A New Balance

[Jim Smitty]

USS Langley, CV-21
North Atlantic
February 8 1939


Vice Admiral Armbruster was currently listening to his task force’s meteorology officer. This report by the met officer was not giving him much hope to keep air operations going on today. His strike force had just return from attacking the limeys with the first air strike of the day. There was still enough time for a second strike today without having to pull the crazy stunt he had to pull yesterday. The first strike hadn’t didn’t find the battleships that the British have supporting their invasion of Iceland. Instead they found a cruiser squadron that was supporting the battleships and sunk 3 light cruisers and damaged another 2 light cruiser. But Armbruster wanted to finish off the remaining capital ships of the British Fleet that they have sortied to take Iceland and Greenland before Vice Admiral Samuel Greene and his battleships could do it.


“Admiral the front is moving in faster than we projected. With sustained winds of 70 to 80 knots it will be possible to launch a strike but it will be outright impossible to land it. Given the sea state I doubt even the battlewagons will be able to go at it.”


“You told me yesterday this front wasn’t going to move in till the 9th!” Armbruster wasn’t happy. He wanted to get the British more than the black eye that he had given them so far.


“Sir, metrology isn’t not an exact science. Something has happened that has moved this front forward faster than we thought it would.[1]”


Armbruster turned and walked to walk to the edge of the bridge. There he looked out at the window and he could see the signs of a storm on the horizon. He knew what to look for from a life time at sea. But it still rubbed him the wrong way that he couldn’t finish off the British here. But he already had taken a major bite out of the British and he decided it would be best to retire now and save his air group for another day. “Orders for the task force, Air operations is to end at 1500 today. We are to head back to Halifax.”


[1] The US doesn’t know about or understand the Jet Stream.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Geneva
Undisclosed Location
February 9 1939


The OGPU was the largest intelligence service in the world. It was larger than the US ONI, the German MIS, and the British SS put together. That was no easy feat as all three intelligence services in those nations were large and active. The problem was the turnover rate through. Many officers in the OGPU foreign branch ended up facing a secret trial and firing squad. This was because they had become corrupted by foreign ways. Then again they were also having far higher levels of standard of living than that they would see in the Soviet Union. What generally happened was they would get use to these higher standard of living than what they were used to in the Soviet Union and it would start effecting their reports. This would be noticed by The Center in Moscow who would recall these officers to Moscow for a promotion or something else of that nature to make it seem that nothing bad would happen. But it would end generally in the death of these officers. Yet there was never a shortage of people willing to take these billets either.


Also unlike other intelligence services around the world the OGPU was far more willing to perform wet work. More often than not this wet work would be targeted at the Russian and Ukrainian Exile Community to keep the chances of a counter-revolution as dead as the dodo. Even through it was rare they were willing to target setting members of foreign governments which they had decided to were to hostile to advance their own causes. They generally through made it look like a natural death wherever possible when they decided to do this. Yet they also have rare cases which they had made it look like other governments did it. This was the rare of the rare through.


For what the OGPU they had decided on the most rare. Everyone in Moscow could see the writing on the wall, the meat shield wasn’t serving its job. Austria-Hungary was to be the Soviet Union’s meat shield and take up the bulk of the German military’s fire power and bodies to allow the Red Army march into the area formally known as Poland[1] with little resistance from Germany. Yet anyone with a half of brain knew that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was falling apart and quickly. The Soviet Union via the OGPU had a number of agents within the Austro-Hungarian Empire and they knew better than most that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was in its death throws at the moment. This was something they couldn’t allow to happen. So they decided they needed another meat shield and Switzerland would do. They were already planning on bringing the joys of Marxism to the whole of Europe so why not weaken the bourgeoise in one of the nations they were already planning on bring the joys of Marxism to.


At this OGPU safe house there were 5 Soviet intelligence officers. They were all wearing uniforms of the Cantonal Police of the Canton of Geneva. They had a stolen Cantonal Police car which they were using for this mission. They were all armed with German designed MP-17 submachine guns that were Swiss made. The ammo load through wasn’t Swiss approved through. The Cantonal Police didn’t use hollow point ammo. They instead normally used full medal jacket ammo. On rare moments they would use armor piecing ammo if needed, but this was rare. Hollow point ammo was totally against the rules of the Cantonal Police yet they were using as it was far more deadly than FMJ ammo. For their targets they had to make sure they killed them.


The leader of this OGPU unit looked at his wristwatch, “Mount up!” He said in French. “And remember No Russian!” The team was on the young side so he needed to remind them not to speak Russian on this critical mission. A mission that had been approved by the highest levels within the Soviet Union.


[1] Its generally known as New Germany now.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Geneva
Coffee Shop
February 9 1939


First Secretary Markus von Gabriel was currently waiting for someone. He had come here after making sure he hadn’t been followed by the Swiss BfP or other parties who would want to know about this meeting and what was happening in this meeting. For First Secretary von Gabriel of the German Embassy this was the second meeting that had been held like this since the German Empire had been contacted. It was hoped by the foreign office that this would lead to the final nail in coffin that would send the Austro-Hungarian Empire to its long overdue grave. There was only one problem through, the Hungarians themselves.


The first meeting between Germany and the Hungarians who wanted to break Hungary off the failing nation that was Austria-Hungary had been less than productive. The Hungarians wanted to keep all the Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen along with the jointly ruled areas of Bosnia and what was Serbia and they wanted to add a piece of Cisleithania, Bukovina. This was simply unacceptable to Berlin. Granted Berlin’s aims were solely in Cisleithania, but Berlins allies had aims that included parts of the Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen. Berlin was not about to screw three different allies along with their own aims to appease the Hungarians and allow them break out of the walking corpse that was the Austro-Hungarian Empire.


Even through the Romanians hated the Bulgarians and the other way around, Berlin wanted to see both of their allies awarded for their part in this war to keep problems down in the aftermath of this war. Agreements had already been made with both nations over the spoils of the war. Romanian would be awarded Transylvania and Bukovina with the Bulgarians being awarded Serbia in the event of war with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Berlin that bluntly informed the Hungarians that fact. Further the people in the foreign office really were that keen on the idea of the Hungarians having a sea port on the Adriatic for a host of reasons.


Germany had their eyes on taking the port of Trieste and having a port on Adriatic. With the port on the Adriatic Germany could trade with nations in the Mediterranean far better than they currently could. The problem was the Italians wanted Trieste as well. This was a topic that had come up in the aftermath of the raise of Adriano Lucciano and the collapse of German Austro-Hungarian relations in the early to mid 1920s as the alliance map was changing to reflect the shifting goals in the aftermath of the Great War. The Germans have promised the Italians the return of Veneto which was to be expected between any war between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but Germany has promised a host of other territories in Europe to the Italians to have the Italians being ok with the Germans annexing Trieste and making it Berlin’s port in the Adriatic. Veneto would be extended to the River Tagliamento which would push the Veneto’s borders to the east. Besides that there was the promise of Trentino, Dalmatia, and Istria from Cisleithania. However, to make up for Germany annexing Trieste, Germany promised Italy the rights to annex Fiume, Krk, and the other Hungarian ruled islands in the Adriatic. These lands however belong to the Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen which the Hungarians were fighting to keep in its current form.


