What the Japanese would think of this naval engagement? Would they built all Yamatos-class as intended or only finish the first two?
Into the Fire - the "Minor" nations of WW2 strike back
- Thread starter Wings
- Start date
Uhm, they continued to built Shinano even after they blew up Force Z so nothing will change.
It should be noted that Britain has a special interest in this region. The large nickel deposits there had been recently discovered, and were being developed by INCO, a/k/a International Nickel Company, the same firm that operated (and still does) the world's largest nickel mine at Sudbury in Canada.
Petsamo was taken by the Soviet army during the Winter War of 1939-1940, but was returned to Finland in the Treaty of Moscow - supposedly due to British pressure. (Why the USSR would yield to British pressure at this time, I got no idea.)
Between this battle and the chapter's title, it seems the Kriegsmarine's surface fleet is out of the game. U-boats aside, the arctic convoys are safe.
And it's the French who did it! Finally, they have their sea legs. Perhaps the MN will be more eager to join Free France? Germany will be desperate for ships after this.
And it's the French who did it! Finally, they have their sea legs. Perhaps the MN will be more eager to join Free France? Germany will be desperate for ships after this.
That is if the Zeppelin will be commissioned at all.
Under the cover of darkness from Germany, sorry.
The carrier probably won't ever be put into service, or, if it will, it won't serve much of a purpose.
Oops, my mistake.
Donitz is soon to get a big promotion. If Albrecht can't show anything sooner rather than later...
Hopefully she is so we can watch all the shenanigans of her terrible design and the Germans having no experience whatsoever with carrier aviation.
Chapter 13: Breaching the gap (June 1940 – Flanders)
June 1st - July 3rd, 1940
Western Front
Western Front
With the reorganization in Norway, the Allies also reorganized their lines in Flanders. In an atmosphere that reminded many of the Other War, a large dance of men and material started. The Belgians of I Corps would hold the line near Antwerp down to Ghent, with the BEF taking over up to Maubeuge, where the Belgian II Corps would ensure the link with the French First Army. Then, in the plains of Flanders, the French Ninth and Sixth Armies would take over, with the Seventh and Tenth Armies holding the Southern flank.
The Allied had stemmed the bleeding, but they knew that this was but a respite. The Germans would try again, which meant that entrenching oneself became of primordial importance. Not to mention that the French had taken a lot of losses during their counter-offensive. Their armored regiments, which bore the brunt of the battle, were extremely rattled.
In total, between combat losses, tanks that ran out of gas or were rendered inoperable because of the terrain, almost 50 to 60% of the French armored force was lost. The 2e DCR, in particular, was wiped out as a fighting unit.
It was thus decided to merge the rest of the French armor into the 4e DCR and to use it as a mobile reserve unit, wherever the Germans decided to strike next. In the meantime, the British started to mass their first armored divisions, made up of Valentine and Covenanter tanks.
Despite this, morale remained high. The Germans had been stopped, and France was slowly picking up on its industrial pace. The victor of Montcornet, Charles de Gaulle, was named Undersecretary for War, with the President of the Council, Paul Reynaud, still retaining the position of Minister himself. However, this appointment did not mean that De Gaulle could bring forwards the changes he had been hoping for.
To say that the relation between De Gaulle and Weygand and Georges was tense was an understatement. Although Georges was more amicable to change than someone like Gamelin, the veteran did not take most of the propositions of his younger comrade seriously. Weygand likewise did not want to answer to a mere Colonel, and ignored a lot of the warnings and prepositions of the young officer.
Both Georges and Weygand still expected the Germans to revert to a kind of slow offensive style, seeing as their Blitzkrieg had not worked. Thus, they did not believe that armored forces should be prioritized for reequipment, instead asking for more artillery. To them, the new “Battle of the Frontiers” was over. Now was the time to sit back and wait for the next German assault, which, like in 1914, would break in front of the French defenses.
As such, Georges, just like Weygand, expected a German thrust towards Reims and Chateau-Thierry, along the lines of Frère’s Ninth Army. It was thus this army which was reinforced in priority, and given much of the newer equipment and fresh reinforcements.
They could not have been more wrong.
For in the German High Command, one also saw the situation with a gloomy face. Their initial offensive had failed, and the French industry would soon catch up and even outproduce the Germans [1]!
