Peace for our Time? - The British Empire In The Second World War

[Di3lta-303]

Peace for our Time? - The British Empire In The Second World War



"My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time."


- Prologue

" Peace for our time " proclaimed the British Prime Minister Arthur Neville Chamberlain upon his return from Munich at Heston Airport in September of 1938. He was proud, for what he had done has secured peace in Europe. Hitler had recently annexed Austria in March, and had now demanded Sudentenland, claiming that ethnic Germans in that area was mistreated and being slaughtered. Chamberlain believing that Hitler's argument was not unreasonable agreeded to sign the Munich Agreement between Britain, France, Germany and Italy, forcing the Czech Goverment to cede Sudentenland to Germany, or face war with Germany by itself. The Czech Goverment soon capitulate, and cave in to pressure, ceding Sudentenland to the Germans. As part of the agreement, Hitler promised to stand down his territoral ambitions. Chamberlain knew that neither the French nor the British was politically or militarily ready to face the Germans.

But on the 15th March 1939, the German Army entered Prague and proclaimed Bohemia and Moravia a German protectorate, while Slovakia declared independence, led by a clerical fascist leader Jozef Tiso. The Western Allies was in shock, but knew that Hitler's ambitions can never be satisfied and he could not be trusted. This was end of the appeasement policy, Britain immediately geared it's industries for war. Conscription was reintroduced, by mid-1939 the Army consisted of 225,000 Regulars and 300,000 Territorials and Reservists, although most territorals formations were severly understrengthed and badly equipped.

On the 1st of September, Germany invaded Poland, after the Polish had refused Hitler's demand for the return of the Free City Of Danzig and the Polish Corridor. Britain and France had guarantee, just weeks before Polish independence from German aggression... only against German aggression. The Western Allies tried to enlist Soviet support, but efforts were half-heartedly carried out due to mutual distrust. All hopes of Soviet support were dash with a stroke of a pen, when German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and his Soviet Counterpart Vyacheslav Molotov signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact. A Treaty of Non-aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union.

On the 3rd Of September, the British Prime Minister gave a radio address...

" This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note stating that, unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.

You can imagine what a bitter blow it is to me that all my long struggle to win peace has failed. Yet I cannot believe that there is anything more, or anything different, that I could have done, and that would have been more successful... We have a clear conscience, we have done all that any country could do to establish peace, but a situation in which no word given by Germany's ruler could be trusted, and no people or country could feel themselves safe, had become intolerable... Now may God bless you all and may He defend the right. For it is evil things that we shall be fighting against, brute force, bad faith, injustice, oppression, and persecution. And against them I am certain that the right will prevail. "

Version: Doomsday 1.3a
Country: United Kingdom
Scenario: 1939 ( Blitzkrieg )

[Lafayette53]

Nice Start!

[Kurt_Steiner]

Let's see where we get...

[Ksim3000]

Beautiful start. I look forward to how the rest of this AAR turns out. Good luck and remember, the RAF can put pressure on German industry at this point to a degree.

[Di3lta-303]

Lafayette53, Kurt_Steiner: Thanks

Ksim3000: Yes, the RAF has potential to do some damage on the German industries and Navy, but the RN can do a great deal more.

[Nathan Madien]

Originally Posted by Di3lta-303

Ksim3000: Yes, the RAF has potential to do some damage on the German industries and Navy, but the RN can do a great deal more.

That's true. All you have to do is hunt down the German Navy and wipe them out. I once played the '38 scenario as Britain and I decimated most of the German fleet by the beginning of 1940.

[Sir Humphrey]

Should be an interesting start!

[Ksim3000]

Originally Posted by Sir Humphrey

Should be an interesting start!

If Sir Humphrey is quoting, then you have a good audience here my good sir.

Carry on, sir. I look forward to this.

[Nathan Madien]

I am sure the bottom of the Atlantic will look great with all those German wrecks. Good luck!

[Di3lta-303]

Peace for our Time? - The British Empire In The Second World War

" Armed conflict between nations is a nightmare to me, but if I were convinced that any nation had made up its mind to dominate the world by fear of its force I should feel it should be resisted. "

- Review Of The Armed Forces Of The Empire

- The Royal Navy
At the start of World World Two, the Royal Navy have a huge array of ships at its disposal.