After a few more sips of his coffee, the man von Gabriel was waiting for took his seat at the table he was sitting at. Before von Gabriel could say more than hello, the waiter was there to take the new man’s order. After the waiter was gone von Gabriel spoke, “So has your friends Budapest given thoughts to our counter offer?”


“Yes we have, and its simply unacceptable.” Second Secretary Marcell Ferko said. He was currently assigned to the Austro-Hungarian Embassy to Switzerland and the point man in these talks for the people in Budapest who wanted to form their own nation freed of the wreck that was Vienna. “We will drop our demands for Bukovina and even Serbia. However, the Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen and Bosnia are unmovable.”


They were in the back concur of the coffee shop so they could speak freer than they could otherwise. They when on for a few more moments with von Gabriel finishing his sentence with a Latin phase. “Pacta sunt servanda.” In trying to make the Hungarians that they had already given their word on handing over these territories to allies in the event of war with Austria-Hungary.


However both men heard the door open and they both looked up to see five heavily armed members of the Geneva Cantonal Police walk into the coffee shop they were at. The topic of the two diplomatic quickly changed to something that wasn’t as serious which was the local hockey team. The police officers made their way back to where the two men were sitting. The lead officer spoke, “Papers please.”


Ferko who was closer to the two officers handed him them his papers. They were diplomatic papers and got the local police to generally leave you alone no matter where in the world you were. However the lead officer looked please, “Its them.”


At that the lead officer stepped back. Then you heard the sound of five different MP-17 all being cocked just before one of the Geneva Cantonal Police Officers opened fire. The hail of 9 mm ammo quickly killed the two diplomats. Yet this wasn’t good enough for these officers, they unloaded their whole 32 round magazines into the two diplomats. Once their bolts fell forward as their magazines were empty they reloaded them as they started to leave the bloody mess they have created behind them.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Berlin
Leipziger Straße 5
February 11 1939


With this war spanning five of the seven continents and not even being a month old yet was making keeping track of things hard or even the tidiest of minds. As to the six and seventh continents, many viewed it as a matter of time before the Imperial Federation will be dragged into this war kicking and screaming, but Antarctica wasn’t worth neither the time nor effort for fighting to take place there. It was why this office at Leipziger Straße 5 was set up, to keep track of the massive amount of information coming in from around the world. It was also why in the sea of German military uniforms there were two men who stood out. They were wearing American military uniforms, one was in Army Blues[1] and the other was in the more standard Naval Whites.


The two Americans had been part of the American military attaché program attached to the embassy in Berlin prior to the war. Now however they had become the forward element of a joint system to help plan this war between the world’s first and second largest economies[2]. The idea was to have communications at the highest levels so the two can work together and support each other in what was already shaping up to be a war to the death. After what happened in the aftermath of the last war, it was wishful thinking to view how the end of this war would be fought. It was why this system was being set up, to make sure the other side lost this damn war.


Currently both Germany and the United States both had more senior officers in transit to take over this role, but for the moment, the attachés in both nations were serving this role. Currently the two Americans were looking at the European map table, “So when will Denmark come to its senses?” the American army officer asked as he studied the map.


“At this point its anyone’s guess.” Replied one of the German officers with this small group. In the aftermath of the ultimatum presented to the Danish on the 8th the Danish government collapsed. The Danes have been in a coalition government at the time and the two major parties that were the bulk of that coalition sharply disagreed with how to move forward with the ultimatum that Foreign Minister von Lettow-Vorbeck gave them. One party was for accepting the terms as is, the other wanted to talk for better terms but reject key parts of the ultimatum. Notably the stationing of German troops on Danish soil. This disagreement caused the collapse of the Pontus Ministry. This in turn caused the Danish to have no answer for the Germans by the time the deadline for the ultimatum came. The Germans invaded Denmark yesterday, but fighting only lasted for hours before King Christian X had order the Danish military to lay down their arms. Casualties were light on both sides with only a few dozen dead and maybe 100 or so wounded.


Germany was currently being light handed in Denmark and trying to see how the Danish politicians would react to the new reality. Currently a single reservist infantry corp was in Denmark with the Luftstreitkräfte looking at where to set up its new fighter bases in Denmark. But Germany was let the Danish maintain control over its internal affairs with the hopes the Danish would become an ally in this war. Yet the deal that Lettow-Vorbeck offered was out the window now, and the terms on the Danish would be worse. However much worse through was another question all together at this point and largely depended on how long it took the Danes to accept this reality.


Moving south the army officer spoke again, “What is going on with Switzerland?”


“Scheisse.” Was the answer from the German officer showing the two Americans around at the moment. What happened in Bern caught everyone off guard. The evidence at the moment pointed to a few nut jobs or more likely anarchists killing a German and Austro-Hungarian diplomatic. This however created some uncomfortable questions. Namely how did these anarchists even know about this meeting. “At the moment, we don’t see ourselves invading Switzerland.”


They didn’t even need to touch Austria-Hungary. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was simply collapsing like a house of cards at the moment. Their reserves were refusing to mobilize. Whole units were now operating under German Tri-colors as they under when retraining and reequipping instead of operating under Austro-Hungarian colors. The Italians had finally launched their long awaited offensive into Veneto after waiting the Austro-Hungarians out. The Austro-Hungarians had shifted troops from the Italian front to the collapsing German front to try and prop that front up. This was done under the mistaken belief that the Italians didn’t have the stomach for a fight and they needed those troops to stop the Germans. The Italians have proven that wrong as they had already advanced over 70 kilometers in only a few days in some areas. Even at the shallowest points the Italians had already advanced 40 kilometers. One thing was becoming clear with the Italians, they weren’t the push overs they had been 20 years prior.


With the German-Soviet front being generally quiet at the moment, they walked over to the North American map. This was the newest of the maps to be set up after the USN had sunk two Mexican submarines in the past five days after said submarines had launched attacks on American shipping and warships. This time it was one of the Germans who spoke first, “How much longer before you start your war with Mexico?”


“Anytime now.”


[1] ITL the US Army never shifted to khaki and olive drab service dress uniforms. Army Blues would best be put as something like the same service dress uniforms from OTL but a dark blue in color. Field uniforms through still made that shift to khaki and olive drab colors through for good reasons.

[2] Yeah ITL the US is the largest economy in the world, follow by Germany. In the third position is the British Empire and its dominions, follow by Belgium, than Austria Hungary in fifth. A few nations are nipping on the heels of Austria-Hungary for that fifth spot, but remember this is before the war.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Washington DC
White House
February 13 1939


Currently the US Congress was in its second day of debates over President Olsen’s request for a declaration of war against Zapatista’s Mexico. This had come about after the sinking of the USCG Bear. The Bear was a coast guard cutter that was on patrol duty near Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. The Mexican submarine that sunk the Bear was in turn sunk by a pair of maritime patrol aircraft based out of Gimto. After it was clear diplomatic recourse wasn’t going to work, and two days after the Bear was sunk, Olsen when before congress to ask for a state of war against Mexico to be declared. The following day a different Mexican submarine tried and failed to sink the USS McCaskey. This submarine was sunk by the McCaskey for its troubles.


