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sounds like a tiny floating fortress. obviously not against a battleship, but not something i'd like to meet on the Thames.

The Oxford vs Cambridge University Boat Races are going to be a challenge from now on, you can bet.


:D:D:D
 
The Oxford vs Cambridge University Boat Races are going to be a challenge from now on, you can bet.

Dang, I'd love to join with my gunboat. :p

A small question that has been bugging me though, trek. The thing in you have on top of the deck of your ship, right in front of the bridge, is that somesort of a torpedo tube? :confused: But, you didn't mention torpedoes in your armaments, so I'm a bit confused.
 
Dang, I'd love to join with my gunboat. :p

A small question that has been bugging me though, trek. The thing in you have on top of the deck of your ship, right in front of the bridge, is that somesort of a torpedo tube? :confused: But, you didn't mention torpedoes in your armaments, so I'm a bit confused.

Fire director for the guns, so that they can find the range and hit.
 
Ahhh, nice, though I didn't expect that on a gunboat with a displacement of <1000 tons? Ohh, well, then I suggest you adding some torpedo tubes on your gunboat then. ;)

It's all a matter of space, though there might be some in the forward hull. We will see.
 
Slowly catching up, just finished Chapter 119, and I have to say this;

Fuller? Head of the Royal Armoured Corps!? Possibly a fine appointment, but only if it was 1920 not 1940. Quite aside from being a senior BUF member and worryingly obsessed by the occult he was hated by most of army (justifiably so) for being an utter arse. Even ignoring all that by the late 1920s he'd burnt out all his decent ideas and was churning out rubbish about the philosophical and mystical basis of warfare.

To mangle a well known phrase 'General Fuller was a visionary man. He died in 1927'
 
Slowly catching up, just finished Chapter 119, and I have to say this;

Fuller? Head of the Royal Armoured Corps!? Possibly a fine appointment, but only if it was 1920 not 1940. Quite aside from being a senior BUF member and worryingly obsessed by the occult he was hated by most of army (justifiably so) for being an utter arse. Even ignoring all that by the late 1920s he'd burnt out all his decent ideas and was churning out rubbish about the philosophical and mystical basis of warfare.

To mangle a well known phrase 'General Fuller was a visionary man. He died in 1927'

Fuller is only head of the RAC in order to keep him quiet. In actuallity the control is in the hands of the IGS. I admit I didn't do enough research though.
 
Slowly catching up, just finished Chapter 119, and I have to say this;

Fuller? Head of the Royal Armoured Corps!? Possibly a fine appointment, but only if it was 1920 not 1940. Quite aside from being a senior BUF member and worryingly obsessed by the occult he was hated by most of army (justifiably so) for being an utter arse. Even ignoring all that by the late 1920s he'd burnt out all his decent ideas and was churning out rubbish about the philosophical and mystical basis of warfare.

To mangle a well known phrase 'General Fuller was a visionary man. He died in 1927'


Not only that but he retired in 1933 and was an ardent supporter of the British Union of Fascists and went to Hitler's 50th birthday party!

He was also pals with Aleister Crowley.
 
Okay okay. I admit I screwed up on that one. But anyway, the BUF is not a factor, as it does not exist in TTL. Why, we will see in a short time, but just accept that it doesn't. Let me repeat that Fuller is merely a titular head, and has no real power to make any sort of command desicion, and will have even less when the post-France defence reforms are through that are on the books. El Pip, you may not like them, but rest assured that the Admiralty will stay a factor.
 
El Pip, you may not like them, but rest assured that the Admiralty will stay a factor.
Ominous. Remember; What is right for the Navy (and Pip) is right for the Empire.
ja.gif
 
Ominous. Remember; What is right for the Navy (and Pip) is right for the Empire.
ja.gif

It is right for the Navy. Not so much for the RAF and the Army though. :D
 
It is right for the Navy. Not so much for the RAF and the Army though. :D
Well as long as the priorities are maintained it can't be all bad.

And by the way, Chapter 130, Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Although also 'Yes' because it does establish that people can die and 'heroes' are not invulnerable. This is very important as it makes dangerous situations actually tense, characters could actually not make it. :eek: :)
 
Hardraade I couldn't really let him go myself yet, hence why we will probably 'see' him again.

El Pip Indeed on all accounts.
 
Right all caught up. Singapore is looking Slimtastic, though as you know that wasn't a complete surprise. Ian seeing ghosts could go either very well, or very badly. I hope for the former but fear the latter. Finally the Thames-class gunboats look spiffing and I am intensely looking forward to more Swordfish action.
 
Right all caught up. Singapore is looking Slimtastic, though as you know that wasn't a complete surprise. Ian seeing ghosts could go either very well, or very badly. I hope for the former but fear the latter. Finally the Thames-class gunboats look spiffing and I am intensely looking forward to more Swordfish action.

Well, for the moment Ian thinks he dreamed all that, and to tell you the truth, it's more my own inability to completely let Felix go, as he was my favourite Character. And anyway, I'm not too sure yet how far I am going to take this.

