The Death of Göring and the Victory of the Luftwaffe

[Fearless Leader]

Well the long awaited update has come at last!

Good job! I'm really looking forward to Britain's peace and Germany turning east.

[luakel]

Wow. I just read the last few chapters of this and that's all I can say. Wow.

BTW, I see that Taft/McNary will likely take the White House. I assume this will lead to a much more peaceful Pacific?

[Mr.Bluenote]

Originally Posted by Fearless Leader

Well the long awaited update has come at last!

Yes, it has indeed. I'm sorry for the long wait, but real life etc etc kinda robed me of much of my spare time!

Originally Posted by Fearless Leader

Good job! I'm really looking forward to Britain's peace and Germany turning east.

Thank you, Fearless. I hope to have the peace concluded in the next installment It's Over When the Fat Man Sing. It will most likely be a pretty fair peace, since Italy and Japan has no beff with the Brits in this ATL, and old Adolf just want to head out East ASAP!

Originally Posted by luakel

Wow. I just read the last few chapters of this and that's all I can say. Wow.

Welcome aboard the Luftwaffe Express, Luakel. Well, the quality of my writing is insanely varied, to say the very least, meaning it's not always very good, but I'm glad you like what you've read so far!

Originally Posted by luakel

BTW, I see that Taft/McNary will likely take the White House. I assume this will lead to a much more peaceful Pacific?

I think, that the Pacific will see little fighting, yes. The USA will probably bury its head in the sand, while the Japanese simply, with British blessing, pick up the Dutch and French colonies and continue their drive into China - something that I'll imagine will turn into somekind of Vietnam-like experience for them.

Best regards!

- Bluenote.

[Electric Monk]

You mentioned earlier that the US swings into heavy battleship designs instead of carriers and the like. It was only an aside, but the USN was into carriers before Pearl Harbor, just not as much as they'd be with it.

Even with battleship admirals dominating the navy (arguable) the Naval Expansion bills on 14 June and 19 July, 1940 added a lot for carriers, exceprts below from
Naval Expansion Act, 14 June 1940 and Naval Expansion Act 19 July 1940

Of course there might be butterflies but you can see that the tonnage for Carriers is 450 thousand odd tons total, and capital ships are 385 thousand odd new tons plus whatever old tons they had. Carriers were expanding faster. Whether or not similar bills would be passed in your timeline, I don't know but I'd think so.

Of course these can be altered by 33 thousand in the first bill and 30% in the second bill, but either way that's a lot of carriers - say 350 thousand tons at a bare minimum. 10 or more new fleet carriers (along the Essex/Ticonderoga classes model) I'd say assuming they use it all.

14 June, 1940
That the authorized composition of the United States Navy in under-age vessels as established by the Act of May 17, 1938 (52 Stat. 401), is hereby further increased by one hundred and sixty-seven thousand tons, as follows:
(a) Aircraft carriers, seventy-nine thousand five hundred tons, making a total authorized under-age tonnage of two hundred and fifty-four thousand five hundred tons.
...
Provided, That the foregoing total tonnage for aircraft carriers, cruisers, and submarines may be varied by thirty-three thousand four hundred tons in the aggregate so long as the sum of the total tonnages of these classes as authorized herein is not exceeded: Provided further, That the terms used in this or any other Act to describe vessels of designated classes shall not be understood as limited or controlled by definitions contained in any treaty which is not now in force.

19 July 1940
That the authorized composition of the United States Navy in under-age vessels as established by the Acts of May 17, 1938 (52 Stat. 401), and June 14, 1940, Public Law Numbered 629, Seventy-sixth Congress, is hereby further increased by one million three hundred and twenty-five thousand tons, as follows:
(a) Capital ships, three hundred and eighty-five thousand tons;
(b) Aircraft carriers, two hundred thousand tons;
...
Provided, That each of the foregoing increases in tonnages for capital ships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines may be varied upward or downward in the amount of 30 per centum of the total increased tonnage authorized herein so long as the sum of the total increases in tonnages of these classes as authorized herein is not exceeded.


Regardless of my nitpick I have enjoyed this timeline quite a bit.

[Mr.Bluenote]

It’s over when the Fat Man sing
Seadrops foam all empty human skulls
Those on the shores of Atlantis
Darwin's resurrection is witnessed
By turtles he used to play with

Healed and happy She oversees
The Mother
The tyrant's return to the sea
- Nightwish, A Return To The Sea

Today the wars have ended
And I am changed forever on
I’ve stopped the bleeding
From my head
And held my hands up high!
- Carpark North, Homeland.

Confusion and panic were the two dominant feelings in Southern Britain in early September, 1940. The mood in London was more subdued, closer to being directly defaitistic. The words of the hated German Führer, Adolf Hitler, seemed true: the will of good men can not counter the terrible strain of war. And the Halifax Government seemed to embody these words as the men in Whitehall grasped happily at the German peace offer delivered via the embassy in Washi,gton in the morning of September the 12th, 1940.