As such, it was necessary to deal a killing blow as fast as possible. Guderian immediately proposed another armored offensive, combined with a fake thrust in the region of Sedan or along the Aisne, in an attack similar to the other war.
Indeed, while several Panzer Divisions were bled dry, Guderian’s main problem during the offensive was being cut off from his infantry following him, rather than facing staunch opposition. And this time, with barely a hundred kilometres from Cambrai to the sea, he was confident that he could force the lock.
Aerial reconnaissance confirmed that the French were in full reorganization. Guderian proposed to send the main thrust forwards between Havrincourt and Gouzeaucourt, at the link between the First and Sixth armies, both weakened by the fights in Belgium and Northern France.
Prior to this, the Germans would have launched an assault in the “old style” along the Aisne and Serre rivers, in a movement that would make the Allies believe that their real objective was to encircle the troops still holding the Maginot line.
This plan was accepted by the OKH, and widely regarded as their last gamble. If it failed, the Allies would have time to entrench themselves for the winter…and beyond. This time, there would be no risk taking: the Panzers will have to wait for the infantry to avoid bad surprises!
After almost a month of reorganization and replenishment, the Germans finally put their plan in motion on June 25th, with an all-out attack on the French Seventh Army positions along the Serre.
To their surprise, these lines broke quite easily, with most of the French defense line lying along the Aisne, to the south. But the speed at which the Germans broke the Serre line shocked the French high command. Seeing another Battle of the Marne on the horizon, and thus the confirmation of their fears, Weygand and Georges immediately ordered the 4e DCR to rush to Rethel and prepare for a counter-attack.
General Aubert Frère, in command of the Ninth Army, transmitted to High Command that the situation was stable, and although he had to give up ground, was confident in the fact that he would stop the Germans at the Aisne. Weygand and Georges were both extremely happy at the prospect, and already laid out plans for a counter-offensive using the North African troops and the 4e DCR.
In Tours, De Gaulle was not of the same opinion. For him, the attack, with no Panzers involved, was only but a feint for a thrust elsewhere. When he voiced his concern to Georges, he was rebuked, with the older general telling him that the Panzer Divisions had been bled dry during the month of May, and that if they were to attack in Belgium, the BEF and Belgian forces would easily repulse the remnants.
On June 29th, the 7th Panzer Division attacked Touchon’s Sixth Army at Havrincourt.
Not expecting this thrust, the poorly-equipped and rattled division soon crumbled under the pressure of the German Panzers, who bore a hole as deep as Bapaume, where they had been stopped a mere month ago. This time, though, there would be no cavalry to save them. The 4e DCR was in Rethel, ready to counter what they saw as the main thrust of the German advance.
The 7th Panzer Division was soon joined by the 5th Panzer, 6th Panzer, 8th Panzer and seven infantry divisions, which all quickly threw themselves in the breach opened by Rommel’s Panzers. Von Kleist ordered that the Panzers wait for the infantry and motorized divisions to resume their advance, which slowed down the pace of their advance. However, Touchon’s men had completely broken under the pressure, and Giraud’s men had a hard time picking up the pieces.
In the evening of June 30th, it was chaos in the French lines, with German tanks having reportedly reached Doullens. This information was passed on to Weygand, who, to his credit, immediately realized the massive mistake he made. He recalled the 4e DCR towards Amiens, and asked Giraud, in coordination with the British and Belgians, to make a move to hamper the German thrust. Likewise, the newly equipped 4e and 7e DLM were transferred from their reserve position at Chateau-Thierry towards Abbeville.
This order came too late. Most of the German Panzers had already broken through, and were wreaking havoc in the French lines. The addition of the motorized elements of the Heer also proved pivotal, as they had the means to deal with the French armoured batallions left in the area [2]. Soon enough, the vast trap started to close.
Greatly helped by Richthofen’s VII Fliegerkorps, the German Panzers sped through, and reached Abbeville on July 2nd. The pocket had finally closed, trapping 1,500,000 French, Poles, Belgians and British between Abbeville and Antwerp. The Germans had won their bet, and the Allies had managed to do nothing about it.
On July 3rd, Alphonse Georges was relieved as his duties, having sufferred a mental breakdown. That same day, Charles de Gaulle was appointed at the post of Minister of War, with Paul Reynaud and the French government only now realizing the grave mistake they had made. And while this nomination came much too late for France, some could say it came at exactly the right time for the Free French.