The Thames class is an hommage to all the brave men in the MTBs throughout the war, and the fact that I like actions that are not only fought between the ships of the line, however cool and awesome they are.
 
Chapter 137​

A villa at the Wannsee, Berlin, Greater German Reich

4th October 1940


Once again the two autocratic rulers of the most powerful nations of Continental Europe sat opposed to one another, at yet another conference table, and yet again it was a joyous occasion, at leat for them, for they were there to part the spoils of war and to plan any further actions. Between them on the table were various refreshments, and the centrepiece of the day, a Giant map of the European Continent. The general zones of Influence had been agreed upon before the war, but there was still the matter of deciding where to go before the next mighty blow fell. There was still the matter of the British that had refused several peace offers, and of course the abysmal performance of the Italians in North Africa, where only low Allied numbers prevented the accursed British and their French allies to push farther into Lybia or the Italians out of Tunesia respectively. But that situation would be dealt with later, because for both Hitler and Stalin Africa was a tertiary sideshow at best. “I propose that we next attack Yugoslavia, as that would give us access to the central Mediterranean Sea that would not depend on the Italians and their useless fleet.” Hitler said. “Besides, it would strengthen the German position in the Balkans and probably sway more countries to our side, or, at the very least, influence them not to join our foolish enemies.” Stalin just grunted agreement and wished that Hitler was a smoker, as he longed for his pipe. “And we agree on the occupation policy for France and the west of Europe?” the Russian said, knowing that it had all been hammered out beforehand but wanted to make sure that the Germans were keeping their promises, at least until each side had gotten what was wanted out of the alliance. “Yes yes,” Hitler said, waving his hand. He pulled out a new map on which Europe was shown too, only this time parted in Grey and red zones, showing the occupation zones that were fairly straightforward. Everything to the west of Warsaw was to be German-occupied, with the exception of various selected Soviet Naval and Air bases, especially along the Atlantic Coast of France. In Scandinavia, Norway was to be fully German, except for a Soviet Naval/Air Base near Narvik that would give the Russian Northern Fleet a much better staging point, and Sweden would be equally parted, with Finland being Soviet once the Red Army got around to invading it again, hopefully with better success.

With the exception of Yugoslavia, Eastern Europe would for the moment be left alone, mainly because the various nations there were still useful, be it only as cannonfodder, and as a source of cheap resources, especially Romanian Oil for Germany. Their feeble Air Forces would eventually be useful too although the British, if they managed to hold on would make short work of them with their Royal Air Force. The biggest dangers for Axis Victory in Europe were the Italians, or rather their abysmal performance even against numerically woefully inferior Armies, and the Yugoslavians. To deal with these cases should worse come to worst, a definite solution for the Axis command structure needed to be found, and after a lot of haggling a solution had been reached that was obvious and new at the same time. Once again the demarkation line was the German-Soviet border in Poland. To the west, all Axis forces would be under the command of the OKW, to the east STAVKA was calling the shots.

“Do you think that the Czechs...” Stalin said, more interested in Hitler's policies in that matter than any possible Czech reaction to Axis policy. “Pah. They will do what we tell them to!” The Führer slammed his fist down on the table. “What annoys me most is that blasted Italian! He is useless!” Stalin was inclined to agree. If not for the Italian Navy, the Axis alliance would seriously considering dropping the Italians and leave them to their own devices, but as long as the British held the entries to the Mediterranean Sea and the Turks kept the Bosporus shut, the Regia Marina was the only Axis Naval Force there, however useful it would be in the end. The Italians were not invited to this conference for a reason, as both Hitler and Stalin could do without Mussolini who was pouting in Rome, annoyed that Italy was not getting the attention he thought she deserved. Stalin rose from his chair and walked over to the other side of the Table where Hitler was looking over some papers that the German liaison staff with STAVKA had sent over. “This is what you intend to do?” he asked the Russian, who in turn just nodded. “Let us just say we have an axe to grind with them, and at any rate they are very busy, which makes it a good time to strike.” Hitler said nothing and continued to stare at the papers through his thin glasses. “It is very far away. We will render what support we can, but supply will be difficult at best. I will send a Luftwaffe Legion to help though.” Stalin grunted agreement and sat back down.