While there had been some serious fighting in and around Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the defences of the isle had fallen rapidly to the air mobile and battle hardened German troops. An Army counter-attack from mainland Britain had been stalled before it got under way. As the understrength 4th Infantry Division stationed near Portsmouth and the Australians in the AIF Division north of Winchester began to move, they came under heavy Luftwaffe attack – interdiction showed to be something of a Luftwaffe specialty -, as did the Southern port cities of Southhampton and Portsmouth. The two divisions nearly broke completely under the strain and while some officers rallied their men and pushed on, the ports to be used for staging the counter-attack was being pommeled by Luftwaffe, and thus useless. The counter-attack fizzled out. All along the Channel Luftwaffe and Kreigmarine units, be it KLK planes from Ghent or actual naval vessels, had driven the Royal Navy from the Channel or into hiding. Britain seemed wide open for an invasion…

Not only had the complete defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in France robbed the Army of most of its most talented officers - some like Brooke and Alexander would, however, reappear to haunt the Germans -, it had robbed its men of spirit. The British forces in the UK and Northern Irland numberend around 20 divisons, with more being raised and numerous brigades, but all were basically raw, understrenght and without the equipment needed to fight a modern war, or any kind of war for that matter. Furthermore hampered by the lack of fighter aircraft, trained pilots and aviation fuel the Royal Air Force - another branch of the Armed Forces that had seen the best and finest amongst its ranks die at the hands of what appeared as a nearly superhuman enemy – to a degree that made its Fighter Command unable to offer much resistance. As always, Britain had to rely on its navy, but that navy had in all but name been reduced to scrap in the North Sea Battle. It was over…

The American ambassador, Joseph Kennedy, was happy to report that his prediction made earlier regarding the British will and means to resist seemed correct. Kennedy would later be asked to leave Britain by an infuriated Foreign Minister, and new Government strongman, Anthony Eden. The Ambassador Crisis would herald the end of the US-British special relationship and in many ways also the New Britain slowly emerging from defeat.

On the 1st of October, 1940, PM Halifax met with Adolf Hitler and signed the Berlin Peace Accord. In many ways the British got off easy as they had to agree on keeping a fairly low level of troops, ships and planes in Southwestern Britain, return Iceland and Greenland to Danish control, accept German supremacy, not direct rule, over the European mainland and finally pay some amount of reparations. A PoW exchange was orchestrated as well. Ironically enough the lack of severity in the peace aggreement would fuel the Britons lust for revenge as they felt deeply humiliated by an enemy not taking the Empire serious enough to impose stricter terms.

In Berlin, Hitler and most of his inner circle, as well as Wehrmacht commander on all levels rejoiced; they had gotten away from a war with Britain as victors. Hitler basked in the fact that even Napoleon could not boast of such an accomplishment! Little did he suspect, that as the Peace of Amiens had been nothing but a breather so would the Berlin Peace Accord.

[Mr.Bluenote]

Originally Posted by Electric Monk

You mentioned earlier that the US swings into heavy battleship designs instead of carriers and the like. It was only an aside, but the USN was into carriers before Pearl Harbor, just not as much as they'd be with it.

Oh, yes, quite right. It's not that I as such saw the USN drop carriers, I rather envisioned them to focus on battelships as the their main and primary tool of war so to say, with carries playing second or third fiddle.

In sharp contrast to the Imperial Japanese Navy, and later Royal Navy as well, that are considering phasing out battleships and use carriers as their main tool of war...

Originally Posted by Electric Monk

Regardless of my nitpick I have enjoyed this timeline quite a bit.

Thank, Monk, I'm glad you like it! Nitpicks are ok btw! It was good of you to comment, and I'll give the parts regarding the USN and their future politics another lookover.

Hope you enjoy the latest update. I'm not quite satisfied with it, as I feel it lacks something. Ideas, comments and suggestions are more than welcome!

Best regards!

- Mr. Bluenote.

[Wendell]

So far so good....

[Fearless Leader]

Excellent Update!

Now on to Barbarossa! Perhaps a more agressive Luftwaffe campaign especially with strategic bombers results in less soviet industry being transferred to Siberia? I think the soviets are going to be screwed especially in the early days.

[luakel]

Nice update.

So what are your plans for the US? I see the falling out with Britain as indicating that isolationism won't end any time soon...

[orion900]

Thanks for the update..

Outstanding....


Orion

[Electric Monk]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bluenote

Oh, yes, quite right. It's not that I as such saw the USN drop carriers, I rather envisioned them to focus on battelships as the their main and primary tool of war so to say, with carries playing second or third fiddle.

In sharp contrast to the Imperial Japanese Navy, and later Royal Navy as well, that are considering phasing out battleships and use carriers as their main tool of war.

Fair enough, but the tonnage authorized is mostly stuff that the navy would use, because otherwise they might be given less next time. I could see the USN building 9 Essex class carriers, and lacking all refinements introduced in the Ticonderoga class (if you don't know much about the USN the Ticonderoga's were a lengthened Essex with a hurricane bow and increased AA) and retiring the older fleet carriers.

Historically they ordered 8 Essex class carriers on 9 Sept. 1940 after Essex was laid down the previous year.

They'd keep the Yorktown class - Yorktown, Enterprise, Hornet along with the one-off Wasp and maybe the one-off Ranger and probably scrap the Lexington and Saratoga if they weren't in a war.

Operationally however I could see them acting as you describe, using carriers as planned in the interwar period plan as scouts and light attack forces. They would however have 12 fleet carriers and a pair of light carriers to back this up meaning that even if their opening operational strategy of the battleline failed as it probably would they'd have more then enough carriers to recover shortly.

As for battleships the USN would have (in order of commission):

2 Wyoming class
2 New York class

Standard type battleships - 21 knots, other features
2 Nevada class
2 Pennsylvania class
3 New Mexico class
2 Tennessee class
3 Colorado class

Fast battleships - 27 knots
2 North Carolina class
4 South Dakota class

the 4 historical Iowa class fast battleships, plus the canceled 2 (33 knots)

Then they would continue on with the Montana class. The Montana class would be somewhat slower then the Iowa's (28 knots), would be unable to pass through the Panama canal but would mount 12 16-inch guns (3 more then the Iowa's) and unlike previous USN battleships would be armored against gunfire of the same caliber.

Hope some of that helps.


It's a bit of a short update, but needed as a transitional piece as I see it. I liked it anyway.

[Mr.Bluenote]

Originally Posted by Wendell

So far so good....

