Warriors of the North said:
Chapter 5.5: The Fall of the Belgian Line
The situation on the Western Front fluctuated as days and months went by. Brussels, captured by the Germans, was retaken by the combined Allied armies. It would soon fall again however, the city changing hands multiple times. It was every bit as much of a focus for the German war machine as Malmö had become. Pictures coming out of the city showed devastation...even though neither side deliberately tried to destroy the city, changing hands so many times had left the Belgian capital a ruin, burnt out hulks of both Allied and Axis tanks scattered around the city.
In Libya however, the situation was a polar opposite of the Western Front.
The Italians were being pushed back by Allied forces from both flanks, steadily losing their colonial possession. This was likely a side-effect of the vast majority of the Italian army being used to bolster the Germans and Slovakians in France, as opposed to holding their own territory. Because of this, within a couple months of this map being taken (January 1941) the Italians had been pushed back to just a small enclave around Benghazi.
Further north, the Luftwaffe was finally bringing in true bombers.
The Swedish Air Force quickly scrambled to deal with the bombers, but the damage was already done. The limited numbers prevented the Luftwaffe from killing many men or from damaging the extensive fortifications of the area, but the damage to morale was far more serious. A few strafing runs by BF-109's were one thing, true bombers were an entirely different one. If it weren't for the sight of P-36's driving the bombers away, the damage could have bee much more severe.
As it was, the Air Force kept morale high as they prevented any more bombing raids, for at least a little while.
Providing further support was the new commander of Swedish defenses in Malmö. Major General Gyllenkrok was the single best defensive tactician in Sweden at the time, so it was only natural he took over command of the defenses in the city. Setting up better defenses, the Swedes started to do more and more damage to the Germans, who would often only attack for a day or two at a time as opposed to the formerly week long battles. The strain was beginning to show on them more than the defenders, especially with the Atlantic Squadrons two cruisers sailing up and down the Danish Islands.
That being said, for all the good news coming out of Sweden, bad news came from the Western Front.
The Axis offensive had finally forced the Belgian government to flee to London. What was left of their shattered army continued to fight on in France, but this would have further reaching consequences than the loss of Belgian territory. With the collapse of the Belgian Line, the Germans were able to push through the retreating Allied armies, and finally into France herself. The breakthrough was relatively minor at the time, but the situation was precarious...if the Allies could not put together a valid frontline in France, Paris would be at risk, in addition to the industrial heartland of France.
Joint Allied Command (JAC) sent requests to Sweden to do
something to alleviate the pressure on France, as the Swedes were the only nation able to hit Germany in its relatively lightly defended Baltic coast. A daring plan was put together, as two of the new Strategic Reserve Divisions were loaded onto transports.
Knowing that they lacked the forces to invade Germany herself (even if all but the garrisons defending the ports were stripped from Sweden, the army would still be too small), the target of this operation was the Danish island of Bornholm. Two German Cruisers,
Nurnberg and
Emden were docked in the island's port, so taking the city would force them out. Thus, under cover of the heavy guns of the main Swedish battlefleet, the troops set out.
However, while Bornholm was lightly defended by only one German garrison division, the defenders had the advantage of the Swedish troops being untrained in amphibious assaults. The battle was a stalemate, and likely would have been a waste of time...if the German's had not sortied a ship to try and break the invasion.
The Gustav V (top) sinker of KMS Schlesien (bottom)
The only battleship in the Baltic, KMS
Schlesien attempted to break the Swedish blockade along with a sortie by the cruisers trapped in Bornholm. This time, however, the Germans would not find lightly guarded transports. The guns of the Swedish Battlefleet were in the area, and lead by the newest of the
Sverige-class, HMS
Gustav V, they bore down on the smaller German force. The two flagships,
Gustav V and
Schlesien fired on the other as soon as they were in range.
While they were evenly matched in caliber of guns (Four 11 inch on the German battleship, Four 11.1 inch on the Swedish cruiser), the
Gustav V was a much newer ship, and had the support of her older classmates. Within an hour, a shell from the
Gustav plunged into an ammo magazine on the German battleship, blowing the vessel in two. With only the damaged light cruisers left, the German fleet quickly retreated. So to did the Swedes, realizing they would need dedicated marines to crack Bornholm's defenses.
Unfortunately, this brave assault did little to relieve the pressure on the French.
For not even a month after the fall of the Belgian Line, German forces were within miles of Paris. The Allied Armies reformed along a new defensive line, stretching from the coast to the little remaining Belgian territory currently under British control. However, it was still up in the air if these new fortifications would be able to stop a determined German offensive...or if the critically weakened Maginot could hold.
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That's what I meant. The Germans finally managed to break through Belgium!
Also, I realize that is actually the
Sverige, but I like the image.