Keynes' Cruisers Volume 2

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Yeah, I thought not. Hmmm. I'm envisioning a more expansive Marshall Plan, a more powerful NATO, and a more paranoid Stalin...I wonder if greater WAllied success is laying the groundwork for WW3 in 5 years.
 
Yeah, I thought not. Hmmm. I'm envisioning a more expansive Marshall Plan, a more powerful NATO, and a more paranoid Stalin...I wonder if greater WAllied success is laying the groundwork for WW3 in 5 years.
Unless the Manhattan program gets axed then no. Stalin is not going to put the Motherland at risk, expect him to go as far West as he can and then sit on it, we might see a divided Poland or Czechoslovakia.
 
Story 2565
The outer reaches of the Bay of Biscay, May 20, 1944

HMS Campbeltown slowly advanced. A frigate had just made a depth charge run on a suspected contact. The old American built and British manned destroyer held steady as the Hedgehog launcher trained a few degrees further to port. The spigot mortars fired and nine seconds later, three exploded.

The convoy continued past the oil slick in the sea.
 
The outer reaches of the Bay of Biscay, May 20, 1944

HMS Campbeltown slowly advanced. A frigate had just made a depth charge run on a suspected contact. The old American built and British manned destroyer held steady as the Hedgehog launcher trained a few degrees further to port. The spigot mortars fired and nine seconds later, three exploded.

The convoy continued past the oil slick in the sea.

Sometime later in the war the HMS Campeltown has occasion to steam closely past the Port of St. Nazaire. A conversation occurs between two British sailors. "Did you feel that, Bert? I swear the old ship shuddered." Bert's reply; " Don't be daft. There's just a cross current here." But Bert had a funny look on his face which had gone pale. He felt as if a crow had walked across his grave.
 
Sometime later in the war the HMS Campeltown has occasion to steam closely past the Port of St. Nazaire. A conversation occurs between two British sailors. "Did you feel that, Bert? I swear the old ship shuddered." Bert's reply; " Don't be daft. There's just a cross current here." But Bert had a funny look on his face which had gone pale. He felt as if a crow had walked across his grave.
This would be purely fan service, but what if Post war, maybe the French buy a destroyer to commemorate the Battle of the Atlantic along with the Free French sailors and merchants who were lost. It just so happens the ship is HMS Campbeltown which gets moored in St Nazaire and today stands as a permanent monument.
 
This would be purely fan service, but what if Post war, maybe the French buy a destroyer to commemorate the Battle of the Atlantic along with the Free French sailors and merchants who were lost. It just so happens the ship is HMS Campbeltown which gets moored in St Nazaire and today stands as a permanent monument.
I like it. That would be poignant. In OTL no doubt there are little bits of HMS Campbeltown embedded here and there in places in St. Nazaire that face the harbour.
 
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McPherson

Banned
Bath Iron Works would be happy. So would the traitor, Franklin Buchanan. Captain of the CSS Virginia, for which the USS Buchanan was originally named; a childhood hero of the fiend, President Woodrow Wilson.
 
This would be purely fan service, but what if Post war, maybe the French buy a destroyer to commemorate the Battle of the Atlantic along with the Free French sailors and merchants who were lost. It just so happens the ship is HMS Campbeltown which gets moored in St Nazaire and today stands as a permanent monument.
Why would the French buy a Town class ship that had been decommissioned as soon as possible and left to rust at anchor as the RN could not, would not and should not spend a damn farthing on an obsolete rust bucket while the Marine Nationale had plenty of other far more modern and French built/maintained ships available for a museum in the mid-50s or early 60s.
 
Why would the French buy a Town class ship that had been decommissioned as soon as possible and left to rust at anchor as the RN could not, would not and should not spend a damn farthing on an obsolete rust bucket while the Marine Nationale had plenty of other far more modern and French built/maintained ships available for a museum in the mid-50s or early 60s.
There is not a single really good reason, the only one I can think of is a museum ship. its why it would be purely fanservice, I did not expect anything to come of it but I thought it's worth voicing the opinion.
 
Sometime later in the war the HMS Campeltown has occasion to steam closely past the Port of St. Nazaire. A conversation occurs between two British sailors. "Did you feel that, Bert? I swear the old ship shuddered." Bert's reply; " Don't be daft. There's just a cross current here." But Bert had a funny look on his face which had gone pale. He felt as if a crow had walked across his grave.

Timelines twist and turn and sometimes they almost, but not quite, touch each other.
 
Most, if not almost all of the German Army in Greece has been destroyed or captured. What will happen there now? How far North can the Allies push and how fast? Where will the Germans and their Balkan allies set up the next defensive line? It's all mountainous terrain from now on. Similar situation the Allies are facing in Italy. Is it worth it to try to push further into well defended mountain passes?
 

Driftless

Donor
I'd think there's some mop-up work in continental Greece and maybe some islands. The Greeks themselves probably want to tackle that task. Too soon to also deal with homegrown revolutionary pockets? Or,.... do they significantly pick up the pace of support for partisan groups in the Balkans

Otherwise, I'd guess there's little merit to pressing that mountain country too hard, except to keep the Germans from shifting forces elsewhere. That is unless there's a crack in German defenses in Bulgaria or Albania?
 
Most, if not almost all of the German Army in Greece has been destroyed or captured. What will happen there now? How far North can the Allies push and how fast? Where will the Germans and their Balkan allies set up the next defensive line? It's all mountainous terrain from now on. Similar situation the Allies are facing in Italy. Is it worth it to try to push further into well defended mountain passes?
The Germans in Greece are only in crisis and not in immediate wipe-out mode.

But yes, if/when the Allies liberate Thessaloniki, this is another decision point much like the one that they faced in Northern Italy. Is it worth banging their heads into the mountain walls for limited gains.... Now if they have access to the Straits, interesting things could happen....
 
Story 2566
Port Said, May 21, 1944

HMS Renown entered the Suez Canal. Ahead of her were a pair of destroyers and behind her in the queue, waiting patiently, were another pair of war emergency program destroyers. The five ships would steam first to Aden and then Colombo before joining the Far East Fleet in Singapore taking the place of King George V as she went into the Johor docks for four months of upkeep.
 
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The Germans in Greece are only in crisis and not in immediate wipe-out mode.

But yes, if/when the Allies liberate Thessaloniki, this is another decision point much like the one that they faced in Northern Italy. Is it worth banging their heads into the mountain walls for limited gains.... Now if they have access to the Straits, interesting things could happen....
Is it worth it to shift all but the bare minimum of forces to join the 4th army units in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia?
 
Story 2567
Caen, France, May 21, 1944

The Canadian riflemen waited another few minutes. Half a dozen Typhoons pulled out of their rocket attack and then a field regiment started to fire smoke while another regiment flung high explosive shells at the defensive strongpoint that the riflemen had to take.
 
I don't remember if there are any of the Kongo's left but a Hood Vs a Kongo would be interesting.

Iirc it’s yamato and her two extra thick sisters and Maybe one more capital ship? Makassar Was a while back both in and out of universe. I think Hood is as beautiful a ship as anyone, but bar a late 19th century USN style “refit”, (aka remove the nameplate, silver service, and bell and pull them all on a brand new 55-70k ton design and pretend it’s the same ship) that’s not a fight she wins.
 
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I don't remember if there are any of the Kongo's left but a Hood Vs a Kongo would be interesting.
HIEI is still with the Combined Fleet.

I have a damn hard time seeing how HOOD and HIEI get within 500 miles of each other much less within 27,000 yards of each other in the next six months.
 
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