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Congratulations Redandwhite, you have been selected as the WritAAR of the Week for 28 Nov-05 Dec. I will update the appropriate thread momentarily.
 
just wandered over from the writaar thread - this is really impressive stuff, both well written and an engaging game. You seem to be doing pretty well at sea even if its a little hard to translate victories into actually sinking German and Italian capital ships.
 
Part 14

The New Leader

January 1941






On the 3rd January, following Chamberlain’s recommendation, Winston Churchill was called to see the King and invited to form a new Government. Now, in a time of national crises, he had support from all sides of the house, and he could count on all political parties to help form a strong and representative Coalition Government to help lead the nation in the tough times ahead. That night he addressed the nation, promising blood, sweat, toil and tears, but that Britain would not go the way of France. They were strong words in difficult times, but just what the nation needed.




Among other changes that first week of the New Year was at the War Office, where Ironside took over as Chief of Staff. Although he was no thrusting young General, his experience and steady hand were what was required. Gort had too many responsibilities as both Chief of the Army, the General Staff, and a Field Army command. It was decided he would remain in the former and latter jobs, as his focus on mobility would be required later.







The Army immediately began reorganising in the wake of the fall of France. The BEF became 2nd Army on 4th January, still under Gort, and its primary responsibility for the time being would be the defence of South East England and London. At the same time, the newly formed 9th Army, consisting of III and VIII Corps, was now responsible for the defence of South West England. XVIII Corps, attached to GHQ was now held inland as central reserve, while Southern Command with XII Corps looked after East Anglia and Lincolnshire. Northern Command, with XXIV Corps along with various territorial units looked after the coastline from Grimsby northwards to the Scottish border. Scottish Command looked after central Scotland and the Highlands and Islands with VI Corps and several Territorial brigades. Northern Ireland was now defended by 1 Territorial Division and 1 brigade. All told, the British forces at home numbered 22 Regular divisions, including 1 Armoured, 5 Territorial divisions and 6 Territorial brigades, all told, just under 200,000 men.




8th Army meanwhile was about to become the most powerful force in the British Army. XIII Corps, just forming up with 3 new Infantry divisions in Yorkshire, was about to be allocated to it, and it already included V, XI and XXI Corps. Britain’s Armoured divisions had been reorganised in late December, with the medium brigade being taken away from both 1st and 7th Armoured to form the new 11th Armoured division. This increased the number of Armoured divisions available from 4 to 5, two being light Armour, and 3 medium. Of the medium divisions, 2nd remained at home with IV corps, while 4th and 11th were concentrated into the XI Corps. 7th (light) Armoured remained with V Corps, and 1st (Light) Armoured was allocated to I Corps, now in Burma, where it was felt it would give 14th Army some additional punch.







Whilst the British Army were reorganising, the Royal Navy remained hard at work, as they had been since day 1 of the war, almost without respite. Crutchley’s submarines caught Bismarck and Scharnhorst, without any screen protection, in the Norwegian trench, and Bismarck was lucky to escape after being hit by a torpedo in the stern causing extensive damage.






On the afternoon of 5th January, the RAF got involved in a fight with carrier borne aircraft off the coast of Holland. This led the Admiralty to conclude that the Graf Zepplin was at sea, and immediately almost every ship in home waters that was seaworthy was out in search of her. She was eventually intercepted in failing light by Sommerville’s 5th Carrier Group in Bressay Bank. Neither HMS Formidable or HMS Indomitable’s torpedo bombers scored hits, and after a brief fight, the Graf Zepplin escaped once again. There was huge disappointment at the Admiralty once more.




Nevertheless, one mission had to be a success. One of Churchill’s first acts was to authorise “Operation Catapult”, the destruction of the French fleet at Mers El Kebir on the 6th. The operation was brief but effective. Caught in port, with nowhere to go, and after long talks had got nowhere, the Royal Navy opened fire, neutralising the threat of these ships falling into enemy hands. It was a hard, but necessary decision.




There was better news to follow. The 2nd Battle Group had been ordered to take up station in the Gulf of Gabes to intercept any attempt by the Italians to reinforce their African armies. This it duly did on the morning of the 7th January, sinking 2 cruisers, a destroyer group and no less than 3 transport flotilla’s. It wasn’t a pleasant job for many of the sailors, who later described the task at little more than slaughter.




Tougher adversaries showed up the following day off the South West coasts of England, when Vian’s 6th Carrier Group intercepted an attempt by the heavy cruiser’s Admiral Hipper, Roon and Friedrich Carls to break out into the Atlantic. The German craft were lucky, because failing light prevented the Navies bombers from finding and engaging their targets.






