What if 2 ?

[richard]

Hi MarshalLaw,

January 1942

America

Lend least act pasted England will rec'd 50 World War One type Destroyers to help with the Convoys.

A top secret mission planned by Winston and his staff has the full backing of the U.S. President and phase one is under way.

England

Counter Intelligence has rounded up a German spy ring 19 agents caught.

Churchill Rec'd word phase two is under way as yet no name is given to this operation.

North Sea

All is Quite the odd German spy plane is seen but no direct confrontation yet.

The Atlantic

A Wolf pact has attacked a large inbound convoy 9 ships sunk 4 damaged and only 1 U-Boat sunk.

Island

A meeting is under way between the American and British in late January to discuss the U-Boat situation and the possible threat to U.S waters a exchange of information and tactical reports as well the meeting goes well.

February 1942

England

Bletchley Park has intercepted and broken a code transmitted from England to Germany three days latter 4 personnel working in the Admiralty have been arrested a week later 2 are released and the other 2 have been charged with spying.

The Atlantic

22 merchant ships sunk and 2 Destroyers a black month for the convoys no U-Boat loss

The North Sea

German Destroyer damaged by British mine and returns homes no other incident still quite

England

Phase three went well and phase four completed ahead of schedule Winston Churchill is pleased and meets with his staff the operation is now given a name.

Operation Cold Front to commence early March 1942 details to follow..........

Richard

[MarshalLaw]

Hey Richard,

Take your time, I'll be out of town for the weekend, so I will not be able to respond until Sunday night or Monday. Have a good weekend.

[richard]

Hi MarshalLaw,

March 1942

Operation Cold Front has started three large fleets in the North Sea have moved to there areas and are well protected by air cover.

Bergan

Three S-class subs have attacked and sunk 1 old 1934 coastal destroyers and 1 Merchant ship just off Bergan German forces have reacted a group of 4 1937 Destroyers on Patrol some 12 miles away have turned north wards and some six hours later two of the S Class subs are sunk the third one got away.

Bergan , Hamburg & Wilhelmshaven docks

The next day British bomber formations take off one in the north the other in the south the northern group bomb Bergan docks 1 destroyer sunk 3 more damaged and 2 merchant ships sunk Bergen docks have suffered heavy damage not with out cost 9 Bombers shot down and another 2 ditch in the sea on the way back 5 Hurricanes and 2 spitfires lost.

The southern bomber group has two wings the first one bombs Hamburg docks amount of damage not known heavy Luftwaffe protection inflicts heavy loses 19 bombers shot down 3 ditch in the sea on the way back the second group do better there target was Wilhelmshaven docks a two fold operation aerial mines were dropped in to the mouth of the docks and bombs heavy damage inflicted 7 bombers shot down 1 ditched in the sea.

12 Hours Latter.......

East Prussia

The Wolfs Layer

Hitler rec'ds a report on the attacks he phones Admiral Raeder and tells him to plan a break out to safer waters Raeder is shocked the fleet is just out of range and tells Hitler this fact Hitler fly's in to a rage and states they are to attack and stop sitting around doing nothing.

24 Hours Latter......

Germany

Naval Department

To add to the Navy's Problems there budget has been cut back and a direct order from Hitler no more capital ships to be built all production must switch to the U-Boats.

England

The trap is set the question is when will the enemy appear it is more likely to be in April onwards in the mean time false information is being sent to Germany the Abwehr believes this information to be gold dust little do they know that one of the former spy's has become a double agent and is now working for the British.

Germany

The Abwehr for some time dating back to 1936 has been spying on America and has suffered some set backs from time to time in mid March they rec'd a full detail report on shipping lanes movement of ships and the level of protection along the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S.A this information has now been passed on to Admiral Donitz.

The North Sea

All quite to the end of March.

The Atlantic

7 Merchant ships lost 4 damaged & 1 Destroyer sunk
1 U-Boat forced to surface and surrenders surviving crew picked up shortly before the U-Boat sinks 3 U-Boats damaged forced home.

The Med

Hit and run operations nothing major.

North Africa

The war swings in to Rommel's favor.

Russia

Both sides bogged down in the winter months and again in the mud both side draw up plans for the spring.

U.S.A

Ship building well under way.


Richard

[richard]

Hi MarshalLaw,

Late March 1942

Germany

Naval Department

Admiral Raeder meets with his staff to discuss the next move Raeder is not happy but has no choice but to follow orders.

France

U-Boat Command

Admiral Donitz meets with his staff he's not happy about the cut back in the naval budget but at least he can continual construction of the U-Boats the main item on the agenda America the question should they attack. ?


