Fall and Rise: An ISOT

[Simon Darkshade]

Paris had fallen.

The City of Light was now under the Nazi jackboot and the armies of France collapsed inexorably to the south, streaming away towards defeat and whatever was then to come.

Yet, as the triumphant soldiers of the Wehrmacht goosestepped through the Arc de Triomphe, a curious occurrence happened.

In the West, there was a bright flash out on the horizon and a brief rumble like very distant thunder.

Strange.

It was probably nothing, though, thought Leutnant Verausdeutung. Probably just nothing.

But he was wrong.

………………

“What do you mean a new island? Have you lost your mind, Pluskat?”

…………

“Oberst Sündenbock, these reports have been very confused. What can you give me?” General der Flieger Hugo Sperrle adjusted his monocle and fixed an inquisitive stare on the colonel from Luftwaffe intelligence.

”More confusion, Herr General, or rather nothing that makes sense. Firstly, our fighter patrols over the Calais area report English planes of unknown types and frankly incredible speeds of 1000 kilometres an hour, as well as what seem to be Spitfires, also faster than previous experience. Secondly, our own airfields in Northern France have be overflown by other unknown twin engine aircraft, some at low level and unprecedented speeds and others…at 14000 metres. As said, frankly incredible.”

”So, the English have some aeroplanes we do not know about. No Great matter.”

”On their own, perhaps, Herr General. The third and fourth matters are a bit more disturbing.”

”In what way?”

”After the Calais incidents, a schwarm of our Ju-88s was assigned to conduct a reconnaissance flight. One made it back, reporting having encountered up to a hundred English planes, none of which seemed to have propellers or ordinary engines. The RAF let them go; there was no pursuit.”

”And what of this fourth matter?”

”An unconfirmed piece from the Kriegsmarine, Herr General. One of their U-Boats sighted a Tommy battleship coming down from the north near Scarborough.”

”Why didn’t they sink it?”

”Going too fast, apparently. And…”

”And what?”

”It was the size of the Queen Mary.”

……………….

”What do you mean, giant zeppelins? Have you been drinking, Leutnant?”

……………….

“This is the second pilot I’ve had to relieve today, Herr Oberst. Yes, complete hysteria, the both of them. He was shouting about dragons of all things as they drove him away. Mad, I tell you!”

………………….

“General Brooke? Telephone call for you from London. In Hindustani.”

”Again? General Dill?”

”Field Marshal Ironside, it would seem.”

Strange.

”Very well.”

…………….

”Marshal Weygand.”

”General. Your message was quite insistent, but I am afraid there is nothing further that we can discuss so soon; much needs to be done to ensure that an armistice can be secured.”

”I can quite understand, Marshal. I have just spoken with…my superiors…in London. The circumstances have changed. Somewhat.”

”I think you had better explain.”

And so he did.

………………

”What forces do we have available, Field Marshal?”

”Insofar as the Army is concerned, aside those units outside the British Isles which have no yet made contact, we have 52 British infantry, 12 armoured and 4 airborne divisions; 10 Canadian infantry, 4 armoured and 1 airborne; the 3 Australian infantry and 2 armoured and the 2 New Zealand infantry; 3 South African, 1 Rhodesian and 4 Indian divisions. Out of all the exiles, we only have the two Polish corps.”

”None of the French or Americans.”

”We can state with certainty now that none of their men have come with us, nor their own equipment. Our stocks of American weapons are still present, and, with the build up for Overlord next year, we have the capacity to equip further forces as we can raise them.”

“It will depend on France. In any event, we’ll get General Brooke and his men back; I’m sure he’ll be very interested to meet you.”

“Very droll, Prime Minister.”

“Now, Admiral Pound, can you confirm the better news regarding the Navy?”

