Definitely, looks like there'll be a Phony War in TTL though.
A Blunted Sickle
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Definitely, looks like there'll be a Phony War in TTL though.
The POD is halfway through the Phony War, and it's over now. Few more days while I read up on the Battle of Sedan and then the proper violence will start.
10th May 1940
At first light, the first German forces entered the Netherlands. The majority of the forces are in the South, in the region of Maastricht. Unfortunately for the Germans, they only manage to seize a small number of bridges intact. The bridge over the Juliana canal at Roosteren was captured by German troops disguised as Dutch police, but the Belgians managed to destroy the subsequent bridge over the Maas at Maaseik successfully. Unfortunately for the defenders, the Germans did manage to seize a bridge around 5km further north at Obbicht.
At Maastricht, all three bridges over the Maas were blown as soon as German forces appeared at the outskirts of the town at 05.45. The majority of the defenders on the East bank were then picked up in small boats held on the West bank for precisely this purpose. Unusually, because the Maastricht bridges would be so critical to any German invasion of Belgium the troops in Maastricht the commander had been given explicit instructions to defend the bridgeheads as long as possible. Civilians were to be evacuated from the area where possible, but civilian casualties was not to be his primary concern.
Later that morning, the first German troops arrived to the rear of the Peel-Raam line. They had managed to get four trains, each containing a battalion of infantry, over the captured bridges around Gennep. These unloaded themselves to the rear of the Peel-Raam line, where the Dutch soldiers manning it had only become aware of the invasion 30 minutes earlier. While this warning was sufficient for the Dutch soldiers manning the line to blow the bridges over the defence canal, the line was very poorly set up to defend against an attack from behind as well as being very sparsely manned. By 10.00, the Germans had penetrated fully through the line at Mill, and by dusk had also done so at Weert.
Meanwhile, in the North weak German units (a large proportion being SS) attempted to take various bridges in the region of Nijmegen, with little success. One bridge over the Maas-Waal canal near Nijmegen was taken in a badly damaged state, while the other canal bridges were destroyed. In the far north, the German force of approximately 50,000 men were opposed by a handful of Dutch troops assigned to demolish bridges. As they penetrated further in the resistance increased slightly, as the Dutch forces were deployed to give the defences of the Afsluitdijk a few hours to prepare, and for demolitions to take place on any shipping on the Ijsselmeer which could not be evacuated in time to the West bank.
Finally, the Germans launched a major airlanding operation. The primary purpose of this was to capture a line of bridges from Moerdijk in the south up to Rotterdam, enabling the advancing Panzers to bypass the defences of Fortress Holland. The strongest attack is on the airfield at Waalhaven, starting at 03.55 with a raid by Heinkel bombers and followed rapidly by 3rd Battalion of the 1st Fallschirmjaeger regiment. By 05.30, the first of a series of waves of Ju-52 transports arrives carrying more infantry, pioneers and anti-tank guns.
At Rotterdam, the Germans landed around 90 troops from seaplanes they had landed in the Maas and seized the Willemsbrug while Dutch civilians looked on, many assuming that it was some sort of Dutch army exercise. The troops landed at Waalhaven will attempt to reinforce them during the morning, trying to fight their way through Dutch troops in the suburbs of Rotterdam.
In Dordrecht, the Fallschirmjaegers had secured all the bridges and were consolidating their perimeter by 06.00. However, at Moerdijk the German attack went badly wrong. The Luftwaffe started attacking the Dutch positions at 04.00, and in accordance with standing orders the bridges were immediately demolished. An hour later, the first Fallschirmjaegers landed either side of the bridges. The small Dutch security force on the south side of the bridge was rapidly taken prisoner, but on the north side of the bridge it was a very different story. Around 300 Fallschirmjaeger were confronted by around 700 Dutch troops who were well equipped with machine guns and had a few light AA guns as well. The fight here rapidly degenerated into a stalemate.
Smaller groups of Fallschirmjaeger were also dropped around Leiden and The Hague, with the objective of seizing the Dutch government and Royal Family. They managed to seize the Valkenburg air force base, while the Ypenburg landings went much more poorly and the German force had been eliminated by the Dutch by lunchtime. Those at Ockenburg were forced off the airfield and into the dunes shortly afterwards.