Richard

[MarshalLaw]

Hey Richard,

Feb. - April 1942:

On the research front slow work continues on the FAT torpedoes. 2 different styles are chosen with the other ideas shelved. One is a pattern programed guidance system and one a sound guidance system. Both are in the beginning stages only. Testing on the sonar absorbing material on the new snorkels are inconclusive. More combat testing is needed. All 10 u-boats completed their patrols and reported good results but there was no difference between a non coated or coated snorkel.

In the Med Hit and run tactics are the order of the day, results are mixed. La Spezia continues with it's repairs, another 2 sub pens are operational. 6 more IIA subs arrive in March, and are ready for combat by mid April.

On the u- boat front things are going well once again, codes are being changed once a month to limit a repeat of U-110. Merchant sinking have again increased to 20-25 Ships a month. 20 u- boats are completed with only 5 losses during the period. Wolf pack operations continue to go well on the western approaches. The first 10 XXI are completed in late March. Crews will be ready by June sea trails on the new boats are under way. The next batch of "Electro boats" have started construction with 5 XXI and 5 of the new XXIII coastal boats. The shipping budget has been cut but U- boat construction is unchanged for the most part. Just less of the older VII and IX series boats being ordered. The Surface fleet is the big loser. No new capital ships are being ordered which has Admiral Readar fit to be tied. Only new support ships to replace ones being lost in action. Mainly Destroyers and 1-2 light cruisers. The snorkel has worked well so far with the 10 new Boats that put to sea in Dec. No U-boats were detected and attacked by air.

In Feb. four members of the British Admiralty were arrested and questioned 2 were held with charges of spying, unfortunately for the British they released the wrong person. After laying low for several weeks. The German plant was able to get word out to German High command of Operation "Cold Front" and the size and general location of the 3 large task forces laying in wait for the German surface fleet to venture out into the North sea. Admiral Reader meets with Hitler to inform him of the threat. Hitler counter mans the earlier orders he had given and orders Reader to consult with Dornitz to formulate a plan to "Trap the trapper". Readar meets with Dornitz in Mid March. At the same time the last of the British task forces reach their staging areas.

MORE TO FOLLOW later today or in the morning.

[richard]

Hi MarshalLaw,

Early April 1942

The North Sea

Weather report sent to the fleet very bad weather for the next two weeks all three tasks forces move to calmer waters.

BREAKING NEWS.......

France

French resistant has succeeded in assassinating three top naval officers and wounded another two
reports from France are Sketchy the identity of the targets is not known yet.

England

Another German spy network has been caught.

The Admiralty has tighted up on security all high level operations are kept secret and all codes have been changed.


Richard

[MarshalLaw]

Hey Richard,

Late March to Late April 1942:

