By June, it had become clear that the Blitz was finally over. Pact bombers began to use coordinated bombing runs from Newfoundland and Bermuda, forcing USN fleets to retreat or face annihilation.
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In the four months of the Atlantic Blitz, both sides suffered heavy losses. Over three fifths of the Kriegsmarine had been wiped off the map, along with half of the British Reserve Fleets. The USN had managed to conquer vast tracts of naval superiority and severely damage Pact fleets, but ultimately failed the the Blitz’s first objective: Conquering Newfoundland. Offensives directed at Pact shipping in the North-Atlantic had been twarthed by British fleets, while Pact bombers held a strong grip on the seas around Bermuda and Newfoundland. The Channel Pact’s superior air technology proved vital in the Atlantic War, as carrier-based warfare made combat aicraft more important than ever. Under influence of the Geneva Institute, the RAF and Luftwaffe were rapidly modernising, trading their conventional propeller-driven bombers for the considerably faster and more effective turbojet bombers, while jet fighter technology allowed Pact fighters to fend off all US attempts at conquering Newfoundland airspace.
The British De Haviland Vampire and German Messerschmitt 262. These new-era jet fighters were far more advanced than their Allied counterparts, giving the Pact an enormous aerial advantage. Both models saw extensive use in the years 1945 and 1946.
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After the Blitz, the Kriegsmarine began offensives of it’s own, driven by the desire for revenge. The following months would be grim ones for the USN.
In the Southern Pacific, the Pacific Fleet began paving the road towards Samoa, to cut off all Allied supplies to Australia and New-Zealand.
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On Tarawa, Brazillian marines landed, attempting to man offensives into the British-controlled Micronesia
The Push towards Samoa began, as Royal Marine divisions attacked the Bank Island Chain. Canadian and Australian defenders fought bravely, but were ultimately defeated by the battle-hardened marines.
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In Porto, US Naval bombers had managed to catch a Uboat fleet off-guard, decimating their numbers. Luckily, much of the crew managed to escape to Portugal alive, and German shipyards were already producing more and more electroboats to fight off the USN.
Back in the Southern pacific, an Allied landing attempt on Mare was intercepted by a British Chapter and destroyed.
During nighttime, British Royal Marines from the “7th Aces” Regiment launched a surprise attack on the Vichy island of Noumea, catching US forces off-guard. Noumea fell, counting yet another great succes for the Royal Marines.
US Forces surrender to Royal marines during dawn at Noumea
The Royal Marines were, without doubt, one of the most effective branches of the Royal Army. To further support their naval dominance, De Nil himself ordered research into new equipment and weaponry for the Royal Marines, including state-of-the-art apparel, amphibious vehicles and lightweight artillery capable of rapid deployment. The Grand Admiral and the Lord of the Admiralty, Sommerville, believed that future warfare would be increasingly more naval and air-based and rely on speed and manouevreability rather than firepower, as opposed to the mechanized land warfare Van Geyte was fond of. For the invasion of Australia, British and German generals began planning a coordinated naval strike, where Royal marines would breach the beachheads after which the Reichswehr could land their heavy equipment and vehicles to push further inland. This strategy would become known as “Shock, awe and smash”, or as many AOF soldiers mockingly put it “If Tom comes, Jerry will sure as hell be chasing him.”