Thanks, Wendell! :-)

Originally Posted by Fearless Leader

Now on to Barbarossa! Perhaps a more agressive Luftwaffe campaign especially with strategic bombers results in less soviet industry being transferred to Siberia? I think the soviets are going to be screwed especially in the early days.

Good points, FL! I must admit that I'm having some diffeiculty comming up with new concept for the Eastern War. I'd rather not do the usual Germany-overruns-it-all-in-14-days or let the war out East play out like in OTL, but do something different. One idea I do have is heli-born infantry acting as anti-partisan forces in the Pripjet and elsewhere. And more (SS) Legions from European countries.

What about a three pronged trust like in OTL, but the main axis is directed at Moscow. With superior air support as in regards to both OTL and the Russians all three attacks make good headway.

Luftwaffe’s (few) Schwere Kampfgeschwadere will strike at both infrastructure and keep Soviet production down – as factories are either destroyed, captured or prevented from getting operation beyond the Urals. Basically hampering the Soviets ability to reinforce, reequip and shift troops around. The Voenno-Vozduznie Sily - Red Army’s Air Force – will be destroyed and the Red Army pushed further and further back. Leningrad will fall fairly quickly as a Finnish uprising occurs and German troops storm the city supported by the Kriegmarine, Luftwaffe and KLK, as well as foreign Legions. As Moscow is stormed and turned into Stalingrad on a truly epic scale, motorized German units and other Axis units drive into the Caucasus oil fields, which falls in in '42?! Moscow is turned into ruins as are several other major cities, but time is running out for the Germans as they are losing men rather rapidly, and the Heer will burn itself out during ’43 and ’44….

After the Germans have become truly mirred in the USSR, the British under Eden’s leadership rejoins the war and invade in the early summer of '44.

I'm thinking of creating a near Orwellian Britain, a fairly dystopian place where only vengence matters. How do that sound?

Originally Posted by luakel

So what are your plans for the US? I see the falling out with Britain as indicating that isolationism won't end any time soon...

I don’t really have any plans for the US of A, as I wanted a different ATL – one where Speer, jets and the Americans don’t play a signifcant role! :-) However, all ideas are welcome. But, yes, basically, the Americans will bury their collective head in the sand and struggle desperately to pull themselves out of the Depression.

And thanks for the kind words!

Originally Posted by orion900

Thanks for the update. Outstanding....

You are most welcome, and thank you, Orion

Originally Posted by Electric Monk

Fair enough, but the tonnage authorized is mostly stuff that the navy would use, because otherwise they might be given less next time. (…) It's a bit of a short update, but needed as a transitional piece as I see it. I liked it anyway.

Yeah, well, as mentioned above, I didn’t really plan anything for the Americans… still, the PoD is Göring’s death in 1935, so a lot things could have happened.

Yes, you’re quite right! The last update was short and rather tame, Monk. Currently I’m rewritting the last three installments – they will be up shortly -, and then I’ll post a brand new one (War is Over, Peace has Begun) in a few days!

Thanks for the compliment btw!

I have a question, though: What will Germany’s terms be? Will they actually withdraw from Denmark, Norway, France and the Low Countries?

Best regards!

- B.

[Karlos]

Some thoughts about east front:

Richtofen said that the Luftwaffe lost a golden opportunity to destroy Caucasus oil fields in 42, when they where at reach. In this TL, they can do it as early as june 1941 with strategic bombers, even if they have to rebuild them later when captured. Also, the great hidroelectric soviet plants where a target the germans thought about, again too late.
In any case, even if the fight goes similar to OTL, the big soviet offensives would be impossible under german air supremacy, as where the german offensives in the west in OTL.

[Mr.Bluenote]

To Invade or not to Invade…
Us, and them
And after all we’re only ordinary men.
Me, and you.
God only knows it’s noz what we would choose to do.
Forward he cried from the rear
And the front rank died.
And the general sat and the lines on the map
Moved from side to side.
Black and blue
And who knows which is which and who is who.
Up and down.
But in the end it’s only round and round.
Haven’t you heard it’s a battle of words
The poster bearer cried.
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There’s room for you inside.
- Pink Floyd, Us & Them.

Longboats have been sighted the evidence of war has begun
Many nordic fighting men their swords and shields all gleam in the sun
Call to arms defend yourselves get ready to stand and fight for your lives
Judgement day has come around so be prepared don’t run stand your ground

They’re coming in from the sea
They’ve come the enemy
Beneath the blazing sun
The battle has to be won
Invaders ... pillaging
Invaders ... looting
- Iron Maiden, Invaders.

Approaching the deadline for Operation Orfeus, Hitler’s hand began to shake. Even with the victory of the North Sea under his belt, and the general success of his navy and air force against their British counterparts, Hitler had deep seated distrust, almost fear of anything floating. Hitler had never been keen on naval affaires and was terrified of the possibilty of a failure that would undermine all the successes so far. Nobody wanted a two front war, and Hitler had more or less already committed the Wehrmacht to an invasion of Soviet Russia in the early summer of 1941; Operation Friedrich der Grosse, and thus could not allow the Wehrmacht’s attention, and its resouces, being diverted away from the main goal. Both Raeder and Wever, however, assured the nervous Führer that the combined forces of the Luftwaffe and Kriegmarine would be more than able to invade, take and hold the Isle of Wight. Operation Orfeus itself was more or less a guaranteed success. It was, however, up to him, their Führer, to insure a following peace with Britain.

