The Darkest hour of the Russian Empire 2

The Darkest hour of the Russian Empire 2​

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Chapter Five: 1941
Part XXIV: Agony of the Lion​

Europe was under the boots of German soldiers and tracks of German tanks - after the Spanish capitulation and invasion into Greece no real enemies left...except Great Britain. English industry was as strong as German, Royal Air Force could compete with Luftwaffe, British navy was much stronger than Kriegsmarine, while soldiers of the Empire were brave enough to defeat Italians and occupy all its African colonies. Strategic balance in Europe was set...or not?


So, the United Kingdom became a foe #1 for Hitler. Citadel of Gibraltar, finely supported from the air and sea, was defending herself brilliantly - Rommel and his generals tried their best to storm the main naval base in the Mediterranean, and the casualties were horrible. With controlled Gibraltar and Suez British forces in Africa and Middle East were properly supplied and Hitler couldn't do anything to them.


In the Middle East German expeditionary forces were sent to Iraq - their task was to secure Iraqi oil plants from advancing British Armies. Middle-Eastern conditions were unusual for the Wehrmacht, because Germany didn't have any colonial troops and wasn't able to fight in the deserts as they could fight in Europe. Iraq suddenly became a new important theater of war.


It was probably the first moment of war when the Germans had to defend, not to attack. But the situation wasn't hopeless for them - the British troops in the Middle East couldn't beat them like Italians because the Germans sent their best regiments to Iraq (after the successful European conquest Middle East and various oceans became the main battlefields).


But battles in Iraq (even victorious ones) couldn't help Wehrmacht to beat the British. English Isles weren't so easy to storm, and German strategists were planning more and more ambitious offensive plans, but all of them had mistakes and weren't accepted by the OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, Wermacht High Command). Grossadmiral Raeder suggested a grand naval invasion, in which all might of the Kriegsmarine should strike the British coasts. It was called "Operation Sea Lion". But Hitler refused the proposals - he weren't so naive and understood that the Royal Navy will destroy all amphibious forces.


So, when Raeder's plan of direct naval assault was refused and the name "Operation Sea Lion" was forgotten, the most talented war leaders of the Reich started creating their war plans.


Keitel planned to attack Britain from both sea and air, using quite vast amounts of trophy vessels (Belgian, French, Dutch, Spanish transports) and massive airborne drops behind the enemy lines. This plans was very ambitious and was based on the massive cooperation of all branches of the armed forces.


Goring created a plan based on air domination of Luftwaffe and the airborne assaults on the Eastern coast of Britain. The main task was to defeat the Royal Air Forces and annihilate British radar and AA systems.

Karl Donitz's plan: The ring of Nibelungs​

Admiral Donitz's doctrine of the invasion was probably the most unusual - to blocade Britain with his wolfpacks and not to let them get any reinforcements or resources. According to this plan, after a few month the United Kingdom wouldn't be able to resist. This plan was less dangerous, but it might take a lot of time to complete the task.


OKW accepted Goring's plan. And grand preparations for the greatest air battle in the world history had begun. All German industrial facilities started producing hundreds of planes to outnumber the British in the air...


Together with massive squadrons of fighters Reich was creating more and more bombers and transport planes to destroy the ground forces. 70% of the British army was fighting in Africa - the English thought that they didn't need to defend their country with a big number of soldiers. They weren't right...


1941 began, and in January the Battle started. German air squadrons started attacking the British soil, destroying dozens of military and industrial objects. British RAF were defending their motherland with a great courage.


But the German aces day by day were conquering the air above English isles. RAF was losing more and more planes. Luftwaffe was suffering terrible casualties too, but they could replace them. The British couldn't. German bombers were transforming English industrial areas into ruins with growing efficiency.


Germany was winning the battle - in the middle of February Manchester, London and other cities were badly damaged and couldn't produce war goods. The British government was thinking of evacuation - the coming invasion was looking inevitable.


"Air offensive" continued with massive airborne assaults. British Anti-Air guns were doing their job well - only 40% of German paratroopers reached the English soil. But that was enough. Very soon the Eastern part of England was occupied by the German invaders.


By 5 of February weak English divisions were defeated and the German offensive became unstoppable. The British government and the King fled to Canada.


The end of the British Empire was nearby....