Meanwhile, back in the Mediterranean, the RAF bombed Tripoli, only to discover the harbour crammed with Italian shipping, including 3 battleships. The supply situation for the Italians had now deteriorated badly, as the Royal Navy had effectively cut them off from the mainland. The news was reported back to GHQ. As if to confirm their plight, the following morning the heavy cruiser Pola and a transport flotilla were sunk trying to outrun the blockade. It looked like the Italian stay in Africa was soon going to be over.



In Burma meanwhile, the newly arrived I Corps began to close up to the Yunnan incursion forces in the north, prior to launching a counter offensive.




Edmund learned of the Soviet Union’s mobilisation early on the 13th, and immediately phoned Eden who was still on holiday after the Xmas break. The news took everyone by surprise. No-one was entirely sure whether the perceived threat that had caused this came from Japan or from Germany. But nevertheless, perhaps the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact had not been such a clear cut affair after all.




The Germans were getting clever at using the hours of darkness to try and break out of the confines of the North Sea. Again, the Royal Navy had caught Gneisenau and Graf Spee trying to sneak up the Norwegian coast, and yet again the Germans escaped. The strain on the Navy was huge, meaning constant patrols at all times, using precious fuel and causing considerable wear and tear on both men and machines. But there was no other way at present. Britain simply could not afford to let the Germans get out into the Atlantic.




On the 14th an Italian force in British Sudan were surrounded and destroyed by X Corps. With the French forces in Ethiopia now driving the remaining Italians south towards Somalia, it appeared that the fighting in East Africa would soon be at an end. This would be good news, but there would be no respite for X Corps, who would be transferred to Burma immediately the campaign was over.




The following day, the RAF found Graf Zepplin, Bismarck and several other German ships in Dunkirk, where they had sought shelter after the fighting of the previous week. Several bombing missions were launched, but the German fighter presence proved too strong and the operation was called off.






At the end of January the Italians in Libya looked there for the taking. It was estimated that they had at least 15 divisions, all in a poor state of supply and morale, plus a substantial part of their remaining fleet trapped in the harbour. Ever since the RAF had discovered this, Churchill had been pressing the General Staff for a plan to destroy the Italians in North Africa, and on the 30th, he got one. Operation “Chrome” would be carried out in two parts. First, from the 20th onwards, XI Corps would begin a break in operation, followed the next day by V Corps. With XXI Corps then in reserve, V Corps would maintain pressure on the front while XI Corps drove in the direction of Tripoli with the intention of surrounding all remaining forces in the theatre against the coast. The second part of the operation, if needed, would be an amphibious assault by XIII Corps west of Tripoli, to link up with XI Corps to invest the city from the west. This, it was envisaged, would cause the final collapse of the Italians. Churchill, who wanted bold action, was only too pleased to endorse it. His only complaint was that it couldn’t be done immediately.


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Do you really trust the Danes to hold ure captital. A daring move. The Vikings have already taken UK once... ;)

Good thing the Jap is not messing with u right now as u seem quite bogged down on many other fronts.
 
Do you really trust the Danes to hold ure captital. A daring move. The Vikings have already taken UK once... ;)

Good thing the Jap is not messing with u right now as u seem quite bogged down on many other fronts.

:D Yes, the Danes are not "defending", they are "entertaining" our women in London Ha!

I'm not sure "bogged down" is the correct term, more "scrabbling" around to get sufficient forces together :) Patience, Mon Ami, the Italians are about to get a boot up the backside!
 
Part 15

The long road back

February 1941




1. HMS Edinburgh at Scapa Flow



Jake was tired of training. They carried logs in section teams for 4 miles, then had to run back where they came from. They practised crossing rivers, carrying extreme loads and slept out for nights on end. They had route marches of 15 miles in full kit, and never saw any transport. And it was only toward the end of January that they finally realised why. KRRC, they were told, was leaving 4th Infantry division and being transferred to the Far East. They were to become regular Infantry once again, foot soldiers, of the 10th Infantry division in Burma, part of the 14th Army. Jake was given 21 days leave, for he was told, he was unlikely to see Britain again for a long time. This trip home was a sombre one, and he found solace in the attentions of Annie Sewell, who had long been the object of his desires. They spent a few precious weeks together before Jake had to go. He was tempted to ask her to marry him on the spur of the moment, but in the end he decided against it. It occurred to him for the first time that he might never come home, and he felt it would be unfair on her. She made him promise to write her every week, which he agreed. He left for Portsmouth on the 12th February 1941.

Early February passed off with little action. There had been sporadic air attacks on Britain by the Luftwaffe, but the expected mass attacks had not yet materialised. It was not clear whether this presaged a spring air offensive, or whether Germany’s attention had turned elsewhere, but Churchill wanted action, an air offensive of Britain’s own. It took some time to convince him that with only 5 wings of tactical bombers and 1 of heavy bombers, none of which were yet sufficiently modernised or versed in new techniques, that an air offensive was currently out of the question.







