Spain was full on Communist by 1918, as to China and Russia, yeah I left that vage for a reason. The only mistake I really see is Poland, it should be where the border of OTL Poland and Soviet Union following the end of the Soviet-Polish War. Other that it looks great. Again thanks for the work.
A New Balance
- Thread starter Jim Smitty
- Start date
Going Big
Glasgow
Royal Navy Offices
February 15 1938
“What the bloody hell!” The Third Sea Lord of the British Admiralty stated after being briefed on a new design study. “That’s larger than some of our light cruisers.”
During the Great War, the United States Navy and Kaiserliche Marine did something that no other alliance that the British had fought in their vast history. They had cut the British off from their vast colonial empire and the merchant trade that was the life blood of the empire. It was for that reason the British had decided to throw in the towel and seek terms in the Great War instead of fight on like they had done in the past after being defeated on the continent. The way the USN and KM had defeated the Royal Navy was not with their battlelines even through there had been battles between their heavy units, no it was the submarine that had proven to be the deadliest foe to the British.
Ever since the British had tried to slow and delay the development of submarines and generally limit everyone from having the one weapon which could defeat them. Yet other than efforts at Boston Naval Conference these efforts had failed. Even now their intelligence services were pointing to serious efforts by the USN and KM, and lesser efforts by the French and Italians are large 3 to 4,000 ton submarines mounting 8.3 inch or larger guns. Yet this design study out did them all and by a wide margin.
The British viewed the Americans as their most dangerous foe. The Germans weren’t too far behind, but it was the Americans that was viewed as most direct threat to the Empire. The USN and RN were largely the same size even through the US was putting far less of their overall budget into their Navy than the British were. Currently the USN was having to balance both the RN and IJN. The British through were picking up signs that the US was about to really kick up its naval building programs up a few knots. The British knew that they and the Japanese couldn’t keep up if these programs were as large as their fortune tellers in trends intelligence were saying they would be.
Yet the young commander stood his ground in face of the surprised Third Naval Lord, “Sir, this is the only way we can get aircraft to hit the American locks on their canal in Panama. Their defenses around the canal is simply impossible to get our H Class[1] close enough to engage the locks with their guns. The Americans will blast any submarine out of the water with their 16.5 inch guns at the forts guarding the canal. Never mind if they upgrade to their 18 inchers or heaven forbid that new 20 inch gun we have been hearing rumors about. If we were to use a submarine aircraft carrier that displaces around 8,500 tons surfaced we can get torpedoes on target and give us enough time to defeat the American Atlantic Fleet while the Japanese deal with the American Pacific Fleet. This way we can force them to come to our terms this time.”
The Third Naval Lord was well aware that H Class had no hope of attacking the canal with her main gun, but this was insane. Then again, they might be able to work, but with so many unknowns it was hard to give a green light to such a big submarine. “Commander do you have any idea how many submarines would be needed to be built to make sure the canal is destroyed?
“Four to six, assuming we get four aircraft per submarine.”
The Third Naval Lord sat there in thought for a moment. This project had too many unknowns at the moment to green light, but it also had a lot of promise if it could prove to work. “Commander start work on a scale down version as we see if our industry can make an aircraft that is powerful enough to carry a torpedo and be a useful design.” If they could we would make this big bastard and strike at the heart of America for a change if we were forced into war with them.
[1] They got a single 13.5/45 naval gun as their primary weapon, along with torpedoes.
Royal Navy Offices
February 15 1938
“What the bloody hell!” The Third Sea Lord of the British Admiralty stated after being briefed on a new design study. “That’s larger than some of our light cruisers.”
During the Great War, the United States Navy and Kaiserliche Marine did something that no other alliance that the British had fought in their vast history. They had cut the British off from their vast colonial empire and the merchant trade that was the life blood of the empire. It was for that reason the British had decided to throw in the towel and seek terms in the Great War instead of fight on like they had done in the past after being defeated on the continent. The way the USN and KM had defeated the Royal Navy was not with their battlelines even through there had been battles between their heavy units, no it was the submarine that had proven to be the deadliest foe to the British.