IGS Headquarters Bunker – Aldershot, United Kingdom

“Gentlemen, I present you the 1940 Defence White Paper.” Marshal Gort said to the assembled cabinet members. “The Lessons Learned report is not yet finished, and it will be at least another month before we have any definitive lessons. There are a few things that can be already said, partially because we were already aware of them and partially because they have become glaringly obvious. There are several main points that have to be addressed immediately, as not doing it would seriously compromise our War effort. Firstly, there are serious deficiencies in inter-service communication and co-ordination, especially on the local, in-theatre level. We need to increase the number of Forward Ground Officers attached to our ground Forces so that the RAF can give better Air support. Several times the outcome was affected because the RAF was unable or unwilling to give ground support, and that simply won't do. Secondly, our whole command structure is rigid and inflexible. For example, during our first Counter-attack into Belgium General Ironside had to get my approval before making what was clearly a tactical decision, and because of that the plan was delayed by at least a day. Thirdly, and this is something we have been aware of for quite some time, we need to slim down the procedures in the background. At the moment the Army and the Royal Air Force develop and procure their Equipment through the Ministry of Defence production, while the War Office and the Air Ministry still have a say in what is done with how much money. This slows things down considerably. As an example, the current version of the Spitfire could have been in Service almost three months earlier, had there been less bureaucracy.” “And what do you suggest we do about it? Fold all the services into one, into the 'British Armed Forces'?” the Air Minister said with a voice that oozed sarcasm. “No, Minister.” Gort said. He started to hand out folders that had the crest of the British Army printed on the front. “Gentlemen, we have been working on this White Paper for quite some time, and it contains our recommendations for a reform of the Imperial Defence Establishment.” Gort cleared his throat and continued. “The basis are the recommendations made by a committee comprised of Civil Servants, Military Officers from all the services and academics, basically the entire spectrum.”

The assembled men read, and after half an hour, there were many that were not pleased with what they had read. The meeting was a small one, with the Prime Minister conspicuously absent. Churchill had decided to leave this particular matter to the underlings, because unbeknownst to them, he had already seen it all and the War Cabinet had given approval, but it was politically unwise to reveal all this too soon as it would be seen as a panic reaction and a campaigning manoeuvre in the face of the upcoming General Election. This was the only reason why the White Paper was revealed only now and why it was in a still relatively small circle. If it leaked now, as could be expected given that many of the Halifax faction were still within this Government, despite the split that was looming over the Conservative Party ever since the abortive vote in the House of Commons. “This is preposterous!” the Air Minister yelled. “Why? What is, Minister?” Admiral Cunningham, the representative of the Senior Service, asked. The Air Minister proceeded to take the proposal apart in detail. It was a bold proposal, one that shook the very basics of the British Military like nothing before, not even the establishment of the Royal Air Force as an independent service after World War One. If adopted, there would be no more Air Ministry, no more War Office. The two would be merged into the Ministry of Defence, with the new Minister of Defence representing the interests of the Army and the Air Force in the Cabinet with equal rank and powers as the First Lord of the Admiralty. The Admiralty too would loose some of it's powers insofar as the First Sea Lord would become a member of the Imperial General Staff which would in turn be elevated from a mere Army Staff to a true Imperial Staff. The CIGS, to be rotated between the Services at a regular interval would be the professional head of not only the British Army but all the Military, with the Service Chiefs being the 'lower' members, formulating Defence policy within the outlines given by the Cabinet and Parliament. Defence procurement would also be revamped and run through a section of the Ministry of Defence, with the Services themselves issuing specifications and no longer the civilian Ministries. The Idea behind this was that this would cut down on Bureaucracy and decisions would be closer to the operational realities within the Services. The Royal Navy would retain their current establishment although the decisions of the Third Sea Lord would be under the revision of the IGS and the Cabinet. It was not perfect, but it would have to do.



“This is unacceptable!” the Air Minister almost yelled. “What the Air Ministry thinks is of no consequence.” the Cabinet Representative, a minor aide to the Prime Minister, said. “His Majesty has already given his approval to this proposal, and it will be put before Parliament as soon as it is proper.” the aide said, meaning after the election, or more realistically after someone leaked it to the press in order to discredit the Government. Little did they know that it was all a clever ploy, as all official documents showed that the work on this White Paper had begun during the early days of the Battle of France, so that the accusation of a negligent prosecution of the War would evaporate as soon as it was made. Churchill had never revealed how he had managed to persuade the King, a personal Friend of Lord Halifax, to support him like this, but it could be assumed that His Majesty wanted to fight on as much as the Prime Minister, as opposed to Halifax and his group. It could not be easy on the King, but his raison d'etre was the wellfare of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, and he was convinced that Britain would be victorious in the end.


[Notes: Independent Admiralty for the win. Seriously. Also, update speed will decline sharply for a few weeks as the end of the term is near.]
 
An independent Admiralty was always going to be compulsory, too much political influence and establishment support for anything else to be contemplated. The RAF and the Army however lack the clout to really resist this, particularly given how bad their war has gone compared to the Navy's.

Far more interesting is where Stalin is heading, quite some way away by the sounds of things. I wondered about Persia but I think Hitler would show far more interest at the prospect of a second Middle Eastern front (not to mention the oil fields!). Therefore I think it has to be further East and not Imperial or Allied. Japan?
 
Japan was what sprung to mind for me, the whole thing about 'having a bone to pick'. plus, its logical to think that once stalin feels he is secure in the west, he would try to expand in the east. though maybe japan is too obvious an answer? maybe he's going to go for afghanistan and then british india? now that would be terrifying. but hitler would doubtless show more interest.