Aircraft Carriers ( Of All Sizes ): 7
Battleships: 12
Battlecruisers:3
Heavy Cruisers: 16
Light Cruisers: 42
Destroyers: 120 ( 40 Flotillas )
Submarines: 24 ( 12 Flotillas )

But due to the size of His Majesty's Empire, the Navy is overstrenched. The Admiralty first decision of the war was to recall the North and South Atlantic Command, America West Indies Station, China Station, East Indies Station and the 3rd Submarine Squadron based in Hong Kong back to Scapa Flow. Only leaving HMS Eagle and a handful of Heavy Cruisers and Destroyers in Singapore to form the East Asia Squadron safeguarding British Tertitories east of Suez. A number of warships is already undergoing construction, most notably the 3 Fleet Aircraft Carriers and 2 Battleships, the HMS Formidable, HMS Victorious, HMS Illustrious, HMS Princes Of Wales and HMS King George V, named after the late King who died on the January of 1936.

The Admiralty ordered the construction of the following vessels on the 5th of September 1939, HMS Duke Of York ( Battleship ) HMS Colossus and HMS Unicorn ( Escort Aircraft Carriers ) 12 Southampthon Class Light Cruisers and 36 Tribal Class Destroyers ( 12 Flotillas ) to replace the old Caledon Class Cruisers and V-Class Destroyers. At the same time, the Admiralty gave the contract to design a new destroyer to Harland & Wolffs, to combat German Uboats seeking to starve Britain into surrendering. The company also receive blueprints of France's new destroyer from the French Goverment.

The role of the Navy is to prevent a landing on British Home Islands and safeguard vital Atlantic Convoys from German U-boats. The Royal Navy would later prove critical in the early parts of the war.



- The Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is 2nd largest amongst Ailled Airforces closely behind France and ahead of Poland.

Fighters: 120 ( 3 Interceptors Squadrons)
Bombers: 400 ( 5 Tactical Bombers Squadrons, 3 Strategic Bomber Squadrons and 2 Naval Bomber Squadrons )

The Air Force was even more stretched then than Navy, due to the small size of the Fighter Fleet. All units staioned outside the British Islands were to return for reorganisation. Large parts of the Empire were left without air cover, the rest were covered by other allied planes. The Air Force placed orders to the British Aircraft Manufacturers for 150 Hawker Hurricane Mk.II fighter interceptors with an option of 160 more, 160 Westland Whirwinds fighter escorts and 240 Bombers ( 120 Handley Page Hampdens, 40 Armstrong-Whitworth Whitleys and 80 Lockheed Hudsons ), but plans for these had to be largely postponed due to the current emphansis on the Navy. The Air Force gave funding to Frank Whittle to build a rocket engine capable of propelling an aircraft, this marks a starting point in British interest in jet propelled aircrafts, although it will be many years before a fully workable jet aircraft is ready for combat. Supermarine is also given a contract to design a new fighter interceptor in collaboration with French Aircraft Companies. ( Blueprints )

The role of the Air Force is to protect the Home Islands from bombing runs, escort bombers on bombing runs to Germany and to provide aircover for British and Allied Troops/Warships.



- The British Army

The British Army is the 3rd largest amongst the Allied Forces, behind Poland and France.

Number Of Servicemen In The Infantry: 410 000 ( 32 Infantry Divisions, 4 Motorised Divisions and 5 Garrisions )
Number Of Tanks: 160 Carden-Lyod Mk.VI ( 2 Tank Divisions )

In the review of the Army, the High Command found that the Army lacked tanks heavy enough to punch through the trenches, excepted to be dugged everywhere due to the repeat of Trench Warface expected by the Allied Generals, a slow war of attrition that will... hopefully wear down the Germans, forcing them to surrender just like in World War One. The tanks that the British have is hopelessly obsolete. The Colonial Militia were found to be inadequete for fighting the Italians should they invade the vast African deserts, they were relegated to police status, effectively becoming a non-combat unit of the Army. British Troops in Iraq were also redeployed to Egypt.

The Army ordered over 400 Mk.IV Crusader Tanks, 160 of them to replace the obsolete Carden-Lyod Mk.VI tanks. The Army also gave a contract to Leyland to design a new heavy tank, to break through enemy trenches. Recruitment and training had also began for 6 Fully-Motorised Infantry Divisions. Meanwhile the the newly formed British Expeditionary Force consists of 80 tanks, and 80,000 infantry prepares to be shipped to France...