Ever since the British had tried to slow and delay the development of submarines and generally limit everyone from having the one weapon which could defeat them. Yet other than efforts at Boston Naval Conference these efforts had failed. Even now their intelligence services were pointing to serious efforts by the USN and KM, and lesser efforts by the French and Italians are large 3 to 4,000 ton submarines mounting 8.3 inch or larger guns. Yet this design study out did them all and by a wide margin.
The British viewed the Americans as their most dangerous foe. The Germans weren’t too far behind, but it was the Americans that was viewed as most direct threat to the Empire. The USN and RN were largely the same size even through the US was putting far less of their overall budget into their Navy than the British were. Currently the USN was having to balance both the RN and IJN. The British through were picking up signs that the US was about to really kick up its naval building programs up a few knots. The British knew that they and the Japanese couldn’t keep up if these programs were as large as their fortune tellers in trends intelligence were saying they would be.
Yet the young commander stood his ground in face of the surprised Third Naval Lord, “Sir, this is the only way we can get aircraft to hit the American locks on their canal in Panama. Their defenses around the canal is simply impossible to get our H Class[1] close enough to engage the locks with their guns. The Americans will blast any submarine out of the water with their 16.5 inch guns at the forts guarding the canal. Never mind if they upgrade to their 18 inchers or heaven forbid that new 20 inch gun we have been hearing rumors about. If we were to use a submarine aircraft carrier that displaces around 8,500 tons surfaced we can get torpedoes on target and give us enough time to defeat the American Atlantic Fleet while the Japanese deal with the American Pacific Fleet. This way we can force them to come to our terms this time.”
The Third Naval Lord was well aware that H Class had no hope of attacking the canal with her main gun, but this was insane. Then again, they might be able to work, but with so many unknowns it was hard to give a green light to such a big submarine. “Commander do you have any idea how many submarines would be needed to be built to make sure the canal is destroyed?
“Four to six, assuming we get four aircraft per submarine.”
The Third Naval Lord sat there in thought for a moment. This project had too many unknowns at the moment to green light, but it also had a lot of promise if it could prove to work. “Commander start work on a scale down version as we see if our industry can make an aircraft that is powerful enough to carry a torpedo and be a useful design.” If they could we would make this big bastard and strike at the heart of America for a change if we were forced into war with them.
[1] They got a single 13.5/45 naval gun as their primary weapon, along with torpedoes.
Try I 400 class on riods is the design study that was covered. As to the scale down version, its unknown at the moment.
Getting four of those to within striking distance of a vulnerable part of the canal would require immense good luck. It could only work in a surprise attack, however approaching the eastern end of the canal means traversing quite restricted waters and, at least according to wiki, the handling characteristics of the I-400 sucked on the surface and were even worse underwater. A lot of the approach would need to be on the surface, they could run on the surface at night and submerge by day but it would take a very long time to get there. To put the canal out of commission you'd need to destroy both sets of locks at any one point, knocking out one set slows things down but does not close everything down. Those locks are huge & solid, it would take a lot of luck for a bomb to hit the gates and wreck them - a very small target. I also wonder how, during peacetime, the UK will be able to conceal the construction of those subs, special aircraft etc from US/German intelligence.
Four subs with four seaplane bombers a pop, likely with bombs that might cause minor damage and get the subs sunk before they can get out of the area?
Yeah, I mean, that'll serve as a DOW, but I forsee the damage being so light that the RN will be a joke for awhile. That will of course eventually surprise someone rudely, but unless the bombs are biological or radiological, not much will go the RN's way.
Craig
Banned
The UK is gonna need a Isoroku Yamamoto to point out that they had BETTER defeat the United States almost immediately, lest they "...awaken a great, sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."
There is nothing quite like solidifying the wall of distrust by making your enemy hate you after delivering a sucker-punch. It's a shame. It didn't have to be this way.
Just edited and re-uploaded my 1918 map to fix the border of Bulgaria and to fix things in China.
Anyways, I'm also currently working on the 1937 map. Should be up soon.
Anyways, I'm also currently working on the 1937 map. Should be up soon.
