War at Sea
Soviet Command now temporarily shifted their attention to Europe. The British fortress of Gibraltar had long been a thorn in the Soviet Navy's side. British and American ships based there could raid Soviet supply lines in the Mediterranean at will and the large naval base posed a threat to any possible invasion of England. It had to be neutralized.
Two carrier fleets and one battleship fleet of the Red Navy, along with 3 divisions of marines, were dispatched to take the fortress. From October 12-14 they encountered British naval units and sank the famous battlecruisers
Hood and
Repulse. The way was now open for the marines.
The British Army's first priority was defense of the home island and they had been relying on the British Navy to defend Gibraltar. Thus the only resistance the Soviet marines met as they stormed the beach was from one under-strength division of garrison troops. It took less than a day to secure the entire fortress, sealing the Allies out of the Mediterranean.
The disorganized British fleet based at Gibraltar had no choice but to attempt to fight its way out. The battleships of the Royal Navy valiantly stood their ground against the well-rested and well-positioned Red Fleet, but it did them no good. After an epic 8-hour gun duel three new British battleships were sent to the bottom, while the battered remnants of the fleet retired to England. Soviet losses of heavy cruiser
Kalinin and two light cruisers were negligible in comparison.
The crew of a doomed British battleship abandons ship during the Battle off Casablanca
While the loss of Gibraltar and the severe naval mauling had hit the Allies hard, they were ready to hit back by the next month. On November 22 British and American forces began an invasion of the southern USSR, having already forced the Soviet-allied governments of Tibet and Afghanistan to surrender. This presented a problem for the Red Army. No Soviet forces were closer than 1500 km to the new front, and it would take months to reorganize sufficient units to repel the Allies. It was therefore decided to ignore the Allied invasion for the time being as it did not threaten any vital industrial or military areas.
At the same time the Allies began a massive attempt to retake Gibraltar. On November 23 Soviet carrier aircraft spotted large numbers of British ships massing for an attack. Not wishing to be forced into an even fight with the superior Allied force, the Red Navy launched an immediate preemptive surprise attack. The result was disastrous for the Allies. Two British escort carriers were sunk before they could launch any aircraft of their own and the rest of the fleet attempted to withdraw. Two days later the Red Navy caught up with them, and by the end of the day the outgunned Soviet Navy stood victorious. November 26 brought more good news. The remnants of the British Mediterranean Fleet had used the battle as an opportunity to attempt a breakout. They got as far as Tanger before they ran straight into the guns of the Soviet battle line and were obliterated. The battles of November 23-26 had cost the Red Fleet one ship, heavy cruiser
Admiral Lazarev. In return they had sunk three British battleships and three aircraft carriers. The Royal Navy's frontline strength had been decimated, and they could no longer contest the waters of the Atlantic or defend the British Isles from invasion.
Three Soviet naval victories in as many days
The final act of 1952 took place in Korea. Not deterred by their failure earlier in the year, the Americans once again invaded the peninsula. This time they hit both North and South Korea at the same time. American troops went ashore at Pusan while Japanese troops landed at Hamhung. Once again Soviet armor was rushed from Manchuria to repel the invaders.
The Americans had failed to learn from their previous mistakes and left Pusan undefended as their troops advanced north. In a simple yet effective move, the Soviet Navy sneaked a division of infantry from Dalian into the unguarded port, cutting the Allied invasion force off from supply. At the same time the Red Navy moved to attack the American fleet covering the landings. They met on December 1 and the American Fleet was driven off with minor losses.
By the end of December the Allied troops in Korea had almost had enough. The Japanese forces at Hamhung had already been driven into the sea. The Americans near Pusan were cut off from supply and their capture was imminent. In desperation the Royal Australian Navy made a brave but futile attempt to land reinforcements and reopen the port of Pusan. Their transports stood no chance against the Soviet carriers and they were swiftly driven away with heavy losses.
With the failure of both their Gibraltar and Korea counterattacks, the Allies were spent. They had exhausted their available divisions and naval resources for no considerable gain. The beginning of 1953 saw the initiative firmly in the hands of the USSR, and it now seemed that nothing could save Britain, China, and perhaps the world from the Red tidal wave.