”Yes, Prime Minister. All the major overseas fleets have now made contact - Somerville from the Med, Fraser and the Atlantic Fleet, Mountbatten and the East Indies Fleet and Cunningham with the Grand Fleet. They are all as confused as we are as to what is going on. We have also established communications with the other Navy - one of their carriers was stopped as it was coming in towards Scapa. They are…different…”

”What isn’t, Admiral?”

[Timbo W]

Oooh, interesting!

[Simon Darkshade]

Indeed. Dark Earth Britain plus the entire RN from September 1st 1943 going to 14/6/1940 on Earth isn't a fair thing, nor does it make for a long term war, but hopefully makes for a bit of fun.

The Army is building up for Overlord, the RAF for the same + bombing the Jim Christ out of Germany and the RN...it is rather large. However, the major part of its strength is out in the Far East and needs to get home, at great cost to fuel. Home, after all, is the only place most of the capital ships can dock.

RN Earth ships, 14 June 1940:

Atlantic
Hermes CV and Delhi CL en route Canaries to Dakar
Argus CV, Shropshire CA, Cumberland CA, Dorsetshire CA escorting convoy
Resolution BB Gibraltar
Revenge BB Halifax
Keppel DD, Velox DD, Vidette DD, Vortigern DD, Watchman DD, Active DD, Douglas DD, Wishart DD, Wrestler DD
Cornwall CA, Hawkins CA
Caradoc CL, Despatch CL, Diomede CL, Dunedin CL at Bermuda


Home Waters
Ark Royal CV, Kelvin DD, Escort DD, Campbell DD arriving Scapa Flow
Rodney BB, Renown BC, Tartar DD, Fearless DD, Ashanti DD, Bedouin DD, Mashona DD, Maori DD en route to Scapa Flow from Norway
Electra DD, Zulu DD, Escapade DD retiring to Scapa Flow
Antelope DD, Inglefield DD en route to Scapa Flow

Express DD, Intrepid DD, Teviotbank ML, Plover ML on minelaying operation
Diana DD, Acheron DD on ASW sweep
Cardiff CL arriving Sheerness
Highlander DD en route Clyde to Plymouth
Stork SL en route to Rosyth
Lowestoft SL, Weston SL en route to Tyne from Rosyth
Vanoc DD, Wolverine DD, Whirlwind DD escorting convoy to Brest
Beagle DD, Havlock DD, Wren DD escorting convoy to Brest
Valorous DD escorting convoy Tyne to Southend
Volunteer DD escorting convoy

Hood BC, Restigouche DD, St Laurent DD, Skeena DD en route Gib

Arethusa en route Gib to Verdon
Sturdy DD, Scarborough SL escorting convoy Gib to Liverpool

Mediterranean Fleet
Warspite BB, Malaya BB, Ramillies BB, Royal Sovereign BB, Eagle CV, Liverpool CL, Gloucester CL, Neptune CL, Caledon CL, Capetown CL, Calypso CL, Mohawk DD, Hasty DD, Ilex DD, Janus DD, Juno DD, Nubian DD, Diamond DD, Havock DD, Hyperion DD, Hero DD, Hereward DD, Hostile DD, Imperial DD
Hobart CL, Leander CL, Carlisle CLAA at Aden
Kandahar DD, Khartoum DD, Kimberley DD, Kingston DD in Red Sea
Sydney CL, Orion CL sweeping off Benghazi
Voyager DD, Stuart DD, Vampire DD, Waterhen DD, Decoy DD, Dainty DD ASW off Alexandria
Vendetta DD, Otus SS, Olympus SS in Malta
Rorqual SS, Orpheus SS, Oswald SS, Grampus SS, Parthian SS, Pandora SS, Proteus SS

East Indies
Kent CA, Ceres CL, Colombo CL
Danae CL en route Cocos
Dauntless CL, Scout DD, Thanet DD, Thracian DD, Perseus SS, Regent SS, Regulus SS Hong Kong
Durban CL Penang
Stronghold DD, Tenedos DD, Rover SS, Rainbow SS Singapore