Proof of Concept
Rostock
Submarine Yards
March 4 1938
Korvettenkapitan Adolf Heydrich was walking across the plank to reach the pier his submarine was currently tied to. It was known simply as the V-90. The submarine itself wasn’t a commissioned ship within the Kaiserliche Marine. It was a proof of concept design of a number of new ideas of submarine design and technology. The V-90 wasn’t meant to go into combat and wasn’t even armed. It’s legs were too short for combat anyways with just over 100 kilometers. However, the Kaiserliche Marine was still looking to the V-90 as a possible future in submarine designs. Yet it had a crew of four members of the Kaiserliche Marine for the testing it was being put through.
“Sir, I’m buying it. It handles better than my 190 Roadster[1].” Heydrich said to his commanding officer.
His commander only laughed, “I don’t think you have enough money Adolf.” He knew Heydrich came from a rich family but doubt he had enough money to pay for the V-90.
“Sir, when you are right, you are right sir. But she handles like a champ. I got her up to 29 knots at a depth of 60 meters before I had to start slowing down and surfacing.”
“29 knots?” his commander asked. If they could get a production run sub that could only reach 21 knots they would have a sub that would be a game changer in the North Sea and the Baltic. Even through the Kaiserliche Marine was a blue water navy, they knew full well that if they lost the control of either the North Sea or Baltic Sea they were doomed. They would never pass the British in terms of ship numbers. They needed an edge in something other if they were to defeat the British. It was why they were building so many long distance raiding battlecruisers because the life blood of the British was their merchant traffic.
“Yes sir, 29 knots. I have a feeling if could when faster if we had more hydrogen peroxide.”
“Very well korvettenkapitan I ran to see your report as soon as possible.”
[1] A BWM 319/1 Roadster is a good analog of what he is talking about.
Submarine Yards
March 4 1938
Korvettenkapitan Adolf Heydrich was walking across the plank to reach the pier his submarine was currently tied to. It was known simply as the V-90. The submarine itself wasn’t a commissioned ship within the Kaiserliche Marine. It was a proof of concept design of a number of new ideas of submarine design and technology. The V-90 wasn’t meant to go into combat and wasn’t even armed. It’s legs were too short for combat anyways with just over 100 kilometers. However, the Kaiserliche Marine was still looking to the V-90 as a possible future in submarine designs. Yet it had a crew of four members of the Kaiserliche Marine for the testing it was being put through.
“Sir, I’m buying it. It handles better than my 190 Roadster[1].” Heydrich said to his commanding officer.
His commander only laughed, “I don’t think you have enough money Adolf.” He knew Heydrich came from a rich family but doubt he had enough money to pay for the V-90.
“Sir, when you are right, you are right sir. But she handles like a champ. I got her up to 29 knots at a depth of 60 meters before I had to start slowing down and surfacing.”
“29 knots?” his commander asked. If they could get a production run sub that could only reach 21 knots they would have a sub that would be a game changer in the North Sea and the Baltic. Even through the Kaiserliche Marine was a blue water navy, they knew full well that if they lost the control of either the North Sea or Baltic Sea they were doomed. They would never pass the British in terms of ship numbers. They needed an edge in something other if they were to defeat the British. It was why they were building so many long distance raiding battlecruisers because the life blood of the British was their merchant traffic.
“Yes sir, 29 knots. I have a feeling if could when faster if we had more hydrogen peroxide.”
“Very well korvettenkapitan I ran to see your report as soon as possible.”
[1] A BWM 319/1 Roadster is a good analog of what he is talking about.
Third Base, Mexico
Mexico City
Foreign Ministry
March 3 1938
The flags of Mexico and Great Britain stood proudly on the flag post behind the tables. For the Mexicans they were giving this event all the pomp and circumstance they possibly could. They were making sure the protocol was being followed to the letter. This was a moment of great importance to their nation and they didn’t want anything to screw this up. Since the formation of the Third Federal Republic of Mexico at the end of the civil war they had been trying to show the world that Mexico wasn’t a laughing stock like it had been before it fell into the civil war or could be beaten like a redheaded step child like it had been beaten by the United States of America during the Second Mexican American War.
