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In any case, and interesting turn of events. It will open up for some more UK-activites. It looks like European-Axis cant do much in the ocean to stop you.
Part 19
A change of plan
August 1941
As August began intelligence showed that the Italians had transferred significant numbers of troops out of the Mediterranean theatre. Churchill mulled over what to do about sharing this information with the Soviets, who up to now seemed unreceptive to British moves to offer help. Eden had suggested offering a non aggression pact, but the indicators were that the USSR would reject such an overture.
Edmund was detailed to approach his opposite number with the Soviet Ambassador, and try to ascertain if there were room for negotiation. This meeting took place on the 3rd August in a restaurant of a top London hotel. Edmund found the man, Sergei, not a little aloof and distant. Nevertheless, he did glean some useful insights. The Soviets had been expecting a German attack, but perhaps not during 1941. Their forces, from what he could gather, were still in the process of re-equipping and many of its officers installed after the purges lacked experience. The Red Army was huge, but by and large poorly equipped and lacked the tactical leadership at the medium and lower levels of command. However, Sergei informed him that the Russians had every intention of fighting the Germans, for there was a concern among the British that the fighting was going so badly for them that they would fold and grant Hitler concessions rather than fight on. From what Edmund could see, this seemed unlikely, at least for now. In a bid to try and pull the USSR closer, Edmund had been instructed to pass the information about Italian deployments to them, and to inform them, that Britain intended to attack soon in a bid to relieve some of the pressure on the Red Army. The information was politely received, but that was all. Clearly, much work remained to be done. Sergei, before leaving, let it be known that Churchill, because of his anti-communist stance during the civil war, was perhaps the stumbling block to closer UK-USSR relations. Edmund smiled and thanked him, but politely declined to offer a reply. They then went their separate ways into the busy London night.
On the 6th, an inconclusive naval engagement took place with the Regio Marine off Sicily. But whilst Cunningham found that the force he had intercepted consisted of only heavy cruisers escorting a single transport, a large part of the remainder of the Italian fleet, including several Battleships, turned up off Cape Matapan. That same afternoon it surprised a small British force on blocking duty, sinking the light cruiser HMS Ajax and then making off. It only underlined that while the Italian navy had been whittled away, it still remained capable of doing serious damage, a salutary lesson in light of the coming operations planned for the following month.
By the 10th, Churchill had had a change of heart over the matter of dealing with Italy. He asked for the plan for “Hammer” to be represented, and this was duly done for him a few days later. Because most of the forces were already in theatre, the plan could go ahead from any point after the 15th September. Basically, the plan called for 8th Army to secure Syracuse and Messina, before going on to assist 5th Army in reducing the resulting pocket of Italian forces on the west of the island. The General Staff, though perhaps still fixated on “Tempest”, held that “Hammer”, while less decisive an action, was less risky. The Royal Navy could concentrate more effectively to protect the landings, and all of Sicily was in range of Allied air forces in North Africa and Malta. After some consideration, Churchill ordered the postponement of “Tempest”, and that arrangements be made for “Hammer” to begin, on or after 15th September.
It was a wise decision. The following day, another large naval battle took place off Cape Matapan, and although there were no losses on either side, the British did learn that the Italians still had five Battleships and numerous heavy cruisers left, enough force to cause havoc if they slipped into the invasion assembly areas unobserved.
1. Upgraded carrier 40mm Quad pom pom guns
2. Lockheed Hudson of Coastal Command forces a U Boat to the surface, Atlantic July 1941
The Navy had begun to make advances with technology. Before the fleet would be ready for combat with the Japanese in the Far East, all of its carrier, battleship and light cruiser air defences would have to be upgraded. The 8 barrelled 2 pounder pom pom gun was now available, and each vessel would be upgraded as it came in for repair or rest. In addition, both small and large warship Radar had been upgraded, as well as destroyer ASW methods. Crews had been trained up to the latest standards and tactics had been examined. Finally, the Royal Navy had now been at war almost continuously since August 1939, and it was now probably the most experienced navy of any in the world. All this would be vital if it was to take on the carrier equipped Imperial Japanese Navy.
For Jake, the war had become one of monotony. They had finally joined up with 10th Infantry Division in the jungles of Northern Burma, but the rest had been brief. By the time a week had passed, 10th was on its way south to take over defence positions from units of VII Corps south of Mandalay. They eventually arrived at their destination in late July, a misty, jungle covered hillside looking over a shallow valley. The defences were found to be inadequate, the previous defenders having lacked the men to cover the frontage they had been given. Therefore, the shovels had to come out, and fresh bunkers and fire points dug, overwatch positions and stoplines. They laid barbed wire entangled and minefields, looked over by machine gun posts and mortar batteries. If the Japanese were coming, they were going to have to fight for this position.
All the men began to get a bit despondent as the months wore on. There were no letters from home and few comforts. Because it was August, the rain at least had stopped, but the flies and mosquito’s were endemic. Even without rain the conditions were humid and disease and illnesses common. By the middle of August, Jake got malaria and was confined to the field hospital, which in reality was little more than a tent with a few collapsible cots. He sweated buckets of water and went into delirium. He dreamt vivid, almost real dreams. He dreamt he was home, out in the thirty acre meadow, pitching dried mown hay up onto glorious stacks. He’d wipe the sweat off his brow, and then see Annie coming across the field, her beautiful dress swaying as she walked, a flask of cold tea and some sandwiches of ham and best cheeses. He’d reach out for her but his hands would meet thin air, and then he’d wake, shivering and shaking despite the heat. This went on for weeks. By the end of August, when he started to mend, he had lost almost 5 of his 14 stone body weight.
.
A change of plan
August 1941
As August began intelligence showed that the Italians had transferred significant numbers of troops out of the Mediterranean theatre. Churchill mulled over what to do about sharing this information with the Soviets, who up to now seemed unreceptive to British moves to offer help. Eden had suggested offering a non aggression pact, but the indicators were that the USSR would reject such an overture.