Yet at the moment President Olsen was waiting for two powerful Republican Senators. The more senior of the two senators Olsen was waiting on was the senior senator from South Carolina, Justin Washington. The more junior of the two was the junior senator from California Richard “Dick” Reagan. South Carolina was a solid Republican state, however California was a swing state in most elections. They were also both forces in the senate in their own rights with Washington being more the elder statesman for the Republican Party there and Reagan being the rising star of the Republican Party. When they requested a private meeting with Olsen, he through it over and decided to accept.


As Olsen was waiting he was reading a report about an early draft of the Department of State’s end game goals in this war. A war that has already become far larger than anyone ever believed it would be. Some of it Olsen agreed with other parts he disagreed with. But then again it was a long way from here to the end of the war and he knew a lot would change between now and then. However it was important to put together a goal summery to have points to aim for. As he was writing a side note in the draft he was reading his personal secretary came into the room, “Sir, Senators Washington and Reagan are here to see you.”


Olsen took a moment to finish writing his thought down on the paper before he looked up, “Very well George send them in.”


“Yes sir.”


At that Olsen took the draft he had been reading and put into the desk he was at. Then his secretary came back with the two senators in toe. Senator Washington was a large black man standing just over 6 foot 6, but the grey in his hair and the lines in his face gave away his age and many decades in Congress. Senator Reagan was just behind the older stateman of the Republican Party. The difference between the two couldn’t be overstated. Reagan stood just a hair over 5 foot 7 and was very youthful looking to the much more senior Republican. Yet after the standard greetings and taking seats in the office Olsen spoke first, “Gentlemen I do wonder why did you seek this meeting.”


Washington took the lead, “Mister President, we come here not as Republicans but Americans.”


That caused Olsen to raise an eyebrow. Washington saw it, but kept going, “We all know what is at stake in this war. We need a message that will make it clear to both the people here on the homefront and to our foes overseas that we are united in this effort and will not stop till we are victorious on the field of battle and have forced those foolish enough to challenge the might of the United States of America that they are begging for mercy.”


“I agree with this in idea Senator, but I do wonder how you plan do this.” Replied Olsen.


Dick took over, “Sir what we are putting forward is a unity government till the end of the war. Members of both major parties and even a few of the larger minor parties[1] brought together to run the nation for the length of the war however long that might be.”


Olsen stopped and thought about it. “Something like that would take time to build, but the merit of the idea is there.”


Both Republican Senators looked at each other than the president. Washington took back over, “We understand this fact Mister President. We only came here to lay the ground work for such reforming of both the executive and legislature branches to reflect that we are all in this together to win this war come hell or high water.”


“Understandable. However I since that you have an idea on something Senator Washington.”



“Indeed Mister President. We on two accounts. The first is unless a member of either party is retiring or leaving for other positions within the government neither side will contest these elections, at the national level. State level positions, such as the governor’s house or state houses those would be fair game. But Congress and the White House would be off limits till the end of war.”


Olsen raised his eye blow, “That is a large offer Senator.” The Dems still have the control of both branches of government that were being offer up, but the Republicans controlled the judiciary primary because how long the Dems had been out of power at the national level. “But I since there is more here than meets the eye.”


“Yes for this to work we believe we need to follow the example that President Lincoln set in the 1864 election.” Dick put in.


“Hmm…” Olsen mused. “I assume you are ready have someone in mind to be my vice president assuming I decide to run for a third term.” Olsen had already decided to run for a third term but hadn’t told anyone of that fact. He made that choice up following the start of this war that he would follow the steps of Theodore Roosevelt and guide the nation through this before retiring from public life.


Washington smiled. “Yes sir we do even through we have only spoke to a few fellow Republicans of this. I believe I would be the best person to be your vice president should you choose to run again in 1940. It would be a powerful signal to the people of color in our nation that we are fighting as one.” Washington had already decided before the war that this would be his last election for his senate seat which he held since the early 1920s after over two decades in the house. However to be the first person of color to hold either the president or vice president’s job was something Washington couldn’t pass up his age not withstanding.


Olsen thought for a moment. Washington was a middle of road Dem, but noted for his major support for civil rights. Then again it wasn’t that surprising given his history or color of skin. “This might be workable, but it would need further agreements between both our parties.”


Before either of the three men could speak again George stuck his head in, “Senators, I was just informed that the vote on the question of war with Mexico is about to start in 30 minutes.”


“Thank you George.” Carl said as George shut the door behind him. Once the door was shut he spoke again, “Gentlemen this will take more than this single meeting to make happen, however I do believe this could work and would send a powerful message to both our people and our foes that we are united in a common goal of victory.”


At that all three men stood and shook hands.


Just over two hours later the United States Congress voted for the third time in its history to go to war against Mexico by wide margins.


[1] The Democratic Party and the Republican Party are the two major parties within the United States. However there are a couple regional/state parties that can when at the state level, but really have no chance at the national level.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Königgrätz
Town Hall
February 15 1939


The Battle of Königgrätz holds special importance in the history of Germany. It was the battle where Berlin replaced Vienna as the leader of German affairs in 1866. It also put Berlin on track for the first of two wars with France that was needed to make Germany the strongest nation in Europe. It was why Foreign Minister Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck selected the city to host this meeting between the German Empire and the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire. Three days ago, the Austro-Hungarian Government had reached out to Berlin for armistice talks. Lettow-Vorbeck decided to hold them but he was going to make it clear that that Austria-Hungary wasn’t in a position to demand anything and only in a position to accept one term, unconditional surrender.


Lettow-Vorbeck wasn’t about to repeat Bismarck’s greatest mistake, and possibly his only mistake. It was time to unite all Germans under one nation and one leader. Indeed, they were already taking this step. They were retraining and reequipping 17 Austro-Hungarian Divisions that had either come over whole or parts of different divisions who had already come over to Berlin. It was the start of uniting all German people under the same flag. Even those who had surrender so far were being given good treatment and the chance to join the forces of Kaiser Wilhelm the Third. The differences between German and Austro-Hungarian divisions were night and day and one of the reasons that the retraining was needed. But there was also a need to ease the logistical headaches that would cause by using the bad equipment being used by Austro-Hungarian units which was part of the reequipping of these units.


Beside Lettow-Vorbeck there was a number of other important people here. Some were from Germany like Lettow-Vorbeck, others through were from allied foreign nations. The most pleased looking through had to be the Italian Prime Minister Adriano Lucciano. Lucciano was leading the Italian team here at Königgrätz and had gained an important concession from the Germans yesterday. It was one reason he was looking so pleased. At first the Austro-Hungarians had tried to get out of making peace with the Italians. However, Lettow-Vorbeck was having none of that. He stated talks and whatever deal was stuck would be with all of Berlin’s allies or there would be no deal. With Austro-Hungarian forces collapsing they had no choice but to accept this.


The Austro-Hungarian team who had just reached Königgrätz was being led by Archduke Felix who was currently the prince regent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was clear he wasn’t pleased being here. Beside him were both Austrians and Hungarians who were clearly identified by the different uniforms that they were wearing. Like their leader they were clearly not pleased to be here. Then again, they knew this was going to be bad for their nation. Then again nothing had been going right for the Austro-Hungarian Empire since the turn of the year, well if the truth be spoke for decades.


Archduke Felix was about to speak, but Lettow-Vorbeck spoke first. “These are the only terms the German Empire and allies will accept.” After he finish saying that Lettow-Vorbeck pushed a single page document in front of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke.


