The History of the Malaya Campaign

[Markus]

Excerpts from The Flank Wars: Scandinavia and the Balkans, part of the NATO publishing series on World War 2.


"Sweden and airpower:

At the onset of World War II, the Swedish Air Force was equipped with largely obsolete Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters. To augment this, Sweden ordered 120 Seversky P-35 and 144 P-66 Vanguard from the United States. However the US declared an embargo against exporting weapons to any nation other than Great Britain before all of the P-35 and any of the P-66 could be delivered. Several other foreign alternatives were considered by Sweden and eventually a batch of Fiat CR.42 biplanes and Re.2000 were purchased but this was considered a stop-gap measure. Even the P-35 and to a lesser degree P-66 had been ordered not because of their stellar performance but because anything else was even worse. Calls were made to the UK and USA for more modern fighters but they went unheard for over a year. But in September 1942 the fronts had sufficiently stabilized to allow the first of four dozen P-40F fighters to be shipped to Sweden. With them came high octane avgas and several radar sets. This first delivery was made discreet and very much annoyed the Germans when they found out but the Swedes remained cool(a character trait that comes with the artic terrain). They pointed out that being neutral they could trade with whoever they wanted too, that they bought arms from Germany and were perfectly willing to send the Warhawks back to the Americans –where they’d be used against Germany- provided Germany would replace them with the same number of the latest Fw190. German protests ceased.

In June 1943 the Allies held the initiative on all fronts including the all important manufacturing front. The US aviation industry was producing advanced warplanes in vast numbers resulting in the following offer to Sweden:
Lockheed Venturas to equip the three torpedo and the two naval recon squadrons, B-25 or A-20 for the six medium bomber squadrons and the latest P-39Q for all 18(!!) fighter squadrons. Sweden enthusiastically took the offer but requested the Aircobras being replaced with P-40L Warhawks because the SAF was already operating the very similar P-40F, thus transition to the –L would be easier. Since the Allies needed the –L for themselves the first shipments included only reconditioned Warhawks but by the end of the year the SAF had received enough P-40L to put the older P-40F with their two-speed Packard Merlin 28 engine in reserve status. SB2C dive/torpedo bombers were scratched form the Lend&Lease list as the Saab 17 was considered more than capable enough to meet the demands of the upcomming campaign.

Unlike in 1942 none of the planes made the trip to Sweden by merchant ship, instead they were flown from Scotland to Sweden by Swedish and Allied crews. This delivery route lead the planes pass through the airspace of German occupied Norway which caused much concern in the German camp."

[Redbeard]

Christmas holidays are good for many things - one being having the time to read ATLs like this:

Wauovvv!!!

This is splendid - incl. the Olsen Gang

But you almost got me into trouble. Just before Christmas Eve dinner I planned to have just a short look at the net, but then started reading this, and suddenly heard the family calling: "What on earth are you doing!?"

But now all is eaten, presents handed out, and everything is quiet again - and I'm in front of the PC

Keep it going - look forward to more.

Regards

Steffen Redbeard

[Markus]

I´m still in the "getting ideas" phase of the next part, so I thought I post a short story or two to fill the gap. May I present:



There is no business like show business!


April 25th 1944, Flugplatz Echterdingen near Stuttgart:


I Gruppe Jagdgeschwader 2 is scrambled to intercept a large Pulk of Viermots coming from Italy. Among the pilots running to their Me 109 fighters is one disgruntled Uffz. Albert Schmidt. The reason for his bad mood is a few feet behind, his new wingman. His regular wingman is down with the flu so he Schmidt is stuck with 19 year old OGefr. Bauer fresh from the flying school or what passes for one these days. During take off the Uffz. is still annoyed about the “kids” they are sending these days. The irony of the thought is utterly lost on the ripe, old veteran Schmidt with his 22 years of age.

