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#421
December 21st, 2011, 02:20 AM
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Happy and Glorious
continued The Japanese had organized a second air strike as soon as Force Z had been found, however reports of enemy fighters had caused a re think. 8 bombers had been lost and 5 others were damaged and trying to make their way back to Indochina. The lack of fighter escort for the force had caused a small row. For the Japanese the war against the West was still in its early stages and nerves were on edge. Reports then came in of Wildcats being encountered. At first this was dismissed as confusion among pilots but since the Japanese had prepared thoroughly for the war then it was deemed unlikely that pilots would misidentify Wildcats. There had been no reports of Wildcats in Malaya and they couldn't have come from Hermes. So where had they come from? A rumour then spread that an American carrier was in the area and perhaps other US naval forces too. The IJN was told to be extra vigilant. The damage to Prince of Wales had reduced her top speed to 25 knots but because of Hermes she was doing 22. Damage control teams said she was OK but she would need a couple of months in dock for full repairs. Admiral Holland decided that once safe he would order Prince of Wales to sail to Java for emergency patch up and then proceed to Trincomalee. He would transfer his flag to Renown and return to Singapore. He knew some extra units including Americans would be arriving there soon and he hoped to have quite a powerful naval force under his command in the next few days. Meanwhile Hermes had recovered her Swordfish from the Kota Bharu raid and launched two others to scout for submarines. The Japanese finally launched their attack after a squadron of Zeros had been diverted from other tasks to provide escort. A force of 23 'Betty' and 'Nell' bombers escorted by 15 Zeros took off from their bases in mid afternoon. TBC 
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#422
December 21st, 2011, 07:50 AM
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Then sail to Trincomalee
__________________
The Whale Has Wings, a shiny new Fleet Air Arm in WW2. Timelines go better with Whales... http://www.astrodragon.co.uk/Books/TheWhaleHasWings.htm
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#423
December 21st, 2011, 09:26 AM
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I have a plan for POW that could have a significant impact on the war in the Far East.
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#424
December 21st, 2011, 09:35 AM
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__________________
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#425
December 21st, 2011, 10:44 AM
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A towing of a floating drydock is a slow proces, which is not very much recommended, when in range of hostile airbases, which was the case in the Malayan campaign. Singapore itself already was within striking range adn so was Soerabaja, although the later only just for the long ranged G3M bombers, form Saigon airfields. (With no escorts then, as the Zero could not follow whole range). Soerabaja was bombed early on by small numbers of G3M bombers, originating from the Saigon airfields, where they plastered the Dutch airfields randomly as well as the port, where they hit at least a destroyer and two submarines.
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#426
December 21st, 2011, 02:57 PM
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Happy and Glorious
continued Force Z had been anxiously waiting for the second attack to come. Admiral Holland hoped that the attack would be weaker than last time after the losses inflicted by his air cover. His hope was unfulfilled. The mixed force of Betty and Nell bombers found Force Z which had been sailing back to Singapore. Admiral Holland had thought about altering course to throw off the Japanese search but his priority was to get within the range of Hurricane fighters. A force of 11 had landed at Kuantan for refuelling before reaching Force Z. Within minutes of the Hurricanes taking off a small force of Japanese planes bombed the airfield. The Japanese knew what their main target was and began their attack. Force Z opened up on the first wave which were Betty bombers dropping conventional bombs from height. The Prince of Wales bofors gun was quick to score a hit and knock one of the bombers out of the sky. Renown and Hermes also put up a curtain of fire. Admiral Holland took his binoculars and cursed. "What are our blasted fighters doing?" He didn't take him long to find out what his blasted fighters were doing. They were engaged in an epic dogfight with Japanese Zeros. The Hurricane pilots had just been warned that the Japanese fighters were better than they had first been told but it was still a rude awakening. Nevertheless they were all trained pilots from Britain and two of them had faced Me 109's over the English Channel only a couple of months before. The Japanese bombs fell in neat patterns in parallel to the Hermes. To the crew of the Renown it reminded them of the Italians in the Mediterranean only........a bomb landed on the Hermes. The explosion blasted a hole in the forward area and soon there was fire and smoke. Two more bombs straddled her