Hitler finally agreed and gave his permission to launch Operation Orfeus – neither Wever or Milch had the stomach to tell him that the relevant forces were already moving as a result of the decisive sea and air battle fought, and won, earlier. Ironically, Hitler was far from intent on destroying or even forcing Britain into subsmission – Hitler alledgedly never even wanted a war with the stubbern Island nation, but got one nonetheless. At the strategic conference held in the aftermatch of Operation Karin, Hitler was unusually explicit about his, and therefore Germany’s, future plans, such as they were. Hitler’s ramplings on and about Britain would no doubt have baffled the Islanders, many who even now believed that Hitler was hell-bent on devouring the British Empire as he had numerous other nations during his reign. Especially Hitler’s comment that the will of good men can not counter the terrible strain of war would no doubt amuse some Brits with a wicked sense of humour. Generally speaking though, Hitler wanted Britain out of the way, so that he could concentrate on curtailing and destroying the greatest threat, as percieved by him, to Germany, the German Volk and European civilization; Soviet Russia. Having had first hand experience in the last war, Hitler, and his senior commanders – not to mention most of the germans themselves-, was as mentioned earlier loath to get involved in another two front war. Since Britain had ignored all Hitler’s wishes for peacefull co-existence – again, such as he saw it -, conflict was inevitable and thus Britain must be forced to to accept the next offer of peace by means of brute force. On September 9th, Hitler announced that the attack would begin the next day. The Isle of Wight was to be the target for a combined arms assault from both air and sea. At noon Hitler left Berlin for his mountain retreat in Bavaria with his coterie of Golden Pheasants.

To keep the deception of a full scale amphibious invasion of Britain, the large German military formations along the Channel were at high alert and being reinforced all the time – in reality being brought up to full strenght after the French Campaign. The Germans worked hard at making their so-called invasion preparations a credible threat. Ships and vessels of all sorts being gathered at the various channel ports, units still flowing into the area, supplies still being stockpiled and so on. The Luftwaffe kept flying interdiction and other missions that could only be deemed as preparation for an upcomming invasion. From recently constructed gun sites superheavy artillery at Pas-de-Calis began to bombard the area between Dover and Hythe as well as the cities themselves. German units along the French, Dutch and Belgian coastlines as well as in country stoped using radios and went under total radio silence on the evening of the 9th of September. The planners at OKW, and OKH and L, hoped the British would think the Germans quite ready to go ahead with a full scale invasion…

Due to pressure from newly appointed First Sea Lord, Admiral John Tovey - Admiral Sir Dudley Pound’s successor -, the codeword Cavalier was sent at midnight bewteen the 9th of September and the 10th. Cavalier put the Home Force on full alert and signalled imminent invasion. Admiral Tover furthermore began to redeploy his meager naval assets, but was hampered by contineous Luftwaffe and KLK air attacks on both ships and habour facilities. Several RN commanders begged for permission to launch attacks on German occupied ports and habours along the Channel coast, but Tovey, knowing full well that he had preciously few ships left, for the time being said no!

The British public along with both Houses, the Imperial General Staff and the Halifax Governement were in respectively an uproar and deep crisis over the near total loss at the hands of the Germans in the battle of the North Sea. The domestic news papers were screaming for peace, war and the heads of several military commanders and politiical leaders, sometimes all at once. The foreign news papers was either aghast at the situation or slightly smug. In the German propaganda ministry, Dr.Goebbels as allways made the most of the German victories and the heroic figures of the Luftwaffe and the until now seriously outgunned Kriegsmarine. Whatever friends Britain had, besides their new near allies, Japan and Italy, began to seek closer ties with Germany instead – nobody backs a loser.

But loosers sometimes backs a winner. From his radio studio in Berlin, William Joyce – dubed Lord Haw Haw by a witty Daily Express reporter -, hosted Germany Calling. Germany Calling was another of Goebbles propaganda tools and in general not very effective, at least not among the British. On the 9th, however, Lord Haw Haw captured a wider audience than else. His words were heard in much of Britain. “I make no apology for saying again that invasion is certainly coming soon, but what I want to impress upon you is that while you must feverishly take every conceivable precaution, nothing that you or the government can do is really of the slightest use. Don't be deceived by this lull before the storm, because the storm wil come. Rather ask yourself, why you find yourself in this hopeless situation! My dear listeners, if you were in Germany now you would see how little antagonism there is against the British people. The German people know as do the Führer that the British people are not in favour of permanent hostilities. Hitler is aware of the political, military and economic confusion in England, and is only waiting for the right moment. Then, when his moment comes, he will strike, and strike hard and bring peace by the force of arms!”

Basically, Britain was in deep trouble and the Halifax Government knew it. Even with reinforcements flowing in from all around the globe, many freed up from their former duties by the better relationship with Italy and Japan, the policy makers at Whitehall felt at a losss. They knew not what to do, other than seek peace as fast as possible. Even the Eden-Bevin-Attle Trojka saw no other way at this critical time either, but was reluctant to admit it in public. A midst this crisis, former PM, Chamberlain died after having been ill for some time – apparently cancer as well as stress had killed the former PM. Chamberlain would forever be remembered as the British Benedict Arnold - the Man Who Sold Europe. Chamberlain’s death had, however, another effect, Lord Halifax’ Government had for along time survived and been fairly sure of a majority in boh Houses due to Chmarelian’s still formidable support among the members. Now, with Chamberlain gone, Eden and his allies began to appear as a viable alternative to Halifax. Still, the British leadership were reeling as a price fighter after a near knockout. As the politicians argued and the IGS was frozen by lack of leadership and direction – C-in-C of Home Forces, General Allan Cunningham, was having a near-nerveous breakdown and the Chief of the IGS, General Dill, though competent enough, was simply being overwhelmed be the task at hand and was also beginning to show the strain - the Germans, quite literally, landed puch number two, Operation Orfeus…

[Mr.Bluenote]

The Doors of Hades stands Ajar
Peace at any price
With a gun to your head, bang, bang
Weakness runs in your family
What runs in mine is death

This is your 5 minute warning
Burn all of your classified documents
And if cooler heads don't prevail
First strike from a political dead man

Appeasement only makes the aggressor more aggressive
He understands only one language - action
And he respects only one word - force
No sign of them stopping, no time for back channel communiques
We need all the help we can get, air strikes and invasions, retaliate, I say!