Australia CA Simonstown
Canberra CA, Adelaide CL, Perth CL Australia
Achilles CL New Zealand

RN Dark Earth ships 14 June 1940 (from 1/9/43)

Home Fleet
5 CV: Leviathan, Remarkable, Spectacular, HMCS Arcadia, HMCS Aurora
4 CVL: Venerable CVL, Brilliant CVL, Edgar CVL, Pioneer CVL
17 BB: Centurion, Warrior, Royal Sovereign, Vengeance, Nelson, Rodney, Hawke, Blake, Nile, Devastation, HMCS Victoria, HMCS America , HMNS Newfoundland, HMCS Canada, HMCS Dominion, HMCS Wolfe, HMCS Cabot,
2 BC: King Richard I, King Henry V
10 CA
26 CL
94 DD
62 DE
110 FF
70 CR
34 SL

Atlantic Fleet
1 CV: Courageous
2 BC: Royal Arthur BC, King Alfred BC
24 CVE
3 CA
17 CL
102 DD
80 DE
175 FF
200 CR
56 CL

Mediterranean Fleet
1 CV: Glorious
4 CVL Colossus, Sans Pareil, Hawkins, Raleigh
5 BB: Anson, Howe, HMSAS South Africa, HMSAS Good Hope, HMIS India
7 CA
16 CL
56 DD
39 CR
32 SL

Grand Fleet
17 CV: Ark Royal, Eagle, Victorious, Invincible, Hermes, Indefatigable, Albion, Bulwark, Unicorn, Pegasus, Implacable, Formidable, Indomitable, Illustrious, Centaur, Argus, Ocean
8 CVL Theseus , Hercules, Achilles, Ethalion, Perseus, Hector, Mars, Agamemnon
27 BB: King George V, Prince of Wales, Duke of York, Princess Royal, Emperor of India, Monarch, Lion, Temeraire, Conqueror, Thunderer, Iron Duke, Black Prince, Vanguard, Dragon, Majestic, Triumph, Agincourt, Trafalgar, Superb, Magnificent, Hood, St. George, St. Andrew, St. Patrick, HMAS Australia, HMNZS New Zealand, HMIS Hindustan
7 BC Renown, Repulse, Retribution, Orion, Neptune, Jupiter, Ajax
10 OBB: Warspite , Valiant , Queen Elizabeth, Barham, Queen Victoria, Royal Oak, Revenge, Ramillies, Reprisal, Resolution
25 CVE
32 CA
56 CL
210 DD
46 DE
125 FF
42 CR

Pacific Fleet
2 CV HMAS Adelaide, HMNAS Drake
2 BB: HMAS Commonwealth, HMNAS New Avalon
8 CA
10 CL
42 DD
56 FF
19 SL

Building
5 CV: Malta, Gibraltar, Africa, India, Singapore
5 CVL: Justinian, Atlas, Endymion, Orpheus, Phoenix, Engadine
8 CA
4 CVE
124 DD
58 DE
60 FF
52 SS

Most of the 'downtime' RN will be docked or laid up as soon as possible, even the good ships!

[Craiglxviii]

Isn’t this very similar to a story on the old old board..?

[jemhouston]

Please give whatever you're on to TV writers.

[Simon Darkshade]

No, I've never done this idea before, with it only coming together over the last few hours.

As to WW2 ISOTs, there are plenty, but given the exigencies of the world, the similarities will stop virtually at the gate.

[Simon Darkshade]

I doubt that this idea would make it on television, as it isn't quite the flavour de jour.

A few notes around the first bit:
- Ironside was pulled in to telephone Downtime Brooke in France, as the September 1943 CIGS...is Alan Brooke
- Ze Germans have some punny names, with Verausdeutung being Foreshadowing and Sündenbock being Scapegoat
- The Luftwaffe Bf-109s over Calais were buzzed by Nene Meteors and their airfields overflown by Canberras
- Pluskat from The Longest Day has a cousin in the Luftwaffe who just spotted Lyonesse
- Weygand's reaction...I might do that as a special feature if there is interest
- A mundane world will be quite the horror to some...