Edmund was detailed to approach his opposite number with the Soviet Ambassador, and try to ascertain if there were room for negotiation. This meeting took place on the 3rd August in a restaurant of a top London hotel. Edmund found the man, Sergei, not a little aloof and distant. Nevertheless, he did glean some useful insights. The Soviets had been expecting a German attack, but perhaps not during 1941. Their forces, from what he could gather, were still in the process of re-equipping and many of its officers installed after the purges lacked experience. The Red Army was huge, but by and large poorly equipped and lacked the tactical leadership at the medium and lower levels of command. However, Sergei informed him that the Russians had every intention of fighting the Germans, for there was a concern among the British that the fighting was going so badly for them that they would fold and grant Hitler concessions rather than fight on. From what Edmund could see, this seemed unlikely, at least for now. In a bid to try and pull the USSR closer, Edmund had been instructed to pass the information about Italian deployments to them, and to inform them, that Britain intended to attack soon in a bid to relieve some of the pressure on the Red Army. The information was politely received, but that was all. Clearly, much work remained to be done. Sergei, before leaving, let it be known that Churchill, because of his anti-communist stance during the civil war, was perhaps the stumbling block to closer UK-USSR relations. Edmund smiled and thanked him, but politely declined to offer a reply. They then went their separate ways into the busy London night.
On the 6th, an inconclusive naval engagement took place with the Regio Marine off Sicily. But whilst Cunningham found that the force he had intercepted consisted of only heavy cruisers escorting a single transport, a large part of the remainder of the Italian fleet, including several Battleships, turned up off Cape Matapan. That same afternoon it surprised a small British force on blocking duty, sinking the light cruiser HMS Ajax and then making off. It only underlined that while the Italian navy had been whittled away, it still remained capable of doing serious damage, a salutary lesson in light of the coming operations planned for the following month.
By the 10th, Churchill had had a change of heart over the matter of dealing with Italy. He asked for the plan for “Hammer” to be represented, and this was duly done for him a few days later. Because most of the forces were already in theatre, the plan could go ahead from any point after the 15th September. Basically, the plan called for 8th Army to secure Syracuse and Messina, before going on to assist 5th Army in reducing the resulting pocket of Italian forces on the west of the island. The General Staff, though perhaps still fixated on “Tempest”, held that “Hammer”, while less decisive an action, was less risky. The Royal Navy could concentrate more effectively to protect the landings, and all of Sicily was in range of Allied air forces in North Africa and Malta. After some consideration, Churchill ordered the postponement of “Tempest”, and that arrangements be made for “Hammer” to begin, on or after 15th September.
It was a wise decision. The following day, another large naval battle took place off Cape Matapan, and although there were no losses on either side, the British did learn that the Italians still had five Battleships and numerous heavy cruisers left, enough force to cause havoc if they slipped into the invasion assembly areas unobserved.
1. Upgraded carrier 40mm Quad pom pom guns
2. Lockheed Hudson of Coastal Command forces a U Boat to the surface, Atlantic July 1941
The Navy had begun to make advances with technology. Before the fleet would be ready for combat with the Japanese in the Far East, all of its carrier, battleship and light cruiser air defences would have to be upgraded. The 8 barrelled 2 pounder pom pom gun was now available, and each vessel would be upgraded as it came in for repair or rest. In addition, both small and large warship Radar had been upgraded, as well as destroyer ASW methods. Crews had been trained up to the latest standards and tactics had been examined. Finally, the Royal Navy had now been at war almost continuously since August 1939, and it was now probably the most experienced navy of any in the world. All this would be vital if it was to take on the carrier equipped Imperial Japanese Navy.
For Jake, the war had become one of monotony. They had finally joined up with 10th Infantry Division in the jungles of Northern Burma, but the rest had been brief. By the time a week had passed, 10th was on its way south to take over defence positions from units of VII Corps south of Mandalay. They eventually arrived at their destination in late July, a misty, jungle covered hillside looking over a shallow valley. The defences were found to be inadequate, the previous defenders having lacked the men to cover the frontage they had been given. Therefore, the shovels had to come out, and fresh bunkers and fire points dug, overwatch positions and stoplines. They laid barbed wire entangled and minefields, looked over by machine gun posts and mortar batteries. If the Japanese were coming, they were going to have to fight for this position.
All the men began to get a bit despondent as the months wore on. There were no letters from home and few comforts. Because it was August, the rain at least had stopped, but the flies and mosquito’s were endemic. Even without rain the conditions were humid and disease and illnesses common. By the middle of August, Jake got malaria and was confined to the field hospital, which in reality was little more than a tent with a few collapsible cots. He sweated buckets of water and went into delirium. He dreamt vivid, almost real dreams. He dreamt he was home, out in the thirty acre meadow, pitching dried mown hay up onto glorious stacks. He’d wipe the sweat off his brow, and then see Annie coming across the field, her beautiful dress swaying as she walked, a flask of cold tea and some sandwiches of ham and best cheeses. He’d reach out for her but his hands would meet thin air, and then he’d wake, shivering and shaking despite the heat. This went on for weeks. By the end of August, when he started to mend, he had lost almost 5 of his 14 stone body weight.
.
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impressively tense ... I do like the naval cat and mouse aspect to all this & the changes of tone from Grand Strategy to view from your small band of individuals
Part 20
Operation “Hammer”
September 1941
As September began, merchant ship losses again began to rise. Both German and Italian submarines again began to take their toll, and by the middle of the month losses were once more running at around 1 per day. Luckily Britain had kept building replacements, so the problem was not immediate, but it meant that she would have to continue to allocate precious industrial capacity to building ships instead of tanks and aeroplanes. There were simply not enough destroyers to go round.
1. A tanker goes down in the Atlantic
Even before September began, Churchill was again getting anxious. He wanted to strike back at Italy and urged Gort to speed up preparations for Hammer. The men and equipment were in place by the beginning of September, however the plan had to be modified. It was discovered that Italian troops had moved into one of the eastern provinces that had been earmarked for invasion by 8th Army. This obviously presented a bigger risk and would slow down the timetable of attack. It was therefore decided to scale back the operation and bring the invasion across only the southern beaches. This in turn meant that less forces needed to be used. This it was hoped would make it easier to protect the landings in that the Navy had only to concentrate in the Central Mediterranean Sea and not also in the Strait of Messina.