President Zapata had been working ever since he had became President for Life of Mexico to build Mexico into a nation the United States would had to respect instead of pushing it around like a kid brother. Even now the United States had shown little respect to Mexico. After all North America was the American playground. Then again Zapata and Mexico had given the United States little reason to show Mexico any form of respect. For Zapata he had wrote in his Green Book[1] one of the core ideas of the new Mexico would be Revanche soon after he came to power. For Zapata regaining what had been lost in the Second Mexican-American War had become the same as it had been for the French with Elsaß-Lothringen[2] had been prior to the Great War.
The British Foreign Minister Gordon Glen had travelled to Mexico City to finish the treaty negotiations that had been on going since late 1936. He was standing next to President Zapata as the two shook hands before they signed this treaty. This date had been chosen by the Mexicans as a fuck you to the United States. Chihuahua one of the pieces of territory Mexico lost during the Second Mexican American War was set to become the 52nd state[3] of the American Union tomorrow. The two men than step forward after to sign the treaty using golden pens. Following the signing they both made a toast using 100% agave tequila that was the best that Mexico had to offer. The tequila used in this toast ran at 5,000 Pesos a bottle[4].
Officially the treaty that was just signed known as the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation Between Great Britain and the Third Federal Republic of Mexico. The treaty itself was a very longwinded affair covering dozens of pages and articles. This was including a number of secret parts within the treaty. Even through the treaty didn’t make the British and Mexicans full allies, they weren’t far from being that under the terms of the treaty. Mexico really wanted to be allies with the British. Their political ideologies aligned and they both hated the United States of America. Yet the British were reluctance to give an alliance treaty to Mexico because the Mexican military was small and lacking in armament. British intelligence and their general staff viewed the Mexican Army as little more than a speed bump to the American military and the Mexican Navy and Air Force were even worse off than the Mexican Army was.
Mexico knew their military power was part of the reason they couldn’t get the alliance treaty they sought with the British. They had only in the past few years just stepped up to being a medium power again after recovering from their civil war and the second war with the Yankees. They knew they needed to grow their military power and a sizable chunk of this treaty dealt with British military aid to Mexico on top of economic matters covered under this treaty.
Under the terms of the treaty the British would give the Mexicans technologic help to get their Mondragon Rifle[5] to work. Besides that the British would help the Mexicans improve their artillery branch which at the moment was a hodge pog of different guns by different nations with some artillery pieces currently dating from France in 1880s. Their small arms were better off than their artillery and if they could get the Mondragon to work everything would come together for them, well in their minds anyways, the British weren’t as sure. Further for the army the British agreed to supply some older armor cars and light goliaths to allow the Mexicans to get use to operating AFVs. Further for the army the British started an exchange program to allow a few Mexicans to train at the Royal Military Academies at Woolwich and Sandhurst. They spoke about allowing some Mexicans to go to higher level military education in the British Isles but that didn’t happen in this treaty.
For the navy the British agreed to hand over six coastal submarines for the Mexican Navy. Further they would train the crews for these submarines. Further the Royal Navy hand over a number of small surface ships[6] to the Mexican Navy to allow them to start training sailors on how to operate ships larger the small gun boats currently operated by the Mexican Navy. The air force would be reequipped with new fighter, dive bombers, and other aircraft to make them a semi-modern air force instead of a flying club like it was at the moment. Both the Mexican Navy and Air Force would start an exchange to allow Mexican cadets to be trained in the British Isles.
[1] Think a sane version of Mein Kampf parts dealing with political ideology and future plans. It’s basically to give Mexicans something to buy into.
[2] France have come to accepted that Alsace-Lorraine is German dirt along with what they lost in the Great War and internationally now Alsace-Lorraine is generally called Elsaß-Lothringen.
[3] 49th Cuba, 50th Sonora, 51st Puerto Rico, basically the US has grown a lot ITL, but only a few more states have been added because of the need to be Americanized or have their population to grow, sometimes both. Puerto Rico became the 51st state back in late 37.
[4] I’m not sure of the value of the Mexican Peso at this point in OTL history, so I really don’t have a good idea how to judge the value of the ITL Mexican Peso, but I’m saying this is top shelf tequila that at a liquid store you would have to order as it cost that much.
[5] I’m up for names to call it, but yeah the OTL Mondragon Rifle.