As the G-6s climb to altitude the Gruppe splits. Schmidt´s Staffel has the new 30mm MK-108 and will go in second, while the other two Staffeln with their 20-mm-MG-151/20 armament distract the fighter escort. Or so it’s planned and remarkably this time the plan works. The Mustang or Warhawks get briefly out of position allowing the Staffel do dive in. Unfortunately the closest formation is made up of B-17 while the rest are the much more vulnerable B-24. Still, the Squadron Leader is not wasting time and heads for the Fortresses. The 1st Schwarm makes a quick pass along the side of the formation, the 2nd heads for the low Tail-end-Charley, leaving Schmidt the high one. The DB 605 engine is running at full power, the distance melts away fast but Schmidt is holding his fire as the sheer size of the Viermots makes you underestimate the actual distance. Eventually he presses the trigger, the two MK 108 fire a few rounds, than he lowers the nose, sets the fuel mix to rich and pulls the throttle back and forth. As hoped the torrent of machine gun fire for the Bomberpulk slackens a bit and a view to the rear reveals the “kid” is still there, glued to his tails as told. The other Rotte is gone though. He briefly considers making a second pass but someone shouts: “Indianer at four o’clock high”. Seeing not the usual slim lines of P-51 or P-40s but planes with a bulky radial, Schmidt decides to call it a day. He does not even think about the B-17 he has attacked as all that matters when attacking “Viermots” is to get to them and to get away from them.


He is very much on the mind of crew of B-17 “Liberty Lily”: “What have the Krauts fired? Mortar bombs?” The flight engineer´s flak jacket the smoking from several large pieces of shrapnel and the crew has now a better view up through two openings. Amazingly the plane holds together but more trouble is coming.

“No. 3 is smoking, no it’s burning.” … “F…k! The fire extinguisher ain´t working or the fuel line is broken. Fire’s getting bigger” And thus Captain Graham is giving the order to bail out.

A few thousand feet below the ten parachutes are spotted by Luftwaffe personnel and civilians alike. Including one Paul Huber. Much to the displeasure of his girlfriend, Paul is quite determined to get to the “Baby killers” before the Luftwaffe men can rescue them. And indeed he comes across two Americans –one of them obviously a high ranking officer as he is in his 40´s. Paul suspects the two might still be armed and decides to do some pre-emptive self defence. The officer sees the look on Paul’s face changing, pushed the other man away and tries to grab the shotgun. However he is too late, the girl grabbed it first, pushed it to the side, points at the officer and shouts at Paul. The Americans do the smart thing and keep their distance from the fighting couple until the dispute is resolved and the man eventually shrugs and gestures the two Americans to get moving.

An hour later a Luftwaffe Kübelwagen races into the village of Böhringen, near Reutlingen. One of the villagers tells the three man team the Americans are at the village inn. That information does surprise the men a bit. The village doctor or the police station would be normal but the inn? On the other hand, once there they might grab a beer. Their surprise gets even bigger as the stop at the inn, half the village seems to surround it and the mood is decidedly not murderous. Once in the inn, they see an American Feldwebel with a beer in front of him and one young girl at each side. The other man –a Hauptmann- is sitting with his back to them but once they see his face they understand.


Marienhospital Stuttgart, late evening, room 109:

Albert Schmidt is looking at the cast around his right leg and could not be a happier man. The undercarriage of his Messerschmitt collapsed at touchdown, breaking the plane and his leg. He figures by the time it’s healed the war might be over. However his perfect little world is about the be shaken in it foundations as a nervous nurse: “Generalleutnant Adolf Galland is on his way to you a visit.”
Schmidt is starting to wonder who played this poor prank. Yeah, Galland visits Schmidt to congratulate him for shooting down a B-17. So not believable. But it’s true. The man himself is standing at his bed, smiling and reading a citation. The Führer himself has promoted Unteroffizier Schmidt to the rank of Lieutenant, awarded him the Ritterkreuz and a big cash reward. Uffz –sorry- Lt. Schmidt is blurting out: “What for? Not for the B-17?”

“The very one, mind you, one of the crewman was a certain Captain William Gable”

Seeing Schmidt still doesn’t understand Galland makes the kill: “He is better known by his middle name .. Clark”.

The freshly promoted Lieutenant turns white like a bed sheet and suddenly considers himself the most unlucky SOB alive until a still smiling Adolf Galland calm his down: “Relax, he’s alive and well and apparently already making plans for the movie.”


So this story ends like all Hollywood movies with a happy end. For all but two: MGM is not amused they temporarily lost their biggest star, neither is the War Department, nor are FDR and Winston. And all vent their anger on Air Marshall Browning and General Chenault who are sternly reminded they ain´t in Malaya any more: No more celeb missions!




Comments, questions, critizism are always apprecitated.

[stevep]

Markus


Interesting twist to the story. Not sure who would make the bigger propaganda bid from it however. The Germans have the capture of a big name celebrity while the allies can point out that even such famous people are willing to take a full part in the war against the Nazis, side-lining the fact that [if I'm reading it rightly] it was a one off trip rather than him being an actual serving officer.