The operation began on the afternoon of 10th September as British transports moved out into the assembly areas escorted by pretty much every vessel the Royal Navy had in the Mediterranean. With British fighters clearing the skies overhead, the first attempts by the Italian Navy to intervene were driven off and the landings began in the early hours of the 11th. By 15.00hrs that afternoon the invasions first wave was ashore and pushing inland against light opposition. While the RAFs tactical bombers harassed the enemy’s rear, XIII Corps swung east to secure the port of Syracuse while XI Corps turned west, sending 11th Armoured Division north the cut the island in two and prevent reinforcements from reaching Palermo.
2. House clearance, Messina
That night the Italian navy tried again to intervene but were again driven off. While the fighting continued on land, they then held off until the 13th, when the second wave bringing III Corps in was engaged by a substantial Italian force. This time they managed to get in close and sank part of a transport flotilla though luckily after it had landed its troops. In doing so they lost a light cruiser and a destroyer group. The RAF had by now gained almost total air superiority and any attempt by the Italian Air Force to interfere was quickly repulsed.
XIII Corps had secured Syracuse by the 14th, and with III Corps now ashore, both formations now pushed north to secure Messina and swing round behind the enemy forces that had moved across to engage XI Corps. But to all intents and purposes the Italians had already lost when V Corps landed in the west on the 20th effectively surrounding Palermo. By the end of the month it was almost over. Gort reported to Churchill that around 70,000 Italian troops were now bottled up in Palermo and that the port would be assaulted as soon as British forces were sufficiently reorganised. It had been a relatively easy operation with British dead of less than a thousand so far.
3. British Infantry of 176th Brigade, 11th Infantry Division, Syracuse
Meanwhile back in Britain, Churchill was becoming increasingly concerned about the Russians. The Soviet ambassador was reporting bad news, though British intelligence painted an even bleaker picture than the Russians would admit to. By late September, the Germans were less than 50 miles from Leningrad, with the whole northern front in a state of virtual collapse. Kiev had fallen and German and Romanian forces had pushed as far east as the Dnieper bend and sealed off the Crimean peninsula. Things did indeed look grim for the Soviet Union. Churchill called Gort and urged him to come up with something to help relieve the pressure on the Russians. He urged him to look again at Denmark, which intelligence revealed was once again weakly held. Could something be done there again?
.
Operation “Hammer”
September 1941
As September began, merchant ship losses again began to rise. Both German and Italian submarines again began to take their toll, and by the middle of the month losses were once more running at around 1 per day. Luckily Britain had kept building replacements, so the problem was not immediate, but it meant that she would have to continue to allocate precious industrial capacity to building ships instead of tanks and aeroplanes. There were simply not enough destroyers to go round.
1. A tanker goes down in the Atlantic
Even before September began, Churchill was again getting anxious. He wanted to strike back at Italy and urged Gort to speed up preparations for Hammer. The men and equipment were in place by the beginning of September, however the plan had to be modified. It was discovered that Italian troops had moved into one of the eastern provinces that had been earmarked for invasion by 8th Army. This obviously presented a bigger risk and would slow down the timetable of attack. It was therefore decided to scale back the operation and bring the invasion across only the southern beaches. This in turn meant that less forces needed to be used. This it was hoped would make it easier to protect the landings in that the Navy had only to concentrate in the Central Mediterranean Sea and not also in the Strait of Messina.
The operation began on the afternoon of 10th September as British transports moved out into the assembly areas escorted by pretty much every vessel the Royal Navy had in the Mediterranean. With British fighters clearing the skies overhead, the first attempts by the Italian Navy to intervene were driven off and the landings began in the early hours of the 11th. By 15.00hrs that afternoon the invasions first wave was ashore and pushing inland against light opposition. While the RAFs tactical bombers harassed the enemy’s rear, XIII Corps swung east to secure the port of Syracuse while XI Corps turned west, sending 11th Armoured Division north the cut the island in two and prevent reinforcements from reaching Palermo.
2. House clearance, Messina
That night the Italian navy tried again to intervene but were again driven off. While the fighting continued on land, they then held off until the 13th, when the second wave bringing III Corps in was engaged by a substantial Italian force. This time they managed to get in close and sank part of a transport flotilla though luckily after it had landed its troops. In doing so they lost a light cruiser and a destroyer group. The RAF had by now gained almost total air superiority and any attempt by the Italian Air Force to interfere was quickly repulsed.
XIII Corps had secured Syracuse by the 14th, and with III Corps now ashore, both formations now pushed north to secure Messina and swing round behind the enemy forces that had moved across to engage XI Corps. But to all intents and purposes the Italians had already lost when V Corps landed in the west on the 20th effectively surrounding Palermo. By the end of the month it was almost over. Gort reported to Churchill that around 70,000 Italian troops were now bottled up in Palermo and that the port would be assaulted as soon as British forces were sufficiently reorganised. It had been a relatively easy operation with British dead of less than a thousand so far.
3. British Infantry of 176th Brigade, 11th Infantry Division, Syracuse
Meanwhile back in Britain, Churchill was becoming increasingly concerned about the Russians. The Soviet ambassador was reporting bad news, though British intelligence painted an even bleaker picture than the Russians would admit to. By late September, the Germans were less than 50 miles from Leningrad, with the whole northern front in a state of virtual collapse. Kiev had fallen and German and Romanian forces had pushed as far east as the Dnieper bend and sealed off the Crimean peninsula. Things did indeed look grim for the Soviet Union. Churchill called Gort and urged him to come up with something to help relieve the pressure on the Russians. He urged him to look again at Denmark, which intelligence revealed was once again weakly held. Could something be done there again?
.
Great updat, as usual.
Did you destroy all the Italian divisions trapped in Palermo, or did some escape by sea? Considering the fact that there seem to be at leat some vessels based at this port that might be a possibility. Or did you have a sufficiently powerfull naval taskforce in the Eastern Thyrrhenian Sea to intercept any evacuation?
Can you post a screenshot of the eastern front? Would be interesting to see how bad exactly the Russians are faring.
A diversion in Denmark seems indeed the smart thing to do. Can't remember if it's possible for the UK to send an expeditionary force to Communist Russia, but if so that could perhaps be an option too.
How are you doing in the Far East?
Great AAR btw!
Did you destroy all the Italian divisions trapped in Palermo, or did some escape by sea? Considering the fact that there seem to be at leat some vessels based at this port that might be a possibility. Or did you have a sufficiently powerfull naval taskforce in the Eastern Thyrrhenian Sea to intercept any evacuation?