The newly arrived British have the capacity to do some very nasty things to the Germans, but are still finding their feet and deciding what to do. Getting a 'Third BEF' to France in time to do anything will be an interesting question; the force sizes, supplies and equipment are sufficient.

The British and Commonwealth armoured divisions? Equipped in the main with Crusader medium tanks.


“The Crusader medium tank had its roots in a 1937 requirement for a new, heavier armoured tank to counter reported new German and Soviet designs. It was to be capable of carrying the improved anti-tank gun that was projected as replacing the QF 12pdr (itself an bored out version of the QF 6pdr) then entering service. A prototype was produced in June 1938 and the Crusader entered initial production in October 1939. With a top speed of 36mph powered by a 625hp Rolls Royce Meteor, it was substantially faster than any previous medium tank in British Army service. It was protected by up to 4” of sloped armour and armed with a QF 17pdr, a Vickers 0.5” heavy machine gun and two 0.303” machine guns.”

Production of a new variant is about to begin:

“The Crusader V was the ultimate version of the Imperial mainstay of the war, equipped with a more powerful engine, improved protective armour and a new gun. The QF 17pdr remained the best Allied anti-tank gun in its class, but the new Panther II, Tiger II and Lowe tanks operated by the Germans enjoyed an increased range of action against tanks and anti-tank units equipped with the older weapon. A 3.5” tank and anti-tank gun, the QF 25pdr, had been in development since 1942 and provided exceptional penetration with the ability to fire a range of projectiles, including new HESH and APDS rounds.”

Against the DE German tanks, it is effective. Against 1940 Panzer IIs and IIIs…

[Craiglxviii]

No, I've never done this idea before, with it only coming together over the last few hours.

As to WW2 ISOTs, there are plenty, but given the exigencies of the world, the similarities will stop virtually at the gate.

I have it now. “Gentlemen of England now a-bed” I think it was called.

[Simon Darkshade]

Ok. That doesn’t ring any bells here.

One question that does emerge is where Bomber Command is going to visit first.

As a side note, I chose the DE date as it was a time when Monty and Alexander were back in Britain for a conference; also, for a bit of fun, the @ Joseph P. Kennedy has come along from June 14 1940…

[Timbo W]

Oh yes I remember Gentlemen of England...

The setup there was 2010s UK swapping with WW2 UK. Plus a bit of Brittany iirc. The story made a great start but petered out after a few episodes.

Dark Earth UK dropping in to our 1940 will be, errrr interesting, but outlook rather short and exciting for the opposition I think.

Dragons, airships, cavorite, wizards and the tank bayonet

[Simon Darkshade]

“Mein Fuhrer…Steiner…Steiner was eaten by a dragon. The offensive failed.”

[Kunkmiester]

I'm not familiar enough with your setting. Is this a modern Britain in, or an equivalent period Britain?

[Simon Darkshade]

It is a Britain from September 1st 1943 in a very different and fantastical universe. Technologically, it is in advance of @ 1943 Britain by ~4-5 years in some areas, such as aviation, jets, rocketry, computers, armoured vehicles and associated areas.

There is also a larger population, a 60% larger land mass and a larger economy, with concomitant increases in industrial capacity. There is also a third major British isle in the form of Lyonesse, a landmass 60% of the size of Ireland lying off the Isles of Scilly.

In 1943, Britain and Ireland combined had a population of ~51,735,000 and a GDP of $386.798 billion 1990 USD. Dark Earth Britain, which includes all of Ireland has ~116,000,000 people and a GDP around three times larger than the Earth equivalent, on account of the larger scale of size, greater growth over 1900-40, the impact of space, resources, Empire and trade and distinctly different government economic policies over the 20th century.