2. Crusaders of the 11th Armoured Division prior to "Chrome", February 1941


On the 12th February, Hungary joined the Axis, which did not come as a complete surprise, but raised concerns over the situation now facing Greece. If Hitler, or indeed Mussolini, now had designs on the Balkans, a compliant Hungary would make that easier. It now became of even greater importance that Italy was removed from Africa, and Churchill, ever restless for action, urged the start of “Chrome” at the earliest opportunity. The 8th Army and the Mediterranean fleet, still busy reorganising and moving men and equipment into place, bought the date forward, and at dawn on 15th February, British artillery opened fire and operation “Chrome” began. Forward Italian positions collapsed almost immediately, and within 2 days, British forces were deep in the Italian rear.








The following day, focus swiftly shifted to the North Sea, as the German’s launched multiple attacks in an attempt to swamp the British defences. First Bismarck and Scharnhorst were intercepted and put to flight after a protracted battle in the Dogger Bank. While this was going on, the Graf Zepplin somehow managed to slip through the British cordon, then intercepted two light cruisers, the Calcutta and the Columbo, heading for Scapa Flow for minor repairs and sank them both, before reinforcements drove them off.

Now every ship the Home Fleet possessed went after them in an attempt to cut off the German escape. First, Cunningham engaged the force off Scotland, losing HMS Achilles, sinking the Deutschland, and badly damaging the Admiral Scheer before losing them. They were then picked up the next morning by Sommerville’s Battle Group, together with HMS Hood and Repulse, the German’s losing another destroyer group before managing to escape, nevertheless severely damaged. Churchill was furious. It had been yet another narrow victory, the Navy suffering many damaged vessels that would be out of action for weeks, while the Germans escaped to fight another day.











3. Ark Royal at sea in search of the Graf Zepplin



4. HMS Hood returns to Hull after her 6th engagement with the Kreigsmarine


Back in Libya however, it was all good news. The Italians were quickly falling apart. Their divisions were weak, badly disorganised and almost out of supplies of everything. It was little more than a walkover. By the 21st, V Corps were close to Tripoli and XI Corps had penetrated the front to a depth of over 70 miles and were speeding round in a wide arc toward the coast beyond the city.







5. Stuart tanks of 7th Armoured division, V Corps


14th Army had broken the resistance of Yunnan forces, retaken Kohima and were about to push the opportunist enemy back over their own border. All this had been accomplished in less than 10 days.



On 24th February, part 2 of Operation Chrome went in to action as XIII Corps landed at Rass Adjder. With Gott’s XI Corps now racing toward them, the pincer was about to snap shut on a pocket containing over 100,000 Italians. Sensing that Tripoli could be taken without a siege, GHQ urged V Corps to take the city off the line of march, and on the 28th it fell with minimal fighting. By early March, the pocket had been sealed, with only residual and fragmented enemy forces left in the rear. The only disappointment had been that the Italian ships in the harbour at Tripoli had managed to avoid battle and slip away. But it didn't really matter. The Battle for Africa was almost over.









6. More Italian prisoners being marched to the rear





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Strange that Italy hasn't managed to keep their Africa-corps in supply at all. Have you been raiding their convoys a lot?
 
Strange that Italy hasn't managed to keep their Africa-corps in supply at all. Have you been raiding their convoys a lot?

My TAC's in Africa and my submarines have been relentlessly targeting their supply lines and the Royal Navy controls the Med - but I think the amount of Italian divisions being supplied through a level 1 port has worked against them aswell.
 
for the Italian AI it seems to be a combination of the production AI doesn't really build enough convoys (its like it needs a rule to say 'if losing convoys to subs/air increase production) and the low level of their ports. It should be a hard to supply theatre but it seems as if the AI doesn't do force tailoring. In my current game, without a human UK ratcheting up the pressure, N Africa is more or less static as I'd guess both sides are only in intermittent supply.

The naval war sounds fantastic ... just as it should be with the frustration of constantly searching and then losing contact just when you think you can manage a few kills.
 
Superb updates, as usual. I am itching for the RN to come to grips with the Kriegsmarine and send a passel of Jerries to the bottom! Especially the dangerous and elusive Graf Zeppelin.
 
What are your plans with 8th Army after the defeat of the Italian army in North-Africa? Are you going to invade southern Europe (Italy), or are you planning to transfer these troops to a different theater of war?

This AAR remains very interesting, so I hope to find a new update here soon!
 
Part 16


A pause for breath


March - April 1941


At the beginning of March, there was still no sign of a German air offensive against Britain, so the RAF made a determined effort to get at the Bismarck, sheltering in Dunkirk. With fighter protection, 5 tactical bomber groups made constant day time attacks against the port for 6 consecutive days. In the end it was to no avail. German fighters responded intermittently, and the German Navy’s anti-air defences took their toll on the British bombers, and the operation had to be called off again. RAF Bomber Command was simply not yet strong or advanced enough to inflict decisive damage. The lack of German air attack was noted for discussion at the upcoming General Staff meeting at the end of the month.