Can you post a screenshot of the eastern front? Would be interesting to see how bad exactly the Russians are faring.
A diversion in Denmark seems indeed the smart thing to do. Can't remember if it's possible for the UK to send an expeditionary force to Communist Russia, but if so that could perhaps be an option too.
How are you doing in the Far East?
Great AAR btw!
You've certainly started to badly degrade the Italian Navy ... time to go after them while they are recovering in port?
Thanks gents
The Russian Front at 2nd Oct 41
In order to try and avert a stalemate and to try and replicate the historical events, I have gone into the October 2nd Savegame file and edited it to change German occupation policy in the USSR to "Total Exploitation". Hopefully this will mean the Germans will have a tougher time taking Russia (revolt risk, supply issues etc) and prevent the game becoming a stalemate.
The Palermo question and Far East question will be answered by Part 21 (which I will post tomorrow)
The "Hammer" surely found its target. When Italy lose all the troops in Palermo they will be really weak. Perhaps its time to enter the boot itself? But be sure to retreat if the Germans arrive...
Just came across this a few hours ago and read my way through - most enjoyable!
You've got another subscriber.
You've got another subscriber.
rather embarassingly, your Soviet AI is outperforming my human controlled USSR! But I think your change is sensible, for the narrative in the AAR, and to have a narrative that is anything other than the UK vs Germany, you need the Soviets not to collapse.
Hopefully it will make for a more balanced game. As the UK faction, if Russia collapses before the end of 1942, then technically I am operationally defeated because once she transfers her divisions to the west, any hope of an invasion will be gone.
If it does end in a stalemate then as long as the game experience is enjoyable and leads to an entertaining AAR that is OK.
love this AAR, fantastic mix of narrative and gameplay. Subscribed. Can't wait for the next update.
really really good, love the Wiltshire, Devises narrative. Im from Salisbury you see so I live in Wiltshire and close to devises 
Part 21
A Triumph of purpose
October 1941
October began with stormy weather across much of Northern Europe. The Royal Navy again readied itself for the Kreigsmarine as troopships departed for the Middle East from ports in South Wales. This time there was a determination that the job would be done, no matter what the cost. There had to be a decisive battle with the Germans and everything the Home Fleet possessed was put to sea the day before the transports sailed. If the weather wasn’t going to help, then numbers would have to do the job instead.
On the 4th October, in atrocious weather, the Graf Zepplin once again slipped through the Navy’s screen. Fortunately, she was discovered by the backstop of HMS Furious and the Battleships Valiant and Royal Sovereign. They held them up long enough for Tovey to arrive, but the German carrier once again slipped away. She met up with the Tirpitz and the Admiral Scheer, only for Cunningham to arrive at the same time. In foul weather a huge battle now took place in Bayman’s hole, the British poorly positioned to prevent the combined German group making off down the Scottish coast.
Group after group of British ships moved into blocking positions while the RAF mounted naval strikes one after the other in attempts to cripple the fleeing German ships. They were all badly damaged by the time Sommervilles carriers intercepted them again off East Anglia, and this time there was to be no escape. Whichever direction the Germans turned now, a British force was waiting, determined that they would not be able to slip north into ports out of range of the RAF. First the admiral Hipper went down in the Wash, only for the Germans to be intercepted yet again in the mouth of the Thames. Each time the British were poorly positioned but each time they did a little more damage, and this final interception forced the Germans to seek refuge in Den Haag, scene of such bloody fighting the previous year.
Now the RAF descended on the port and the badly damaged German ships with a vengeance. No less than 9 fighter wings swept the small force of Luftwaffe fighters from the sky, while the combined wings of No1 Bomber and No18 Coastal Command Groups embarked on a concentrated and sustained operation to obliterate the German ships
1. RAF Bomber Command Hampden's, rearming and refuelling before another sortie
First to go was the Admiral Scheer, hit by two 500lb bombs, she keeled over and sank. Next the Graf Zepplin herself, burning fiercely from multiple bomb hits and fires, went down. She was followed by the Freidrich Carl and the Schlesien, the latter breaking in two from torpedo hits. Still the bombing went on, the German fighters now completely overwhelmed. The final prize was the Tirpitz herself, taking hits from no less than seven 500lb bombs and a torpedo before she finally keeled over on her side and exploded. It was a stunning and totally deserved victory. The Admiralty, Churchill and the General Staff were ecstatic. The German Navy was now no more than an empty shell. The following days papers carried the news for the whole British nation to read. The Germans were not invincible, and they were going to get their come uppance sooner or later.
2. British 25pdr gun crews in action, Palermo, 21st October 1941
In the Mediterranean, the Italians were already getting theirs. The assault on Palermo began on the 10th October. The operation was under taken by V & XI Corps, 7 divisions in all, assisted by artillery and airstrikes.
3. The result of strafing, Palermo, 1941
While the attack on Palermo was in progress, the bulk of the Mediterranean fleet was withdrawn to refit and reorganise. On the 15th, three Italian Battleships ventured out from the mainland and ambushed two British destroyer groups, 26th and 27th, in the Central Mediterranean. The Battleships Warspite and Malaya were rushed to help, but arrived too late to save the destroyers, then ended up in a battle which nearly resulted in Malaya being sunk also. Eventually the Italians withdrew, but it underlined the urgent need to deal with the remains of the Italian fleet.
On 27th October, resistance in Palermo finally ended, and British troops entered the port the following morning. The Italian ships escaped, for the Royal Navy had nothing to stand watch, for practically every vessel in the Mediterranean was either being repaired or was on station elsewhere. Still, the enemy could have their way for the moment. Back in London, plans were being made to deal as decisive a blow to the Italians as had been dealt to the Germans.
In the middle of the month Admiral Vian’s 6th Carrier Group , already transferred from the Home Fleet, left Alexandria bound for Ceylon. It comprised the carriers HMS Illustrious, HMS Ark Royal and HMS Victorious, together with 2 modern Southampton class light cruisers and 2 Battle class modern destroyers. By the end of December, HMS Formidable was scheduled to follow, together with the Home Fleets 3rd Battlegroup and various other support vessels. By March 1942, it was intended to have 6 fleet carriers and 2 escort carriers in the Pacific Fleet, rising to 10 carriers by early 1943. The Royal Navy could now begin to turn its focus toward the Japanese.