FWIW, this is compared to the U.S. in @ 1940 of 132,122,446 and $929.737 billion. This will cause some degree of momentary upset to the apple cart.

[Kunkmiester]

And dungeons and dragons and demons and wizards. I've read a little bit.

How are you doing the magic stuff? Working, kinda working?

[Simon Darkshade]

In terms of what the RAF has in Britain, Ireland and Lyonesse as of September 1943:


Bomber Command (4081)
1256 Avro Lancasters (56 Squadrons) (1)
1025 Vickers Wellingtons (50 Squadrons) (2)
939 Handley Page Halifaxes (42 Squadrons)
524 de Havilland Mosquitoes (18 Squadrons)
255 Vickers Windsor (3)
82 English Electric Canberras (4 Squadrons)

Fighter Command (3883)
1524 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. V-XV (80 Squadrons)
845 Hawker Tempests (36 Squadrons)
316 Bristol Beaufighter Mk. I NF (20 Squadrons)
287 Gloster Meteors (12 Squadrons)
264 Gloster Reapers (11 Squadrons)
207 Supermarine Spitfire PR (15 Squadrons)
184 de Havilland Vampires (9 Squadrons)
256 de Havilland Mosquito NF (8 Squadrons)

1st Tactical Air Force (1996)
432 Hawker Typhoons (18 Squadrons)
404 Hawker Hurricanes (28 Squadrons)
320 Westland Whirlwind (20 Squadrons) (4)
205 Hawker Hotspurs (14 Squadrons) (5)
200 Armstrong-Whitworth Winchester (10 Squadrons) (6)
219 Bristol Buckinghams (10 Squadrons) (7)
120 North American Mustangs (8 Squadrons)
96 Lockheed Lightning PR (6 Squadrons)

2nd Tactical Air Force (1893)
498 Hawker Typhoons (24 Squadrons)
425 Supermarine Spitfires (28 Squadrons)
236 Bristol Buckinghams
185 Armstrong-Whitworth Winchester (9 Squadrons)
158 Hawker Hotspurs (12 Squadrons)
156 de Havilland Mosquitoes (10 Squadrons)
139 North American Mustangs (10 Squadrons)
96 Lockheed Lightning PR (6 Squadrons)

Transport Command (1087)
962 Vickers Victoria (46 Squadrons) (8)
125 Westland Lysanders (8 Squadrons)

Training Command (5603)
1442 de Havilland Tiger Moth
1276 North American Harvard
1015 Airspeed Oxford
825 Miles Master
459 Fairey Cambridge
362 Avro Anson
224 Percival Proctor

RCAF in Britain (804)
179 Supermarine Spitfires
154 Vickers Wellingtons
129 Avro Lancasters
102 Handley Page Halifaxes
87 Hawker Hurricanes
84 Armstrong-Whitworth Winchester
69 de Havilland Mosquitoes

RAAF in Britain (284)
120 Supermarine Spitfires
60 Avro Lancasters
56 de Havilland Mosquitoes
48 Bristol Beaufighters

RNZAF in Britain (258)
96 Supermarine Spitfires
54 Bristol Beaufighters
48 de Havilland Mosquitoes
36 Vickers Wellingtons
24 Avro Lancasters

RNAS (1786)
356 Short Stirlings
329 Short Sunderlands
229 Bristol Beaufighters
220 Westland Dragonflys
214 Bristol Beauforts
202 Avro Ansons
124 Shorts Shetland (9)
112 de Havilland Mosquitoes