The will of good men can not counter the terrible strain of war
- Megadeath, Blackmail the Universe.

You’ll take my life but I’ll take yours too
You’ll fire you musket but I’ll run you through
So when your waiting for the next attack
You’d better stand there’s no turning back

The bugle sounds as the charge begins
But on this battlefield no one wins
The smell of arcrid smoke and horses breath
As you plunge into a certain death
- Iron Maiden, The Trooper.

Marines from the Kriegsmarine’s Sonderabteillung Ingenohl and Commandos from Abwehr’s Brandenburg regiment were the first units to go at stroke of midnigth. From their bases in Northern France the Marines set to sea and headed out for the Isle of Wight, while the Brandenburgers deployed from U-boote and in one instance a Spanish ship. The Brandenburgers landed at several key points on the Isle of Wight and snug ashore with no opposition. The German Commandos used British uniforms and for most parts also spoke British – in post-war Britain rumours were about that some even were British - to secure that they got to their intended targets without being stopped, or at least without much trouble. While the Brandenbrugers moved silently inland and struck their targets one by one, the Marines moved in their van and took command of the captured installations in something like numbers. Of course the entire mission relied on the follow-up forces of Air General Student.

In the early morning of september the 10th, the avantgarde of Student’s 7th Paratroop Division and the 22nd Air Landing Division launched their attack as planned. The attack came in three waves, first gliderborne sturmpioneren as seen in both Norway and Holland, then a larger paradroop and finally a combined glider and paradrop operation to land as many men and light equipment as possible. Nearly the entire available fleet of Ju-52’s and other lesser well known transport aircraft were used in Operation Orfeus. As part of third wave was fuel heavy helicopters operating on their extereme range and under a protective umbrella of Me-109’s. The helicopters would play a vital part in shifting the German troops around the Isle of Wight, thus speeding up the German take-over operation immensely. Later, Field Marshall Brooke of the Combined Imperial Staff would admit that the British originally got the idea of Airborne Dragoons from the German use of helicopters in Operation Orfeus, as well as the idea of helicopter gunships.

As Schnellbombere, StuKas and Panzerknäckere blasted several key locations as well as air bases on the south coast of Britain more for effect than true damage, gliders landed and helicopters touched ground, while air transports flew overhead and disgorged stick after stick of Fallschirmsjäger. With the various military installations in utter confusion, the veteran German paratroopers secured their objectives with next to no casualties – except for one major incident where two Ju-52’s collided due to heavy cross winds. So far, howvere, Operation Orfeus was going well, very well indeed. Within the hour, a unit from Luftwaffe’s Construction Brigades had landed and begun to construct two rough airfields. The Construction Brigades played an absolutely vital role in Opr. Orfeus. The LCB’s needed to construct airfields capable of handling Ju-52’s, otherwise the invasion might fail because of the lack of supplies and reinforcements.

Just as the first German units landed on the Isle of Wight the entire Channel coast became a beehive of activity as both the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine stepped up their operations on the area to a frantic pace. In OKL, it was judged that this level of action could be sustained for no more than 24 hours, but those 24 hours would be critical. Could the British be forced to negotiate a peace, then the charade and all the hard work had paid off, if not…

With the local defenses in disaray due to the Brandenburgers quite ungentleman like infiltration tactics – several Home Guard and a few regular army units from the small local garrisons actually engaged each other in the belief that their opposit numbers were Germans - and the fast moving Marines and Fallschirmsjäger, no serious resistance was encountered from either the British Army, nor the broken remnants of the once proud Royal Air Force.

The LCB’s had made the first usable airstrip at around three o’clock in the day and roghtly one hourd later, the first transporters carrying the first unit of General Dietle’s Gebirgsjäger as well as the rest of 7th Paratroop Division and the 22nd Air Landing Division began to land on the isle of Wight. The transporters also carried more gear and materials for the LCB and the airfield was soone expanded and on the 11th a second airstrip became operational. At the same time Luftwaffe fighter planes – in reality only four, but the numbers were grossly exagerated by both the Germans and British for each their own reasons - began to operate from the Isle. The fighters had not any real aerial use, as the RAF was nowhere to be seen, but their presence alone was a severe blow to British morale and a ditto boost to the German forces fanning out across the Isle.

In the Admiralty, First Sea Lord, Admiral John Tovey, finally ordered everything thrown at the continental staging points for an invasion of Britain. The commander of Nore Commander, Admiral Plunket, responded with great agressiveness and sent two light cruisers, 10 destroyers and every avialable MTB against the German occupied Channel ports. The attack was launched after darkness fell and included strikes on Dunkerque, Calais, Boulogne and Ostende as was a moderate success, but the casualties – one cruiser and four destroyers - prevented Tovey form ordering another attack the night after. The German use of RADAR had proven even night time attacks to be rather costly, and at present the Royal Navy could ill afford the price.

General Dill soon was forced to take direct charge as General Cunningham cracked completely under the pressure and was hospitalized. Dill saw that there was little he could other than order his too few and too weak divisons to dig in and await the onslaught from across the Channel. He did, however, order formations in Southern Britain to move south and engage if possible. Dill had little hope, nor any real faith that it would make a differnce though.