The Austro-Hungarian Archduke picked up the single piece of paper off the desk and read it. It read ‘I the undersigned surrender the Austro-Hungarian Empire without conditions to the German Empire, the Kingdom of Italy, the Third Empire of France, the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of Romanian, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria.’ As he read the simple but critical statement the Archduke Felix turned white as a ghost.


Clearly shaken Archduke Felix spoke as he put the paper down, “You can’t expect me to sign that.”


“Yes I do expect you sign that.” Lettow-Vorbeck said. The other Austrians and Hungarians in the room looked at the piece of paper they were all shocked by it.


The senior Hungarian representative spoke, “I will never sign that document!”


Archduke Felix and the senior Austrian representative looked at the senior Hungarian representative. Before either could speak Lettow-Vorbeck spoke, “Yes you will! We are ready know you were willing to break Hungary off from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in their moment of weakness.”


With that Archduke Felix got up from his chair and walked over to the senior Hungarian and slapped him and slapped him hard. Felix hated the Hungarians as they had derailed any chances to put the Austro-Hungarian Empire house in order. He then when back to the chair he was sitting in and slumped down in it defeated. He signed the surrender document after a few moments to get himself back together.


After looking at the paper for a minute he got up and looked at the senior Hungarian, “Sign it you piece of shit.”


Still rubbing his face, “No. Hungary will no sign such a document.”


Lettow-Vorbeck spoke, “If you refuse to sign this document, Hungary will still be at war with the German Empire and her allies. Do you honestly think the Hungarians can stand up to such an assault?” Lettow-Vorbeck let that question stay in the air for a moment before going on, “If you sign there will be a Hungary left after this war, if you don’t, well I can’t be sure of that.” Lettow-Vorbeck let the threat hang in the air.


The color once again drained out of the face of someone but this time it was the Hungarians who when pasty white. The Hungarians stepped forward and signed the surrender document and he did more out of fear that Hungary would become another Serbia or Poland than anything else. The Austrian representative signed it as well a moment later. This later was signed by different people of the German, Italian, French, Belgian, Romanian, and Bulgarian governments.


With a stroke of a pen the Austro-Hungarian Empire officially came to an end. The Austrian representative along with Archduke Felix were shown to a side room to start talks with the future of Austria and the House of Habsburg. The Hungarians were shown off to a different room as they needed to understand they weren’t in a position to demand shit right now. A new day in Europe was starting.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Scapa Flow
RN Command HQ
February 22 1939


The war for the Royal Navy to date had not been kind. The strike against the American coast had failed to catch the bulk of the USN Atlantic Fleet in port. American anti-air defenses proved to be far better than the Royal Navy believed it would be as they put together this plane. Then at Denmark Straits they were only saved by the weather which forced the Americans to break off. It also forced the British to break off their failed invasion of Iceland. Taking an holding Iceland had been the lynch pen in British planning to defeating the United States. However, that planning also didn’t call for the total destruction of the Fleet Air Arm within weeks of the war starting either. With the inability to take the key air fields around Reykjavik the British Army called off the invasion for fear of the American Atlantic Fleet showing up and destroy his force. That commander was now in the Tower in London.


It hadn’t been totally one sided through. The opening strike by the RAF Bomber Command against the German High Seas Fleet did a number on it. From photograph missions they had confirmed that the Battlecruiser Moltke had been destroyed to the point it was beyond economic repair. Two other battleships, another battlecruiser, and a pair of aircraft carriers were also sunk but based on what they saw in the photographs they looked like they could be savaged and put back into service. Germany still fielded a powerful force that could threaten the British Isles and needed to be dealt with.


Things in the Mediterranean things had just caught the British off guard. The British never expected such a bold and daring operation from the Italians to take Malta. Plus the raid at Alexandria was just a kick into the nuts. That raid cost the British the Royal Oak plus a pair of light cruisers. The Royal Oak was a total write off as that blast broke the keel of the ship, which was beyond the ability of the base at Alexandria to repair. Between the French and Italian fleets it was making life in the Mediterranean a bloody nightmare for the British as the threat of cutting off the critical artery of the empire was real. Elsewhere things were better, but the British knew they needed to regain the initiative. They haven’t lost it yet, but the danger of losing it was real and the British knew it.


It was why this group of senior British admirals were here in Scapa Flow trying to figure out how to get control of the initiative again. Another invasion of Iceland was out of the question primary because it wouldn’t be till November at the earliest that the carriers would have full air wings again. New aircraft through wasn’t projected till early to middle 1940 as these early bouts of combat had shown the aircraft the Fleet Air Arm when to war with were markedly worse than what the Americans were using. So it left the question of what’s next and how to regain control of the initiative.


Even though they believed their battleline could survive the hardest aerial attacks, they knew their escorts couldn’t. Once the escorts were lost, that opened up their battleships to submarine and destroyer attacks to cut their numbers down before the Americans would be able to get in with their undamaged battleline and go at it. So they had to fight this battle within the limits of air cover. That was putting a real damper on trying to strike back against the Americans as they didn’t have anything in land range to strike at the Americans.


Then one of the junior admirals in the room had a brain storm. Rear Admiral John Walker was currently the youngest rear admiral in the Royal Navy and the only rear admiral who didn’t command a ship during the Great War. He came up with a plan that might work. He saw that time was an ally of the United States not the British Empire. But if they could knock Germany and their allies out of the war before the US could finish their wars in the Americas they might be able to get something close to a status quo peace with them. However to do this they had to turn the heat up on Germany to 10. The only place they saw to do this was Norway.


Walker outline his idea, and as the other admirals listened they agreed with it. But they needed to go to Churchill for this.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Near Grand Island, Nebraska
Camp Morgan, PW Camp
February 28 1939


Major Mike Garrity was wondering what the fuck was going on at the moment. He had been awoken just after 0500 by one of his junior officers. Said junior officer handed him top secret orders that a special guest would be visiting his PW Camp today and staying for at least two weeks, possibly longer. Garrity under these orders were to help this unknown guest within reason. He honestly wondered what the fuck that meant. Orders no matter how much they didn’t make sense were still orders, and with these orders coming from the Secretary of War, he was going to follow them. This was because he already confirmed these orders were real when he spoke with General Glass soon after being handed these orders.


Garrity before the start of the war had been an Arizona Ranger for close to 15 years. He also held a reserve officer commission in the Army Reserves with the rank of Captain. Garrity through had failed to see combat during the Great War as he had been too young but saw limited action in the occupation of Ontario in 1920. When the war started he had been mobilized and promoted and assigned to command one of the first PW camps that were opening. He had only reached Camp Morgan only days before the first limeys started to show up. And at the moment he was still setting up his camp for the expanding need that was going to be needed in time.


Currently the United States only held a few hundred British and Mexican PWs each and even fewer Soviet and Japanese PWs at the moment. The US however believed that PWs would becoming in large numbers as they started on their offensives needed to win this war. The US was going to be using these PW to help their war effort, notably in the farm effort to feed this nation. However with it still being winter meant they had time to expand their PW camp system before they started renting out PWs to farmers to try and make up for those Americans who were drafted into the military to defeat these nations who dared cross swords with the United States of America. Most likely it wouldn’t be till 1940 that this was put into motion.


