan for post-war Germany. Let's just say, it's going to be somewhat different from OTL.
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Up next is France, and I have a plan for post-war Germany. Let's just say, it's going to be somewhat different from OTL.
Considering the changes and uphevals in the Timeline we have had recently and which are still to come I have decided to end Book Two here at this point.
Coming as soon as I have had some time to think things over, probably by tomorrow or so:
Coming as soon as I have had some time to think things over, probably by tomorrow or so:
I can´t wait....
Nice cover picture by the way
British Battleship in the mist of war.
Nice cover picture by the way
British Battleship in the mist of war.
The last update was a nice change of pace and well done.
Looking forward to the start of the next part of the story.
Looking forward to the start of the next part of the story.
Hehe. Anyway. My regular keyboard is due for replacement after nearly five years ( ) and therfore the next update will be slightly delayed, as I will by a new one on saturday.
And Thanks.
) and therfore the next update will be slightly delayed, as I will by a new one on saturday.And Thanks.
Heh. I've had the same computer since 2002, no upgrades except some RAM.
The fan finally gave out, I think.
The fan finally gave out, I think.
Heh. I've had the same computer since 2002, no upgrades except some RAM.
The fan finally gave out, I think.
Yeah. I only retired my old comp when I had money for my current one.
That being said, the computer still works. The fan just doesn't. In other words, it needs to be repaired ASAP.
Same here. The only thing of my old comp that doesn't work is the DVD drive. I ripped it out and used it to replace the shitty one that came with my new Computer. I voided the warranty, but I don't give a rats bottom. I want to watch DVDs.
With a slight delay due to me forgetting to buy a USB/Ps2 adapter for the new keyboard and my genious to use the one from the mouse and plug the mouse directly into a USB port, work has resumed.
Good. Because I plan to do an all-nighter and try and wrap up France this weekend.
Chapter 132
11th August 1940
Hazebrouck, France
“What do you mean, spearhead?” Lieutenant Colonel Niemczyk VC asked General Hobart. “We are barely at forty percent strength, and most of the vehicles I have either need depot-maintenance or should be chucked out altogether.” Calming himself Jan said: “With all due respect General, we are in no shape to do what the frogs are proposing!”
“I know all that Colonel, but please bear in mind that a rough third of the French Army is in that pocket, and they are running low on practically everything.” Hobart declined to tell the Colonel that the French Army was torn apart by internal division, something that was kept from the public, and something that the French tried, and failed, to conceal from the British. Any officer with two eyes could see it. Over the last few weeks two factions had emerged. One led by men around the Prime Minister and General Giraud, who was commanding the pocket, and another one around friends and supporters of former General Weygand. He was also vocally supported by Petain, one of the greatest French heroes, and because of this Hobart was worried. Churchill was also worried, and if the Prime Minister of the British Empire was, then so was the Imperial General Staff. As a result, Vice Admiral Ramsey, CinC Channel Naval Forces was to have the transports standing by, if the BEF had to be extracted fast. Niemczyk did have a point though. Many of the BEF units were understrength, and despite the relative lull of the last few weeks, little replacements had found their way over the Channel. From an intellectual and military perspective Hobard understood this, but when he saw the exhausted, overworked and battered troops of his Division, and especially the 2nd Royal Hussars that had seen the most combat of all units in the BEF, then rage boiled inside him. His was not to reason why though, and as a British Officer he did what he was told. “Anyway, Colonel, you won't form the actual spearhead. The Peshawar Lancers will scout ahead of you, so you will only be the second in the line.” Niemczyk merely grunted and saluted Hobart, turned on his heels and walked back towards the car that was to take him back to his Regiment. Detailed orders would be carried over by courier, so there was no point in keeping the Colonel here any longer than needed.