Several members of the armed forces along with Eden pressed for attacks on the German bridgeheads on the Isle of Wight with chemical weapons, but Dill, Halifax and the Minister of Defence, Henry Channon, vetoed the idea! The MoD clearly feared German reprisals, and basically as with much of the Halifax cabinaet saw no reason for continued resistance, said: "The very idea! How horrible, fantastic, incredible it is that we should be digging trenches and trying on gas masks here becuase of a quarrel with a people who bear us no ill will! Oh, it is all so bad that one can only make the best of it, and re-organise one's life accordingly!” Needless to say, Channon found find himself on the first boat to the United States when Eden became PM in ’43. Channon nearly got prosecuted for high treason, but cooler tempers prevailed and he was merely stripped of all titles, his citizenship and exiled to his native land.

After having read and mentally digested the latest reports, Primeminster Halifax met with his Cabinet and among others Anthony Eden in the early morning of the 11th of September. Later, Clement Attlee, the Labour leader, would recall that the PM looked pale and shrunken, but that Eden spoke with great passion. “So, it has finally come about. The abyss the Empire has been hurtling towards for years has been reached. The Germans has landed on British soil! On British soil for God’s sake!!! And it is all due to a legacy of appeasement and a foreign policy we Britons can only be deeply ashamed of!” Nonetheless, the Hawks, as Eden and his allies in the Trojka had been known for some time in the news papers, acknowleged the fact, that peace must be reached before it was too late. They gave Halifax the political backing to seek out a peace. As Eden said: “With German armies streaming across the Channel as we speak, we have little choice in the matter anymore, but let us make sure that it will never, ever happen again!”

[Mr.Bluenote]

It’s over when the Fat Man sing
Seadrops foam all empty human skulls
Those on the shores of Atlantis
Darwin's resurrection is witnessed
By turtles he used to play with

Healed and happy She oversees
The Mother
The tyrant's return to the sea
- Nightwish, A Return To The Sea

Today the wars have ended
And I am changed forever on
I’ve stopped the bleeding
From my head
And held my hands up high!
- Carpark North, Homeland.


Confusion and panic were the two dominant feelings in Southern Britain in early September, 1940. As Cavalier was acted upon, civilians was evacuated from the Channel area. As they streamed inland, tired and raw troops tried to get positioned along the coastline and the GHQ defence line south of London. Quite a few civilians not under direct order to evacuate, began to flee from what they thought would soon turn into a warzone. Chaos reigned on the roads of Kent and Sussex, but it was nothing compared to the destruction waged upon Dorsetshire and Hampshire. Aircraft from Luftwaffe’s Luftflotte 3 flew unchallenged over said counties and attacked anything that moved be it by road, rail or sea. The targets attacked was more often then not civilians fleeing. When the panic rescinded, the many unnecessary deaths would fuel the British lust for revenge for years to come.

The mood in London was more subdued, closer to being directly defaitistic. The words of the hated German Führer, Adolf Hitler, seemed true: the will of good men could not counter the terrible strain of war. And the Halifax Government seemed to embody these words as the men in Whitehall grasped happily at the German peace offer delivered via the embassy in Washington in the morning of September the 12th, 1940.

While there had been some serious fighting in and around Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the defences of the isle had fallen rapidly to the air mobile and battle hardened German troops. The counter-attack ordered by General Dill, Chief of the IGS and acting C-in-C Home Forces, from mainland Britain against the Germans at the Isle had been stalled before it got under way. As the under strength 4th Infantry Division stationed near Portsmouth and the Australians in the AIF Division north of Winchester began to move, they came under heavy Luftwaffe attack – interdiction showed to be something of a Luftwaffe specialty -, as did the Southern port cities of Southhampton and Portsmouth. The two divisions nearly broke completely under the strain and while some officers rallied their men – especially the Australians proved to be men of impressive personal courage - and pushed on, the ports to be used for staging the counter-attack was being pommeled by Luftwaffe, and thus useless. The counter-attack soon fizzled out. All along the Channel Luftwaffe and Kreigmarine units, be it KLK planes from Ghent or actual naval vessels, had driven the remaining Royal Navy from the Channel or into hiding. Admiral Plunket’s command had lost yet another light cruiser and two detroyers during their travails in the Channel. Britain seemed wide open for an invasion…

Not only had the complete defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in France robbed the Army of most of its most talented officers - some like Brooke, Horrocks and Alexander would, however, reappear to haunt the Germans -, it had robbed its men of spirit. The British forces in the UK and Northern Irland numberend around 20 divisons, with more being raised and numerous brigades, but all were basically raw, understrenght and without the equipment needed to fight a modern war, or any kind of war for that matter. Furthermore hampered by the lack of fighter aircraft, trained pilots and aviation fuel the Royal Air Force - another branch of the Armed Forces that had seen the best and finest amongst its ranks die at the hands of what appeared as a nearly superhuman enemy – to a degree that made its Fighter Command unable to offer much resistance. As always, Britain had to rely on its navy, but that navy had in all but name been reduced to scrap in the North Sea Battle. It was over…

The American ambassador, Joseph Kennedy, was happy to report that his prediction made earlier regarding the British will and means to resist seemed correct. Kennedy would later be asked to leave Britain by an infuriated Foreign Minister, and new Government strongman, Anthony Eden. The Ambassador Crisis would herald the end of the US-British special relationship and in many ways also the New Britain slowly emerging from defeat.

On the 1st of October, 1940, PM Halifax met with Adolf Hitler and signed the Berlin Peace Accord. In many ways the British got off easy as they had to agree on keeping a fairly low level of troops, ships and planes in Southwestern Britain, return Iceland and Greenland to Danish control, accept German supremacy, not direct rule, over the European mainland and finally pay some amount of reparations for the destruction meted out on German cities. As part of the final demand, there was to be a public war crimes trial of Air General Harris along with an excuse for the City Bombings. A PoW exchange was orchestrated as well. Ironically enough the lack of severity in the peace aggreement would fuel the Britons lust for revenge as they felt deeply humiliated by an enemy not taking the Empire serious enough to impose stricter terms.