In the meantime, clearing up operations continued in North Africa as the 8th Army reduced the Italian pocket around Tripoli and mopped up the last remaining resistance in Libya. Operations in East Africa also came to an end with the final defeat of all Italian forces in Somalia, allowing X Corps to begin its transfer to the Far East. All told, Middle East Command estimated that it had taken well over 150,000 prisoners of war, many of whom had already been transported back to Britain on the troopships which had bought XIII Corps into the theatre. As far as the Mediterranean was concerned, the Italian Navy had now been rendered impotent, and no Italian troopships or convoys could operate without interference from the British, effectively prohibiting serious operations away from their mainland. Stage 1 of the Mediterranean plan had been completed.







1. The latest of over 150,000 Italian POW's being marched into captivity


In Burma it was a slightly different story. I Corps began its attack on Yunnan forces occupying Mytkinya on the 10th, but encountered strong resistance from 7 divisions plus supporting militia units and the attack had to be called off. It was decided to await the arrival of X Corps before renewing the offensive.




Throughout the rest of March things remained quiet on all fronts, and the British took advantage of the respite to move and reorganise their forces. During a brief engagement off Cape Matapan, 12th Carrier Group had made contact with an Italian Naval force that contained at least 2 Battleships, before they managed to escape. This was to become of significance later.

Meanwhile, the General Staff meeting scheduled for the end of March got under way. Deverill summed up as usual.

In Northern Europe a stalemate had been reached. The Germans now sat as masters of the continent, unchallenged and growing stronger by the day. The British remained too weak to mount a serious challenge on land for the time being, while the Germans did not have a strong enough Naval presence to threaten the British home islands.

At sea, the Germans sustained campaign against Britain’s convoys had caused serious damage, with losses reaching almost 40 ships a month at the middle of 1940. Although the British had now managed to blunt that attack, such that by early 1941 losses had reduced to less than 10 a month, the overall shortfall had still to be replaced. For much of 1940 therefore, industrial capacity had been focused on freighters and escorts, and on destroyers and light cruisers to replace those lost during the naval battles for supremacy in the North Sea. Much of the loss in Freighters had now been replaced, but it meant that IC allocated to building ships had not been used to build new divisions and equipment for the Army. The RAF had taken second call, with the emphasis first on fighters, then on tactical bombers. Fighter forces were now almost at requirement, but the tactical bombers needed were still several months away. Therefore, the minimum 60 division Army the General Staff had called for was still a long way away. On top of that, research into new equipment and doctrines had also had to be aimed at the Navy, so much work needed to be done in that respect before Britain had an Army capable of taking on the Germans in Europe.

In the Middle East and the Mediterranean, Britain had stopped and reversed Italy’s attacks, and had now expelled them from Africa altogether. On top of that, the Italian navy had been crippled, at least as far as lighter ships went. Their Navy could not now move freely, and Britain controlled access to and from the Med, provided Nationalist Spain remained neutral. Greece was now slowly drifting away from the Allies, and so the situation overall was in flux.

In the Far East, Yunnan’s incursions had been stopped and thrown back, but as yet Japan had remained quiet. The ongoing diplomatic struggle to sway Siam seemed now to be the lynchpin on which future events would depend. It was not considered safe to assume Japan would stay out of the war much longer, and many believed Britain had been lucky she had stayed out of it thus far.

Churchill wanted action. He always did. But the General Staff had managed to convince him that offensive action in Northern Europe was currently out of the question. Therefore the Combined General Staff had submitted the various options they thought were possible.

Europe – It was thought that a large “raid” of up to 12 divisions should be possible once sufficient tactical bombers were available to give close support. Where was the question? Some favoured an operation to “pinch off” Brittany, to cause as much nuisance as possible, then withdraw, while another school felt that Denmark might offer a better opportunity. Either way, an operation in Europe would not be possible until the autumn. By that time, it was hoped that Germany would be engaged elsewhere, either in the Balkans, or as now seemed more and more likely, with the Soviet Union.





Mediterranean - By far the best course of action was held to be an offensive against the Italian mainland, either by securing Sicily first (Operation "Hammer"), or more risky, by securing Sardinia, then mounting an operation aimed directly at the mainland to secure Rome (Operation "Tempest" 1 & 2) which might bring about an Italian collapse. Either way, the neutralisation of Italy was held to be vital before Japan could fully become involved in the war, in order to be able to transfer British Naval assets to the Far East. The only stumbling block was the lack of forces. 8th Army alone was not strong enough, and the industrial capacity to build more divisions was not yet freed up. The choice was to denude Britain’s defences to reinforce the Middle East, or wait until more forces were available , and time was not a luxury Britain had lots of.