Steve

[Markus]

Originally Posted by stevep

Markus

side-lining the fact that [if I'm reading it rightly] it was a one off trip rather than him being an actual serving officer.

Steve

Acc. to wikipedia more like a five off trip:

Gable flew five combat missions, including one to Germany, as an observer-gunner in B-17 Flying Fortresses between May 4 and September 23, 1943, earning the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his efforts. During one of the missions, Gable's aircraft was damaged by flak and attacked by interceptors which knocked out one of the engines and shot up the stabilizer. In the raid on Germany, one crewman was killed and two others were wounded, and flak went through Gable's boot and narrowly missed his head.

Edit: And then there was Jimmy Steward.

[Markus]

About the PR aspects:

Certainly the Germans will be triumphant and blurt out: „We got Gable, we got Gable. *Tralalala*"

The US reaction would be indeed like: “See our movie stars not only support the war effort but actively participate in ongoing operations. What are yours doing by the way?”

In the long run it will be a big PR-win for Hollywood(and the US too). When he left Böhringen he promised: „I shall return … with a movie crew!“

App. a year later a dozen Army trucks rolled into Böhringen, out jumped Clark Gable saying: “I have returned and brought John Ford with me. We like to make the movie and we like you to be in it.”

[von Adler]

Bertil Andersson was just 17, although if people asked, he said 18. it was just a month and a half away anyway. He had spent the better part of 1943 trying to convince his father to allow him to join the navy as a volunteer. He was dead tired of the life at the farm in southern Jämtland. Scything hay, feeding the chickens and sheep, the eternally bleating sheep, sitting the night watch over the tar, turpentine and charcoal burning operation some of his relatives were running and other boring, boring, boring tasks. He had thrown himself in the stream, pretending to have fallen in when trying to cross, to get out for at least half an hour as he went back to the farmhouse to change clothes during the hay harvest. He had used nitrolite to blow apart tar woodstumps during the night watchs at the charcoal burning, to the ire of the day watch relatives, who wanted their sleep after a hard day of work.

Idle hands are the tools of the devil, some said, but in the case of Bertil it was rather the other way around. The more work his father and older brothers tried to give him, the more bored of the drudgery of farm work he became. And the more bored, the more wild and dangerously adventorous he became. He learned to re-ferment svagdricka by adding sugar and yeast and putting it in an anthill (warm all year around), raising the alcohol content from 1-2% to 6-8%, getting drunk at multiple occasions, once to the extent that he was unable to get out of the ditch he had fallen into and had to sleep there. The police had raided the impromptu party, siezing the alcohol ration cards for illegal fermenting or brewing of alcoholic drinks, with the effect of every anthill around the village having its own 3-litre bottle of svagdricka.

It was finally Bertil's mother who convinced the father to sign the papers allowing the 17-year old Bertil to join the armed forces. "He'll be called up next year anyway, and the boy will kill himself here. Can't you see he's meant for something else than life at the farm?" she said. Bertil's father had sighed, taken a puff of surrogate tobacco on his pipe and signed the papers in August 1943. Bertil immediately headed for the conscription offices in Östersund, full of expectations. The train ride along inlandsbanan took only two and a half hours, despite them being forced to give way for the trains transporting military equipment for the great army summer exercise of 1943. At Östersund, Bertil's hopes of serving in the navy was crushed. "You are a forest man, lad!" the conscription officer said. "And you have experience with explosives and excellent physique. We need you as a jägare at I5." the elderly Lieutenant had pointed with the whole hand towards the infantry barracks. For a moment Bertil had considered threatening to not volunteer and thus postpone his service at least a year, but that would mean he would have to return to the farm for another year. I5 surely could not be as bad as another year at the farm. So he nodded and walked over to the infantry barracks.

I5, or more accurately, Infantry Regiment 5 Jämtlands Fjälljägare was nominally a normal infantry regiment. The name carried traditions of light skirmishing tactics, and while equipped and given duties as regular infantry, the regiment placed more emphasis on training for light combat, infiltration and skimishing than most non-jägare units.

