The Channel Pact - Germany&UK Coop AAR

Further away from home, Imperial Japanese forces made short work of China and their cliques. A Chinese puppet was established and Siam forced into satellite status. With their affairs in Asia now complete, the Japanese are rumoured to have started the construction of an enormous war fleet to oppose their American rivals. In return, the USN has started a massive expanse. With their supremacy on the sea jeopardised, the Royal Navy High Command had to decide on a future for the RN. For this, a top summit was held on Malta, known as the Valetta Summit, with admirals from around the whole British Empire attending to make a decision.

The following events took place on the 9th of March, 1941, Valetta, Malta (British Empire)

“To sum it all up, I suggest the construction of an additional eight Elizabeth class Battleships, combined with Heavy and Light Cruisers and more escorts for the Merchant Fleet. Combined with the old Chapters, this should be more than enough to guarantee the success of the RN”. Sir Barry. E. Domvile smiled, looking over the hall filled with the finest sea commanders the world had to offer, hanging from his lips. “All in favor?”. A sea of hands was raised.
“I reject”
Dozens of heads moved simultaneously, as a mumbling of astonishment grew over the crowd. Standing in the doorway was Grand Admiral De Nil, a veteran of the Great War and the early colonial wars. He walked up to the centre table and spread out a series of documents, construction plans and intelligence reports. Domvile was annoyed by this celebrity’s sudden appearance.
“You can never get enough attention do you, De Nil?”
“If this concerns the Royal Navy, it concerns me. Don’t worry about you forgetting to inform me of this summit, I found my way here myself”
“You are a nuisance old man, you’ve been stuck on land for years”
Vincent stared at Domvile’s ship plans
“From this, it’s obvious you have not even the slightest idea of naval strategy, Domvile. I mean, what the hell? Battleships?”
“Elizabeth Class Battleships might I add” Domvile boasted “sporting more firepower than any in the world”
“You are an idiot.” Vincent took up a piece of chalk and started drawing out plans on the planning board on the wall.
“I can assure you gentlemen, if you agree to this lunatic’s Fleet Plan, you’ll all be sailing on His Majesty’s Rafts after the Japanese are through with you.”
Another Great War veteran stood up
“What are your plans then? This has worked for centuries, it will work again”
“Wrong. During the colonial war with France of 1923 I was leading a vital escort to Alexandria to deliver codes and supplies, when we were intercepted by the Lorient, one of their most modern aircraft carriers. I attempted to damage their carrier, but they were able to fight from a long range, ravaging my fleet with naval bombers. We only got out alive because aircraft from Gibraltar received our distress call and managed to keep the bombers off us. A battleship is useless against a carrier, because it will never get into range. This is the truth. Times are changing. Carriers are the future. They might have been only for escorting in the early twenties, but now aircraft are growing increasingly more modern, I see them taking on a capital role in our battlefleets.” He silenced for a while for the dramatic effect.
“Our Chapters are outdated, slow and unreliable ships of whom we should get rid of as soon as possible. Renewing the entire RN is our only option”
Domvile was furious
“This is lunacy! Do you think we have the funds or supplies to get these done in time?”
“We do. But only if we mobilise the entire British economy to the construction of these new fleets.”
Mumbling filled the room
“For centuries, the Royal Navy has secured our overseas colonies and interests. If we fall back now, I can assure you, not only the Navy but the entire Empire will crumble to the Defects and the Japanese. I have assembled a team of the finest, most experienced naval engineers in the world in Scapa Flow. They are known as the Order of the British Navy. If the High Command gives them a permit, they will commence engineering of a new and devastating class of supercarrier, the Implacable. I want twelve of these to be active by 42. The New Fleet will consist of one mayor and two minor Carrier Task Forces. The Hood is scrap metal, a reef waiting to happen. The new flagship of the Royal Navy will be the HMS Illustrious, a carrier. I also suggest an immediate expansion of the Royal Air Force to add striking power to the carrier fleet. The future is now.”
The head of the Gibraltar Defence Force, who was also attending, stood up
“And what about the Army? Who will supply us?”
Vincent grinned “That’s the best part. In accordance with the first Act of the Channel Pact, the Wehrmacht Obernkommand has agreed to supply the entire British army in exchange for raw materials.”
“British fighting with German arms? That’s ridiculous!”
“You already are. If I recall correctly you received an armaments shipment last month with ammunitions and Mark IV Lee-Enfields”
“Yeah, state of the art weapons. But what does that have to do with…”
“Those weren’t Polish”
The man grew silent
A small admiral on the first row stood up
“Grand Admiral De Nil has served the British interests since 1917, he is one of the most experienced captains that walk this earth and has achieved victory over victory even against overwhelming odds. If he says carriers are the future, I believe him. The RN must head towards the future! Rule, Brittania, rule the waves!”
Suddenly the entire crowd came into motion to sing the ancient RN anthem


“All in favour of the Carrier Fleet Plan?”
A thundering “Aye” filled the room, leaving Domvile completely astonished. Vincent grinned. The Empire would need a strong navy for the battles to come.