Far East – Operations in the Far East were going to have to be of a defensive nature for the foreseeable future. Britain had insufficient forces on ground, sea or air to do otherwise. For the moment, Yunnan had to be defeated, or at least neutralised, before Japan joined in. It had been envisaged that Japan would have attacked before now, and that Singapore would be lost. Now, some Generals felt that Singapore could be held, IF the Navy could be bought up to strength to limit Japanese mobility. Otherwise it was a case of which direction the threat would come from? Over land through Siam, or up the Malaysian Peninsula? Again, the stance of Siam was now vitally important in this, and that had to be ascertained.




All this was referred to Churchill. He and the War Cabinet had all the information available. Now they had to decide.

As often happens in war, events then took a hand. At dawn on 5th April, German paratroopers began descending on Eastern Cyprus, in conditions of complete surprise. Fighting broke out between the para’s and the garrison, the single 26th Defence Brigade, who were in danger of being overrun. Lucky, transports were on hand to bring in the 96th Territorial division from Palestine. Meanwhile the Navy sealed off the only airbase in range from which such an operation could be launched, on the Island of Rhodes. Here they found the garrison had increased to 6 divisions, and a significant naval force sheltering in the port. They realised that the ships they had engaged the previous month had slipped away into Rhodes. This had perhaps been an invasion force bound for Cyprus. On the 14th therefore, the RAF mounted a series of raids on the island, where it was quickly discovered a second airborne division was now located. Obviously, the threat from Rhodes now had to be eliminated.









When the airborne invasion of Cyprus had begun, 8th Army had quickly decided to ship V Corps across from the central Med as a precaution, and they arrived early on the 12th. Though the paratroopers fought bravely, and despite reinforcement by an HQ brigade, they were no match for V Corps, and the battle was swiftly over, with more than 1500 Germans being killed and the remainder taken prisoner. Now a plan to neutralise Rhodes and the nearby islands had to be formulated as a matter of urgency.











2. German dead on Cyprus. The Airborne assault was a costly failure.


As April drew to a close and X Corps began closing up in Northern Burma, Edmund had been gathering information for Anthony Eden who was due to go on a visit to Siam in early May. This was considered vital, as despite heavy British influence, Siam was starting to drift toward the Japanese. If Siam were to join the Axis, not only would Japan have a route into Burma that outflanked Singapore, but Siam’s division’s might become enemies too. It was a situation that Britain had to do her utmost to prevent. Edmund had done his best to find out what it was that Japan might have offered Siam in return for her assistance. It appeared that territory in Burma and Malaysia may have been the carrot, or, that invasion by Japan was the stick. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter now. The situation was on a knife edge.


At the end of April 1941, British industry was beginning to reach full capacity. Upgrades of equipment had been dragging capacity away from producing new divisions, but now much of that requirement had been met. All of the shortfall in merchant ships and escorts had been replaced, most of the capital ship replacements had been built, fighter aircraft were rolling out of the shadow factories, bombers were on order, and now at long last, capacity was beginning to be freed up to expand and re-equip the Army. It was going to be a long, hard war.




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Part 17

The end of the beginning

May – June 1941





Chamberlain had allowed Deverill to continue in his post long after he was due to retire, due mainly to the war breaking out where it was felt a change at such a point might be detrimental. That authority had expired at the end of April, and Churchill pressed for someone new at GHQ. Deverill would continue in his post as Chief of Staff until the end of May, but as of 1st May, Gort took over at GHQ, where it was felt his emphasis on offensive operations and mobility would be passed down the chain. At the same time, Alexander, the bright and upcoming leader of 1st Infantry division was moved across to take command of II Corps, where he would cut his teeth at this level before perhaps moving on to even higher command. Wavell took over Gorts post at 2nd Army, and Dill was moved sideways from 9th Army to take command of the new 5th Army, then forming up in South Wales. These were the decisions taken by Churchill
9th Army had been formed for future operations in Northern Europe, and whilst that opportunity was considered some way off, it was to remain on the order of battle and be built up for 1942.



The 5th Army was formed for operation in the Mediterranean by taking the experienced III & XVIII Corps and adding XXIV Corps, together with 2nd Armoured division. It was to be strengthened still further by the addition of divisional artillery brigades as they became available. It would begin moving out to theatre during July.





In the Med meanwhile, the Navy added to its score by sinking the Italian cruiser RM Taranto off Cape Matapan. British supremacy in the Med was getting closer with each day that passed, but Backhouse warned that the Reggio Marine was still capable of action and that vigilance should not be allowed to slip.