1: A mix between the @ Lincoln and the B-29, with a higher top speed of 350mph, a ceiling of 40000ft, a combat range of ~3200 miles and a bombload of 24,000lb
2: The Wellington is a 4 Merlin heavy bomber broadly analogous to the B-17 in payload, ceiling and speed
3: Victory Bomber
4: The Westland Whirlwind here is a twin Centaurus attack bomber
5: The Hotspur is a Merlin engined dive bomber that is in the process of being replaced by the Bristol Battleaxe attack fighter (souped up Brigand) which entered production in June 1943, but teething problems have kept it out of frontline service
6: The AW Winchester is a twin engined 2000hp+ Merlin bomber, based broadly on the Vickers Warwick
7: The @ Buckingham, employed as a light bomber
8: A twin Merlin transport similar to the C-47
9: A six engine VLR flying boat

British Army Home Forces

Training
21st Armoured Division
22nd Armoured Division
23rd Armoured Division
24th Armoured Division

81st Infantry Division
82nd Infantry Division
83rd Infantry Division
84th Infantry Division
85th Infantry Division
86th Infantry Division

GHQ Reserve
68th Infantry Division
77th Infantry Division
79th Infantry Division
80th Infantry Division

Guards Infantry Division
Commando Division

I Anzac Corps
1st Australian Armoured Division
6th Australian Division
7th Australian Division
1st New Zealand Division

II Anzac Corps
2nd Australian Armoured Division
8th Australian Division
9th Australian Division
2nd New Zealand Division

I Airborne Corps
1st Airborne Division
2nd Airborne Division
Canadian Airborne Division

II Airborne Corps
4th Airborne Division
6th Airborne Division

South African and Rhodesian Army Corps
1st South African Division
2nd Rhodesian Infantry Division
3rd South African Armoured Division
4th South African Infantry Division

I Indian Corps
Indian Guards Infantry Division
1st Indian Infantry Division
2nd Indian Infantry Division
3rd Indian Infantry Division

I Polish Corps
Polish 1st Armoured Division
Polish 2nd Grenadiers Division
Polish 3rd Infantry Fusiliers Division

II Polish Corps
Polish 4th Infantry Division
Polish 5th Infantry Division
Polish 6th Highland Division

British First Army

I Corps
1st Infantry Division
3rd Armoured Division
35th Infantry Division

II Corps
1st Armoured Division
3rd Infantry Division
4th Infantry Division

III Corps
2nd Armoured Division
5th Infantry Division
27th Infantry Division

IV Corps
4th Armoured Division
8th Infantry Division
32nd Infantry Division


British Second Army

V Corps
2nd Infantry Division
19th Armoured Division
46th (North Midland) Infantry Division

VI Corps
12th Infantry Division
18th Armoured Division
41st (Cornwall) Infantry Division

VII Corps
20th Armoured Division
44th (Home Counties) Infantry Division
65th Infantry Division

VIII Corps
17th Armoured Division
22nd Infantry Division
66th Infantry Division

British Third Army

IX Corps
6th Infantry Division
10th Armoured Division
66th Infantry Division

XXIII Corps
9th Armoured Division
26th Infantry Division
34th Infantry Division

XI Corps
12th Armoured Division
28th Infantry Division
59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division

XII Corps
14th Infantry Division
15th Armoured Division
56th (2nd London) Infantry Division

British Fourth Army

XXXV Corps
5th Armoured Division
51st (Highland) Division
54th (East Anglian) Infantry Division

XIX Corps
7th Infantry Division
55th (West Lancashire) Infantry Division
67th Infantry Division

XXIV Corps
38th Infantry Division
45th (2nd Wessex) Infantry Division
64th Infantry Division

XXVI Corps
10th Infantry Division
48th (South Midland) Infantry Division
71st Infantry Division

Fifth Canadian Army

I Canadian Corps
1st Canadian Infantry Division
2nd Canadian Infantry Division
3rd Canadian Infantry Division
4th Canadian Armoured Division

II Canadian Corps
Canadian Guards Division
Newfoundland Division
5th Canadian Armoured Division
6th Canadian Infantry Division

III Canadian Corps
7th Canadian Infantry Division
8th Canadian Infantry Division
9th Canadian Armoured Division
13th Canadian Infantry Division

IV Canadian Corps
10th Canadian Armoured Division
11th Canadian Infantry Division
12th Canadian Infantry Division
15th Canadian Infantry Division

[Simon Darkshade]

And dungeons and dragons and demons and wizards. I've read a little bit.