Now sanctioned by the High Command, the Order of the British Empire commenced engineering on a new class of carrier, while in the meanwhile the Twelve Carrier plan was brought into execution


The entire British economy was activated for the construction of these massive warships, while enormous funding into naval aviation research had commenced. The oldest warships were given to the Kriegsmarine in accordance with the First Act, who happily accepted these new additions.

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1941


The Wehrmacht took Paris virtually unopposed. Caen, Dijon and Bourges fell shortly thereafter. With half of the French government captured and the other half fled to the African colonies (the UK denied their request for refuge), France collapsed. Young general Charles Degaulle took up leadership of the Free French, continuing the war from central-Africa. Back at home, Great War Field Marshal Petain quickly rallied the remaining French to set up a collaborating German satellite, proclaiming himself President of the French State. Since the capital of this new state was placed in the small central-France town of Vichy, it soon became known as Vichy France. Petain proposed a generous peace treaty to the Obernkommand, ceding entire North-France and proposing to pay enormous war debts to the German government. Two days later, the peace treaty was answered by a declaration of war.


The following events took place on January 6th, 1941, Berlin, Germany

Hitler shuffled around on his uneasy wooden chair. There was something very very disturbing about this entire office. Outside storm clouds were looming over the Reichstag visible in the distance. The blinds were closed, leaving the office in a spooky striped light. The walls were completely covered in old Great War photos, schematical drawings of tanks and armaments and various medals. The office itself was crowded by piles of papers, documents, intelligence reports and maps of Fall Blau. But the single most terrifying thing in that room must have been the obscured figure sitting in the chair in front of him. With a deep scar running from his eye into his neck, pale blue eyes and an old great war officer uniform, completely coated in dusty and damaged medals. The figure sighed and leaned back into the darkness, the glowing dot of his cigar tip still visible. He closed the documents Hitler had just given him and pushed the file aside.
“Petain…”
“The new Vichy government has agreed to cooperate with us sir. Their peace offer is very generous, and the Vichy state will serve as an effective buffer against poss…”
“allied invasions?” the figure laughed hysterically “Adolf, my dear, if a 15-million men Wehrmacht is incapable of defending a… pathetically short Mediterranean coast it is obvious that it would be in our best interests to simply hang every single one of our generals.”
“Sir, I truly believe that…”
“You can believe what you want. As long as I am alive Germany will never –ever- strike a deal with that pretentious sack of nationalism.”
“Petain is willing to cooperate with us, unlike Degaulle”
“Even if he would come up to the Reichstag in person to clean our front steps with a bloody toothbrush, I’d still reject his peace offer. I fought the bastard at Verdun. I saw 350 thousand of my finest men slaughtered like pigs in that battle. I’ll never forget that day. We spent four days clearing the road to Obernheer HQ. Covered with corpses. Some of the cleanup guys discovered old friends while working. Brothers . fathers. Half of them went insane after their job was done and had to be shipped back to Germany. Hell, he even gave me this souvenir to remember” the figure pointed at his deep scar. “I don’t give a damn about Petain or his Vichy France. The Obernkommand want orders? Here’s one: “Kaputmachen”.
“You are a bloody fool! Victory is handed to us on a golden plate and it still isn’t enough for you!”
The figure jumped up from his chair and grabbed Hitler firmly by the neck and lift him from the ground, nearly choking him in the process
“Do you think I’m playing a game here Dolfie? You know damn well that the only- the only reason you are fattening your ass over there in the Reichstag is because I wanted it. One People, one Empire, one Führer? I am the fucking People. I am the fucking Empire. And so help me god, I am also the fucking Führer!”
He threw Hitler half across the room with almost superhuman strength.
“You answer to me. Everyone. Answers. To. Me. I make the decisions around here. Tell Model and his 5th Armee to occupy Vichy as soon as possible. If Petain is found, he is to be captured and brought to Berlin for trial. That day at Verdun I swore to god that one day I’d hang the bastard from the highest tree in Berlin. These are my final orders. Get out.”
Hitler drooped off, his face badly damaged by the fall. Outside Himmler was waiting at the car
“Herr Fuhrer? What happened to your face?”
“Nothing.” Hitler stepped into the car
“Send message to the Obernkommand. Vichy France is to be invaded and occupied as soon as possible. Germany doesn’t strike deals with the French.”
“I understand.” The car door closed as Hitler drove off to the Reichstag