At first light, the first German forces entered the Netherlands. The majority of the forces are in the South, in the region of Maastricht. Unfortunately for the Germans, they only manage to seize a small number of bridges intact. The bridge over the Juliana canal at Roosteren was captured by German troops disguised as Dutch police, but the Belgians managed to destroy the subsequent bridge over the Maas at Maaseik successfully. Unfortunately for the defenders, the Germans did manage to seize a bridge around 5km further north at Obbicht.
At Maastricht, all three bridges over the Maas were blown as soon as German forces appeared at the outskirts of the town at 05.45. The majority of the defenders on the East bank were then picked up in small boats held on the West bank for precisely this purpose. Unusually, because the Maastricht bridges would be so critical to any German invasion of Belgium the troops in Maastricht the commander had been given explicit instructions to defend the bridgeheads as long as possible. Civilians were to be evacuated from the area where possible, but civilian casualties was not to be his primary concern.
Later that morning, the first German troops arrived to the rear of the Peel-Raam line. They had managed to get four trains, each containing a battalion of infantry, over the captured bridges around Gennep. These unloaded themselves to the rear of the Peel-Raam line, where the Dutch soldiers manning it had only become aware of the invasion 30 minutes earlier. While this warning was sufficient for the Dutch soldiers manning the line to blow the bridges over the defence canal, the line was very poorly set up to defend against an attack from behind as well as being very sparsely manned. By 10.00, the Germans had penetrated fully through the line at Mill, and by dusk had also done so at Weert.
Meanwhile, in the North weak German units (a large proportion being SS) attempted to take various bridges in the region of Nijmegen, with little success. One bridge over the Maas-Waal canal near Nijmegen was taken in a badly damaged state, while the other canal bridges were destroyed. In the far north, the German force of approximately 50,000 men were opposed by a handful of Dutch troops assigned to demolish bridges. As they penetrated further in the resistance increased slightly, as the Dutch forces were deployed to give the defences of the Afsluitdijk a few hours to prepare, and for demolitions to take place on any shipping on the Ijsselmeer which could not be evacuated in time to the West bank.
Finally, the Germans launched a major airlanding operation. The primary purpose of this was to capture a line of bridges from Moerdijk in the south up to Rotterdam, enabling the advancing Panzers to bypass the defences of Fortress Holland. The strongest attack is on the airfield at Waalhaven, starting at 03.55 with a raid by Heinkel bombers and followed rapidly by 3rd Battalion of the 1st Fallschirmjaeger regiment. By 05.30, the first of a series of waves of Ju-52 transports arrives carrying more infantry, pioneers and anti-tank guns.
At Rotterdam, the Germans landed around 90 troops from seaplanes they had landed in the Maas and seized the Willemsbrug while Dutch civilians looked on, many assuming that it was some sort of Dutch army exercise. The troops landed at Waalhaven will attempt to reinforce them during the morning, trying to fight their way through Dutch troops in the suburbs of Rotterdam.
In Dordrecht, the Fallschirmjaegers had secured all the bridges and were consolidating their perimeter by 06.00. However, at Moerdijk the German attack went badly wrong. The Luftwaffe started attacking the Dutch positions at 04.00, and in accordance with standing orders the bridges were immediately demolished. An hour later, the first Fallschirmjaegers landed either side of the bridges. The small Dutch security force on the south side of the bridge was rapidly taken prisoner, but on the north side of the bridge it was a very different story. Around 300 Fallschirmjaeger were confronted by around 700 Dutch troops who were well equipped with machine guns and had a few light AA guns as well. The fight here rapidly degenerated into a stalemate.
Smaller groups of Fallschirmjaeger were also dropped around Leiden and The Hague, with the objective of seizing the Dutch government and Royal Family. They managed to seize the Valkenburg air force base, while the Ypenburg landings went much more poorly and the German force had been eliminated by the Dutch by lunchtime. Those at Ockenburg were forced off the airfield and into the dunes shortly afterwards.