When the war broke out, Bertil had made corporal in Jägarplutonen of the II. Battalion of I5, of II. Fördelningen and had been in Norway for three days. The patrols had been suprisingly easy to avoid. The Germans had never been at home in the heavily forested border regions between Jämtland and Tröndelag and the constant drain of the best and brightest of their forces to the meatgrinders on the continent had started to show. Really show. A German platoon marched down the single file gravel road to replace the border post singing 'Lili Marlene' so loudly Bertil could hear them almost a kilometer away. Patrols kept to the roads and tracks, talked loudly, smoked and often stopped short to have a nap or a snack instead of completing the patrol. The men in Bertil's platoon were aside from him mostly around 30 years old. One had to be restrined from killing Germans all the time "You'll get yours, now shut up!" the Fänrik had said. The man had family in Norway that had been missing for over a year. Gestapo had raided their home after a young relative had crossed the border to join the Police Brigades forming in Sweden.

Right now, Bertil gripped his K-pist m37-39 SMG tightly and watched the German supply centre slowly waking up. Some started makign breakfast for the company stationed here, others checked laundry on the lines between the log cabins, one even walked as close as two meters from Bertil to release the pressure after some late night drinking of black market brandy. The Fänrik had split Bertil's squad - five men would attack from the west and five men from the north, while the rest of the platoon would attack the border crossing and lie in ambush for any reinforcements heading down the road.

The late spring morning promised a nice day. Spring flowers, without regard for the world war or the military installation was poking up through the brownish-yellow yesteryear grass that had so recently appeared out of the snow. Where were the signal? It was late, Bertil was sure. They were supposed to attack at dawn, but the sun was already up!

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, but really was just a few minutes, it appeared. Out of the eastern rising sun four J 23 (P-40F) dived on the German base. They only allowed themselves a single salvo before climbing again, assuming a perfekt finger four formation to protect what came immediately after. A siren was now blaring and Germans were charging headlong out of the cabins, often with their pants at their knees and their jackets unbuttoned. The sloppy discipline told here too - the Germans did not rise at dawn!

"Ready, Kalle?" Bertil said quietly as they watched the limited mayhem and the incredible confusion in front of them.

"Ready." Kalle said. Kalle was the dedicated sharpshooter of the squad, readying his scoped Gevär m/41 he started to take aim.

A few Germans with better sense than most of them, were running towards the two 20mm FlaK30 AA guns that sat in the middle of the base with a neat ring of sandbacks around them. They had not been dug down especially deep, and the ring of sandbags looked more like it was there more to satisfy the commanding officer's sense of how things should look rather than for any real protection. Bertil put down his SMG and gripped the remote detonator. A German just sat down at the firing position of the first AA gun. He turned the handle and the gun and the German disappeared in a bright wite flash, to be replaced by a smaking heap of scrap metal. The explosion added to confusion in the German base. Some German officer, clearly visible from the high and well-polished boots he was wearing, tripped on the second copper cable just as Bertil tried to attach it to his detonator. Nothing happened when he turned it. The German fell flat on his face, but must have yanked the cable out of the explosives at the second AA gun!

"Crap!" Bertil said as he tried to turn the detonator one or two times more. The German has gotten into a sitting position at the dustry ground and was lifting the copper cable, puzzled. He was not entirely stupid though, he followed the stretch of it towards the edge of the forest as he held it up. "He's putting two and two together!" Bertil thought desperately. There were hundreds of Germans in the base, with more down the road in both directions. Then the German officer's head yanked backwards and he slumped backwards.

"Thanks, Kalle." Bertil said. Kalle turned the bolt handle of his rifle and kept silent, taking out another officer trying to organise men to man the other AA gun. Some Germans caught on, and what seemed like a hard-boiled NCO started leading a few of them towards the forest.

"They're on to us." Bertil said and smiled slightly as the small group urged onwards by the one-eyed NCO stepped onto one of the mien traps he had liad after he rigged the AA guns the preivous night. Anti-personell mines were nasty things, especially when the enemy was standing up.

Then the twelve B 17 and four B 5 bombers from F4 dived on the base, relasing bombs. The B 5 were ancient by this time, but with plenty of planes available, reserve pilots were manning the older planes added to the divisionary attack, more bang would make it look more real.

Bertil looked up at Kalle, who was now standing and firing regularly. He remembered when they had traning on miving paper figures at the firing range. "Smaller than moose, but slower. Easy to hit." Kalle was alegendary poacher from the area around Krokom and probably the best shot in Jämtland. Now he was reloading, five more 6,5x55mm shots down his rifle and then he started firing again. Two more Germans trying to man the last 20mm AA gun fell. By now the ones close to it were wising up and taking cover rather than trying to man it, especially as another officer trying to get them there went down.