Dornitz and Readar finalize plans and the operation is put into motion. If all goes well the operation will go down by the end of April. Admiral Readar is worried and a bit miffed. Operation Cold front is a good plan the Tommie's have come up with a Typical Hammer and Anvil trap. With 2 task forces in the north and one in the south. The 2 in the north engage and the one in the south cuts off any escape. The Germans would be crushed in the middle. So any chance of a breakout is nonexistent. However the plan that Dornitz has come up with is brilliant. Phase one consist of sending u-boats to keep tabs on the task forces while other u-boats lay several mine fields in the most likely path of the 2 northern forces. In addition several u-boat will lie in wait and harass the task forces. The main goal is to slow their progress. The main objective is to engage and destroy the southern task force with the combined force of task force Trident Folk-Wulf Bombers and U-boats. Both Carriers will be used so German carrier aircraft will have a 2-1 advantage. In Early April U-boats make contact with all 3 task forces One is NE of Scapa Flow, the Other is NW of Bergen. In the south the lone task force is NE of Southend. Mine laying is started and completed by the 15th. Contact is made and lost with Both North fleets as bad weather forced the fleets closer to shore. Toward the 20th the weather is clearing and the Northern fleets are again at their staging areas. On April 21st Task force trident sail with the 2nd carrier group 40 KM behind. German naval command sends orders to trident in a code that the English have broken so there is no mistake they intercept and understand the message. Within 2 hours of the transmission all 3 task forces steam toward their target. The British have taken the bait.
14 hours later the Spaca flow fleet runs into the first mine field. 3 ships are damaged. The fleet slows to a crawl as they sweep the mine field. The Bergan Force avoid the first mine field but hit the 2nd. 2 ships damaged and a destroyer sunk. Like the other force time is wasted clearing the mine field. Soon after several uboats attack both fleets slowing them down further as they Zig Zag to avoid the uboats. One other destroyer is sunk by the uboat attacks.
Mean while task force Trident has turned south and is closing the gap to the southern force. 2 attack groups of Condor bombers attack the fleet Damaging the Aircraft carrier and 1 battleship. One cruiser is severely damaged and to be abandoned. 125 KM out German patrol aircraft spots the British fleet. 10 mins later the British find the lead German fleet. Both Aircraft carriers launch their aircraft. The Wilhelm launch addition aircraft to protect Trident and to assist in the British attack. The German aircraft overwhelm the British defenders and press home their attack several direct hits are made on both Battleships and the air craft carrier. The Battleship Rodney is a blazing wreck and is abandoned. Heavy damage is done to the carrier and 3 other ships. The British air attack found stiff resistance but they managed to hit the Turpitz twice knocking out her boilers. One light cruiser was moderately damaged. A 2nd wave of Condor bombers attack the retreating British fleet 1 hour later and send the 2nd battleship and a heavy cruiser to the bottom. The air craft carrier is later sunk By a trailing Uboat as the British attempted to tow her back to British waters. The Trupitz suffered the same fate a British Sub torpedoed the Battleship later that night. She sank one hour later. All other German ships made it back to German waters, and the 2 Northern fleets retired back to England.
The next morning Churchill gets the grim report. The southern Task force was 50% destroyed , with both Battleships and aircraft carrier sunk along with 3 other support ships. 5 other ships sustained damage bad enough to require dry dock time to repair. The Northern fleets only lost 2 ships to mines and uboats. The Germans lost the Turpitz and 1 u-boat. Operation Cold front was a complete disaster. However the good news is that the German fleet is still bottled up. But a a Very high price.
On April 28th 3 Top aids of Admiral Dornitz staff are ambushed outside of Lorient and killed 2 other u-boat captains are wounded but survived the attack. Security is tighten around all French occupied ports.

[MarshalLaw]

Hey Richard,

May 2 1942:

Admiral Readar meets with Hitler to debrief him on the results of operation "Trapper". Hitler is pleased that a British task force was severely damaged, however he informs Readar that the Turpitz will not be rebuilt. With the German fleet still bottled up the resources can be used in more effective ways. Hitler orders Readar to continue to look for ways to use the fleet to harass the Allies. If a breakout is possible do so but only if there is a good chance of success. The spy network in England is still intact, but several operatives have been caught, so information out of England has slowed.
Readar leaves the meeting dejected. He hates that Dornitz has bailed his fleet out of a Jam once again. But without the u - boats his ships would still be stuck in port or on the bottom, if he had ventured out into the North sea. Without the delaying tactics against the Northern task forces, they would have arrived on the scene before the Germans had finished with the southern task force. Catching the Germans in the middle and crushing them as the Cold front plan had called for. "Maybe the u- boats are a viable naval weapon after all." Readar mutters as he walks to his car for the ride back to Hamburg.

[richard]

Hi MarshalLaw,

Late April 1942

St Nazaire

British commando raid has hit and successfully caused enough damage to make the base non operational for large German battleships the result of this has now prevented a enemy battle ship using the bay of Biscay as a gate way to the Atlantic.

Late May 1942

Churchill informs the U.S President the two aircraft carriers lent to England for operation cold front have been sunk the President is upset by the news but the German threat must be dealt with the president tells Churchill you got the green light Operation Nemesis is a go.

The British Naval Dept.

They now know the spy in there section and only feed him false information along with the agent who defected to England the information being sent back to Germany looks great but its all false the spy will be dealt with soon.

June 1942

Operation Nemesis stage one has started 15 S Class Subs and 12 T Class Subs now in position to block the entrance to the north sea with the loss of the French battleship
the French Battle cruiser has joined the now regrouped fleet who hold station on the northern sea lanes leading to the Atlantic all is in place on the night of 15th of June the largest air wing is sent up their target the German Fleet with the help of spy's and recon missions the location is now in reach as they approach the smaller of air wing has reached its target Wilhelmshaven docks this smaller wing has drawn off the German night fighters as it starts the bomb run more damage is inflicted on Wilhelmshaven docks the lose of aircraft was high 21 Vickers Wellingtons were shot down only 19 return home.

As the larger of the two bomb wings approach there target the radio message is sent open the window the result of this has blinded German radar the night fighters can not find there target the bombers are now over head there targets flack guns open up and search lights probe the Sky's the bombers drop there deadly cargo massive explosions below take place and after six hours the raid is over to the cost of the Americans 27 B17's lost and to the British 19 Avro Lancaster's.