On the appointed time the Armoured Cars of the Peshawar Lancers Regiment cautiously probed forward. Despite being one of the oldest Regiments within the British Army, the Indians serving in it had never served outside of India and had only changed their mounts for their Morris CS9 Armoured Cars in 1938. Still, they had proven to be as adept at scouting missions in Cars and in France as much as they had been in the Kashmeer region of India. So good in fact that the Indian scouts were getting a reputation not only amongst the British and Allied troops, but also among the enemy, where they were more known to be fierce fighters, on par with their white counterparts and only surpassed by the Gurkha that were fast becoming the bane of the Axis Armies. Contact was made soon. A car from 2 Squadron encountered a four man patrol from a German Infantry Division that was holding the western approaches to the area west of Lille. Shots were traded, commanding Officers notified and the Germans now knew that something was happening. However, in a stroke of luck for the British, the Division Commander on the German side dismissed the news about British movements as a mere probing attack, and declined to alert the neighbouring Divisions or even his Corps commander, therefore delaying the Axis response by a critical half hour, because by the time the German and Soviet Commanders were aware something was odd, the 2nd Royal Hussars were already smashing through the German lines, their commander staying behind in a Mathilda that had been shanghaid from the passing Brigade of them that was permanently attached to the 7th Armoured Division. Jan liked the heavier Armour, but the fact that the Mathildas were relatively slow when compared to trusty old Battleaxe and carried the same gun to boot made him wish for a Crusader that would have allowed him to keep up with his Command. Still, so far everything was going well.
“Colonel, 2/B Troop reports they have overrun what seemed to be the remnant of some sort of Command post.” “Tell them to push on. Leave that for the blokes in Intelligence.” “Yes, Sir.” What remained of the Regiment was formed up in a wedge formation, forming an ever-widening breach in the German lines that separated them from the starving French troops in the pocket. On their flanks motorized Infantry was widening the breach and mopping up the pockets of resistance. It was a perfectly executed armoured breakthrough with the subsequent exploitation. However, by the time half of the way to the French positions had been made, Able Squadron was ambushed by a group of German Self-propelled Anti-Tank guns, and suffered losses. Jan had the Squadron hold in place, whilst the others turned the flanks of the German position. However, when they breached the flanking Infantry positions, they were in turn attacked in the flank by a small group of German Panzer IIIs. The first news Jan had of this was when a narrow shot from a 50mm gun bounced off the hull armour. “HALT, IDENTIFY!” he yelled over the racket of the battle around them. The Mathilda ground to a halt and the turret swerved to the starboard side, trying to find the enemy Panzer. “Identified!” the gunner, whose name Jan couldn't remember for the life of him, yelled. “SHOOT!” The 6-pounder belched fire and slammed into the body of a German Panzer III, penetrating the hull and exploding inside. Looking for a new target, Jan noticed that the little fight was over already. All in all about four or five German Panzers had counter-attacked the British and been smashed. “All Charger units, report in.” he said into his throat microphone. Much to his relief, no major damages were reported and the unit remained combat capable. The drive to relieve the French pocket was merely two hours old, and they had already covered two-thirds of the way. The British ploughed on, reaching Lille at about mid-day. From there caution was to word, because if they fired without identification as was normally proper in an area as hostile as this one, and.. “Men, dead ahead, 300 yards.” Looking out of the viewslits he saw them and grinned. They where wearing French Uniforms, waving the tricoloire and slowly walked towards the British Tanks. When the Mathilda reached them, one of the Frenchmen, trying to ignore the Vickers LMG aimed at him, said in heavily accented English: “Commandant Le Rouge, 1st French Infantry Division. We are very glad to see you, Colonel.”
Over the next few days massive battles were fought all over the edges of the thin Allied Corridor. British and French troops fought and died en masse in order to let their besieged comrades escape, and when the Allied lines finally yielded and the troops were withdrawn to their starting positions, the bulk of them had escaped. At the same time things were about to become even more complicated.