"That is our cue. Come on guys!" Bertil said and make a gesture towards the bombers, which were now strafing the road and dropping bombs on still standing log cabins and barracks. A few German trucks and the gasoline supply of the base were already burning, along with some buildings, adding thick black smoke to the confusion. Bertil could hear the distinctive sound of a Kpist m/37-39 on the other side of the base. Fänrik Bevé was already leading his part of the squad in.

Kalle stayed as Bertil and three other men, one with a Ksg m/37 and the other two with SMGs like him, charged in towards the utterly confused Germans. One of the men threw a hand grenade, and then it started.

[von Adler]

Lieutenant General Axel Rappe was a nobleman and damn if he would let any of his anger show now. Nobility might not be worth much in this new world, but to him, it meant that you kept yourself, at all circumstances. Even when the Staff Meeting of Värmlandsgruppen brought bad news, and then worse news. He stroke the few strands of hair that was left on his head while the Lieutenant finished his update on the status of Värmlandsgruppens advance into Norway.

"...and as you can see on the map, 10:e Pansarbrigaden has been stalled in its current battle with Pz. Div. 'Norwegen'. 10:e reports losing 36 tanks today, many are repairable, but it will take time to get them back to the depots and repaired. The enemy are reportedly making use of short-range but effective rocket-powered hand-held antitank weapons that cause substantial casualties. Colonel Cavalli have stopped the advance temporarily and is requesting support and reinforcements before he continues his advance, preferably infantry and heavy artillery."

The Lieutenant finished and took a step backwards. All eyes in the tent was now on Rappe.

How could it come to this? Rappe thought. Sweden had not been at war since 1814, 130 years! He had spent all his life training for war, and now that it finally came, he was to be denied the glory? Sure, Sweden would win, he had no doubt of that, with the Allied advance in Italy and the Balkans, it was just a question of time until Patton had Herr Hitler in an iron cage as he had said to the international press at some time. The advance had started off fine - Kongsvinger fell with hardly a shot, a dazzled German company being taken prisoner by leading Swedish tanks as they marched towards the border. It was Blitzkrieg in reverse as 9:e Pansarbrigaden dashed forwards, leaving strongpoints for the infantry and artillery to deal with. Rappe was already being described as the Manstein or Patton of Sweden in the press when trouble started to arise. The co-operation between the air force and the ground troops was not good enough. While the Swedish airforce held a decisive advantage over its German counterpart in Norway, it seemed unable to prevent the nighttime pinprick attacks by Fw 190 fighterbombers. Most of the day, the airforce cirkled the skies, looking for targets of oppurtunity, or mercilessly dive-bombed German strongpoints that the tanks reported in, but as soon as the planes left to refuel or rearm, the woods seemed to come alive with German AT guns and tanks. With the narrow gravel roads in eastern Norway, it really only took a single lucky shot to stop up the Swedish advance.

Rappe was no fool and actually a rather competent General, if often at odds with the politicians, but he did not have the experienced Staff Officers that his counterpart, von Falkenhorst in Norway had. The Germans had wanted to move forces off Norway. Herr Hitler had realised the threat from the south. Norway was not worth Italy, but the constant allied air attacks against the coastal shipping has slowed the torrent of German troops from Norway to a small night-time trickle by motorboats and de-torpedoed fast torpedoboats. As a consequence, Rappe faced the best and the brightes of the German forces in Norway, all concentrated long his line of advance. The Germans had also spent the last two years of the war under increased enemy air activity. The Swedes were superb at camouflage, but some of the German creativity surprised even Rappe and his Staff.

Another disadvantage was that while Rappe's plan was sound, it was really the only possible plan. German battlefield intelligence had mostly been able to confirm what von Falkenhorst had suspected - that the Swedish armour was concentrated against Oslo. Once the main axis of advance had been identified - not directly towards Oslo, but rather around it, it was not had to get some Panzerfaust-armed tough NCOs, some AT guns and the 10 StuG IIIGs to almost completely halt the Swedish advance while he moved Pz. Div. 'Norwegen' into position for a counterattack.

Rappe knew now what he had suspected before too, the Swedish Pansarbrigad, a smaller copy of the early German Panzer-division, was too heavy on tanks and too light on artillery and infantry to function on its own, and it was hard to integrate troops from other units under field conditions.