causing more damage. Meanwhile the Nell bombers waited to make their torpedo run. It was at this point that the Wildcats from the Glorious arrived. There were only 6 of them this time but it was enough to cause mayhem. The battle between the Hurricanes and Zeros was three Hurricanes lost to two Zeros. The British losses would have been undoubtedly higher had it not been for the training and experience of the RAF pilots. The Wildcats shot down three of the Nell bombers fairly quickly and scattered the others. As the Nells tried to continue on their run they came under fire from the British ships. Renown shot one down and even Hermes damaged another enough for the plane to dump its torpedo harmlessly and fly away. However one determined Nell pilot was able to dodge the Wildcats and the AA gunfire and closed on the Hermes and released its torpedo. The pilot knew it would be a hit. The explosion tore a huge hole in the Hermes which was an old ship and soon she was taking in huge quantities of water. Her fate had been sealed. Another Betty bomber succeeded in landing a bomb on Hermes causing an explosion when some of the aviation fuel ignited, while another bomb hit the Prince of Wales. The Renown's AA battery claimed another Betty as she tried to bomb her. By this time a couple of Hurricanes had broken through the Zeros and fell on another Betty and shot her out of the sky. No more bombs fell on Force Z but the air battle continued for another ten minutes as another small force of 7 Nells appeared. The Wildcats got to them and shot one down forcing the others to withdraw. Two Zeros tangled with the Wildcats and shot one of them down. Then finally the Japanese disappeared. Once again there was a cheer from the British sailors as the Hurricanes and Wildcats flew low over the fleet. It was a fleet, however, that seemed to be getting smaller with each action. The Hermes sank thirty minutes after the Japanese left taking over 250 men with her. The survivors, plus men from the Durban and the destroyer lost in the night action now crowded the decks of Renown and Prince of Wales. The Prince of Wales herself was looking a bit of shambles after the 8" hits and now a bomb. Twenty eight of her own crew were dead. Despite this Admiral Holland felt as though they had weathered the worst. The Japanese had paid a price too. They had lost 8 bombers and two fighters in addition to the losses earlier. There were also a few damaged of which one later crashed on landing in Indochina. TBC
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#427
December 21st, 2011, 05:55 PM
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Happy and Glorious
continued The Japanese trawler Shofu Fu Maru had been spotted by a Swordfish from the Hermes while Force Z was under attack. She flew low and was immediately suspicious. She immediately reported. Meanwhile from the south 4 US Navy destroyers were sailing north to meet Force Z. They were temporarily confused when a Wildcat flew over. Within half an hour they saw HMS Glorious and her two destroyers. The Hurricanes landed at Kuantan to refuel. Luckily the there was still some fuel but hey were told to leave immediately as another Japanese raid could come at any time. Luck held out for the remaining 8 Hurricanes who took off for Singapore unmolested. The Japanese contemplated another attack on Force Z but the cumulative losses plus a lot of damaged aircraft persuaded them to cancel. They knew Force Z was retreating and that their troop convoys were safe for now. The sinking of HMS Hermes was correctly assumed though not actually seen. This encouraged the Japanese to call this a victory, which of course it was. Admiral Holland's force was able to increase speed to 25 knots and as the hours went by and night fell it was obvious that Force Z had survived. Force Z finally joined with Glorious and her 6 destroyers and made for Singapore. One of the American destroyers then captured Shofu Fu Maru and took her to Singapore. Admiral Holland was forced to change his mind about sending Prince of Wales to Java because of the number of rescued sailors plus the large number of wounded from the Japanese bombing. He wanted these men disembarked at Singapore. He was worried about the idea of having Prince of Wales patched up at Singapore and so he instructed that only emergency repairs should be made and that she was to leave after only 24 hours. He was still undecided about what he should or could do with his fleet with the Japanese having air superiority if not - yet- air supremacy. What will the Japanese be able to do once Kota Bharu and other Malayan airfields come into their hands! He knew he didn't like being under air attack. He now felt a new found sympathy for what the Germans had endured at the 'Battle of Iceland'. Meanwhile Japanese forces had crossed over from Thailand and were advancing on the positions being prepared at Jitra. TBC
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#428
December 22nd, 2011, 07:21 AM
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Happy and Glorious