[1] The French war industry was estimated to be able to outproduce Germany by July 1940 OTL.
[2] These being the remnants of the 1ere DCR, battered in Belgium.
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It's not over yet, the French still have reserves to break out.
Absolutely.
Here is the (approximate) map of the situation:
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In OTL when the dutch surrendered this didn't include the forces in Zeeland. Did that happen here too?
I diagree. It's purpose is to provide an entertaining story (although that's probably not what HItler would be aiming for).
Yes, the Dutch forces in Zeeland have been put under the command of I Belgian Corps.
At Amiens, definitely not, since the DLMs would prevent this, but at Abbeville, the Germans will likely get their bridgeheads.
I suppose the dysfunction of the French high command would eventually come to bite them in the rear. Even if he was disregarded, De Gaulle getting such a high position will be a MASSIVE boost to Free French legitimacy and prestige.
Holy shit that's one HUGE Dunkirk pocket. That will take a long time to fully reduce with a million and a half men there, which means the French collapse won't be as panicked. Unfortunately the mention of "the Free French" means they're still going to surrender instead of fighting on. Going to be some interesting political drama as that happens I bet!
Thanks for them map!
Holy shit that's one HUGE Dunkirk pocket. That will take a long time to fully reduce with a million and a half men there, which means the French collapse won't be as panicked. Unfortunately the mention of "the Free French" means they're still going to surrender instead of fighting on. Going to be some interesting political drama as that happens I bet!
Thanks for them map!
Regarding the future course of the war ITTL: it would be rational for Italy to remain neutral, given the near-total destruction of the Kriegsmarine surface fleet, the Allied victory in and successful defense of northern Norway. and the hammer and tongs fighting in France.
However...
-- Mussolini wasn't exactly rational.
-- The premise of the TL is bigger roles in the war for minor nations. Several of those nations would have no role at all if Italy remains neutral.
Another issue arises in my mind. So far, "the minor nations strik[ing] back" have all been Allies. However, there were "minor" Axis allies. Will these nations also play bigger roles than OTL?
However...
-- Mussolini wasn't exactly rational.
-- The premise of the TL is bigger roles in the war for minor nations. Several of those nations would have no role at all if Italy remains neutral.
Another issue arises in my mind. So far, "the minor nations strik[ing] back" have all been Allies. However, there were "minor" Axis allies. Will these nations also play bigger roles than OTL?
Well, i hate not pile up against Benny buuut (again sorry it's not praise) he was rationale, from his pow the war was over with the spectacular fall of France and the incredible feat of the Werchtmatch and looking at the situation at the time, well it's not that strange...even if a lot of people had warned him that Italy was absolutely not ready.
Here the performance of the Germans is a lot less splendid and the allies are in a stronger position till now, so it's very probable that the opposition to Italy dow will be stronger among the armed forces and the few fascist big wig that can say something that Benny don't like it.
Regarding the other minor member of the Allies involved in the war 'thanks' to Italy, well there is Greece and that can be involved due to the invasion of Jugoslavia (that was Adolf idea due to the coup and the possibility that she become to cozy with the entente)
Unfortunately Mussolini was not rational. Even in 1940, his generals told him the army was not ready, so if France falls, he will want his share of the cake.
Yes. Romania, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary for example will have more successful runs than OTL.
Chapter 14: Forcing the line (July 1940 – Flanders)
July 4th - July 11th, 1940
Western Front
Western Front
The German race to the sea had shocked the French government, but not completely thrown it into disarray. After all, France had managed to bring back a hopeless situation before, and could very well do it again. Plans were thus put in place for a “new Montcornet”, with a combined thrust of the two DLCs in Amiens, and with the 4e DCR being injected as soon as the breakthrough was achieved.
In the meantime, however, the Heer had managed to widen its breach, which now extended from Saint-Quentin to Cambrai, and which now seriously threatened the French First Army, as well as the BEF and Belgian Army. Worse, it also had managed to secure bridgeheads over the Somme, at Abbeville, taking advantage in a late redeployment of Tenth Army units. Luckily, this was the only place where they had breached.
On the morning of July 4th, Winston Churchill called General Weygand, asking him where the strategic reserve was. This one told him that he had two light mechanized divisions ready to counter-attack at Amiens [1].