On January 7th, 1941, Germany declared war upon Petain’s Vichy france. The already heavily fatigued French forces were quickly overwhelmed in a new blitzkrieg and a week later, Vichy France had been occupied. Vichy France joined the Allied states and set up a new capital in Corsica to continue the war against Germany. Philippe Petain managed to escape the advancing German forces and fled to a presently unknown location. A proposal for reunification from Degaulle was rejected, so now two Frances were fighting alongside eachother against the German war machine. Back in Germany, a top secret high summit of field admirals was held for the construction of the Mali Plan, an invasion of French North-Africa by the newly created 3rd, 4th and 5th Africa Korps under the command of field Marshall Erwin Rommel. But, before that could occur Germany would need a port closer to North-Africa to strike from… a port in the Iberian peninsula


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Act Three of the Channel Pact
It is in the utmost importance of all nations participating in the Channel Pact that the state of Persia be invaded and occupied to serve the Pact’s further interests.

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The first months of 1941 saw the end of the Middle-Eastern conflict between the British Colonial Forces and the independent arab states. After Syria and Lebanon managed to declare independence from a failing French government, the UK quickly invaded and “pacified” these nations. The war with Persia had ended two months earlier, their government proposing an unconditional surrender. As stated by the Federation, the entire nation was to be occupied by the Colonial Forces until further notice. The Cabinet still refused to give a reason for the occupation of Persia

On the 16th of March 1941, Prime Minister of the British Empire Oswald Mosley declared British “supreme and undisputed rule over all nations of the Middle-East”. For the first time in history, the entire ME was governed by a single motherland, either through direct colonisation or through the British system of Crown Dependencies (Yemen, Oman, Iraq). The surrounding nations uttered their concern over the British overmight near their borders, but none dared to intervene. Turkey and Afghanistan had neither the industrial base nor the manpower to wage extended war against the economical juggernaught of the British Empire and it’s elite Colonial Forces, and the Soviet Union was too consumed with it’s Western border with her ideological arch nemesis Germany to extend forces for the Middle East.

In the meanwhile, the first ships of the Fleet Plan rolled off production


The new Destroyers and Light Cruisers were commissioned as escorts for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd TP fleets, while more were being commissioned for ASW and basic patrol duties

Four months later, the twelve carriers ordered by the Carrier Fleet Plan reached operational status. Being Mark V Carriers, the Royal Navy now possessed the strongest and most modern carrier fleet in the world. The Grand Twelve, as they would later be known, were all simultaneously named at a large ceremony in Edinburgh


The following events took place June 19, 1941, United Kingdom, Edinburgh

Spring was coming. As the last pockets of ice thawed in the rough North, Grand Admiral De Nil looked upon the cheering crowd. Union Jacks, military parades, the whole package. And, in front of him, docked in the mayor ports of Edinburgh were the Grand Twelve. Just as he had imagined them two years ago. Rule Brittannia, rule the waves. He smiled and climbed the stage.

“For hundreds of years, the Royal Navy has served the interests of the British Empire with great dedication and sacrifice. Without the RN, there is no Empire. Today will be remembered as the day we looked to the future. These are the Grand Twelve. These are our ships. This is our strength. Naval supremacy. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The Empire forever!”
The watchman signalled that the ships were ready for the baptism. The names echoed over the entire crowd as bottles of champagne hit the decks.
“HMS Gibraltar! HMS Malta! HMS Unicorn! HMS Indefatigable! HMS Audacious! HMS Implacable! HMS Indomitable! HMS Formidable! HMS Victorious! HMS Ark Royal! HMS Dubious! HMS Illustrious!”. The Grand Admiral smiled and left the stage. He met Oswald Mosley on his way down.
“Let’s take these ships to Scapa Flow. We’ve got some warfleets to construct”
“Hell yes”

HMS Illustrious, pride of Royal Navy, on it’s way to join a warfleet formation
It's commisioning would mark the beginning of a new era in naval warfare, dominated by three great naval superpowers:
the Empire of Japan, the United States and the British Empire​

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