[6] In total 14 ships would be handed over to the Mexican Navy, minesweepers, sloops, and a few tenders. This isn’t counting the submarines being handed over to the Mexicans.
Foreign Ministry
March 3 1938
The flags of Mexico and Great Britain stood proudly on the flag post behind the tables. For the Mexicans they were giving this event all the pomp and circumstance they possibly could. They were making sure the protocol was being followed to the letter. This was a moment of great importance to their nation and they didn’t want anything to screw this up. Since the formation of the Third Federal Republic of Mexico at the end of the civil war they had been trying to show the world that Mexico wasn’t a laughing stock like it had been before it fell into the civil war or could be beaten like a redheaded step child like it had been beaten by the United States of America during the Second Mexican American War.
President Zapata had been working ever since he had became President for Life of Mexico to build Mexico into a nation the United States would had to respect instead of pushing it around like a kid brother. Even now the United States had shown little respect to Mexico. After all North America was the American playground. Then again Zapata and Mexico had given the United States little reason to show Mexico any form of respect. For Zapata he had wrote in his Green Book[1] one of the core ideas of the new Mexico would be Revanche soon after he came to power. For Zapata regaining what had been lost in the Second Mexican-American War had become the same as it had been for the French with Elsaß-Lothringen[2] had been prior to the Great War.
The British Foreign Minister Gordon Glen had travelled to Mexico City to finish the treaty negotiations that had been on going since late 1936. He was standing next to President Zapata as the two shook hands before they signed this treaty. This date had been chosen by the Mexicans as a fuck you to the United States. Chihuahua one of the pieces of territory Mexico lost during the Second Mexican American War was set to become the 52nd state[3] of the American Union tomorrow. The two men than step forward after to sign the treaty using golden pens. Following the signing they both made a toast using 100% agave tequila that was the best that Mexico had to offer. The tequila used in this toast ran at 5,000 Pesos a bottle[4].
Officially the treaty that was just signed known as the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation Between Great Britain and the Third Federal Republic of Mexico. The treaty itself was a very longwinded affair covering dozens of pages and articles. This was including a number of secret parts within the treaty. Even through the treaty didn’t make the British and Mexicans full allies, they weren’t far from being that under the terms of the treaty. Mexico really wanted to be allies with the British. Their political ideologies aligned and they both hated the United States of America. Yet the British were reluctance to give an alliance treaty to Mexico because the Mexican military was small and lacking in armament. British intelligence and their general staff viewed the Mexican Army as little more than a speed bump to the American military and the Mexican Navy and Air Force were even worse off than the Mexican Army was.
Mexico knew their military power was part of the reason they couldn’t get the alliance treaty they sought with the British. They had only in the past few years just stepped up to being a medium power again after recovering from their civil war and the second war with the Yankees. They knew they needed to grow their military power and a sizable chunk of this treaty dealt with British military aid to Mexico on top of economic matters covered under this treaty.
Under the terms of the treaty the British would give the Mexicans technologic help to get their Mondragon Rifle[5] to work. Besides that the British would help the Mexicans improve their artillery branch which at the moment was a hodge pog of different guns by different nations with some artillery pieces currently dating from France in 1880s. Their small arms were better off than their artillery and if they could get the Mondragon to work everything would come together for them, well in their minds anyways, the British weren’t as sure. Further for the army the British agreed to supply some older armor cars and light goliaths to allow the Mexicans to get use to operating AFVs. Further for the army the British started an exchange program to allow a few Mexicans to train at the Royal Military Academies at Woolwich and Sandhurst. They spoke about allowing some Mexicans to go to higher level military education in the British Isles but that didn’t happen in this treaty.
For the navy the British agreed to hand over six coastal submarines for the Mexican Navy. Further they would train the crews for these submarines. Further the Royal Navy hand over a number of small surface ships[6] to the Mexican Navy to allow them to start training sailors on how to operate ships larger the small gun boats currently operated by the Mexican Navy. The air force would be reequipped with new fighter, dive bombers, and other aircraft to make them a semi-modern air force instead of a flying club like it was at the moment. Both the Mexican Navy and Air Force would start an exchange to allow Mexican cadets to be trained in the British Isles.