How are you doing the magic stuff? Working, kinda working?

Kind of working. Some parts don't quite work as they usually should and high magics/very long range stuff gets a bit wobbly.

[Simon Darkshade]

British aircraft production in DE September 1943:
90 Meteors and 62 Vampires
429 Spitfires, 236 Hurricanes, 219 Tempests, 162 Typhoons, 129 Mosquitoes, 87 Beaufighters ;
102 Vickers Victoria transports;
75 Whirlwind attack fighters and 84 Battleaxe attack bombers
54 Sunderland, 50 Stirling and 44 Warwick maritime patrol aircraft;
173 Buckingham and 24 Canberra light bombers;
164 Winchester and 120 Mosquito medium bombers;
248 Lancasters, 156 Wellingtons and 125 Halifax heavy bombers;
79 Spearfish, 96 Eagles, 82 Firedrakes and 84 Sea Furies;
402 trainers

[Simon Darkshade]

I had almost finished the entire of Part 2, but then lost it all to a glitch, curse it.

In it, Field Marshal Brooke outlines the scratch plan for a landing in Brittany and Normandy under the blanket of air and sea power. It is a very rough and ready adaption of elements of Overlord and more relevantly Sledgehammer, but aimed at being quick and getting a foothold back in France. Pas de Calais was considered, but the chief need is ports away from where the Germans currently have control.

The plan’s name?

Operation Sealion.

[Simon Darkshade]

Part 2

0130 June 15 1940

"All of them?"

"That is our belief at this time, Prime Minister. We now have communications with all major overseas units of the Army and RAF, relocated to vacant American bases over the course of the afternoon."

"Thank you, General. Continue with the process of taking stock of the 'newly arrived' forces and equipment in conjunction with your staff. Goodbye."

He turned to the Minister of Magic, who had arrived from Oxford in the rush and confusion of the previous day. "That does tend to settle the matter, does it not, Professor?"

"It would, Prime Minister, insofar as it indicates that whatever has occurred is definitely not natural. Whether or not is supernatural, arcane or something else remains to be seen; we can say definitively that this is beyond our ken and certainly the ability of our foes. It will be many days yet before our wizards can provide more than that."

"Very good, Professor. Carry on then and we shall keep as calm as we can in the knowledge that this is not some more devilish tricks bought forth by the Hitler and his demonic Nazi gang."

Prime Minister Churchill put down his long extinguished Montecristo and looked up at the War Cabinet arrayed around the table. On his right was Minister of War Sir Richard Harcourt, representing the Liberal Party; Foreign Secretary Sir Anthony Eden; the redoubtable Sir John Anderson, Lord President, Home Secretary and Minister of Home Security; Lord Hankey; Minister of Production Lord Beaverbrook; Minister of Labour Ernest Bevin; Cabinet Secretary Sir Edward Bridges; Lord Privy Seal Sir Austen Chamberlain; Deputy Prime Minister Sir Clement Attlee; Chief of the Imperial General Staff Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke; Chief of the Air Staff Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Hugh Dowding; and First Sea Lord Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Fisher.

"Well, gentlemen, this is what we know. We have gone from September 1943 to what for all intents and purposes appears to be June of 1940, through an act beyond our understanding that may well turn out to be divine providence. Where there was a world at war, we are now at the very beginning of the long and terrible struggle; yet, by virtue of our years of fighting and production, we can muster forces far beyond the dreams of Hitler and Mussolini in their seeming pomp of victory. There is a great deal of confusion still as to the nature of this war we have been placed into, as our initial reconnoitering and intercepts of enemy broadcasts show a very different world indeed. Norway is effectively lost to Germany and France soon to follow. We shall continue in our efforts to divine what those differences are, as well as make use of conventional means; I have sent a pair of urgent flights to our embassies in Switzerland and Portugal for whatever histories, news and other archives, particularly from the League, that can be sent here for our examination and digestion. The time for consideration, though, is subject to the needs of the war and in many respects, we need action this day. Field Marshal Brooke?"