Edmunds October had been taken up with many meetings, mainly pertaining to future strategy and the deployment of forces. Churchill wanted answers about Japan’s intentions. Did she intend to attack Britain or the USA, or both? Or did she intend to attack the USSR?
It was frequently difficult to deal with Winston. He was demanding, he was often an overbearing bully and browbeater. But he got things done. On this occasion though, there was little that he could be told. Edmund and his team had done their best, and Eden now summed up for the Prime Minister on the last day of October
All the evidence, and there was not very much, suggested that Japan would attack Britain. Where he could not say. It was still impossible to call the intentions of Siam, but it was not expected that she would remain out of any conflict for long, even supposing she wanted to. Hong Kong was indefensible, and it was expected that any hostilities would begin with Naval confrontations and/or air attacks, but that a seaborne invasion of some description could be expected north of Singapore. Churchill wanted Singapore defended, but both the Military and the Foreign Office counselled against wasting troops in what was almost certain to result in a defeat. They reminded him that although the Indian ports were defended, the long coastline was not and invited an invasion if sea superiority was not secured quickly. They also reminded him that what British forces were in South East Asia were committed to the defence of Burma, and that no strategic reserve of any kind existed either in India or Burma.
The General Staff had recommended a strategy whereby a reserve were built up in Ceylon, with naval transport support, so that it could be quickly deployed to where it was needed. They also reminded him that one tactical bomber wing was the sole air strength for the whole theatre and urged that air assets were needed immediately, at least 4 fighter wings and an additional 3 tactical bomber wings. Churchill asked for proposals within 3 days.
He then turned to the question of the remaining Italian fleet, asking for a proposal for a strong naval and air campaign to be ready for no later than 20th November.
The next item was the need to do something to relieve the pressure on the Soviets. Churchill wanted a plan to be ready to put into action during December – a strong raid with air support, perhaps in Denmark, perhaps up to 15 divisions. He asked for this to be on his desk in 7 days.
.
A Triumph of purpose
October 1941
October began with stormy weather across much of Northern Europe. The Royal Navy again readied itself for the Kreigsmarine as troopships departed for the Middle East from ports in South Wales. This time there was a determination that the job would be done, no matter what the cost. There had to be a decisive battle with the Germans and everything the Home Fleet possessed was put to sea the day before the transports sailed. If the weather wasn’t going to help, then numbers would have to do the job instead.
On the 4th October, in atrocious weather, the Graf Zepplin once again slipped through the Navy’s screen. Fortunately, she was discovered by the backstop of HMS Furious and the Battleships Valiant and Royal Sovereign. They held them up long enough for Tovey to arrive, but the German carrier once again slipped away. She met up with the Tirpitz and the Admiral Scheer, only for Cunningham to arrive at the same time. In foul weather a huge battle now took place in Bayman’s hole, the British poorly positioned to prevent the combined German group making off down the Scottish coast.
Group after group of British ships moved into blocking positions while the RAF mounted naval strikes one after the other in attempts to cripple the fleeing German ships. They were all badly damaged by the time Sommervilles carriers intercepted them again off East Anglia, and this time there was to be no escape. Whichever direction the Germans turned now, a British force was waiting, determined that they would not be able to slip north into ports out of range of the RAF. First the admiral Hipper went down in the Wash, only for the Germans to be intercepted yet again in the mouth of the Thames. Each time the British were poorly positioned but each time they did a little more damage, and this final interception forced the Germans to seek refuge in Den Haag, scene of such bloody fighting the previous year.
Now the RAF descended on the port and the badly damaged German ships with a vengeance. No less than 9 fighter wings swept the small force of Luftwaffe fighters from the sky, while the combined wings of No1 Bomber and No18 Coastal Command Groups embarked on a concentrated and sustained operation to obliterate the German ships
1. RAF Bomber Command Hampden's, rearming and refuelling before another sortie
First to go was the Admiral Scheer, hit by two 500lb bombs, she keeled over and sank. Next the Graf Zepplin herself, burning fiercely from multiple bomb hits and fires, went down. She was followed by the Freidrich Carl and the Schlesien, the latter breaking in two from torpedo hits. Still the bombing went on, the German fighters now completely overwhelmed. The final prize was the Tirpitz herself, taking hits from no less than seven 500lb bombs and a torpedo before she finally keeled over on her side and exploded. It was a stunning and totally deserved victory. The Admiralty, Churchill and the General Staff were ecstatic. The German Navy was now no more than an empty shell. The following days papers carried the news for the whole British nation to read. The Germans were not invincible, and they were going to get their come uppance sooner or later.
2. British 25pdr gun crews in action, Palermo, 21st October 1941
In the Mediterranean, the Italians were already getting theirs. The assault on Palermo began on the 10th October. The operation was under taken by V & XI Corps, 7 divisions in all, assisted by artillery and airstrikes.
3. The result of strafing, Palermo, 1941
While the attack on Palermo was in progress, the bulk of the Mediterranean fleet was withdrawn to refit and reorganise. On the 15th, three Italian Battleships ventured out from the mainland and ambushed two British destroyer groups, 26th and 27th, in the Central Mediterranean. The Battleships Warspite and Malaya were rushed to help, but arrived too late to save the destroyers, then ended up in a battle which nearly resulted in Malaya being sunk also. Eventually the Italians withdrew, but it underlined the urgent need to deal with the remains of the Italian fleet.
On 27th October, resistance in Palermo finally ended, and British troops entered the port the following morning. The Italian ships escaped, for the Royal Navy had nothing to stand watch, for practically every vessel in the Mediterranean was either being repaired or was on station elsewhere. Still, the enemy could have their way for the moment. Back in London, plans were being made to deal as decisive a blow to the Italians as had been dealt to the Germans.
In the middle of the month Admiral Vian’s 6th Carrier Group , already transferred from the Home Fleet, left Alexandria bound for Ceylon. It comprised the carriers HMS Illustrious, HMS Ark Royal and HMS Victorious, together with 2 modern Southampton class light cruisers and 2 Battle class modern destroyers. By the end of December, HMS Formidable was scheduled to follow, together with the Home Fleets 3rd Battlegroup and various other support vessels. By March 1942, it was intended to have 6 fleet carriers and 2 escort carriers in the Pacific Fleet, rising to 10 carriers by early 1943. The Royal Navy could now begin to turn its focus toward the Japanese.