[1] Think a sane version of Mein Kampf parts dealing with political ideology and future plans. It’s basically to give Mexicans something to buy into.
[2] France have come to accepted that Alsace-Lorraine is German dirt along with what they lost in the Great War and internationally now Alsace-Lorraine is generally called Elsaß-Lothringen.
[3] 49th Cuba, 50th Sonora, 51st Puerto Rico, basically the US has grown a lot ITL, but only a few more states have been added because of the need to be Americanized or have their population to grow, sometimes both. Puerto Rico became the 51st state back in late 37.
[4] I’m not sure of the value of the Mexican Peso at this point in OTL history, so I really don’t have a good idea how to judge the value of the ITL Mexican Peso, but I’m saying this is top shelf tequila that at a liquid store you would have to order as it cost that much.
[5] I’m up for names to call it, but yeah the OTL Mondragon Rifle.
[6] In total 14 ships would be handed over to the Mexican Navy, minesweepers, sloops, and a few tenders. This isn’t counting the submarines being handed over to the Mexicans.
Given the state of the Mexican Navy, it will take quite some time before those coastal submarines will be safe, let alone combat effective with all Mexican crews. It will be several years before any of them can do without a large portion of the crew not being RN sailors wearing Mexican Navy uniforms. I trust the way that would work is that selected Mexican sailors and officers would go to the RN for training, practice cruising around and operating the sub before sailing to Mexico with a mixed crew. Wash and dry x5 more times.
If the subs are delivered at once to Mexico, this would mean a large RN training group going there which would piss the Americans off even more. The Mexican Army and Air Force on their own are no threat to the USA, however 6 coastal subs in the Gulf of Mexico & Caribbean would be a real nuisance for the USN.
If the subs are delivered at once to Mexico, this would mean a large RN training group going there which would piss the Americans off even more. The Mexican Army and Air Force on their own are no threat to the USA, however 6 coastal subs in the Gulf of Mexico & Caribbean would be a real nuisance for the USN.
Admiral Halsey
Banned
Honestly the more I think about it how would the U.K. expect to win a war against the US? Mexico would be almost nothing more then a speed bump even if it gets its army at decent quality. The manpower and resource advantage by the US is just to much. Out of curiosity does the alliance with Japan mean going to war if the other does no matter the situation or just in a defensive war?
Abandon Ship, Yangtze
SMS Meteor
Yangtze River
March 21 1938
Since the end of the Boxer War in the early 20th century the Yangtze River had been patrolled not by the Chinese Navy but foreign navies. At first it had been patrolled by the Americans, British, French, Germans, Italians, and Japanese. However, the French and Italian patrols had ended during the Great War as they pulled back on the world stage for a number of reasons. Both the American and German patrols had been forced to stop during the Great War as neither had the power to project into China at the time with far more pressing matters closer to home. Yet soon after the signing of the Treaty of New York, both the United States Navy and Kaiserliche Marine had ordered new gunboats to restart their patrols on the Yangtze River.
Many in the diplomatic community viewed the Yangtze as one of the possible flash points for the next Great War. During the aftermath of the Great War, some effort was made to negate this. At the Bern Naval Conference it proved to be a bridge too far to gap. At the Boston Naval Conference an agreement about patrol of the Yangtze was in reach but only for it to crumble with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. After the failure of the London Naval Conference no one even tried anymore to end the threat of the Yangtze. Yet for many of the sailors on the Yangtze they spent more time fighting difference Chinese Warlords than dealing with the others patrolling the Yangtze.
The Meteor was one of a number of river gunboats operated by the Kaiserliche Marine on the Yangtze. She was a 567 ton design armed with a pair of 7.5 cm L/36 guns and 10 7.92 mm machine guns. When you spent most of your time dealing with pissed of Chinamen that was good enough. Yet now as the Meteor was returning of German China travelling with this year’s payment for the Boxer Indemnity after picking it up from Wuhan, they were finding this wasn’t enough to deal with a well off military force.