The unknown guest reach Major Garrity’s office a little after 0900 local. Major Garrity spoke first after reading his orders, “Welcome to Camp Morgan Lieutenant Jones.”


By looking at the clothes worn by Lieutenant Matt Jones one wouldn’t know right away he was a military officer. However by looking at the way he stood was a dead give away he was a military officer. His back was ramrod straight, his shoulders were back, and he was stood with the pride you expected of a military officer. “Thank you major. Do you mind if I take a seat?” He said with an unmistakable accent of someone from the Imperial Federation.


“No go right ahead. Do you mind if I smoke?”


“This is your office major.”


At that Mike pulled out a Cuban cigar and a cigar cutter. After cutting the end off and lighting it with a match and taking a good pull on the cigar and blowing a smoke ring into the air, “So, Lieutenant what business does the Federales have here in my camp.”


“Major, how long do you think the Imperial Federation can stay out of this war?”


Garrity thought about that for a moment, “I don’t know. Most likely the whole war.”


Jones let out a high pitch laugh before he spoke, “If we were so lucky. I would put money, and good money, that we would be forced to join your side with the next 12 to 18 months.” There was a reason Jones had been selected for this assignment. He was beyond smart and was cunning as the devil. It was one of the reasons he was assigned to the newly formed Imperial Federation Intelligence Service (IFIS). With the clean break with the mother nation the Imperial Federation was forced to fill out a number of key job, this was why the IFIS was formed. They needed an intelligence service.


“Wow, I’m not sure what to say to that.” Garrity answered before taking another pull on the cigar he was smoking.


“Its understandable major.” The Imperial Federation Officer said as he studied the American. His make of the man was he was a hard nose no none sense officer but one who could only see the battle right in front of him, not the wider picture.


“That brings me back to my question, why to the Federales have business in my camp?”


“We are looking for British PWs that might be willing to join our forces once we enter the war on your side.” The Imperial Federation senior command already knew they were missing a number of key skills and they were hoping to recruit from the British PWs held by the United States to help fill in these gaps in skills. They would also take anything from pilots to cannon fodder as well. They knew this was going to be a long war and the Imperial Federation would need all the bodies they could get their hands on to come out in a position they couldn’t be bullied by the United States.


“I assume this is why I was given orders from the Secretary of War about you being here.”


“I do believe so.” The United States and the Imperial Federation already came to an agreement on the issue no neither man in this room knew that. The US would allow the Feds speak to their PWs at the moment and those that the Feds view as recruitable would be moved to a special prison camp till such time the Imperial Federation would enter the war on their side. Once they entered the war they would allow the Imperial Federation to take control of those PWs and fold them into their military. In return for this the Imperial Federation agreed to slow down on their exports to the British Raj and the Japanese right now. The Imperial Federation also made a nod and wink that they would join the war on the US side of the war but the Imperial Federation wanted something that could unite their nation.


“So are you going to stay here, or are you staying in the town?” Mike asked.


“In town, my wife is also here.” Matt had married a Polish bombshell who with her parents had fled Poland in the after of the Great War. Matt and his wife were both trying to have their first child at the moment[1], so he had been able to get tickets for his wife as well to the United States along with the allowance to live in a hotel instead of the camps. She was currently at the hotel setting up the room that would be their home for the next few weeks.


“I also take it you will have the good sense not to wear your uniform.”


“Major, I may serve in the Imperial Federation Navy and be proud of that fact, but I don’t have a death wish. Wearing my uniform here in bum fuck nowhere is asking for trouble and I know it.” Currently the Imperial Federation Navy wore the same uniform as the Royal Navy. The only difference was in the officer caps, were a crown was overlaid with the Southern Cross. Most Americans wouldn’t notice the difference and with the anger at the British, the would most likely jump any officer in a uniform that close to the British uniform. Because of that Matt only packed one uniform for this trip so when he reported to the embassy he could have it. But other than that he was going to be in a civilian suit for his trip across the US at the moment.


[1] The Imperial Federation is very big on increasing its population.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Moscow
The Kremlin
March 3 1939


General Secretary Aleskei Yasha was currently waiting for Front Commander 1st Rank Anatoli Yermolai. Yermolai was the head of Stavka. Yasha had moved Yermolai to the position after he had served time as the commander of the Kiev Military District after the last purge. Yasha had never purged the Red Army like has wanted with a top down cleaning starting at Stavka and working his way down to the regimental commanders. This however was more out of need than anything else. He had hostile powers all in striking distance of his borders who have made it clear how they felt about communism. As such it behooved oneself to not cripple you military command system. That didn’t mean you didn’t clear out the dead wood or those who got to ambitious.


With the total collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the failure to create a war between the Swiss and Berlin led European alliance something else needed to be done. Well the OGPU were working on another effort to create a war between the Swiss and the rest of Europe. Yasha had made it clear he wouldn’t accept failure again. He wanted the Swiss to be a meat shield to allow the Red Army match into Europe with limited losses to equipment. He didn’t care about the losses in human lives, those could be replaced as any idiot could make more children for the state. But equipment took time, resources, and skill labor to make[1]. Things that were all scare in the Soviet Union.


Currently the Red Army was waiting for better weather in April or May before launching an offensive against Germany and the rest of Europe. Yasha wasn’t about to send his military into winter battle as that was a losing proposition in his mind at the moment. Then again things happened so quickly he wasn’t in position to launch an offensive against the Germans when war did come. He was still moving pieces into position at the moment. Currently everything was on track, but he was waiting for Yermolai. Yasha made a suggestion to Stavka that they should use weapons from Department 66.


When Yasha made a suggestion like that it really was an order. However he had to play some politics as he wasn’t able to brute force everything like he wanted to at the moment. Department 66 was a special weapon program that the Soviet Union had been working on for years. It was the cover for both chemical and biological weapon programs within the Soviet Union. Yasha had made weapon production of all kinds a priory soon after taking power so he could take the revolution to the masses.


Yermolai enter the room in the Kremlin was using as his personal office. To get this far into the Kremlin he had to get through a number of OGPU checkpoints. Yet Yasha also had his own last line of defense, a modified pistol he kept on him from his days as a revolutionary. Yet this meeting when on like others times Yermolai had come here. Then again everyone in the Soviet Union feared Yasha to some degree, but Yasha didn’t want respect as if they fear you they will do a lot more.


The point of this meeting was simply informing Yasha that Stavka was recommending that chemical weapons were to be used for the coming offensive. They recommended the use of HL agent[2]. With the laws of Soviet Union the General Secretary of the Soviet Union had to approve the use of special weapons. Yasha approved the use of HL agent.


[1] The Soviets still have about the same industrial strength as OTL. However Yasha the ITL Stalin, wants the Soviet Union at the same strength as the British or Germans in 1935, but they aren’t anywhere close to that and it pisses him off to no end.