The following day spy's have reported the Germans have lost one aircraft carrier the Bismark has also been sunk and 5 Destroyers as well the other aircraft carrier has set sail for safer waters but can not travel above 12 Knots due to the damage some hours latter a internal explosion has ripped through her the crew abandon ship as the aircraft carrier starts to sink the threat of the German navy is over but both sides have taken a beating and no further surface action takes place all is quite until 1943 unknown to the British and for some unknown reason Admiral Raeder was kept in the dark........? MORE TO FOLLOW

England

75 Hours latter

Churchill contacts the president with the good news and thanks him for the secret build up for U.S Planes and there crew it was expected to be a heavy lost but the operation had to go ahead as part of the exchange the latest anti U-Boat detection and weapons are given to the U.S Navy along with up to date information on U-Boats.

East Prussia

3 days after the attack

The Wolfs Layer

Hitler is sicken by the news but not surprised he acts swiftly and sacks Admiral Raeder from his post for being in-competed and appoints Admiral Donitz to take charge of whats left of the Navy and tells him to step up the attacks on convoys.

The month of June brings mixed news......

Midway

The Japanese Navy has lost 4 Aircraft Carriers this is such a lost the people back home are never told and the battle of Midway has stopped the Japanese cold.

In America the news is great at last the Japs have been payed back for Pearl Harbor.

North Africa

Rommel takes Tobruk and is promoted to Field Marshal he pushes the British back but his supply are running low.

Russia

The Soviet army suffers a major lost Operation Mars has ended in a defeat Kharkov remains in German hands and not long after this the German army in the south put Case Blue in to operation. In Moscow Starlin steps down running the war and lets his Generals take over unlike Hitler who will pay the price of his actions.

Spain

U-573 has been in-turned as she limps in to Spanish waters after being attacked by a Lockheed Hunsen.

England

AFV'S Air to Surface Radar are being installed in to Lockheed Hunsen's and improvement has been made to the FHA4 Radar. Destroyers are being fitted with the Hedgehog Mortars.

But there is bad news from Bletchley Park Naval section there is a extra letter on each code block this means the U-Boats are now using a four drum setting on there Enigma codes Bletchley Park Naval section has been stopped cold they must now crack the new codes.


July 1942

Admiral Donitz rec'd a top secret report and is taken back two surface ships under development on course to be completed in February 1943 Scharnhorst Class ships to be named SCHARNHORST and the second to be named GNEISENAU both ships are based in Narvik there role is to intercept convoys heading to wards Russia this was part of Hitlers Directive Number 21 and was to be kept ultra secret until July 1942 if Russia had not been taken by then.

Donitz phones Hitler and talks about this document Hitler tells Donitz due to spy's and informers and so on no one except the R.H.S.A could be trusted and the whole project was under there control from day one Hitler goes on these ships are raiders only so if you smell a trap back off he goes on to say no more ships to be built as he needs the war material for the land war but ends on a good note the U-Boat budget has gone up 20%

The English Channel

E-Boat operations have been stepped up the British Naval Dept. notes this.

The German Spy has now been Arrested and in prison.

U.S.A

The F.B.I round up a German Spy Ring.



Richard

[richard]

Hi MarshalLaw,

July 1942

England

The British admiralty has been forced to send a percentage of the subs to be sent to the far east for operations only 4 S Class and 8 T Class remain in British waters the surface fleet is being re-organized.

The English Channel

Two Merchant ships torpedoed by a group of four
E-Boats and shot at in a hit and run attack.

U.S.A

A T3 Tanker sunk by a U-Boat 10 miles east of New York the American Naval Department is wondering if this is the start of U-Boat attacks in home waters.


Richard

[richard]

Hi MarshalLaw,

Mid July 1942

U-Boat HQ

Admiral Donitzs holds top level secret talks with his staff and selected number of U-Boat Captains a new plan of action is on the table and some good news Allie destroyers and aircraft have been homing on to U-Boats radio transmissions they now have MEXTOX a
early warning system to be fitted to all U-Boats as fast as possible.

The Atlantic

A small outbound convoy of nine ships has been hit 4 are sunk 2 escape back to England the other 3 suffer damage as one U-Boat surfaced and shot them up they turn toward's Island for air cover a second U-Boat attacks on the surface suffers moderate damage from the fire fight and breaks off to return home another ship is destroyed the other 2 just escape with moderate damage.