“All head flank! Open fire on those fucking Japs with everything we have!” Screamed the XO of the Meteor. The Kapitänleutnant was newly assigned to the Meteor after working on the S-Boats in the Baltic for a number of years. Normally the captain would be performing the task the Kapitänleutnant was at the moment, but he was already dead. In the first bombing run by the Japanese the Captain of the Meteor had caught a piece of shrapnel in the neck and had quickly bled out.
The Japanese had returned after their first run 85 minutes prior. They were dropping bombs again even through the Germans had their flags flying proudly and it painted on their ship’s deck. “Hard to starboard!” the Kapitänleutnant called in effort to miss the bombs being dropped by the Japanese. Yet the Japanese had brought more bombers this time. His efforts were in vain. A pair of 60 kilogram bombs stuck the Meteor and rocked the ship.
As the Kapitänleutnant picked himself back up after being knocked to the deck he looked back to see flames raising from his command. He tried to call his engineering department to get an understand how bad the damage was only to find out the phone system was dead. It meant the ship didn’t have power. As he put the phone back down he noticed the ship was listing to port. “Abandon Ship!”
Yangtze River
March 21 1938
Since the end of the Boxer War in the early 20th century the Yangtze River had been patrolled not by the Chinese Navy but foreign navies. At first it had been patrolled by the Americans, British, French, Germans, Italians, and Japanese. However, the French and Italian patrols had ended during the Great War as they pulled back on the world stage for a number of reasons. Both the American and German patrols had been forced to stop during the Great War as neither had the power to project into China at the time with far more pressing matters closer to home. Yet soon after the signing of the Treaty of New York, both the United States Navy and Kaiserliche Marine had ordered new gunboats to restart their patrols on the Yangtze River.
Many in the diplomatic community viewed the Yangtze as one of the possible flash points for the next Great War. During the aftermath of the Great War, some effort was made to negate this. At the Bern Naval Conference it proved to be a bridge too far to gap. At the Boston Naval Conference an agreement about patrol of the Yangtze was in reach but only for it to crumble with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. After the failure of the London Naval Conference no one even tried anymore to end the threat of the Yangtze. Yet for many of the sailors on the Yangtze they spent more time fighting difference Chinese Warlords than dealing with the others patrolling the Yangtze.
The Meteor was one of a number of river gunboats operated by the Kaiserliche Marine on the Yangtze. She was a 567 ton design armed with a pair of 7.5 cm L/36 guns and 10 7.92 mm machine guns. When you spent most of your time dealing with pissed of Chinamen that was good enough. Yet now as the Meteor was returning of German China travelling with this year’s payment for the Boxer Indemnity after picking it up from Wuhan, they were finding this wasn’t enough to deal with a well off military force.
“All head flank! Open fire on those fucking Japs with everything we have!” Screamed the XO of the Meteor. The Kapitänleutnant was newly assigned to the Meteor after working on the S-Boats in the Baltic for a number of years. Normally the captain would be performing the task the Kapitänleutnant was at the moment, but he was already dead. In the first bombing run by the Japanese the Captain of the Meteor had caught a piece of shrapnel in the neck and had quickly bled out.
The Japanese had returned after their first run 85 minutes prior. They were dropping bombs again even through the Germans had their flags flying proudly and it painted on their ship’s deck. “Hard to starboard!” the Kapitänleutnant called in effort to miss the bombs being dropped by the Japanese. Yet the Japanese had brought more bombers this time. His efforts were in vain. A pair of 60 kilogram bombs stuck the Meteor and rocked the ship.
As the Kapitänleutnant picked himself back up after being knocked to the deck he looked back to see flames raising from his command. He tried to call his engineering department to get an understand how bad the damage was only to find out the phone system was dead. It meant the ship didn’t have power. As he put the phone back down he noticed the ship was listing to port. “Abandon Ship!”
Instead of the Panay it is the Meteor. If the money is now sitting at the bottom of the Yangtze I wonder who will try and salvage it. This makes any indemnity that would be demanded by the Germans even more. The Japanese are making the mistake of pissing off the Germans at the same time the Americans are less than pleased at them - not a good combination for the Japanese to deal with. With the USA having dealt with the Central/South American conflict for the moment they can turn there attention to the Pacific. The British?mexico situation will not even approach being a threat for quite some time so...