In Berlin, Hitler and most of his inner circle, as well as Wehrmacht commander on all levels rejoiced; they had gotten away from a war with Britain as victors. Hitler basked in the fact that even Napoleon could not boast of such an accomplishment! Little did he suspect, that as the Peace of Amiens had been nothing but a breather so would the Berlin Peace Accord. Of course that was not known at the time and the Germans celebrated their incredible victory.

On the 4th of October, three days after the signing of the Paris Peace Accord, Hitler announced that 12 of his Generals would be elevated to the rank of Generalfeldmarschall - Field Marshal. The new Field Marshals received their batons at an impressive ceremony at the Reich Chancellory in Berlin. Among those thus promoted were Wever, Milch and Kesselring. At the same time, most likely due to one of his strange mood swings, Hitler replaced the otherwise very loyal General Keitel as chief of the OKW with the newly promonted von Manstein and made another Field Marshal, Guderian, head of the OKH. On the 10th of October, Hitler furthermore reshuffled the Luftwaffe leadership as well as his Cabinet. Wever were retired and replaced by Field Marshal Kesselring. In the RLM Milch was replaced by von Richthofen, but went on to become Armamentsminister with full control of Germany’s armaments industry. Schacht was also retired and replaced by Funk. Now the Reich’s economy and armaments industry were basically in the hands of only three men: Milch, Funk and Bormann.

[Electric Monk]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bluenote

I don’t really have any plans for the US of A, as I wanted a different ATL – one where Speer, jets and the Americans don’t play a signifcant role! :-) However, all ideas are welcome. But, yes, basically, the Americans will bury their collective head in the sand and struggle desperately to pull themselves out of the Depression.

Yeah, well, as mentioned above, I didn’t really plan anything for the Americans… still, the PoD is Göring’s death in 1935, so a lot things could have happened.

I have a question, though: What will Germany’s terms be? Will they actually withdraw from Denmark, Norway, France and the Low Countries?

Best regards!

- B.

That's cool, but (assuming the Americans eventually take down the Japanese) you could bring the Americans into say China and have quiet warfare between German advisors, American advisors, and the communist party. Would be fun and different at the least. Flying Tigers versus the Flying Eagles.

I'd say Germany would annex the german speaking regions of Denmark - a southern strip basically, along with the german speaking areas of the Netherlands (maybe all of it for the north sea ports) plus Luxembourg and Alsace-Lorraine. They might annex Belgium to France to give them north sea ports (and piss off the Brits who have this huge problem with north sea ports and major powers) and to compensate for Alsace-Lorraine. That's about it I would think.

[Shadow Knight]

Mr. Bluenote,

Awesome TL well thought out and deserving of some praise. (And maybe an update. )

[Mr.Bluenote]

War is Over and Peace has Begun
There’s a place in the world for the angry young man
With his working class ties and his radical plans
He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl,
He’s always at home with his back to the wall.
And he’s proud of his scars and the battles he’s lost,
And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross-
And he likes to be known as the angry young man.

Give a moment or two to the angry young man,
With his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand.
He’s been stabbed in the back, he’s been misunderstood,
It’s a comfort to know his intentions are good.
And he sits in a room with a lock on the door,
With his maps and his medals laid out on the floor-
And he likes to be known as the angry young man.
- Billy Joel, Angry Young Man.

The world is burning down
Can’t you smell the smoke in the air?
War, disease and famine
This demon, she is everywhere

Poets and preachers and politicians
They’ve all had their say
And we’ve got 10,000 years
Devoted to nothing
But tommorow and yesterday

If all of the ignorance in the world
Passed a second ago
What would you say?
Who would you obey?
- Live, 10,000 Years.

Between the final battles in mid-September and the signing of the Paris Peace Accord on the 1st of October, 1940, the Western Front was eeriely quiet as an armistice naturally was in place, but huge formations of armed men still stood ready on land, entire air fleets flew patrols in the air and flotillas plowed through the seas. All ready for continued action, but no orders would be given, instead men would soon begin moving East or stand down. In the various military and political headquarters in Germany, planning was already proceding rapidly for the next war! Unternehmen – German for operation - Friedrich der Grosse would be the worlds largest military operation seen so far, and one that Hitler really looked forward to – this was the war he wanted, not one against Aryan Albion. Nearly 200 divisons and almost 5,000 combat aircrafts would soon be thrown at the USSR.

Having promoted several successful, and loyal, commanders to the exalted rank of Feldmarschal - Field Marshal – and rearranged his Cabinet, Hitler emerged himself in the planning of Unternehmen Friedrich der Grosse. Hitler’s ideas were often surprisingly in accord with those of Field Marshals Heinrich Guderian, the head of the OKH, and Erich von Manstein, chief of the OKW. Ironically enough the five headquarters, the FHQ – basically Hitler’s own staff and headquarter -, OKW, OKH, OKL and OKM seem to coorperate quite well with von Manstein, Guderian, Kesselring and Raeder at their respective helms. Both von Manstein and Guderian, as well as Kesselring to a lesser degree, used their new positions to rearrange their commands a fair bit. General Jodl, Cheif of Operations in the OKW, was much to his new boss’ surprise a very capable officer if somewhat hidebound and thus stayed in control of Operations, while a series of other officers either got the boot or got promoted sideways, as for example Keitel, who ended up as the FHQ chief of military affaires.

While military plans were drawn up and refined in Germany by the Generals and their staffs, the diplomates of Joachim von Ribbentrop’s Foreign Minister, as well as the Fuhrer’s personal envoys and representatives were busy restructuring Europe and parts of Africa as well.