Damn it, while he had hidden it from most, he knew his own health was slowly failing. This was his last and greatest - and only - chance at glory, and Nygren, the bastard, was already at the outskirts of Narvik. And Major General Ohlson and his Jämtlandsgruppen were advancing like the Germans were not even there, according to the lastest report, some of his Jägers had actually made a raid into Trondheim! Diversionary attack my arse! Rappe thought.

"Lieutenant General?" a voice said. Rappe looked up at Colonel Thorén, the commander of 8:e Pansarbrigaden.

"Yes, yes, Colonel." Rappe said and pulled himself together. He might be denied the glory, even with Gjövik only a few kilometers away, but damn it if he would surrender to the German rabble blocking his way. He was not a man to shrink away from his duties, even under the worst circumstances.

"It is no use denying it anymore, Gentlemen." he said with a slight sigh and to the mixed relief and surprise of the gathered officers.

"This is no longer a dash for Lillehammer, Gentlemen." he said and straightened himself. "This is now a regular battle and we will have to use regular tactics. I want 8:e Pansarbrigaden to reinforce 10:e to hold the German tanks while 1. Cykelbrigaden move through the forests to cut them off. This is now the standard tactic with any resistance, Gentlemen. The armour will rotate, one brigade at the front, holding the enemy, two brigades resting and refitting, if any attack stalls, the infantry outflanks through the woods. It will be slower, but the casualties will be lower. We need to conserve strength to be able to liberate all of Norway once the Germans collapse." he looked around at the men around him. Some were tired, dusty and dirty. He needed to show some spine in order to raise their spirits.

"Ohlson is probing the outskirts of Trondheim and Nygren has probably captured Narvik by now. I am sure Patton will be in Vienna before summer. We may have been defeated - no, not defeated, rather delayed, here Gentlemen, but I have no doubt that Herr Hitler will be forced to sue for peace before winter. Minimize casualties, Gentlemen, but do not allow the Germans rest. We'll have our crayfish in Oslo!"

A quick hurrah went up, then the officers scurried out of the staff tent to get to work. The advance would resume, at a low pace, but possibly deadly for the Germans if they found themselves in the much smaller and tactical motti instead of the grander, strategic ones planned.

[xt828]

They're getting held up by Panzer Division Norwegen? Really? Did they get bogged running circles around the broken down tanks, or were they busy laughing at the Neubaufahrzeugs, Panzer Is and Panzer IIs?

[PhilKearny]

Originally Posted by Markus

About the PR aspects:
App. a year later a dozen Army trucks rolled into Böhringen, out jumped Clark Gable saying: “I have returned and brought John Ford with me. We like to make the movie and we like you to be in it.”

Seems more like a Howard Hawks sort of move.

Otherwise, an outstanding and entertaning timeline.

[Markus]

Originally Posted by PhilKearny

Seems more like a Howard Hawks sort of move.

Otherwise, an outstanding and entertaning timeline.

Thank you very much but I´m not the only one working on this TL. In fact I´m the one doing the lesser part of the work right now.

[PhilKearny]

Originally Posted by Markus

Thank you very much but I´m not the only one working on this TL. In fact I´m the one doing the lesser part of the work right now.

You're welcome--but don't assume all the praise was directed at you, you glory hound.

Just to make it clear--wonderful job, one & all. Except Markus.

Just kidding about that except Markus bit and glory hound bit.

I am somewhat concerned about your obsession with Brewster, however.

[von Adler]

Originally Posted by xt828

They're getting held up by Panzer Division Norwegen? Really? Did they get bogged running circles around the broken down tanks, or were they busy laughing at the Neubaufahrzeugs, Panzer Is and Panzer IIs?

While the Germans used Pz I and Neubaufahrzeug in 1940, that was not the case in 1944. Pz. Div. 'Norwegen' had;

10 StuG IIIG (some sources say 15)
43 Pz III (M and N model, both superior to the Swedish Strv m/40 and m/41)
14 Pz II
6 Sdkfz 251/1
40 Hotchkiss H35 and H39
15 Suoma S35

As you can see, while not a full Panzer-division (especially not with the single unmotorised regiment of panzergrenadiere and a single battery of 10,5 leFH16 howitzers for support), but still a force to be reckoned with. A Swedish Pansarbrigad would have 181 tanks at the time, 55% being Strv m/40 and m/41 and 45% Strv m/42. The roads are narrow and the forests thick and dense in eastern Norway - a Pansarbrigad running into Pz. Div. 'Norwegen' would be stalled and suffer casualties. Especially since the Pansarbrigad is light on infantry and artillery.