continued Force Z arrived in Singapore under cover of darkness in the early hours of December 11th. Admiral Holland arrived ashore feeling very fortunate to be alive. The unloading of the sailors was completed quickly and the Prince of Wales was sent for emergency repairs. A message had been received from Admiral Dudley Pound asking if he had succeeded in intercepting any convoys. He decided that answering this message would go to the bottom of his list of priorities. Admiral Holland took a short rest before having a conference/breakfast with Brooke-Popham and General Percival. Brooke-Popham was shocked at the loss of Hermes and the heavy attacks. How did the Japanese get their hands on such planes. He was then given more bad news by Percival. The only good news was that the Glorious was safe and was unloading its consignment of 10 Hurricanes for the RAF. They were desperately needed. Holland then asked about the defences for Singapore itself. Brooke-Popham was surprised that he should ask such a question. "Singapore Harbour is impregnable, haven't you seen the guns? The Japanese Navy wouldn't dare attack here" said Brooke-Popham. "Actually sir, I have a feeling that he's talking about our land defences" Percival interjected. "Land Defences. Good heavens don't you know how far away the Japanese are. Are you suggesting that those chaps are going to march all the way down the peninsula and attack Singapore?" Holland was going to reply but the land battle was Percival's territory and he jumped in. "I sincerely hope we can hold them far from here until reinforcements arrive but to be frank sir, I have doubts about the qualities of many of our troops. Few of them are first rate and we are woefully short of equipment and air support. The Japanese on the other hand seem to be well trained and we can assume that they are using their best troops.." "Are you suggesting that British troops can't hold their own against Japanese?" Asked an incredulous Brooke-Popham. "Sir most of our men aren't British troops but are Indian troops of dubious quality and I may say dubious loyalty" "We have the Australians and I have been told that other troops will be here soon. As for our Indians I heard they did quite well at Kota Bharu" "Do we still hold Kota Bharu?" Asked Holland. "No Admiral we don't" answered Percival. The conversation then turned to pleasantries about how wonderful the tea tasted today before Admiral Holland returned to the subject of Singapore. "Can the 15" guns fire landward?" "Of course they can" Quipped Brooke-Popham with a smile. Percival's face froze. "Are you quite alright Arthur? You look pale. It's not the old delhi-belly is it?" asked Brooke-Popham "My health is fine sir. Do you know that they only have armour piercing ammunition?" "To sink ships of course. You navy chaps use armour-piercing to shink ships don't you?" he said to Holland. "Yes we do but we change to high explosive when firing on land targets" "Land targets. Why are we talking about land targets for the guns at Singapore?" Percival cast a knowing look at Holland. "Sir, we are talking about whether or not our guns could defend Singapore against a land attack" "I know you are I'm not a fool Arthur. What I don't understand is why we are talking about it at all. The Japanese are hundreds of miles away and there are only a few roads they can use. Surely we can block the roads, even with the Indians you seem to have so little faith in" "But with command of the sea they could outflank by landing behind the troops" added Holland. "Command of the sea. My dear Admiral, the Renown, the Prince of Wales and the HMS Glorious are in the harbour over there and you are telling me that the Japanese have command of the sea." "Yes sir I am. You heard what I said about the Japanese air attacks and we now know that the US Pacific battlefleet has been sunk at Pearl Harbor. Just like we got the Italians at Taranto" "I see" "So that means the entire Japanese fleet is free to turn its attention to us. How is the American Asiatic squadron in the Phillipines doing?" "The bloody fools had most of their airforce knocked out on the first day. They have no aircover and poor Admiral Hart has ordered his ships to Singapore and the DEI" "I see" said Holland and then took a slow sip of tea. Brooke-Popham sighed and then asked "Does the Renown carry any 15" HE?" TBC Last edited by Devolved; December 22nd, 2011 at 07:29 AM..
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#429
December 22nd, 2011, 07:42 AM
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Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting? Off-loading 15" HE from the fleet for the guns on land?
 I approve, if only to give Percival an aneurysm.
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#431
December 22nd, 2011, 07:56 AM
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#432
December 22nd, 2011, 08:13 AM
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#433
December 22nd, 2011, 08:15 AM
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Well, if you prolong long enough the Japanese will run out of Ammo, starve and thus surrender. At the very least you will likely save Burma and all the resources there. Either way, I approve.
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#434
December 22nd, 2011, 08:20 AM
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#435
December 22nd, 2011, 08:30 AM
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People like him can answer this better than me, but IIRC the Japanese were on such a shoestring for ammo and food OTL that at first when their commander received Percival's delegation he thought they were going to ask for his surrender.