Edmunds October had been taken up with many meetings, mainly pertaining to future strategy and the deployment of forces. Churchill wanted answers about Japan’s intentions. Did she intend to attack Britain or the USA, or both? Or did she intend to attack the USSR?
It was frequently difficult to deal with Winston. He was demanding, he was often an overbearing bully and browbeater. But he got things done. On this occasion though, there was little that he could be told. Edmund and his team had done their best, and Eden now summed up for the Prime Minister on the last day of October
All the evidence, and there was not very much, suggested that Japan would attack Britain. Where he could not say. It was still impossible to call the intentions of Siam, but it was not expected that she would remain out of any conflict for long, even supposing she wanted to. Hong Kong was indefensible, and it was expected that any hostilities would begin with Naval confrontations and/or air attacks, but that a seaborne invasion of some description could be expected north of Singapore. Churchill wanted Singapore defended, but both the Military and the Foreign Office counselled against wasting troops in what was almost certain to result in a defeat. They reminded him that although the Indian ports were defended, the long coastline was not and invited an invasion if sea superiority was not secured quickly. They also reminded him that what British forces were in South East Asia were committed to the defence of Burma, and that no strategic reserve of any kind existed either in India or Burma.
The General Staff had recommended a strategy whereby a reserve were built up in Ceylon, with naval transport support, so that it could be quickly deployed to where it was needed. They also reminded him that one tactical bomber wing was the sole air strength for the whole theatre and urged that air assets were needed immediately, at least 4 fighter wings and an additional 3 tactical bomber wings. Churchill asked for proposals within 3 days.
He then turned to the question of the remaining Italian fleet, asking for a proposal for a strong naval and air campaign to be ready for no later than 20th November.
The next item was the need to do something to relieve the pressure on the Soviets. Churchill wanted a plan to be ready to put into action during December – a strong raid with air support, perhaps in Denmark, perhaps up to 15 divisions. He asked for this to be on his desk in 7 days.
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liked the way you dealt with the German navy, seems it is far more efficient to generate a sequence of small actions (& then bomb them in port) than reach for a single decisive action? Presume you intend to do much the same to Italy?
What's your production? Is it still mostly convoys, and are you bulding more ships or more infantry?
really really good, love the Wiltshire, Devises narrative. Im from Salisbury you see so I live in Wiltshire and close to devises
Thank you for your kind comments gents.
Now that the Kreigsmarine is impotent, the plan is to try and draw the Italian navy out into combat against superior numbers. Japan cannot be far away from DOW, so again, I have the issue of multiple demands and limited forces. I must resist the temptation to take on too many objectives and do them all poorly, instead of taking on fewer and doing them well I guess.
Part 22
Which way to turn
November 1941
At the beginning of November, the War Ministry placed orders for 2 new carriers. The Implacable class was an improved version of the Illustrious class, longer, with greater range and better anti-aircraft protection. HMS Implacable and HMS Indefatigable would not arrive until early 1943, but they showed that Britain intended to stay at the forefront of carrier design.
1. Design of the Implacable Class
The RAFs Lockheed Hudsons were also reaching the end of their service life. During the last few months of 1941, flight and operational testing of the new Bristol Beaufort Naval bomber was reaching its conclusion. This fine aircraft, together with new torpedo designs were due to go into production in January 1942, vastly improving the effectiveness of Britain's Naval bomber force.
2. Bristol Beaufort Naval bomber during trials
At GHQ, more changes were made to the command structure. 1st Army Group, which would report to GHQ, was formed to cover Northern Europe, to which 2nd and 9th Armies would now report. 3rd Army Group took over the Mediterranean, to which 5th and 8th Armies would report. In future, a new 7th Army Group would also be formed to cover South East Asia, reporting to the renamed South East Asia Command. As well as 14th Army, the new 3rd Army would also be under this theatre when it formed, scheduled for January 1942.
At the Foreign Office, events in Russia were being watched daily. By 4th November, Moscow was all but surrounded. Edmund again met Sergei the following day, who informed him that things were not looking good. In the north, the front had collapsed, and only the weather and supply issues stood in the Germans way. Moscow was doomed to fall and the central front was best described as fluid. Only in the south did the Red Army look to be holding up the German advance. Sergei told Edmund he had been asked to request whatever assistance the British could offer, and passed on a request that a meeting between Eden and Molotov be arranged as soon as possible. Edmund promised he would do what he could.
On 7th November, the British Government learned at last that Japan had begun mobilisation. Everyone now knew that war was unavoidable, and that even if she did not attack Britain first, it was only a matter of time before she did. Churchill received the news sombrely, for it now had a baring on what decision he took next.
The Italians, together with German assistance, then launched an ill advised attempt on the 13th to cross back into Sicily across the strait of Messina with 5 divisions. At first, only 2nd Armoured division was on hand, but due to the complexity of the attempted crossing, it seemed that was more than enough. Reinforcements were quickly on hand in the shape of 11th Armoured division which arrived the next day, but it hardly seemed necessary. The Italians were suffering heavy casualties in the attempt, an attrition rate that was being repeated in the skies above as the RAFs 15 Group drove off all attempts by the Italian Air Force to assist their ground forces.
The Navy had obviously known for some time that U Boats were using the French ports on the Basque coast, and had stationed HMS Rodney, together with a heavy cruiser and two flotilla’s of modern Battle class destroyers there to try a different strategy. Instead of hunting them, they simply waited, far enough off shore not to be spotted, for the U Boats to return. Sure enough, on 18th November, they intercepted two submarine flotilla’s, sinking one and badly damaging another. It had been a lot less wasteful in time, effort and fuel and had had a better success rate than half the RN fruitlessly searching the Eastern Atlantic. It seemed this tactic had promise for the future.
As the assault across the Strait of Messina drew to its inevitable conclusion, Canada finally joined the Allies on the 21st November, to be followed the next day by South Africa. Australia for the moment refused to join, but it was now only a matter of waiting for Japan to enter the war, for then she would have little choice. On the 23rd, the attack on Messina finally ended, the Axis having suffered over 1500 killed during the attempt.