[2] A Lewisite-Mustard Gas mix.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Ok gentlemen, and ladies if there are any reading this, I started this new thread, New Balance Redux. I honestly almost when with the British cutting a deal with the US over Hawaii but decided against it in the end. However I do have a rough draft of such a TL, but instead of spilling the beans outright I decided to make you guys work for it by coming up with your own thoughts on what would happen if the British made a deal on Hawaii and allow the US to have it for the US to partly withdraw from the SW Pacific.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Trieste, Italian Occupied
Former Austro-Hungarian Naval Base
March 7 1939


With the total defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire there was many issues created by the collapse of one of the largest land empires in Europe. Even in peace time these questions would had been a freaking nightmare, in wartime made everything worse by a factor of at least 10. One of the major questions of what would become of the Austro-Hungarian Navy being one of the primary questions being phased by the Berlin led Alliance. Even with the pre-war agreements it wasn’t that simple as things changed and they were changing rapidly. No one expected a war like this, so they needed to get the ships that made up the Austro-Hungarian Navy back into the fight and quickly.


Even with the fact the Austro-Hungarian Empire wasn’t a maritime power it still fielded a powerful fleet. Before its surrender, through this fleet largely just sat in port as confusion ruled in the final weeks of life in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This was with the Italians attacking the Austro-Hungarians with specialized weapons and air power for all it was worth as no one believed the Austro-Hungarians would collapse like they did or as fast. But for the Berlin led alliance control of the Mediterranean was critical. Even with the fall of Malta there was a chance a good one that the British with help from the Spanish could get control of it back as they controlled the two critical entrances to the Mediterranean.


It was why there were teams of naval engineers from France, Italy, and Germany all inspecting the ships of the former Austro-Hungarian Fleet. The Belgians would be given other forms of compensation for their help even limited as it was in the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Currently the diplomats were working on the allotment of ships to each nation but said diplomats needed to have some idea what they wanted. It was why the naval engineers were going over all the ships that were still in former Austro-Hungarian ports. Even the ones sunk by the Italians as they were still viewed as salvageable. If they were salvageable they could be put back into service in this war.


Most of the damage to the Austro-Hungarian Fleet came from the Italians as they didn’t take their foot off the gas till the cease fire was signed. However, a number of Hungarian crew members damaged their own ships as it was coming out that the Berlin led alliance was going to cut Hungary off from the sea. Many of those crew members were now in a prison ship waiting for court martial. Indeed, the Italians with the backing of the Germans were working with the Croatians and Bosnians to set them up as their own kingdoms in the Italian’ Sphere of Influence that had been promised to the Italians. The only thing that was keeping the Hungarians from trying to do anything insanely stupid was their deep fear of falling to the communist even through they were doing everything they could to keep the Lands of Saint Joseph together as one unit together with the jointly ruled areas of the former empire. They however were failing badly at this.


Yet the Italian engineering teams here in Trieste and at the other ports used by the former Austro-Hungarian Navy the Italians weren’t actively looking at the battleships or the cruisers, well those still above water anyways. During the war the Italians had sunk four colossus class battleships, one of the few remaining semi-colossus battleships in the world along with the sole aircraft carrier of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Granted all of those were sunk in port, but the Italians teams were looking at the light craft and support ships. There was a reason for this. Just this reason was well beyond their pay grade.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Wake Island
Command Post
March 12 1939


Lt Commander Jeff Flack was walking into the command post. Well that was being nice about it. They were currently using a secondary CP as the first one had ate a 36 cm shell in the last assault by the Japanese in their effort to take the island. Rightfully Flack should had been at the base hospital tending to the wounded, but he needed to let command known he was just about out of everything needed to run a hospital. Then again many of the wounded who weren’t totally crippled or maimed had returned to manning their post as there wasn’t much he could do for them at the moment. Even those who were so badly wounded that they couldn’t return to their post kept their firearms with them. Fighting so far had been no quarter asked for none given.


Even looking at the navy doctor you could see the signs of combat. His khaki uniform was torn, he had visual wounds on his left forearm from a Japanese knee mortar that had peppered that arm as he had been running around two days ago trying to organize the defense of his hospital. There were also a cut on his right bicep from where one of those Japanese bastards had tried to tickle him with his bayonet. His Model 19 pistol hung from his hip attached to his pistol belt. A carbine Arisaka hung from his shoulder with the bayonet still attached to it, the one that had cut his bicep. The former owner of the Arisaka had taken a 45 to the head at point blank range and with the fight still on going Jeff had picked up the rifle and used it against the Japanese to save his hospital.


The command post was little more than some camo netting and the remains of a pair of duce and a half trucks. Everyone was armed as that last assault had come damn close to taking the island. Some of the weapons were American built guns others were Japanese built as they had been picked up off dead Japanese and used against their former owners. Lt Colonel Jeff Butler was standing next to the radio as they were trying to get his message to Pearl. Butler finally walked away from the radio. He saw Jeff and walked over to him, “Doc what you doing here?” The screams from the hospital could be heard, not well, but still they could be heard.


“I’m coming to see if there is going to be a resupply run. I’m out of pain killers, bandage, and a lot of other drugs. Clean water is low as well. Soon its going to be better to kill them than try to save them as I can’t if I don’t get more supplies.” They had already decided not to even bother trying to take care of any Japanese wounded as they didn’t have the supplies. All of the Japs who were still on this island got poked by a bayonet, if they moved they got a bullet to the back of the head. However it pained the medical man as he knew he could save them if he had the supplies to do it. Yet Wake had already seen three assaults by the Japanese to take the island and no resupply missions. Wake was just running out of everything.


“Doc I know. Currently we are relaying messages off some sub to get the information back to Peral. I’m doing everything I can to get a resupply run going on.”


Before Jeff could say anything else the radio man spoke, “Sir we are getting a message.”


The colonel when over to the radio operator. Jeff looked at the young private and wonder if he was even 19 yet. Then again the army had a rule it seems, old enough to hold a rifle old enough to join the service. The colonel came back, “Doc can you hold out for three more days?” He said as he pulled out his lighter and burned the piece of paper that he had just written that last radio message on. Outside of the code book for the radio they had already destroyed everything of intelligence value that was on paper.


“If the Japanese don’t attack again, maybe. If they do though the good lord better have mercy because I will be all out.”


“Doc you done well and you have done all you could. We just have to hold for three more days.”

 

[Jim Smitty]

USS Seawolf, SS-318
Western Pacific Ocean, Near Wake Island
March 14 1939


Lt j.g. Jim Smith was currently standing on the conning tower of his boat. He had taken command of the Seawolf on February 14th following the death of Lieutenant Reyes the former XO of the ship. His injuries had finally gotten the better of him and he was buried at sea by Smith and the rest of the crew. The former CO Lt Commander Jackson died back in January when the Japanese attacked Guam. Jackson never even made it back to the boat. It was the same attack that had wounded Reyes. Yet following the death of Reyes the command of the Seawolf passed to Smith. It was why the young jaygee was in a billet that normally when to a Lt Commander.


Under Smith the Seawolf had already a pair of victories. Granted they were merchants a Japanese tanker and Soviet[1] merchant ship, but the US was already operating under unrestricted submarine warfare rules. Currently the Seawolf was doing a swing by Wake Island on its way to its new home port at Rabaul. This was done as Guam[2] had fallen to the Japanese seven days ago and there was no chance of resupplying there. Rabaul was the closest port still in US hands were the Seawolf could resupply and keep up its war against the Japanese and other enemies of the United States.