15th August 1940
Somewhere in occupied Holland
The posting was as backwater as one could get in recently occupied Holland and in a country whose Government was in London making defiant broadcasts and whose Air Force was reforming as part of the “Allied Airfleet” with British Equipment. Still, the depot was quiet and the four German soldiers on duty were quietly trying to decide how to spend the night, trying not to think of the four poor sods outside that went on patrol. Aside from occasional Air traffic both to and from England nothing much happened here, as long as no passing unit requested whatever supplies it needed. The next unit stationed near there was the 212. Infantry Divison, tasked with defending their little strip of coastline against any allied flanking. So when they heard the engines, they did not pay it any notice, as it was a problem for the Luftwaffe. However, the sound grew louder and louder, and by the time they looked up, the last thing they would have seen were it daytime would have been twelve 1000-pounder bombs being released from three British Aircraft of a type that was as new as the occupation of the Netherlands. However they saw nothing ever again, as the bombs struck and pulverized the depot. The three planes that had conducted this little field test at the behest of Bomber Command, were indeed brand new. So new in fact that the glue holding together their wooden structure had barely dried and that the Germans had so far heard mere rumours about it. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin Engines that produced more power than those that were currently fitted in the Spitfire, the de Havilland Mosquito was the fastest bomber in the British Inventory. Very much a rush job, the plane had been hastened into production so fast that Axis Intelligence was still classifying it as a prototype. This attack would not prove them wrong, as by the time anyone noticed that the depot had been destroyed, the planswere already gunning for the Channel and home. The Mosquito was one of many new war machines that would enter Service over the next few months, and one that was to be as much an Icon as the Spitfire or the Lancaster and that would set the tone for British tactical bombers for decades. At the same time as the British
planes landed and their crews went for a quick debriefing with their Officers, Sir Charles Forbes, in his respect tactical Commander in Chief Home Fleet was walking towards a dockyard near Newcastle upon Tyne to inspect the much delayed work on a ship that was supposed to join the Fleet this December but would be delayed until early 1941. When he reached the pier, he could see the massive superstructure of what was HMS King George V looking over the top the buildings surrounding the harbour. Camouflage was impossible at a ship of this size, and as that blasted Cunningham was too happy to direct any attention away from Harland&Wolf where two more of his Carriers were under construction, no attempts to really disguise the ship had been made.
Despite the delays and the fact that he was a firm member of the Gun faction, Forbes had to admit that Cunningham had a point, as anything that understated the strength of the Royal Navy in the minds and estimates of the enemy intelligence Officers was a good thing. It would lull the enemy and hopefully make him divert resources and attention to other areas until the Fleet reached it's projected Wartime strength of roughly ten new Battleships and ten new Carriers at least. At this notion he looked over to the second berth where HMS Duke of York was in a similar state as KGV, due to launch in two weeks in the presence of his Majesty. Forbes had just come from London and a rather dreary meeting at the Admiralty, where he had been informed that work on the Lion-Class was halted until further notice. Walking up to the gangway that led to the ship, he noticed once more that work on the ship was of a relatively low priority. Fewer workmen than expected were milling about. On the whole though she had made great progress since he had seen her last. The Superstructure was almost finished, only the antennae where the RDF set would be located was missing. He could also see that the turrets were still missing their guns, leaving only two and four gaping holes respectively that were covered with plywood to keep the interiors dry. None of the other armaments had been installed yet either, but despite all this, the ship already gave a good impression of it's massive size. Inside chaos reigned. It was organized chaos, but still. Sailors, workers, RN Officers and contractors were milling about installing one bit of equipment or other, painting the steel walls, carrying materials, everything. 'Yes,' Forbes thought. 'Yes, she will show them all.'
[Notes: It will take decades to rebuild Belgium and Northern France. All of the territory this update is set in has changed hands at least a couple of times. Up next is, shall I say.. HOLY GIANT CHAPTER BATMAN!]
Try listening to 633 Squadron when you read this...great update, and nice to see work on the KG5s going on...
Hopefully the rescue of the bulk of the trapped French troops with give heart to those who wish to continue the fight and silence those who do not.
Nice Mosquito action!
Nice Mosquito action!
Kurt_Steiner Indeed it has. Prepare for daring aerial exploits!
Griffin.Gen A few nice toys. Mostly small arms for now though.
Le Jones That was the idea.
Hardraade Hrm. The ordinarly squaddie is willing enough...
all So, would you want the rest of the Battle of France in one giant update or several smaller once posted one after another?
Griffin.Gen A few nice toys. Mostly small arms for now though.
Le Jones That was the idea.
Hardraade Hrm. The ordinarly squaddie is willing enough...
all So, would you want the rest of the Battle of France in one giant update or several smaller once posted one after another?