In London, Churchill had called the cabinet and the General Staff together for a meeting on 22nd November. The main item on the agenda was strategy, following the reports he had received earlier in the month. It was clear now that Japan would enter the war within weeks, and despite the fact that no-one yet knew where, this would completely change the strategic situation. After discussion at length, 3 decisions were arrived at.
Firstly, with Japan now mobilised, the most important objective was to get forces into that theatre quickly. Although that task had already begun to some extent, it now needed to be speeded up. No1 Bomber Group had already left for Ceylon, together with No20 Fighter Group. Part of the naval forces allocated were already there, and garrison reinforcements had been sent to Ceylon to secure it against invasion. Two Infantry divisions taken from 8th Army’s XIII Corps had also arrived as the beginning of the new 3rd Army. Much remained to be done, but for the moment, the South East Asia Theatre would have priority for reinforcement.
Secondly, any thoughts of a large scale raid on occupied Europe now went out the window. If the war suddenly widened in the Far East while Britain had 10 or 15 divisions occupied in what would ultimately be an abortive raid in Europe, no flexibility would exist. Therefore, the plan for a raid was downgraded to 4 divisions maximum, over a timescale of perhaps 7 days. It would be like a bee sting on a Rhino, but something had to be done to demonstrate to the Soviets that she must fight on.
That then left Italy. Already badly mauled, it was decided that Britain should now turn the lion’s share of her offensive capability on the Italians in the hope of achieving a knockout blow during 1942. This in itself might prove disruptive to Axis operations on the Eastern Front, by diverting Italian divisions, and perhaps even German ones too, back to defend Italy. If it did not, then it was felt that Italy was badly weakened already, and a strong offensive might succeed in taking most of Italy fairly quickly. This in itself might serve to be enough to threaten Germany’s southern flank and lead to a slackening of offensive effort in the east. If the Russians could be given a breathing space to recover, it was felt they might remain in the war, and if Germany became bogged down in Russia, then Britain retained a chance of victory.
Therefore a full scale offensive against Italy was to be planned to begin in mid January 1942 involving the entire 5th and 8th Armies, the whole Mediterranean fleet, and as much of the RAF as could be spared. The codename for the operation, coined by Churchill himself, was to be “Screwball”. Planning and force concentration was to begin immediately. In preparation, and while the Italians were still recovering from Hammer, an operation to secure Sardinia and deny the Italians use of its airbases and ports was to be launched later that week. It was felt that surprise would achieve what planning couldn’t, and it was vital that Sardinia was taken before any attempt to invade the mainland began. That would be followed by a quick knockout blow to the German forces on Corsica, regardless of how relations with Vichy France were affected. Now was not the time for faint hearts.
As a demonstration more than anything else, a surprise raid would be mounted against Denmark during December, a time at which it would not be expected. Britain had by now 3 Marine divisions, which had been allocated to the Mediterranean and Far East theatres. But it was decided to use 2nd Royal Marines, together with the two divisions of VI Corps, currently in North East England, on this nuisance raid. The objective was simply to cause as much damage and disruption as possible, then get out. This in itself would cause the Germans to have to move troops from elsewhere, even if this was only temporary.
On the 27th November, the operation to secure Sardinia, now rechristened “Little Tempest”, began. 5th Army detached XVIII Corps who landed in the undefended port of Olbia at noon that day. The following day they pressed south bound for Cagliari, and on the 29th ran into the Italian 30th Infantry division at Tortoli. With numbers firmly on their side, but with no air cover and under attack from Italian bombers, the battle was not going to be a walkover.
On 1st December, Dillwoods heavy cruisers based in Norway intercepted the Gneisenau, Graf Spee and a heavy cruiser of the Hipper class in the Norwegian Trench and a brief battle broke out. The German force was driven off, but it was a reminder that even if the Kreigsmarine had been badly damaged, it was not completely out of the game yet. The Admiralty, sure that they had already sunk the Hipper, could only assume that the Germans were still building warships and this was a replacement. Since Bismarck also remained unaccounted for, it served as a reminder that the North Sea was still far from safe.
3. Naval recognition chart for the Hipper Class
As the weather began to turn for the worse and temperatures dropped, British Submarines moved in to observe the Danish coast. Fredrickshaven it was discovered, was now defended, which meant the easy occupation of “Bluecoat” would not be possible. A raid on Denmark was probably the least bloody option open to the British in Northern Europe, but the easy occupation of a port had been vital to a small operation. Nevertheless, an operation of some sort had to go ahead. A bee sting on a Rhino was better than nothing at all.
.
Which way to turn
November 1941
At the beginning of November, the War Ministry placed orders for 2 new carriers. The Implacable class was an improved version of the Illustrious class, longer, with greater range and better anti-aircraft protection. HMS Implacable and HMS Indefatigable would not arrive until early 1943, but they showed that Britain intended to stay at the forefront of carrier design.
1. Design of the Implacable Class
The RAFs Lockheed Hudsons were also reaching the end of their service life. During the last few months of 1941, flight and operational testing of the new Bristol Beaufort Naval bomber was reaching its conclusion. This fine aircraft, together with new torpedo designs were due to go into production in January 1942, vastly improving the effectiveness of Britain's Naval bomber force.
2. Bristol Beaufort Naval bomber during trials
At GHQ, more changes were made to the command structure. 1st Army Group, which would report to GHQ, was formed to cover Northern Europe, to which 2nd and 9th Armies would now report. 3rd Army Group took over the Mediterranean, to which 5th and 8th Armies would report. In future, a new 7th Army Group would also be formed to cover South East Asia, reporting to the renamed South East Asia Command. As well as 14th Army, the new 3rd Army would also be under this theatre when it formed, scheduled for January 1942.
At the Foreign Office, events in Russia were being watched daily. By 4th November, Moscow was all but surrounded. Edmund again met Sergei the following day, who informed him that things were not looking good. In the north, the front had collapsed, and only the weather and supply issues stood in the Germans way. Moscow was doomed to fall and the central front was best described as fluid. Only in the south did the Red Army look to be holding up the German advance. Sergei told Edmund he had been asked to request whatever assistance the British could offer, and passed on a request that a meeting between Eden and Molotov be arranged as soon as possible. Edmund promised he would do what he could.