The Germans can't hope to keep it up though - the Swedes have almost complete control of the air and Pz. Div. 'Norwegen' have no hope of reinforcements, a tank lost is one permanently lost, especially as the battlefield will usually be in Swedish hands.

In essence, von Falkenhorst is commiting his best force to delay the Swedes. It is working - Swedish Blitzkrieg is off and the Germans in southern Norway will have time to prepare defences, which means the Swedes are in for a siege-like situation, but Pz. Div. 'Norwegen' will most likely be reduced to a single battalion of tanks in the fighting.

[Markus]

Heroes!



Bari, Italy, April 24th1944:

A 5,500 ton steamer from Japan carrying 4cm/60 Type5 AA-guns docks at the quay. The crew is looking forward to a few days of leave and trade in the not very war torn Italy. Alas events take a different direction. Even before the unloading of the cargo begins, the Captain is informed his ship is to go to Pula, transporting replacements of the US Army. The Captain remarks she is hardly suited for service as a troopship but the objection is dismissed. Makeshift benches, tables and heads will be put into the cargo holds and the crew is to help with their construction. So much for leave! But since the cargo has to be unloaded first, the sailors have at least enough time to sell the “genuine” Japanese military memorabilia they brought with them.


April 26th:

The troops begin boarding. After weeks of waiting in camps in southern Italy, the men received the order to move out. Duffel bags were hastily packed, and the troops headed out to the harbour. Typically, the initial rush was followed by a six-hour wait on the docks. When boarding finally begins at 22:00hrs, it seems to follow no clear plan. The units are mixed together and companies are separated, platoons randomly distributed throughout the vessel, groups of men simply ordered to board as they appear rather than by unit. This situation fragments the command structure, contributes to an atmosphere of confusion and chaos. By this time the Captain and the crew are even more unenthusiastic as before. 1,655 landlubbers would be bad, disorganized ones are worse and life boats for less than 20% of all men aboard are just the icing on the cake. Nevertheless the crew gains confident from the fact that they had climbed far bigger hurdles and try to make the best of it.
The GI´s are just as unenthusiastic. For many it is the second or third time at sea but never have the conditions been as primitive. The cargo holds are dimly light as the ship’s electrical systems is weaker than that of a passenger steamer giving more than one GI the impression of wandering into a tomb.

Initially they stayed there thus missing the first thing to go wrong. Less than an hour after leaving port the modern destroyer HMS Pinafore suddenly turns south and departs at a high speed, leaving the sort-of troopship with ancient HMS Thanet and an ex-Canadian Flower class corvette now commissioned into the Marina Cobelligerante Italiana.


April 27th, 23:00 hrs:

The convoy is app. five hours away from the port of Pula. So far the voyage has been awkward and uncomfortable but uneventful. During the day Avangers, PBY and fighters buzzed overhead in the unlikely to impossible case of an air- or submarine attack but no additional surface ships have been added. Soon after dawn the barometer falls, the temperature too, wind picks up and the visibility is getting gradually worse.

23:10 hrs:

“Stern lookout to bridge. Thanet’s bow wake is decreasing. Speed estimated at no more than 6 knots. Visibility under 4,000 meters!”

“Signal her. Engine room; revolutions for 6 knots”
“Bow lookout to bridge. Cloud bank 3,000 meters ahead.”


23:35 hrs:

The troopship leaves the fog:

“XO, situation report!”

“Astore is in position … Thanet is gone!”


23:45 hrs:

Failing to reach Thanet by radio both ships turn on their navigational lights and turn back to retrace their “steps” and find the missing destroyer.


April 28th, 00:30 hrs:

With no trace of Thanet found the original course is resumed. Astore is in the lead.

“Bow lookout to bridge. Object in the water dead ahead 800 meters.”

“Turn port. Engine full reverse. All stations prepare for impact.”

At 00:31 the object is identified as a floating mine that hits the hull amidships just seconds later. A tremendous explosion immediately floods one compartment, water is rising in two others fast. One hundred men are dead by this time and that does count as good news. Seasickness had set in quickly among the soldiers once the ship left port. The nausea made lives miserable but saved them, as many GIs were on deck or in the heads rather than in their assigned compartments when the mine hit. Otherwise many more would have perished. Still the situation is far from good. With stairwells blown away more than two hundred GI´s are trapped in the rising water. The ship takes water and lists but so far the damage is largely contained to four compartment and the pumps hold their ground. But more bad news is coming from the engine room:

“Bridge. The forward bulkhead is not holding much longer. I need to evacuate the engine room.”