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#436
December 22nd, 2011, 08:41 AM
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One of the useful things about being the British Empire is you have bases and stores everywhere.
So Renown can unload all her 15" HE, and pick up more at Trincomalee..or there is more in South Africa, Australia, the Middle east.... You may only have got 3 days so far, but little delays tend to breed more little delays. Make it a week and have 15" HE, and the bounce attack will probably fail. SO then you are into a much bigger delay for resupply, reinforcement, etc. Also, if the RN has modern ships and a couple of carriers in the India ocean, the IJN will hav eto hold some ships to cover them.
__________________
The Whale Has Wings, a shiny new Fleet Air Arm in WW2. Timelines go better with Whales... http://www.astrodragon.co.uk/Books/TheWhaleHasWings.htm
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#437
December 22nd, 2011, 08:58 AM
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Never understood why the Singapore guns didnt have HE. Armour Piercing is only good for attacking battleships and Battlecruisers, AP rounds would go straight through anything less without the fuse igniting. Its unlikely any navy would risk its battleships attacking a well defended harbour so the most likely target for the 15" guns would be cruisers and destroyers plus troop carrying merchant vessels. Exactly what AP rounds are no good for.
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#438
December 22nd, 2011, 09:42 AM
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Happy and Glorious
continued While the Japanese were in the early stage of creating their new empire out of the wreckage of older ones the Germans were beginning to get some serious headaches. The attack on Moscow had not only failed but was now under counter attack and falling back. In North Africa even the British looked to be winning. The siege of Tobruk was lifted on December 10th and Rommel was out of supplies and out of tanks. On December 11th Hitler celebrated these setbacks by declaring war on the USA! One good thing about the declaration of war against Germany was that Donitz could now unleash his U boats on the Amercians. This was quite fortunate as the Royal Navy was showing signs of getting on top of the U boats. Now he could look forward to a new 'happy time'. Meanwhile the Prinz Eugen had returned to Brest after the 'Battle of Iceland'. In Brest harbour she had been subjected to periodic air raids. No damage was done to the ship but there had been damage to the port facilites and some of the dock crews had been killed. Keeping Prinz Eugen in good condition had not been easy and it was obvious that she couldn't stay. The Tirpitz had spent an uneventful time in the Baltic. By December winter had closed in and the Soviet navy had been driven into Lenningrad and sealed up by mines. It also seemed only a matter of time before Lenningrad would fall. There was now a debate about what to do with the Tirpitz. The U boat lobby pointed out that the crew could man at least 30 U boats with men to spare. Donitz agreed with this and so did Hitler but the old navy guard were much distressed at the thought of Tirpitz going. They argued that Tirpitz was a symbol of German might and could be used to tie down British naval forces. Hitler was impatient and when told this answered "why should I care about British naval forces, we are fighting the Bolsheviks outside Moscow." The Lutzow had been finally decommissioned on November 28th 1941. The guns were to be sent to France for new coastal defences. With Hitler's declaration of war on America, Donitz was told that the Tirpitz would stay in service and be sent to Norway to deter an Anglo-American attack on Norway. Hitler was convinced that Norway would be the first place the Allies would try to attack in the West. This feeling had been encouraged by British commando raids on the north of Norway. He was also told to scrap Prinz Eugen. Hitler had now lost all faith in surface ships commerce raiding. Her guns were to be stripped for coastal defence and most of her crew were to be transferred to U boats. What was left of Prinz Eugen was to be converted to a support ship for the U boats in France. For the Royal Navy the entry of Japan into the war meant that the R class battleships and the Malaya were to be spared the scrapyard until both Anson and Howe were in service. The Hood was being effectually reconstructed in America and with US entry into the war and the loss of their Pacific battlefleet at Pearl Harbor, the Americans asked if they could loan the Hood after repairs were completed. Churchill was eager to please the Americans and said yes. TBC
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#439
December 22nd, 2011, 09:50 AM
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#440
December 22nd, 2011, 09:51 AM
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Hmm, no Lutzow means no Battle of the Barents Sea.
 That makes me sad. Ah well.
__________________
CMII Read more about the Fireflies of Port Stanley here. And you can read the first volume of Cato's Cavalry here.
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