At the moment the Seawolf was about 200 miles away from Wake as it was making it way south to Rabaul. Fuel limited the Seawolf’s approach to Wake as Jim wanted to have some fuel held in reserve in case he and his boat ran into the Japanese and needed it. Even then it his tanks would be damn near empty by the time he reached Rabaul. Then again his boat had already fought off Guam made a trip to Formosa and already started back to Guam when they were waved off from Guam to Rabaul then ordered to pass by Wake before making it back to Rabaul.


Looking through his spy glass Jim spotted something. It took a moment for it to come into focus. Pulling away the spy glass from his eye, “Dive the boat!” He screamed as he started to perform the task he needed to rig the boat to dive. A surface submarine against a naval task force is a losing proposition. The rest of the crew was running about to do the same thing to rig the boat to dive. Smith was the last person off the conning tower after making sure everyone else was already in the boat. Once everyone else in the boat he climbed down the ladder and closed the hatch to allow the boat to dive.


It took just under 95 seconds to start the dive of the boat. Jim was now in the bridge of his boat, “Put us at periscope depth. Bring us to a heading of two-seven-one, ahead slow. Sound General Quarters.” He called out as he was getting his plan of action together in his head. The crew of the boat were answering his calls as they when about putting the boat in the position he wanted to as the GQ alarm rung out throughout the boat. It took over a few minutes for this to happen.


Once everything was in the position he wanted Jim called out, “Up scope.” The quartermaster pulled the level to bring the scope up so his captain could see what was going on up top side. Jim quickly saw what he had seen up top and called out, “Mark one!” It was a few more seconds before he called out, “Mark two! Down Scope.”


At that he when over to the plotting table to start putting information on to the map as one of his enlisted men started putting information into the torpedo data computer. He looked at his XO who prior to the death of the older CO and XO had been the navigation officer of the boat, “Jack its going to be a long day.”


Jack looked at the map. He could see that Jim had marked down a pair of cruisers and six destroyers on the map. “Damn, we should at least make sure they get a nice welcome.”


The chief of the boat who was also qualified as an officer of the watch called out, “All sections report they are at their GQ stations.”


“Captain has the conn!”


“Aye, Captain has the conn.” the chief of the boat said letting it know he had turn over the watch of deck to his CO.


Turning to his XO Jim said, “Yep, my thoughts as well XO.” Unknown to Jim and Jack they had ran into one of the screening elements for the third attempt to invade Wake Island. A screening element made up of two light cruisers and seven destroyers.


Over the next 90 minute Jim made two more visual checks on the Japanese task force he had spotted as he had slightly adjust the course of his boat to give him a better angle off the bow so when he launched he had a better chance of hitting his target. For the fourth time since diving the boat Jim called out, “Up scope!”


Again the quartermaster raised the periscope up. Once the scope was up Jim quickly called out, “Mark One!” Then seconds later he called out, “Mark two.” Then he paused for a moment, “Fire One!” The whole boat shook as the first of the forward tubes fired its torpedo out into the warm Pacific. The Seawolf had a total of 10 tubes, six forward and four aft. Jim was about to use all of his forward tubes to press on his attack before diving the boat. Over the span of 54 seconds Jim fired all of the forward tubes. “Down scope.”


With his orders given the boat started to dive. Jim was looking at his stop watch as it would be just about five minutes before the torpedoes he fired should hit their targets. It was just now a waiting game.


It was at five minutes 15 seconds that the crew heard the sounds of an explosion. Then seconds later they heard another explosion. Jim called out, “Up scope!”


The quartermaster raised the scope and Jim started to look through it. It was clear that they had stuck one of the light cruisers. “Down Scope! Set deck to 500 feet!” Now came the hard part.


[1] The Soviet merchant fleet are still making port calls in Japanese held waters and are free game for American submarines.

[2] Think of the 1944 Battle of Guam instead of the Battle of Guam 1941 to how violent the battle was.

 

[Jim Smitty]

SMS Walfischbucht
Western Pacific, Near Wake
March 15 1939, 0451 Local


Kapitänleutnant Branden Hamby along with the rest of MG25 were in the ready room getting ready for their first mission since the start of the war. They had been on show the flag mission on the US Pacific Coast as part of an effort to improve relations with the American nation. They were also the only remaining parts of the Pazifik Geschwader together with a few destroyers and submarines. The destroyers had been acting as the escort to the Walfischbucht on her trip to the United States. The submarine have simply been able to slip away from the Japanese attacking their home ports back in German China. Other than that, the whole of the Pazifik Geschwader had already been sunk in the Battle of the East China Sea. That battle had cost Germany the battlecruisers Hindenburg and Seydlitz, a pair of heavy cruisers, a light cruiser, and 7 destroyers.


Because getting back to home waters were simply impossible now barring impossible good luck the Walfischbucht and her escorts had been placed under the operational command of the US Pacific Fleet. The US Pacific Fleet decided to use the Walfischbucht and her escorts as part of the effort to take pressure off Wake. She simply wasn’t fast enough to take part in the planned relief of Guam mission. However with the news out Guam had fallen, those ships have been retasked to the mission at Wake. Currently a sizable bulk of the US battleline and flat tops were making their way to Wake to help the defenders of the island. The rest were being left in reserve near Pearl Harbor.


One of the officer cadets who had been assigned to the Walfischbucht called out, “Commanding Officer on the deck!” At that all of the pilots that had been waiting in the ready room jumped up as their CO came in. The lead officer of the two that had just entered the ready room was wearing a German flight suit, the other was wearing American khaki naval uniform. The German CO spoke first, “At ease.”


The two officers walked up the front of the room. The American took the lead, “Gentlemen today’s mission is to give top cover to the men defending Wake.” The reason the Germans have been given this task was their fighters had shorter legs than the American fighters fighting today. The Germans were using a navalized version of the D XXV. The D XXV was a great fighter but it was short ranged and for naval operations that really hurt things. Even with their drop tanks the distance the D XXVs could travel was still well short of the American fighters.


“Flights will be eight aircraft going and coming from Wake with another flight of eight overhead at all times over Wake.” Every pilot looked at each other, that was their whole freaking airwing. The Walfischbucht was officially rated for 26 aircraft, however it never carried more than 24 aircraft. Generally it was a mix of D XXVs and CL XXIIs in a 16-8 split. But if they were throwing their whole air wing into this that means they were using the CL XXIIs as fighters and those things were hopeless outdated now. New designs were being tested but the XXIIs was still the workhorse with both the air force and navy.


Their CO took over, “That’s right the XXIIs are flying with else. We are going to be flying with either a pair or four of them depending on the flight.” Looking at his list, “Hamby, you and your flight with be flying with flight gold and you are first up.”


Hamby wanted to cringe. He would be flying with four fucking dive bombers as support. Hamby knew why his flight had drew this short straw. He had fought in the Arabian campaign in 37 giving him the only limited combat experience. Even with his single air to air kill those camel fuckers were basically around in a flight club, not the Japanese who were the equal of the Germans. If they ran into Jap fighters those XXII were dead and they didn’t even know it. At least they weren’t flying the D XXIII like he had over Arabia so there was that. But Hamby still felt like this was going to go badly. But as the CO ended the brief he started his way to his plane in what was promising to be a long day.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Wake Island
Field Hospital
March 15 1939, 0547 Local


Lt Commander Jeff Flack was currently making his rounds checking on his wounded marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen who was under his care. He was down to only a few gallons left of clean water now to tend to the wounded under his care. But given what the state of the supply situation here on Wake it wasn’t surprising. The only thing they had left in abundance at this point were weapons and ammo. Either American or Japanese weapons. Some units were totally equipped with Japanese weapons now to try and make the most of what the Japanese had left for them. Hell the last thing Jeff had to eat was some captured Japanese rations yesterday around noon. It was getting that bad on Wake.


