The Channel Pact - Germany&UK Coop AAR

Strategical analysis of World War II August 30th, 1941​

The land forces of the Channel Pact and the Allies were evenly matched, but due to the technological superiority of the German Wehrmacht the European theatre would soon be dominated by Pact Forces. Unfortunately, the overstretched British Colonial Army would prove to be insufficient to fight on all fronts, relying on German supplies and support for it’s operations. Therefor, the Germans chose to fight an extremely aggressive land war while British doctrine focused mostly to secure the Pact’s interests on the sea, and to gain naval superiority in the Pacific.

By 1941 the Royal Navy was the largest fleet in the world, although it suffered from some severe penalties. While the total ship division count of the RN was 279, over 2/3rd of this count consisted of the outdated Chapters that would soon prove to be insufficient for the Pacific and Atlantic wars. The New Fleet still consisted of only three CTF’s, counting 79 in total.

The Empire of Japan would be the naval superpower of the Allied States, armed with their devastatingly modern Combined Fleets, the IJN was determined to gain control over the pacific, while the British could only relay the Dubious Task Force from their New Fleet to the port of Singapore. The British would soon be severely outnumbered in Asia.

In the air, Allied planes reigned surpreme, as nor the RAF nor the Luftwaffe were capable of enduring aerial warfare. The entire RAF was commissioned to fight in Asia in the hopes of stopping the Japanese tide.

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October

The war was now two months old. After a short period of organisation and supply, both sides now attempted to force some final offensives before winter.


In Europe, the German 4th Armeegruppe launched Operation Alpenhaus, determined to take out the Italian Homeland in a German Blitzkrieg. Italian defenders were overwhelmed by the coordination and speed of the attack, and the fort-cities of Turin and Milan were the first to fall victim to the Wehrmacht.


In South-Africa, British Colonial forces quickly overcame the defending South-African armies, and the capital of Pretoria fell shortly after the first offensive. General Kapowski’s forces marched on, determined to reclaim the Dominion of South-Africa and begin the great Imperial Reconstruction that was the British aim for this war.



The Newfoundland Garrison was given orders to hold ground at all costs. With the Atlantic swarming with Allied fleets, the Pact nations could not send reinforcements or an invasion force to Canada, and the vital port would be needed later to reach the continent. Quickly after the outbreak of hostilities, Canadian and French fleets executed a naval blockade against the island. Field Marshall Fairfield was placed in surpreme control of the island, and quickly found himself encircled by Allied Forces.

Refusing to give up the island, Fairfield ordered a "dig-in defence". As Fairfield and his 60.000 men defence garrisson began constructing large naval forts and cannon batteries along the coast of Newfoundland, he was noted to have made a famous remark to his assistant, who inquired him about what his plans were if the island was attacked. Fairfield simply responded "...If the time comes to fight... I will do no other than this: Accept death before dishonor ..."

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Asia would see the fiercest naval fighting in the whole war, as the Royal Navy Pacific Fleet, led by the HMS Dubious, engaged the IJN with full force in order to protect the vital port of Singapore. In the meanwhile, the Colonial Army was ordered to hold the line at Birma and Kashmir. Because India housed much of the British Industrial base, it had to be protected at all costs. A small fragment of the Colonial Army was now tasked with the heavy burden of holding ground against the combined armies of Japan, Siam, China and Manchuria. 40.000 British soldiers would have to defence the vital line against over one and a half million Allied forces. In the meanwhile, German armies were being shipped to India and Persia to help in the defence.

November

After swift victories in Libya, the Italian African Army was on the run, attempting to evacuate back to the mainland to escape the Pact Forces. The Royal Navy commenced operation Clean Sweep, determined to destroy any enemy presence in the Mediterranean. With both exits locked down, a large part of the Allied Navy was trapped, as the HMS Illustrious entered the ME leading the entire New Fleet into battle.


The Mediterranean Command (as the Illustrious CTF was renamed to) engaged several Italian and Vichy Warfleets, consisting mostly of conventional battleships and cruisers. Crushing defeat after defeat followed for the Allied States, as carrier warfare tactics proved to overpower the outdated Battleship doctrine.


During the first weeks of the Mediterranean war, both the French and Italian fleets had suffered heavy losses to the Royal Navy. Allied naval commanders understood that they would have to break out of the Mediterranean trap through Suez to join up with the rest of the Allied Fleet in Africa, or face utter annihilation. A French-Italian plan was made up to gather the entire warfleet and smash through the British defence at Alexandria, allowing them to escape out into the Adriatic Sea.

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On the 28th of November, 1941, north of Alexandria the ME Command spotted and engaged a massive Allied warfleet formation, consisting of Vichy, Free French and Italian ships, attempting to break through the Suez and escape to Asia. They were quickly intercepted by the faster British fleets and a gruesome naval battle ensued that lasted for nine hours. In this battle, the Italian flagship, the Battleship RM Roma, was completely destroyed by Air Wings from the HMS Indefatigable. The Vichy carrier Béarn followed it’s fate soon thereafter.
With the entire Vichy Navy destroyed, and two thirds of the Italian Navy, the remaining Allied Ships fled to port in Italy, as German forces continued their onslaught from the North. The attempt at evacuation in Libya failed, and half of the Italian African Army was captured before they could make it to Sicily. The Allies were losing ground fast in the ME.

Less fortunate news arrived from the Atlantic Campaign. Canadian and French warfleets had raided the Hermes Chapter, sinking a large part of the fleet and the HMS Hermes in the process.


In the meanwhile, Turkish forces started an offensive South against the British Colonial Army and the Crown Dependency of Iraq. While initially succesfull against the numerically superior Iraqis, a counterattack from Baghdad drove the Turkish military out of the northern Iraqi deserts and forced them to fall back to their defensive line. Across the Bosphorus, German forces had begun their siege of Istanbul, but were unable to break the strong Turkish defence there.


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