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Any chance any of the allied airforces would be assigned to take out those bridges the German's got intact?
Have the Netherlands considered blowing the dikes, would it help slow the Germans?
Have the Netherlands considered blowing the dikes, would it help slow the Germans?
So far as bridges, the Anglo-French air forces have got far bigger problems coming their way right now - I haven't even mentioned the majority of the German forces advancing through Southern Belgium yet! As per OTL there will be a small number of attacks by RAF Blenheims from the UK against the airhead at Waalport, but the Dutch defensive plan requires the use of the bridges that the Germans have captured.
The defensive line the Dutch plan to use is shown below:
The only bridge across the Maas downstream of Gorinchem was that at Moerdijk, which the Dutch blew up as soon as the German attack started. Essentially the Germans can either attack Fortress Holland via the Airhead, or by one of the six fortified causeways crossing the flooded areas.
In OTL the paratroopers captured it, since the Dutch Colonel in charge of the defence had removed the wires to the charges in case it was blown by accident - they were relying on it to bring French reinforcements in to Fortress Holland via Breda. Since they aren't expecting the French ITTL and the Hollands Diep was a major part of their defensive line, the high command issued orders for the bridge to be blown immediately in the event of a German attack.
The defensive line the Dutch plan to use is shown below:
The only bridge across the Maas downstream of Gorinchem was that at Moerdijk, which the Dutch blew up as soon as the German attack started. Essentially the Germans can either attack Fortress Holland via the Airhead, or by one of the six fortified causeways crossing the flooded areas.
In OTL the paratroopers captured it, since the Dutch Colonel in charge of the defence had removed the wires to the charges in case it was blown by accident - they were relying on it to bring French reinforcements in to Fortress Holland via Breda. Since they aren't expecting the French ITTL and the Hollands Diep was a major part of their defensive line, the high command issued orders for the bridge to be blown immediately in the event of a German attack.
John Farson
Banned
If the Dutch could hold off just a little bit more than OTL, it could make a lot of difference in the end. I think they'll ultimately still fall, though. The Netherlands just doesn't have enough strategic depth.
That's why the Dutch originally decided to defend along the Peel-Raam line instead - from the Water Line the Germans are in artillery range of most of the Dutch cities. However, they could only do so with help from the French and if the Belgians were holding. Their revised defensive strategy is basically to hide behind the Water Line and hope the Germans ignore them and attack/are beaten by someone else instead.
10th May 1940
At 05.20, the first German gliders of the assault on Fort Eben Emael and the nearby bridges over the Albert Canal land at their objectives.
At Eben Emael itself, the 9 remaining gliders landed on top of the fort and started engaging the artillery bunkers covering the bridges over the Albert Canal. Within an hour all the 75mm bunkers had been destroyed or disabled, and the Fallschirmjäger troops dug in to repel attacks from within the fort until the advancing infantry could relieve them the following day.
The airborne attack on the bridges over the Albert Canal did less well. At Veldwezelt and Vroenhoven the German troops captured the bridges but were faced with multiple counterattacks and barely managed to hang on with support from Stukas.
At Canne, however, the German mechanised column supposed to relieve the Fallschirmjägers arrived early and the Belgians had time to blow the bridge before the gliders landed. The airborne assault went in anyway and succeeded in storming the Belgian positions, but took serious casualties from counterattacks and barely held on until relieved. Around a third of the attacking force was killed, and half of the rest were wounded.
At Eben Emael itself, the 9 remaining gliders landed on top of the fort and started engaging the artillery bunkers covering the bridges over the Albert Canal. Within an hour all the 75mm bunkers had been destroyed or disabled, and the Fallschirmjäger troops dug in to repel attacks from within the fort until the advancing infantry could relieve them the following day.
The airborne attack on the bridges over the Albert Canal did less well. At Veldwezelt and Vroenhoven the German troops captured the bridges but were faced with multiple counterattacks and barely managed to hang on with support from Stukas.
At Canne, however, the German mechanised column supposed to relieve the Fallschirmjägers arrived early and the Belgians had time to blow the bridge before the gliders landed. The airborne assault went in anyway and succeeded in storming the Belgian positions, but took serious casualties from counterattacks and barely held on until relieved. Around a third of the attacking force was killed, and half of the rest were wounded.
