Inkana said:Expect an update to be up sometime this weekend.
Cheers.
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God Save Us All - Part Six
A Peace Resting on Quicksand
Chapter 49 – The Suez War, Part 5
A Peace Resting on Quicksand
Chapter 49 – The Suez War, Part 5
With British troops having taken control of Palestine by March 1936, the War Office in London began a search to find ways to bring the Turks to the peace table and end the conflict once and for all.
Lord Churchill suggested that the Royal Navy play a part in bringing the Turks to terms. In the mid-1920s, the Royal Navy began to experiment with aircraft carries, that is, large warships with airstrips for upper decks. The thought was that a nation’s air force could be transported and used at sea. Most of the world scoffed at the idea, but the Royal Navy had been intrigued enough for the HMS Hermes to be built in 1929. France and Japan also had carries in service. After considering all other options, the War Office accepted Churchill’s plan and a task force centered around the Hermes sets sail for the Mediterranean on March 15th, 1936.
The HMS Hermes.
Before the task force could arrive in the theatre, the Western Desert Corps had to fight back a fierce Ottoman counterattack launched on the 19th. Enver Pasha had seen the writing on the wall and ordered an attack into the British Line in a desperate attempt to push the WDC back before they became too strong and all hope for and Ottoman victory was lost. His men fought fiercely, but the British had air superiority, in part due to the efforts of New Zealander Collin Gray. Gray quickly established himself as the best ace in the Suez War, racking up 12 kills in a month, including a superb 5-kill mission on March 3rd, attaining the status of “ace-in-a-day”. Turkish pilots were simply no match for their counterparts in the RAF, and what little air supremacy they had established earlier in the war was quickly taken away. British fighter-bombers wreaked havoc onto Turkish troop columns, earning them the nickname “Sky Devils”, which later became the name given to the RAF’s 3 Squadron.
The Turkish counterattack never really gained any momentum, suffering very high casualties, mainly due to British armor and air power. The Pasha called the last-ditch offensive off on the 23rd of March. Not long afterward, with reconnaissance probes informing him that the Turks were severely weakened, General Auchinleck ordered an immediate attack on the same day. This time, however, his infantry would be transported in trucks so that Hobart’s armor wouldn’t get too far ahead and become vulnerable like they had earlier in Palestine. This is to prove an incredibly effective measure. The Western Desert Corps moved faster than any other army in world history ever had. The Turks simply had no answer for the British army's "Deep Penetration" tactics, as Hobart called them.
British Infantry Defending in Palestine.
The stars had aligned for the British, so it seemed. At the same moment that Auchinleck’s tanks began to roll into upper Palestine and Syria, the HMS Hermes had arrived in the Mediterranean and was preparing for it’s mission, codenamed Operation: Troy.
It's planes launched at about five in the morning. Their target was not hard to find. Istanbul, much like Alexandria at the beginning of the war, had not feared any sort of attack, and therefore was lit up like a Christmas tree. The 20 or so carrier-launched Hawker Nimrod* fighter-bombers easily found their targets; government buildings, military installations, and Ottoman warships, and bombed and strafed them before returning back to the Hermes. The attacks did little damage to the city, but succeeded in crushing the morale of the Turkish people, giving them the sense that their nation had no chance at winning it's war with a global power.
*[Note: For all purposes, the Hawker Nimrod has in ATL a much larger bomb load than it's pitiful 80-lb load it had in OTL]
A Picture Showing Damages Done to Istanbul by The Royal Navy Raid.
The Ottomans had been sent a very strong message by the Royal Navy. Within hours of the attack, Istanbul, via the Portugal, sent its request for a cease-fire. With Auchinleck’s men bearing down on Damascus, Baldwin decided to delay his reply to the Sultan. Damascus would be a decisive bargaining chip, he though.
Finally, on April 9th, 1936, a cease-fire was agreed to, and the fighting in Syria ceases. However, the Royal Navy refused to lift its blockade until a peace treaty was signed. The Ottomans would continue to be starved of vital food and supplies until then.
Before any of this could happen, the Egyptians, having seen that they were about to lose their biggest ally, organized a last-ditch revolt for their independence. The explosion of violence was doomed from the start, however. The British military presence in Egypt was large enough to quell the nationalists in a few weeks. The Egyptians, having given their best shot at grabbing their independence from Great Britain, wouldn’t attempt any serious revolts against the crown for many years.
Egypt having been suppressed, the British could return to the task at hand: peace negotiations with the Ottomans in Lisbon, Portugal.
To Be Continued…
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So, shall we see the SMS Graf Zepellin?
Interesting though, I hope the Turks get off light, since they were attacked...
Interesting though, I hope the Turks get off light, since they were attacked...
I see bigger CVs comming after the raid of Istambul... who else will learn the lessons... Has America any carrier?
It's all coming together for Britain, but is anyone else paying attention?