This city, valiantly held by the British 12th and 23rd Infantry Divisions, reinforced by the French 4e and 7e DLM, did not break under the Panzer’s onslaught, slowing down Guderian’s progression and disallowing him the use of the bridges on the Somme, though it did not stop the Heer from encircling the Allied forces to the north.
Weygand, on July 4th, immediately ordered the Allied forces to counter-attack from both Amiens and Arras, hoping to meet strong resistance and then the void, just like at Montcornet, despite Frère's objections that the terrain around Amiens was unsuitable for such an attack.
What's more, the Heer had learned from its mistakes: the corridor was no longer completely devoid of any troops, and was now held by the infantry and motorized divisions which had followed the German Panzers.
The problem was that, to the north, it was chaos. The French Sixth Army had essentially been shattered, and reorganizing units would take time. As for the French First Army, it had been tasked with picking up the pieces of Touchon’s army, and as such was hardly in a state to fight. The II Belgian Corps was too weak, and the I Belgian Corps too isolated…there really only was the BEF that could mount a counter-offensive.
And really, Lord Gort did not really believe in it. Already, a few days earlier, General Edmund Ironside had flown to London to beg for the authorization to evacuate the BEF.
Lord Gort for his part knew that the French divisions were in disarray, and that King Leopold and the Belgian staff were not confident on their ability to hold the Schelde while isolated. It did not help matters that General Billotte, commander of the First Army, was killed in a car crash just two days after the pocket closed. Thus, in private, Gort was already thinking about evacuating his forces to England.
However, it would reflect poorly not to at least try, especially since the BEF was still solidly equipped and organized.
On July 5th, Gort moved two divisions under Major-General Harold Franklyn to connect with French forces at Arras. Those two divisions were the 5th Infantry and 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry, helped by the French 3e DLM. And while Franklyn was aware of a French push to the south, he was not sure where it would come from. Without proper communications, Franklyn thought that his forces were only a diversion, with the main thrust coming from the south.
Unfortunately, it is exactly what the French thought as well.
At Amiens, the 4e and 7e DLM made a move to advance north of the city, with the objective of causing havoc in the German rear while the British and French would push from the north. In essence, both of the thrusts thought that they would be the supporting one. After all, the terrain around Amiens was hilly and poorly suited for armored offensives.
The British launched their offensive first, committing a major portion of their tanks: up to 80 total, with a large majority of Matildas. These tanks started to face off against the flank of the 7th Panzer, catching the Germans off-guard…but not off-balance.
This time, Rommel knew that he had to wait for the infantry, and he definitely did not ignore orders like he did in May. He had the support of a motorized infantry division, and he was going to use it. As such, despite an initial success, the British tanks started to slow down as PaK guns and even AA guns started to wreak havoc. Despite the intervention of the 3e DLM, which managed to defeat the German Panzers on the flank, the British could go no further than Agny, in the suburbs of Arras.
To the south, the French of the 4e and 7e DLM also hit Guderian’s exposed flanks, but were luckier. No Panzers were in the area, as they had been moved north for the more promising offensive towards Lille and Calais. As such, opposition was light and the two divisions soon reached Villers-Bocage.
There too, however, the two divisions had issues, as they started to run into the first columns of the German motorized divisions. Armed with PaK 36 and 88-mm Flak guns, the Heer regiments put up quite a fight, forcing Rommel to send his Panzers south to deal with the threat. On the sides, too, the Germans put artillery and anti-tank guns in battery, raining hell on the French flanks.
On the evening of July 7th, the two French divisions had only managed to crawl to Pierregot. But this was enough for the OKH to panic.
Seeing two armored thrusts and what felt like a hundred tanks rushing into their lines, they immediately ordered all offensive operations in the area to stop. There would not be another Montcornet: these thrusts had to be contained and pushed back [2]. Liszt and Rommel were disappointed: they thought that they could be in Dunkirk in less than three days!
But this also presented an opportunity: if they struck at the flanks of these thrusts, they could well turn the tide on the Allies and encircle them instead. As such, the 8th Panzer went south to contain the French offensive, while Rommel took matters into his own hands and rushed towards the British thrust.
Despite the intervention of the Luftwaffe, which allowed the German Panzers to maneuver favourably, this “counter-encirclement” maneuver did not yield the expected results.