England

British Naval Dept reports this to Churchill some 48 Hours after the attack it may have been a one off but it shows the U-Boat Captains are becoming much more aggressive the situation is to be monitored.

Richard

[richard]

Hi MarshalLaw,

Mid July 1942

England

R.A.F command have informed the Navy the bombers are now needed else where

In a secret location a plan of operations is well under way for a planed operation in the next two months.


Richard

[MarshalLaw]

Hey Richard,

May - July 1942:

On the research front FAT torpedoes still under development. Pattern running guidance system is making better progress than the sound based system. Proto type testing could begin by Jan. of 1943. New Radar & early warning radar being developed for U-boats, MEXTOX system that picks up on radio transmissions is ready now thanks to some captured systems found in North Africa. To be installed on u-boats ASAP.

On the surface fleet front, with the massive air strike against the German fleet. The back of the German navy is broken with the loss of both carriers and the Bismark. 2 pocket battleships were moderately damaged and are to be repaired. both ships could be combat ready by the end of the year. The Fredrick is severely damaged but engineers are looking into raising the ship from its harbor resting place. In late June Admiral Readar is relieved of command and Admiral Dornitz is now in command of the German Navy.

On the u-boat front 26 boats completed with only 4 losses. The 3 month period is the best ever for merchant sinking's with June sinking's a record 55 ships. 29 merchants being sunk in one convoy alone on June 18th. by a wolf pack of 10 u-boats. In July the first 10 XXI Electro boat are combat ready and put to sea. Also in July the 2nd patrol of the 10 snorkel boats are completed. 2 u-boats attacked by aircraft, both u-boats had the non coated snorkel. results are still somewhat mixed but it is decided to coat all future snorkels being installed. Dornitz orders 3 additional ship yards to be converted to Electro boat yards. Type II series boats are retired and no longer built. Type VII B&C boats to stop production after September, after boats under construction are completed. The yards are to switch to IX boat production to gear up for future American operations in Mid. Atlantic and off American shores. More u-boats from the North sea area are being diverted to the Arctic region to cut off Russian supply lines. Good success due to outdated Russian ASDIC systems.

In the Med. it's still hit and run tactics for the most part. German u-boats and E-boats are having limited success against merchant shipping.

Admiral Dornitz is informed in late July of 2 Scharnhoust class battleships that are to be completed in Narvik in Feb. To be used in Arctic region.

[MarshalLaw]

Hey Richard,

Late July - Early Aug. 1942:

Dornitz meets with his senior staff. Operation Drumbeat to start in American waters in Sept. First u-boats are to set sail in the next week or so for the 2-3 week trip across the Atlantic. It has also been noticed that most US merchants except Liberty ships are not armed. However Dornitz expects this to not last. But u-boat commander are ordered to take advantage of the situation while it last.

E-boat operations are being stepped up in the Med and also in the English Channel. With Hit and run tactics and laying new and improved mines that resist degaussing efforts. Hitler orders 4 large groups of Condor Bombers under Dornitz command. along with Naval versions of the ME-109 and Stuka Dive bombers to be used in shipping attacks.

On Aug. 3rd the first XXI electro boat claims it's first victim. A new era of u-boat warfare has started.

[richard]

Hi MarshalLaw,

August 1942

The Atlantic

U-Boats attacked large outbound convoy one U-Boat has been successfully sunk by the Hedgehog Mortar another one sunk by depth charges 2 Merchants sunk 1 Damaged.

As the month draws to a end it has been noted U-Boats are now attacking at night possible change in tactics. With the increased number of destroyers for the first time a good month for the allies 14 confirmed sinking's of U-Boats for the lose of 9 Merchants sunk 4 damaged


England

The R.A.F have flown two sorties against The Fredrick and finish her off with the lose of 3 bombers.

Wilhelmshaven docks

As repairs get under way news of the sinking to gets around one naval officer remarks "The British have done us a favor as the blasted carrier was a navigation hazard"

August 19th

Dieppe

A large Canadian and British commando force lands on main land Europe the attack lasts only nine hours and ends in disaster but the lesson has been learned.

The English Channel

German E-Boats chased off by British M.T.B'S Motor Torpedo Boats. Naval command has placed Fighters in key locations and start operations at the end of the month to try and check the E-Boat problem.

England

The Naval Department

Re-con con photos show Hamburg & Wilhelmshaven docks suffered heavy damage but the
U-Boat Pens remain intact.

Russia

In Moscow Starlin sends a communication to Churchill and asks for war material to be shipped to Russia.


Richard