On 7th November, the British Government learned at last that Japan had begun mobilisation. Everyone now knew that war was unavoidable, and that even if she did not attack Britain first, it was only a matter of time before she did. Churchill received the news sombrely, for it now had a baring on what decision he took next.
The Italians, together with German assistance, then launched an ill advised attempt on the 13th to cross back into Sicily across the strait of Messina with 5 divisions. At first, only 2nd Armoured division was on hand, but due to the complexity of the attempted crossing, it seemed that was more than enough. Reinforcements were quickly on hand in the shape of 11th Armoured division which arrived the next day, but it hardly seemed necessary. The Italians were suffering heavy casualties in the attempt, an attrition rate that was being repeated in the skies above as the RAFs 15 Group drove off all attempts by the Italian Air Force to assist their ground forces.
The Navy had obviously known for some time that U Boats were using the French ports on the Basque coast, and had stationed HMS Rodney, together with a heavy cruiser and two flotilla’s of modern Battle class destroyers there to try a different strategy. Instead of hunting them, they simply waited, far enough off shore not to be spotted, for the U Boats to return. Sure enough, on 18th November, they intercepted two submarine flotilla’s, sinking one and badly damaging another. It had been a lot less wasteful in time, effort and fuel and had had a better success rate than half the RN fruitlessly searching the Eastern Atlantic. It seemed this tactic had promise for the future.
As the assault across the Strait of Messina drew to its inevitable conclusion, Canada finally joined the Allies on the 21st November, to be followed the next day by South Africa. Australia for the moment refused to join, but it was now only a matter of waiting for Japan to enter the war, for then she would have little choice. On the 23rd, the attack on Messina finally ended, the Axis having suffered over 1500 killed during the attempt.
In London, Churchill had called the cabinet and the General Staff together for a meeting on 22nd November. The main item on the agenda was strategy, following the reports he had received earlier in the month. It was clear now that Japan would enter the war within weeks, and despite the fact that no-one yet knew where, this would completely change the strategic situation. After discussion at length, 3 decisions were arrived at.
Firstly, with Japan now mobilised, the most important objective was to get forces into that theatre quickly. Although that task had already begun to some extent, it now needed to be speeded up. No1 Bomber Group had already left for Ceylon, together with No20 Fighter Group. Part of the naval forces allocated were already there, and garrison reinforcements had been sent to Ceylon to secure it against invasion. Two Infantry divisions taken from 8th Army’s XIII Corps had also arrived as the beginning of the new 3rd Army. Much remained to be done, but for the moment, the South East Asia Theatre would have priority for reinforcement.
Secondly, any thoughts of a large scale raid on occupied Europe now went out the window. If the war suddenly widened in the Far East while Britain had 10 or 15 divisions occupied in what would ultimately be an abortive raid in Europe, no flexibility would exist. Therefore, the plan for a raid was downgraded to 4 divisions maximum, over a timescale of perhaps 7 days. It would be like a bee sting on a Rhino, but something had to be done to demonstrate to the Soviets that she must fight on.
That then left Italy. Already badly mauled, it was decided that Britain should now turn the lion’s share of her offensive capability on the Italians in the hope of achieving a knockout blow during 1942. This in itself might prove disruptive to Axis operations on the Eastern Front, by diverting Italian divisions, and perhaps even German ones too, back to defend Italy. If it did not, then it was felt that Italy was badly weakened already, and a strong offensive might succeed in taking most of Italy fairly quickly. This in itself might serve to be enough to threaten Germany’s southern flank and lead to a slackening of offensive effort in the east. If the Russians could be given a breathing space to recover, it was felt they might remain in the war, and if Germany became bogged down in Russia, then Britain retained a chance of victory.
Therefore a full scale offensive against Italy was to be planned to begin in mid January 1942 involving the entire 5th and 8th Armies, the whole Mediterranean fleet, and as much of the RAF as could be spared. The codename for the operation, coined by Churchill himself, was to be “Screwball”. Planning and force concentration was to begin immediately. In preparation, and while the Italians were still recovering from Hammer, an operation to secure Sardinia and deny the Italians use of its airbases and ports was to be launched later that week. It was felt that surprise would achieve what planning couldn’t, and it was vital that Sardinia was taken before any attempt to invade the mainland began. That would be followed by a quick knockout blow to the German forces on Corsica, regardless of how relations with Vichy France were affected. Now was not the time for faint hearts.
As a demonstration more than anything else, a surprise raid would be mounted against Denmark during December, a time at which it would not be expected. Britain had by now 3 Marine divisions, which had been allocated to the Mediterranean and Far East theatres. But it was decided to use 2nd Royal Marines, together with the two divisions of VI Corps, currently in North East England, on this nuisance raid. The objective was simply to cause as much damage and disruption as possible, then get out. This in itself would cause the Germans to have to move troops from elsewhere, even if this was only temporary.
On the 27th November, the operation to secure Sardinia, now rechristened “Little Tempest”, began. 5th Army detached XVIII Corps who landed in the undefended port of Olbia at noon that day. The following day they pressed south bound for Cagliari, and on the 29th ran into the Italian 30th Infantry division at Tortoli. With numbers firmly on their side, but with no air cover and under attack from Italian bombers, the battle was not going to be a walkover.
On 1st December, Dillwoods heavy cruisers based in Norway intercepted the Gneisenau, Graf Spee and a heavy cruiser of the Hipper class in the Norwegian Trench and a brief battle broke out. The German force was driven off, but it was a reminder that even if the Kreigsmarine had been badly damaged, it was not completely out of the game yet. The Admiralty, sure that they had already sunk the Hipper, could only assume that the Germans were still building warships and this was a replacement. Since Bismarck also remained unaccounted for, it served as a reminder that the North Sea was still far from safe.
3. Naval recognition chart for the Hipper Class
As the weather began to turn for the worse and temperatures dropped, British Submarines moved in to observe the Danish coast. Fredrickshaven it was discovered, was now defended, which meant the easy occupation of “Bluecoat” would not be possible. A raid on Denmark was probably the least bloody option open to the British in Northern Europe, but the easy occupation of a port had been vital to a small operation. Nevertheless, an operation of some sort had to go ahead. A bee sting on a Rhino was better than nothing at all.
.
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wonderful analogy
neat asw tactics, essentially get them to/from their hunting grounds rather than react to their actions.