“Negative. We can’t loose the pumps. Stay and make max. steam, I send a repair party down to shore up the bulkhead!”

The engineer looks at his crew, shakes his head and all silently resume their duties. On the bridge the officers quickly decide how to proceed, evacuating the ship is no option as Astore can not compensate for the shortage of lifeboats, so they will head towards the small island of Susak and beach the ship. Independently some sailors get the GI organized. They tell them to remove their rifles, ammunition belts, axes, entrenching tools and helmets and check if the two pillows of the life jacket are tied together tightly. If not the two will snap up with great force when entering the water and break the wearer's neck. Some GI are made to help removing the benches and tables from the undamaged cargo holds which are then turned into makeshift floats. Other sailors try to fight their way to the debris into the damaged sections to check for survivors. The repair crew –lead by a small, bespectacled and slightly chubby sailor- has gotten to work in the engine room by now as more problems arise. Astore blinks she can not reach anyone in Pula, the closest radio station responding is Taranto of all places!


01:30 hrs:

Finally an allied warship responds to the distress calls. Adding one more awkward to an already awkward situation it turns out to be the Chinese cruiser Ning Hai on her way from Rijeka to Ancona with an empty convoy. Her ETA is four hours and she has alerted the Pula naval base. Much help is on the way but its not needed. The engine room bulkhead holds and ship is beach on the sandy shore of Susak not one minute too late. 189 GI´s and seven crewmen have been killed by this time.



May 6th, Pula naval base:

Admiral Karel Doorman is pondering about the ironies of life as he is reading the citation:

“Captain Masahashi, on behalf of The President of the United States it is my honour to present the PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION to the crew of Steam Ship “KOBAYASHI MARU II” for outstanding service as set forth in the following citation: …”





Inspired by the sinking of the SS Leopoldville. Feedback is always appreciated.

[merlin]

Originally Posted by xt828

They're getting held up by Panzer Division Norwegen? Really? Did they get bogged running circles around the broken down tanks, or were they busy laughing at the Neubaufahrzeugs, Panzer Is and Panzer IIs?

The Neubaufahrzeugs that were paraded around Oslo in 1940 weren't that bad really. As I recall from memory (memory of photo's - not that I was there at the time), one had a twin-gun turret (not a good idea) and another with 105mm main gun had extra mini-turrets for machine-guns!?
Might be an interesting TL with the latter (without the machine-gun turretts) as an earlier Pzw V !?

[Incognitia]

I read this timeline some months ago...then forgot all about it. And now, what do I find? It's still going, this time with a wonderful Scandinavian theme.

Good work, much appreciated

[Markus]

Originally Posted by merlin

The Neubaufahrzeugs that were paraded around Oslo in 1940 weren't that bad really. As I recall from memory (memory of photo's - not that I was there at the time), one had a twin-gun turret (not a good idea) and another with 105mm main gun had extra mini-turrets for machine-guns!?
Might be an interesting TL with the latter (without the machine-gun turretts) as an earlier Pzw V !?

IIRC the Neubaufahrzeug tanks did not have armour grade steel and were send to Norway just for the "show-effect."

[merlin]

Originally Posted by Markus

IIRC the Neubaufahrzeug tanks did not have armour grade steel and were send to Norway just for the "show-effect."

Yes I know, it was an exercise in propaganda, using a demonstrator rather than a prototype.
But it doesn't mean that as a result of experience with e.g. the Char B & Matilda, that the Germans speed up development of a heavy tank using them as a basis for it - perhaps unlikely, but implausable no.

[Markus]

Originally Posted by merlin

Yes I know, it was an exercise in propaganda, using a demonstrator rather than a prototype.
But it doesn't mean that as a result of experience with e.g. the Char B & Matilda, that the Germans speed up development of a heavy tank using them as a basis for it - perhaps unlikely, but implausable no.

Miss Understanding at work. I refered to their usefulness in this ATL(The Neubaufahrzeugs that were paraded around Oslo in 1940 weren't that bad really.), not in yet another(Might be an interesting TL with the latter ... as an earlier Pzw V !?)

[NothingNow]

Wow. The KOBAYASHI MARU II?