The Kreigsmarine however was a different matter. The Graf Zepplin put in another appearance in early May, but was intercepted by Tovey’s Battle Group and an inconclusive fight took place before the Germans slipped away. They were then picked up by HMS Resolution and her group, which almost resulted in KMS Admiral Scheer being sunk before the Germans escaped. However, it was noted, not for the first time, that the Germans had put to sea during the movement of British Garrison troops up the coast. It appeared that every time troopships put to sea around the British Isles, the Germans appeared. Backhouse came to the conclusion that the Kreigsmarine had possibly more advance decription than the RN, and that they could read some Admiralty codes. Rather than panic, Backhouse decided that next time, a trap would be laid for the Germans.




Meanwhile relentless bombing and submarine warfare against the forces on Rhodes revealed that the defenders were in pretty poor shape. The date fixed for Operations “Sugar” and “Spice” was 2nd June. It was not anticipated that the defenders would last very long in such condition.








The following week, British submarines sent to recon the possible landing areas for “Tempest” 2 made a rather alarming discovery. German forces, including parachute formations, had based themselves on the Vichy French controlled island of Corsica, directly overlooking the assembly areas for the upcoming operations. This presented another problem. If British forces were sent onto the island to clear them out, it might bring Vichy France into the conflict against Britain, and it wasn’t like Britain didn’t have enough enemies already. The War cabinet mulled over what to do about this in the event of “Tempest” getting the go ahead. The draft for “Tempest” 1 was already on Churchill’s desk awaiting his approval, and his answer was needed before the end of the month to allow preparations to be made.






In Northern Burma, I and X Corps began their assault on Myitkyina on 21st May, but the Yunnan forces were weak and in poor supply. The battle, if it could be called such, lasted barely a day, before the enemy were in full retreat.








V Corps left Alexandria on the evening of 1st June to begin Operation “Spice” the next morning. The landing was virtually unopposed, the Italians being in such a poor state of supply and being subjected to constant bombing over the past three weeks. The Dodecanese Islands ("Sugar") were taken 3 days later, again with virtually no resistance. All told the two operations yielded a further 31,000 prisoners, among them several thousand Germans, taking the overall tally in British hands to nearly 200,000 men.










As British troops landed, the Italian ships in harbour were forced to flee, and a running battle then ensued all the way back to Italian waters as the Royal Navy sought to finish off this sizable chunk of the remaining Italian fleet. First, Swordfish from HMS Courageous attacked, doing serious damage to several ships before the new Battleships HMS Howe and Prince of Wales arrived. After two hours of fighting, the RM Francesco Caracciolo was hit in quick succession by four 14 inch rounds from HMS Prince of Wales and became dead in the water. More Swordfish torpedo bombers from HMS Eagle then quickly moved in and she was hit again by 2 torpedo’s, which eventually caused her to roll over and sink. As the Italians tried to escape into the Ionian Sea, they found the way blocked by HMS Barham and Royal Oak, allowing the vengeful British to fall on them again. In a storm the British lost contact and they narrowly escaped again, but not without the loss of another submarine flotilla, and every ship in the force badly damaged. By 9th June, it was all over, and the Italians had been driven out of the Eastern Mediterranean.



1. RM Francesco Caracciolo, hit by a second torpedo, 7th June 1941



2. HMS Eagle with escorts, May 1941




3. A disorganised rabble. The defenders of Rhodes.


Anthony Eden arrived back from his gruelling trip to Siam in mid June. Edmund joined a meeting with Churchill, Eden and the Chiefs of Staff the day after he got back. Eden reported that the Siamese had been polite, yet unhelpful. The questions he really wanted resolved had gone unanswered. There had been little constructive to bring back save some promises to trade for resources and a vague “reaffirmation” of mutual interests. Eden felt that Japan was tempting the Siamese into an alliance of which the prize was Britain’s Far East possessions. There was little positive he could add.
Churchill asked many questions, asked for information on Spain, Greece, the USA, the Soviets and of others. The question of Vichy France then came up. The regime could hardly resist their German masters, and it seemed likely that if Britain did encroach on Vichy territory, war would probably follow. Even if Britain did not, the German’s might push them into such a situation. All this had a bearing on operations against Italy. If the Army were engaged on the Italian mainland, and Vichy France then joined the conflict on Libya’s open border, or if Greece were invaded or worse, joined the Axis, the situation would be back to square one. But a decision had to made and a strategy had to be set so that operations could be organised for the summer. Churchill went around the room and asked all those present their choice. Sit tight and await events? Press ahead with “Hammer”, the invasion of Sicily? Or go the whole 9 yards and set “Tempest” in motion?
Backhouse went with Tempest, with no hesitation. The Navy was strong enough. Newell went with Hammer. The RAF would struggle with range to protect the initial landing of Tempest until airfields could be captured, and even then they would lack the capacity unless Rome fell swiftly. Gort went with Tempest. To take Rome might cause Italy to collapse. It was a risk worth taking. Eden was unsure. He went with Hammer, because Tempest might precipitate a conflict with Vichy France. And so it fell to Churchill to sum up and decide.