At Arras, the 3e DLM shattered Rommel’s attempts at piercing behind the British lines, while in Amiens, the battered 12th (Eastern) Infantry Division managed to hold the flank of the French advance, holding off Kuntzen’s 8th Panzer.
If the German Panzers failed at counter-encircling the Allied thrusts, they did stop any offensive operations in the sector. The British and French had to withdraw, but had the satisfaction of having at least stopped the German operations in the sector, and bought a very welcome reprieve, that would surely help in evacuating the Allied forces to England.
This allowed the French First Army to consolidate its positions: it had retreated, but not broken, though this retreat caused friction between Weygand and Lord Gort. The latter wanted to hold a solid line of defense to hold the ports while waiting for an evacuation, from Boulogne and along the Lys. Weygand, on the other hand, wanted to hold further south, to be able to thrust the BEF southwards at Hesdin, holding along the Canche.
Gort would win the debate in the end: German Panzers had taken over the Canche in most places, and the southernmost line would be impossible to hold. Defensive positions were established at Boulogne-sur-Mer and along the Lys river: full priority was given to protect the ports of Boulogne, Calais, Dunkerque, Oostende and Zeebrugge. The BEF would slide its positions downwards, to plug in the gap between Boulogne and Thérouanne. This also meant that with the French abandoning their positions on the Schelde, with the exception of the redoubt at Lille, that the Belgian Army Corps would have to abandon its own positions on the river and retreat towards the Lys, forming a single Army Corps to hold off the Germans.
With this decision meaning the abandonment of Belgium to the enemy, King Leopold III announced his decision to his war cabinet to surrender Belgium to Germany on July 9th. This decision was opposed unanimously. Hubert Pierlot and Paul-Henri Spaak were outraged, while Van Overstraeten and Denis were confused: Belgium had not lost the war yet.
But Leopold III was determined. He told them that he had already contacted the Germans, and would give the Allies a twenty-four-hour notice of the Belgian surrender, which would occur on July 11th [3].
Denis and Van Overstraeten jumped into action: to them, such action was tantamount to treason. In a scene that would be replicated in many Belgian movies in the future, and that certainly was in part imagined, General Denis stood up, walked to the King and told him, in no uncertain terms, to go to hell.
Denis found support with Van Overstraeten and a vast majority of the cabinet, who for their part, all wished to continue the fight.
With overwhelming support, General Denis arrested King Leopold III on charges of treason, and immediately asked to have the constitutional powers of the King revoked. Unanimously, this decision passed, effectively making King Leopold powerless.
On the same day, General Denis sent a telegram to Lord Gort and General Weygand, telling them that the Belgian Government would continue to fight alongside the Allies, and that the Royal Family would be evacuated to London immediately. He also said that King Leopold III was particularly ill, and that the recent events affected him greatly: the British would thus have to pay no mind about any rants the monarch had.
That same day, General Denis ordered to withdraw from the Schelde towards the Ghent-Terneuzen canal, and to make sure to mine all the terrain between Antwerp and Ghent. Denis also made plans to evacuate the government to London, and would also ask for Churchill to help evacuate the Belgian Army from France, if necessary.
Churchill, for his part, had studied the question, and made preparations for the evacuation of the BEF (as well as the Belgian and French armies, of course). But the day before, he had received a phone call from the French Minister of War: France still had one more ace up its sleeve.
[1] OTL Gamelin replied that the reserve didn't exist anymore.
[2] OTL the thrusts were lazier and offensive operations continued, but with the near-disaster at Montcornet, OKH isn’t taking chances.
[3] Mostly OTL. Leopold III pretty much went behind his entire government’s back, but the situation was much more dire in OTL.
Red: Current Frontline (approximate)
Yellow: Furthest Allied advance
Blue: New "Lys Line"
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Military or political result?..
And soeaking of this chapter I'm wondering what will be ITTL version of Dunkerque stop-order myth.
Whoa this is intense! Looks like there will be a long slugging match even after the push to the sea. Just how hard is it to supply the British divisions in the pocket by sea? I seriously wonder if keeping them there and forcing Germany to watch too fronts would be better than withdrawing them and providing the Germans with a moment where a large chunk of the Entente armies are disorganized from the redeployment.
With the sheer size of the force in the pocket and its better organization and much slower fall, I wonder if there even will be one...