"Thank you, Prime Minister. We have been in contact with senior British personnel in France to assess the situation and it is, for want of a better word, dire. The French government is on the brink of collapse and asking the Germans for an armistice, pushed by strongly defeatist factions in their Army. Should they succeed and France sue for peace, then we are deprived of our most direct means of engaging and defeating the German Army. We do not have firm intelligence on the size or armament of the enemy at this time other than general figures - 150 divisions and over 3 millions of men, several thousand tanks and over 5000 aircraft. Overall, the balance of forces lies in our favour as, although the Germans can deploy more divisions than us, we have more men and a great preponderance of equipment; in the last instance, our weapons can reasonably be presumed to be more modern than those of Germany three years ago. In any event, if France surrenders, we would then be forced to invade to bring them to battle and to do so without the ships and landing craft supplied by the Americans. Overlord was at least 9 months away and we do not currently have the ships to launch a full scale assault on France with the British and Imperial forces now present at home.

We are currently working on an emergency landing operation based on a partial amalgam of Sledgehammer from last year and limited elements of Overlord, aimed at Brittany and Normandy. Whilst we considered the Pas de Calais, the damage done to the ports there during the fighting in France and evacuation makes them unsuitable to be used for our purposes. Our new plan, and I must reinforce that it is a work in progress, calls for an assault by three divisions, supported by two airborne divisions and large air and sea forces, aimed at seizing Britanny and the Cotentin Peninsula to build up our forces. Our window for such an operation is fairly narrow, encompassing approximately a month from mid July to mid August. For the time being, and as a deceptive measure, it has been designated Operation Sealion. Before we can land troops, though, the main blow that falls upon the enemy must come from the air."

"As matters currently stand, we have sufficient forces to engage this Luftwaffe on quite advantageous terms and defeat them." Dowding said evenly. "In our medium and heavy bomber forces, we have long range striking weapons that the Germans presumably cannot match; our current tactical reconnaissance missions tend to confirm this state of affairs, with no evidence of jet aircraft whatsoever. Regaining air supremacy over Northern France is achievable, but any fighter campaign needs to be accompanied by strategic interdiction of enemy supplies and attacks on their production. When the order is given, we can attack the German Army in France and the Low Countries and give the Luftwaffe the nastiest surprise they have ever encountered."

"Indeed. That we can deal the Nazis a blow is undoubtable, but we must make our moves carefully so that they have maximum effect. To that end, the first targets that the RAF must hit need to be those that hurt the Germans the most, both in terms of how they fight and where they fight. Before we hammer the Ruhr or their U-Boat ports, let us show what can be done. Air Chief Marshal, have Bomber Command attack the dams as soon as possible; the first order of priority is Berlin. Maximum effort. Shifting to the sea, the Grand Fleet has already been ordered to head for home - once in the Mediterranean, they will put paid to Mussolini's fleet and ambitions. Admiral Mountbatten is to take control of the 10 older battleships at Singapore to dissuade the Japanese from any rash steps. The other urgent task that we are capable of accomplishing is putting the Home Fleet to sea and attacking the Germans in Norway; RNAS reconnaissance flights indicate that Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Admiral Hipper are all in Norwegian waters. To that end, Admiral Tovey sailed last night."

"We are quite confident that his 8 carriers, 12 battleships, 25 cruisers and 60 destroyers will be able to do the job, Prime Minister." said the First Sea Lord. "Actually liberating Norway will be somewhat more complex, but brute force has a virtue of its own in this situation."

[jemhouston]

Good Morning Herr Hitler, your waked up call is here. Every ton of it.