The chance to knock out Italy had to be taken, he said. Because if they waited much longer, the situation would only get worse. Time would make Italy stronger, and Japan would soon enter the war. Greece and Vichy France were eventualities that had to be covered as best as possible, but the risk must be taken. He had already been told that the earliest date for “Tempest” 1 was 5th August, and, subject to its outcome, the earliest date for “Tempest” 2 was 1st September. All things being as planned, Tempest would go ahead on those dates.



Jake had arrived in Burma in late April. The journey had been long and arduous, down the coast of Spain, through the Mediterranean and the Suez canal, then on across the Indian Ocean. He thought it would never end. They arrived at Bawli Bazaar, and at once it was the heat that got to them. 38 degrees on average in the sun, an intensely humid heat which Northern Europeans were not used to. They went first to acclimatisation camps for two weeks, where to begin with they did very little. Then each day the tempo was raised a little, then a little more. Until they were once again digging holes and heaving around heavy loads like the soldiers they were. Then it was the insects that got to them. The mosquito’s and flies that never left you alone. Jake wondered if they would send him mad. He wrote Annie after a week. It was a strange letter, but he had to write it. He said he had wished he had asked her to marry him. And that if he came home, that was what he was going to do. On one knee, like it should be done. He didn’t realise that were he was going, there were no post boxes, and that mail took months, sometimes years, to catch up with its addressee.

At last, they were told they were going up to join the division in Northern Burma, and 48 hours later they were moving out. It soon became clear that the “heat” they thought was bad relatively near the sea, was much worse as they marched inland. And “marched” was the operative word. They were put on a train to start with and everyone assumed this would take them where they had to go. But it came to railhead after 60 miles, and from there it was on foot. Mandalay was over 400 miles east, and Rangoon 700 miles to the south. 10th Division was in the jungle, over 250 miles away.
There was no transport. All equipment, mortars and base plates, ammunition, food, water, it all had to be man packed or carried on mules. There were no roads, only tracks, which were frequently overgrown and encroached on by the jungle. The further they went, the more mountainous and difficult the country became. They were either climbing over steep ridges or wading through river valleys. They got used to walking through ankle deep water as normal, because if it wasn’t that, then it was knee deep mud. Many of the men had already begun to come down with the maladies of the jungle. Malaria, beri beri, dysentery and yellow fever. Then they had to be carried too. And he wondered that if it was this hard just to move in the jungle, how on earth were you supposed to fight in it. But like all the men of his generation, he just got on with it. That’s what you did back then.



4. The unforgiving jungle.


.
 
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Attacking Italian mainland (Tempest 2) while Germany is not tied up in USSR yet seem a dangerous role of the dies. Better to wait for Barbarossa to start, at least. That might even pull away some Italian divisions from the "the boot". Tempest 1 is more suitable for present situation, IMO.
 
excellent stuff, good to see the AI being so creative. I'd go with CptEasy and stay out of mainland Europe till the bulk of the Germans get involved with the Soviets. You sort of need a rather delicate balance, if they panic and don't go into the USSR then you'll never be able to match them on ground (& in any case Stalin'll prob wander over Germany in 1943 - esp if you've weakened the Reich for him). If they hit the USSR and win (& with AI-AI this is quite plausible), you've got an even bigger problem. Decisions, decisions !! ... fantastic read thank you.

Its also worth remembering that if you force Italy to GIE then their troops don't surrender (unless there is a special Italy surrender routine?), at best they just can't reinforce, but you've already neutralised them as an offensive force in any case.
 
Part 18

A never ending war

July 1941

The Admiralty were determined to be ready for the Germans this time. Backhouse was convinced they were reading British codes, and steps had already been taken to remedy that. In the meantime, if British troopships bought the Germans out, then so much the better. At least they wouldn’t have to go looking for them.







The first elements of 5th Army began leaving South Wales on the evening of 4th July. This time, the Royal Navy positioned itself further north than it had previously, and this time it formed a U shaped line instead of a chequer board. And sure enough, the Bismarck together with the Scharnhorst and the Schleswig Holstein, ran into the 5th Carrier Group in Bayman’s Hole, at midnight that evening. Throughout the night a game of cat and mouse ensued, until at dawn, HMS Hood, HMS Repulse and the Battleship HMS Resolution arrived, together with the heavy cruiser Dorsetshire and 3 light cruisers. As daylight arrived the heavy ships closed to a range of 12 miles as the Germans sped down the coast of North East England in a bid to escape. At last, as the battle reached Bridlington Bay, a Swordfish from HMS Formidable hit the Scharnhorst with a torpedo and she began to slow and take on water. HMS Hood closed the range up, hitting her with at least a dozen 15 inch shells, while Repulse and the carriers sped after the Bismarck. They escaped, but at 13.00hrs that afternoon, the Scharnhorst, blazing and badly damaged, finally sank.