Historically the first ever carrier strike was in 1914 (Cuxhaven raid by seaplanes against part of the German High Seas Fleet and Zeppelin sheds). It was about as a effective (ie practically not very, strategically a success as the sheds were moved further from Britain and the High Seas Fleet concentrated in Kiel, further from Britain and the Channel convoys.) But did anyone pay much attention to it?
Good to see the Ottomans getting a damned good thrashing in any case, the Middle East is clearly within Britain's sphere of influence; it links the Med and India dont-cha-know?
Historically the first ever carrier strike was in 1914 (Cuxhaven raid by seaplanes against part of the German High Seas Fleet and Zeppelin sheds). It was about as a effective (ie practically not very, strategically a success as the sheds were moved further from Britain and the High Seas Fleet concentrated in Kiel, further from Britain and the Channel convoys.) But did anyone pay much attention to it?
Good to see the Ottomans getting a damned good thrashing in any case, the Middle East is clearly within Britain's sphere of influence; it links the Med and India dont-cha-know?
Are we going to see some kind of alternate Treaty of Sèvres? That'd be interesting, what with Atatürk dying in two years.
Will the Ottoman Empire fall?
And now the French don't get Syria and Lebanon. I bet their pissed off at that.
And now the French don't get Syria and Lebanon. I bet their pissed off at that.
ColossusCrusher: Oh yes, the Graf Zeppelin will probably be heard from. I doubt that the Turks will get much mercy, however..
Kurt_Steiner: At the moment only Britain, France and Japan have carriers. That'll change, though.
El Pip: I was surprised to find in my reading that the Hermes was actually built in 1919. I didn't know that there were purpose-built carriers that early. I knew there were seaplane carriers, though. Does it link the Med to India? Thanks for the Anglo insight.
HKslan & wilegfass: I haven't written anything about the treaty yet, but it won't be as harsh as you're predicting. At this point in the timeline, Britain isn't interested in breaking up the Ottoman Empire as long as it can provide a counterweight in the region to Russia.
Mr_A: Thank you!
Kurt_Steiner: At the moment only Britain, France and Japan have carriers. That'll change, though.
El Pip: I was surprised to find in my reading that the Hermes was actually built in 1919. I didn't know that there were purpose-built carriers that early. I knew there were seaplane carriers, though. Does it link the Med to India? Thanks for the Anglo insight.
HKslan & wilegfass: I haven't written anything about the treaty yet, but it won't be as harsh as you're predicting. At this point in the timeline, Britain isn't interested in breaking up the Ottoman Empire as long as it can provide a counterweight in the region to Russia.
Mr_A: Thank you!
I found a blank map of Europe in 1914, then edited the borders and colored it to my liking. It was surprisingly easy and came out great, I think.ColossusCrusher said:
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wilegfass: Are they? I've never used them before.
Sling Shot: Thank you very much!
Sling Shot: Thank you very much!
Thank you good sir. Now if only I could find a smiley of a nodding top hat....Inkana said:
Question for all your Brits: In the event of a vote of no-confidence in regards to the Prime Minister, when is a new minister appointed, and by whom?
EDIT: And also, when would the vote take place? Some sort of emergency meeting of Parliament?
EDIT: And also, when would the vote take place? Some sort of emergency meeting of Parliament?
A Motion of No Confidence would be raised by an Early Day Motion, so would be debated and voted on the same day as the EDM was signed.
As to the outcome that depends upon the situation and the exact reason behind the motion. Strictly speaking the motion is of no confidence in the government, not the PM. As such he does not have to do anything, but in practical terms he would have lost his majority and would be unable to govern, so by convention he would do one of two things;
1. Resign. Then the monarch appoints a new PM who appoints a new government. Very unlikely.
2. Dissolve parliament and call a general election. The monarch can refuse to accept the dissolution and instead revert to option 1, appointing a new PM. But this is exceptionally unlikely except in very contrived circumstances.
Now in reality no motion of no confidence is going to pass unless there is a major split in a coalition government. If one party has a majority but is unhappy with their leader they would solve the matter by an internal leadership election.
So to answer your question; If the government loses a motion of no confidence then there will be a general election.
As to the outcome that depends upon the situation and the exact reason behind the motion. Strictly speaking the motion is of no confidence in the government, not the PM. As such he does not have to do anything, but in practical terms he would have lost his majority and would be unable to govern, so by convention he would do one of two things;
1. Resign. Then the monarch appoints a new PM who appoints a new government. Very unlikely.
2. Dissolve parliament and call a general election. The monarch can refuse to accept the dissolution and instead revert to option 1, appointing a new PM. But this is exceptionally unlikely except in very contrived circumstances.
Now in reality no motion of no confidence is going to pass unless there is a major split in a coalition government. If one party has a majority but is unhappy with their leader they would solve the matter by an internal leadership election.
So to answer your question; If the government loses a motion of no confidence then there will be a general election.
I love all these new updates, keep up the good work and heres to hoping that the Austrians crush those damn Russians once and for all.