In the south of the country, around 300 German troops were inserted around Neufchâteau using Fiesler Storch aircraft in order to cut off Belgian reinforcements from the advancing Army Group A, advancing through Luxembourg towards southern Belgium.
The Belgian Air Force was crippled on the first morning of the war, with roughly half of their machines shot down or destroyed on the ground. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the overwhelming German superiority in quantity and quality, they were also mentally beaten with the average surviving aircraft flying only two sorties per week.
On the Allied side, Plan E was immediately implemented. The BEF and 7th Army advanced into Northern Belgium, with the first BEF units reaching the Scheldt Estuary by the evening of the 10th. Digging in starts immediately, while the Engineers set up obstacles and start preparing bridges for demolition.
Further South, reconnaissance units of the French 2nd Army are sent into Belgium to get further information on the German attack and ideally identify their main axis of advance. The rest of 2nd Army, however, does little beyond recalling those on leave and sending out some artillery observers into Belgium where appropriate.
Further South, reconnaissance units of the French 2nd Army are sent into Belgium to get further information on the German attack and ideally identify their main axis of advance. The rest of 2nd Army, however, does little beyond recalling those on leave and sending out some artillery observers into Belgium where appropriate.
For the first time in 13 years the Menin gate was not closed to traffic at 8pm. 2nd Battalion, the Royal Sussex Regiment was marching through at the time as their transport had been temporarily assigned to I Corps. B Company were just approaching as the first notes of The Last Post rang out, and the Major in command issued the order "Eyes Right". 2 Royal Sussex had been part of the "Contemptible Little Army" of 1914 and fought at both the 1st and 3rd Battles of Ypres, and the CSM of B Company had fought there himself. Not a man in B company was without a lump in his throat as they marched through the gate and on past the Potijze cemetery where many of their comrades were buried.
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Glad you asked. This is my favorite What If:
For fighters, by the end of 1940.
Full replacement of the MS.406 squadrons with D-520 squadrons, which will become the backbone of the Armee L'Air for a couple of years. As the MS.406s are replaced, they can be upgraded to MS.410s. More MB 152s (upgraded to MB 155s). Perhaps the P-40 makes a big showing by the end of 1940, too (not just the P-36s).
1941
Arsenal VG-39 and MB 157.
Bombers:
MB 174 supplants the AM 143 machines.
1941
MB 178
1942
MB 162 4-engine bomber
Thanks. All OTL apart from the scene at the Menin gate (although 2 Royal Sussex would have been there at about that time, and the WW1 stuff is OTL). I'm going there in 2 weeks time in fact, and I'll be visiting Potijze cemetery where I'm 95% certain a relative of mine is buried on the same trip.
Next update will be some point over the weekend (hopefully) and cover the Fallschirmjägers in Holland on the afternoon of the 10th. Things are gradually diverging from OTL, with so far (and somewhat to my surprise) the biggest changes being in Holland.
Next update will be some point over the weekend (hopefully) and cover the Fallschirmjägers in Holland on the afternoon of the 10th. Things are gradually diverging from OTL, with so far (and somewhat to my surprise) the biggest changes being in Holland.
Thanks. Some of that will happen, some won't (I've got a sketched plan for what they'll order thanks to some very kind help from Archibald). One of the big problems is actually building the aircraft they want - that's why they bought so many Curtiss fighters, because that's what was available for delivery.
However, until the winter of 1940/41 they won't have the opportunity to cancel some things and shift production about - they're in the situation the British were in OTL in July and August 1940. They need weapons, NOW, no matter how poor the performance or the fact that they could build much better ones in a month or two. As the fighting dies down that'll change.
Incidentally, this is also why you'll see the British with much more advanced kit - an awful lot was ready for summer 1940 OTL, but was delayed going into production due to the 1-2 month hiatus it would have caused. If the invasion had actually happened, that would have been deadly.
Thought that was an excellent scene. I've seen the ceremony at the Menin Gate once and it was very moving.
Keep up the good work.
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