Nor was it yet over. At 18.00hrs, 1st Battlegroup intercepted the Graf Zepplin further east in the Dogger Bank, and after a short engagement, the heavy cruiser Roon was also sunk. The Royal Navy had suffered damage also, with the carrier Hermes and 3 light cruisers being put out of action for repairs. But the Admiralty was delighted. They’d ambushed the Kreigsmarine, positioned their ships just right to close around the enemy and prevent him slipping away. And two capital ships, including the much vaunted Scharnhorst, bad been destroyed and all the others damaged. Victory at last.






In the Mediterranean, plans were pressing ahead for the assault on Sardinia due for early August. Therefore, it came as something of a shock when on the 11th July the Italians made an extraordinary attempt to take Malta. In the face of British Naval superiority, it seemed foolhardy. Yet, despite their previous losses, an assault force attempted a landing on the island, escorted by no less than 4 Battleships. The British were quickly on the scene and a massive battle broke out in the Central Mediterranean Sea. Aircraft from the British carriers Glorious and Victorious made repeated attacks, and this time the Italians had to stand and fight or leave their transports and troop ships undefended. HMS Royal Oak and Barham then arrived, and the battle quickly became a slaughter. When it was over, the Italians had lost no less than 5 destroyer groups as well as 3 transport flotillas. The death toll did not bear thinking about.









1. Littorio opens fire on British surface ships



2. HMS Royal Oak before the war



3. An Italian broadside



4. HMS Galatea, typical RN light cruiser. She was badly damaged in the July battles


Nevertheless, the British forces had suffered serious damage as well. HMS Royal Oak had been hit by a torpedo, as well as three 15 inch rounds from the Littorio, and HMS Galatea had to be towed back to Benghazi. All the CAG’s had suffered substantial losses and would need lots of time to reorganise, and many other ships had suffered varying degrees of damage. It was unlikely that the repairs needed would be completed by the time Tempest 1 was due to go ahead.






Then, on the morning of 15th July, the war suddenly widened into a truly global conflict. By the early afternoon of that day, the Soviet ambassador in London had informed Eden that Germany had invaded at dawn that morning, and that as a result, they were now at war. For Churchill, it was despite the bad news for the Russian people, good news for Britain. She was no longer alone. Less than 2 days later, British submarines lying in observation positions in the Adriatic observed signs of massive troop movements up the Italian mainland. They reported this back to the Admiralty, who requested them to remain and observe. The best guess was that these troops were bound for the Eastern front.








A few days later, the Tirpitz appeared again after a long absence, proving again that the naval war was far from over in either theatre. An inconclusive battle ensued, during which several cruisers were damaged as well as the Admiral Hipper and the Friedrich Carl.






On 23rd July, British transports bringing III Corps into Tripoli were attacked by the Italians again, further underlining that they were far from beaten. Because the Royal Navy had so many ships out of action for repair, there were fewer forces available to screen and escort this convoy in, and a desperate battle broke out that lasted all afternoon of the 23rd. Brave action by HMS Effingham, Dido and Capetown prevented the two Italian Battleships from getting at the transports, only because it had been felt necessary to attach the carrier Courageous to the convoy as air cover. At last the Italians withdrew, losing another destroyer group in the process, and the convoy landed safely at Tripoli. But it meant yet more damaged craft out of action, just when they were needed most. HMS Effingham would be out for months and HMS Dido would be unavailable for at least 4 weeks. Inevitably, it meant “Tempest” would have to be delayed, and if the landing could not go ahead by late September, the weather might force its postponement until 1942.




Towards the end of the month, the naval forces observing the Italian coast could confirm that large numbers of troops were heading north toward the Austrian Alps. In all, it was estimated at least 10 divisions were heading north, including at least 1 Armoured. It was pretty obvious they weren’t going on a skiing holiday, and Churchill was convinced they were headed into Russia.
He had a long conversation with Backhouse, Gort and Ironside. The Italian mainland was now less well defended and more open to a British landing, at the very same time that Britain had much of her navy in dock being repaired. Was it possible to press ahead with the landings anyway?

The servicemen didn’t even need time to think. Sardinia was out of range of British fighers based on Malta. Unless the Navy were at 100%, who were the only immediate air cover until an airfield could be captured, the operation could not go ahead. The risk of losing thousands of men in one go was too great. The only option was to postpone “Tempest” 1 until the end of August.
For Churchill, desperate for great news to lift the nation, it was a bitter blow.

 
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go on HMS Hood. Maybe it will sink the Bismarck. hmmm....