Belgium siezed to exist as its southern provinces became French, as did Congo – some border ajustments were made to accomodate the British in Africa -, and the Flemish provinces became part of the new state of Holland with its new capital at the small town of Diksmuide. A state basically run by Jeroom Gustaaf de Clercq and his fascist VNV - Vlaams Nationaal Verbond – and Anton Mussert’s Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging - National Socialist Movement – or NSB for short. In 1936, the VNV had gained 13.6% of Flemish votes, and in 1939 14.7%. The NSB had done very badly in the open elections, only winning 4 seats in the second chamber of the old Dutch parliament, but were generally considered to be loyal to the Nazi cause. Now, the VNV and the a lesser extend the NSB provided the new state with leaders and adminstrators, some who would be among the most fanatical Hitlerites seen and even better at rooting out Jews and other undesirables than the Rexists in France. The VNV and NSB would feu over power, resorucesa dn prestige during the short life of sate of holland, but to the erratic Nazis it was as it should be – the strong survive and all that.
During the Eastern War, the Hollander volunteer Legions, serving with the Waffen-SS, would provide some of the toughest combat formations on the Eastern Front. Some 40,000 Hollandere and former Belgians (basically Flemings, as the Walloons would serve with the French SS-formations) would serve on the Eastern Front. The survivers would later form the nucleus of the anti-British movement on the Continent. The new state of Holland would have its problems with France as anybody with any form of francophone sympaties or even French connections were rooted with great entusiasm, so to say, and often got shipped of to the containment camps as Jews, Gypsies or Homosexuals.

Leon Degrelle – one of Hitler’s favorites -, and his national-socialistic Rex Movement ended up playing a major role in French politics after the break-up of Belgium, mainly due to their leaders close relatioship with Germany, and Hitler himself. Leon Degrelle and Jacques Doriot would lead France into an ever closer relationship with the Third Reich and as a result thousands of young Frenchmen would die on the Eastern Front as well as labor in the German arms industry. Degrelle himself would oversee the creation of the French SS-formations and later lead them into combat.

Doriot, who had once been a stout supporter of Communism, soon wormed his way into power as Premier along with the old WW1 hero and Marshal of France, Henri Petain, who would become France’s first post-war President. Amazingly enough both Doriot and Petain, together with Degrelle proved to be quite popular with the French public. And just as Jeroom Gustaaf de Clercq in Holland, the trio proved to be among the most arden supporters of Adolf Hitler. Doriot and Degrelle organized their supporters in a French equivalent to the old Belgian Rex Movement and soon introduced both a youth movement and paramilitary formations. Petain, true to his own twisted ideals, remaind aloof of political affiliations, but let himself be used by the New Rex Movement for propaganda.

For a breif time just after the Paris Peace Accord it seemed that France as very close to a civil war as Communists, and quite a few Socialists as well, went on strike and some hotheads, maybe agent provocateurs, called for armed resistance. Nonetheless the French Army along with paramilitary Rexists, SS-units and German army formations cracked down hard and crushed the Communists. Thousands and thousands were shipped off to the containment and work camps, and thousands of others were shot after a breif trial by a SS-tribunal with representatives from the Doriot’s governement. Rexists and the far righters carried out their own vendettas untill the Germans, of all people, stepped in.

As part of the deal with France, Luxembourg and Alsace-Lorraine were respectively annexed and reannexed by the Third Reich. German military personel would leave France, but some would stay on at the Kriegsmarine bases of Brest – shared with the French Navy – and Saint Nazire, where the KLK also had a major base. A French volunteer formation – the later named 22nd SS-Legion Karl Martel – was based outside Paris with some purely advisory German units – in reality a full division under direct OKW command. The Gestapo and SS would be free to operate in France, but only after informing and securing cooperation from the French authorities. Needless to say, few SS-men ever bothered to do this. French industry would be reorganized by Milch and Funks ministries respectively and subordinated to Bormann’s Four Year Plan office. As in Denmark, Norway and Holland, the men from the Four Year Office as well as Milch’s subordinates would have a significant say in domestic French affaires.

The isle of Madagascar would serve as a new haven, so to say, for all of Europe’s Jews. They would be shipped from containment camps run by the SS to the island as quickly as possible. Hilter took great interest in the matter and appointed Reinhardt Heydrich as head of the relocation programme. Mostly British, Italian and French ships were used, but some Danish and Norwegian vessels were hired as well. The whole operation would be paid for via war reparations from Britain, Holland and France. Thousands of Jews, especially after the war with the Soviet Union had begun, died in containment camps, work camps and in transit along with PoW’s and other – in the eyes of the Nazi’s – undesirables.

Denmark would serve more as vassal state than an independent country, but Hitler’s fondness for the pure blooded descendants of the Vikings prevented a total annnexation. So the Danes kept their King and Parliament, while Norway had to endure years under Vidkun Quisling and his Nazi handler, Arthur Seyss-Inquart. The Germans had promissed not to station major naval or air units in either country as part of the Paris Peace Accord and kept their word, but ever so slowly a major build-up of land units happened in norther Norway and along the Swedish border. Along with the German military units, the SS began to enlist soldiers for the SS-Legions. With little success in Norway, pehaps due to the unpopualr Quisling, but with quite some success in Denmark. The success in Denmark was mainly due to the silent endorsement of the official Denmark and charismatic men like Kryssing, von Schallburg and Martens. As with both Holland and France several thousands of young men would perish in the frozen wastelands of the USSR. For some reason Luftwaffe saw a disproportional influx of volunteers from Denmark. Enough to form an all-Danish staffeln. Furthermore, both countries saw extensive reorganization of their industry to better suit their masters in the Third Reich. On occasion it was noted that Borman, Milch and Funk’s envoys and flunkies were more important and powerfull than the Premiers of the two countries.

[Mr.Bluenote]

Sorry for the long wait! But besides Life and All That, I had some trouble with the post-war reorganization of Europe. So, how did it turn out?

Best regards!

- B.