[Di3lta-303]

To Sir Humphrey, Ksim3000: Thanks for your support.

To Nathan Madien: It will be better if the Germans just surrender their ships.

[Kurt_Steiner]

Good start rebuilding the army.

[Di3lta-303]

Originally Posted by Kurt_Steiner

Good start rebuilding the army.

Yeah, the British Army seems to be heading in the right direction in terms of equipment, but what of it's doctrine? Surely it is abit too outdated. I might write up a small update later depending on if I have the time but don't count on it.

[rcduggan]

loooks excellent.. good luck!

[Di3lta-303]

Originally Posted by rcduggan

loooks excellent.. good luck!

Thanks rcduggan, off to hunt for pesky German U-boats in the Atlantic

[Nathan Madien]

Originally Posted by Di3lta-303

Yeah, the British Army seems to be heading in the right direction in terms of equipment, but what of it's doctrine? Surely it is abit too outdated. I might write up a small update later depending on if I have the time but don't count on it.

While having a good army is important, in the case of Britain, I don't think having a large army is necessary at this point. Your main focus should be on eliminating the direct threat to Britain posed by the German fleet and airforce. As long as you have enough forces to slap the Italians around in North Africa and have a decent force defending Burma and Singapore, I think you have plenty of time to build up a strong army.

[Di3lta-303]

Yes, you are right but right now little could be spared for Asian Theatre. Lets just hope the Chinese can keep the stalemate in China.

[Matija]

looks like a promising start.

[Di3lta-303]

Peace for our Time? - The British Empire In The Second World War

"The only thing that really frightened me during the war was the U-Boat peril"

- Battle Of The Atlantic And The Fall Of Poland.


A Type VII U-boat, the main workhouse of the German U-boat fleet

- The Battle Of The Atlantic
The U-boats during the first months of the war, hardly made a dent on the British Merchant Navy, sinking only 1 merchant vessel in September, largely due to the newly created North Atlantic ASW Command and the RAF Naval Bomber Command, based in Gibraltar and Brest respectively. It consist of the battlecruisers HMS Ramillies and HMS Royal Sovereign, two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, twenty destroyers and eightly Lockheed Hudsons.


HMS Royal Sovereign fires it's gun at KMS Koln

- Battle Of South Iberian Self
On the 28th of September, the ASW Taskforce under Vice-Admiral Horton chanced upon a German surface raider, KMS Koln (Light Cruiser), and four submarines. The submarines managed to escape unspotted by the taskforce until it was too late to give chase, while KMS Koln took 2 hits from British battlecruisers and was severly damage but was somehow able to escape. Horton was later criticsed by the Admiralty for being too cautious and for failing to give chase, allowing all five vessels to escape. There were talks about whether Horton was the right man for the job...


Polish Infantry awaits a German assault

- Fall Of Poland
On the 1st of September and 17th of September respectively, both German and Soviet troops invaded Poland, Poland faced with inferior numbers and equipment was soon forced to retreat back to Warsaw. Intially Polish forces were spread thin, the Polish had decided to defend their long border instead of withdrawing deeper east. The Germans exploited it to their fullest advantage and cuting through the Polish forces like hot knife through butter, forcing them back to Bug River in a little more than a week. The Battle Of Warsaw on 14th of September proved highly costy for both the Germans and the Polish although it was the Polish who bleeded more, suffering immese civilian and military loses. The Germans relentlessly bombed Warsaw without regards to civilian casualties. On th 28th of September the invasion of Poland was complete, the Germans and the Soviets partitioned Poland into two parts honouring the Nazi-Soviet Pact. The western part to the Germans and the eastern part to the Soviets. Meanwhile the Polish Goverment and some Polish troops managed to escape to France and set up a government in Exile in Paris.


General Alan Brooke

On the 30th of September, all men and equipment of the British Expeditionary Force to France had arrived in Cherbourg after crossing the English Channel. General Alan Brooke takes command of the Expeditionary Force and awaits further orders from the High Command in Dover.

[Ksim3000]

Nice updates, certainly a pleasure to read. I do enjoy a good, realistic AAR. Anyway, how do you think the odds are for preventing a fall of France? Do you believe it may come to that and a retreat to 'blighty' might be in order or possibly the Germans could be halted in the Ardennes?