But there was hope. Jeff knew that a relief convoy was due to resupply Wake that was due to dock here and it was about 12 hours out right now. What Jeff was looking forward to most through was the fact the hospital ship USS Mercy AH-9 was part of that convoy and he would finally be able to give his patients the care they needed. The Mercy would have more than enough beds for all the wound troops he had under his personal care at the moment, but it you counted the walking wounded it would fall short by a fair bit. Then again some of the troops had a new name for Wake, Purple Heart Island and for good reason.


The screeching sound was the first thing Jeff heard before people were yelling, “Incoming!” Jeff dove for the deck as 211 mm shells from Jap heavy cruisers started raining down. Unlike their last attempt from a week ago the Japanese weren’t going to be using battleships to blast Wake, instead that job was falling to the heavy cruisers that could keep up with the carriers assigned to give invasion top cover. Plus the battleships used in the last effort needed to reload their magazines after heavy bombardment of Wake from them.


Even with the hell raining down around him, Jeff couldn’t stay on the deck as he heard screams from his wounded. He ran to them as best he could. Using his flashlight and his medical training he did what he could. Which honestly wasn’t that much, but he tried. His bandages that he was using had been removed from those who didn’t make it and hadn’t totally turned the whole bandage red. Was it medically unsound? Yep, but when you are out of choices, you do what you have to. For the medics it was even worse. They were using unwash cloths for most wounds, but for the bad wounds they were going straight to using tourniquet. Even wounds that might been able to stop other ways if they had bandages. They had a limited supply of stuff and they had to make the most of it.


Then the shelling stopped after about a good two hours of it. Between the heavy and light cruisers, and the destroyers thousands of shells had hit Wake or the waters around Wake. However it wasn’t totally one sided through. The last remaining 5/51 mobile coastal defense gun had stay hidden till they could hit one of the destroyers who got a little too bold. Everyone on Wake knew about the relief effort that was being made and were doing everything to make the Japanese think twice about trying another landing here. They did chop up their fifth destroyer sunk trying to take the Island, but it was in turn destroyed by Japanese cruiser fire.


Commander Flake lifted his head from the sailor he was trying to patch up the bleeding small intestine with a sewing string. His goal was to keep them alive till they got the hospital ship where they could real medical care. But as he heard the shelling slack off Flake knew the shit was about to get thick.

 

[Jim Smitty]

MG25
Over the Central Pacific, Near Wake
March 15 1939, 0755 local


Kapitänleutnant Branden Hamby was currently flying his D XXV at its fuel-efficient speed at just over 5,800 meters off the ground. The name of the game was fuel efficiency on the leg to and back from Wake. Even through they had taken off after the CL XXII they had already past them on the way to flying over Wake. Hamby really thought trying to use any CL as fighter was a foolish idea, they were fucking dive bombers. Maybe they might have a chance against other bombers, but against another fighter they were dead ducks. But then again, his ship had been designed as a colonial carrier and couldn’t carry as many aircraft and this was the result, CLs being pushed into use as a fighter.


By his math they were about 20 kilometers behind his flight of four D XXVs. Further along with his math they were about 10 kilometers from taking up the first part of their combat mission over Wake. He was keeping his neck on a swivel looking for the first sign of the Japanese. Intel was a bit scares at the moment on where the Japanese fleet was that was to be coming for another crack at invading Wake. So the Japs could be anywhere. As he was looking across the horizon he spotted something in the air. “Scheisse.” Was his first thought. He knew from the briefing that Wake’s own fighter force had already been destroyed so anything in the air had to be hostile. And judging by the size of numbers there had to be at least two carrier air wings over Wake right now.


Clicking his radio, “Gold flight wave off. I say again wave off. Confirm last.”


The leader of Gold flight radio, “Blue flight leader repeat last?”


“Abort mission damn it.” Sending CLs into this cluster fuck was beyond stupid. Hell he had half a mind to abort his own mission but he wasn’t about to do it. “We have massive Jap opposition over Wake, I say again massive Jap opposition over Wake.”


“Confirm orders, Gold flight is aborting mission. Massive Jap opposition over Wake.” Gold flight leader confirmed.


“Confirm.” Hamby clicked his radio one time. Then thought for a second, “Stay frosty guys and remember for god shakes stay in pairs.”


“Two confirms.”


“Three confirms.”


“Four confirms.”


At that the four D XXVs started to climb higher so they could get a boom dive attack in before they were in the real deep shit. From what it looked like the Japanese were too busy attacking Wake to notice the four D XXVs that were climbing. The only thing they had going for them was they were attacking out of the sun, once they made their first past, they were be badly out numbered. But they didn’t get pay to fly safe routes.

The distances closed quickly and soon Hamby nosed over his fighter for the first past in his aircraft. He had to remember not to push his throttle to the fire wall as he seen what could happen first hand when someone did that. They would lose control of their plane and generally put themselves into a smoky hole grave. Lining up his gun sights he opened up with his 13.2 mm machine guns. Unlike the Luftstreitkräfte the Kaiserliche Marine used a pair of synchronized 13.2 mm machine guns in the engine cowling. Leaning forward of a Jap dive bomber[1] below him felt the weight of the 13.2 mm slugs tearing into his aircraft. Its rear gunner try to bring his 7.7 mm machine gun to bear on Hamby, but only for his port wing to snap off throwing the Jap into one hell of spin.


Kicking his rudder pedals hard Hamby tried to bring his gun sights up on another Jap Dive Bomber but the word was already getting out they were under attack. The Japanese were already kicking their aircraft around to make it harder for the German pilots to hit them. Hamby felt his plane shake from hits but he shrugged it off. He was able to put lead on another Jap, this one was a torpedo bomber being used as a level bomber[2]. He opened fire on it. To Hamby’s surprise the damn thing lit up like a Zippo.


Throwing his plane into another turn he didn’t notice the Japanese fighter[3] that was turning in to close with him. The Jap fighter blasted the underside of the German fighter with a large amount of 7.7 mm ammo. Hamby felt the controls go sluggish in his aircraft as he pulled out of his turn. His gages were going ape shit. It was time to ditch. He started looking around as he cut his power trying to ease out of the turn he was in. But his controls weren’t answering him like they should and he was only exiting it slowly. Then he was hit with another long brust of 7.7 mm ammo from the fighter that hit him the first time.


Hamby could feel the pieces of his aircraft breaking off of it was he was losing control of it. He checked his altitude, it was lower than he would had liked but he had no choice he opened the canopy and unbuckled himself from the aircraft. Jamming the stick forward he got out and threw himself out of the doomed aircraft.


[1] D3A Val

[2] B5N Kate

[3] A6M Zero

 

[Jim Smitty]

IJN Zuikaku
C-in-C
March 15 1939, 0859 Local


Kaigun-Taishō Jirou Souma was currently studying the message that had just been handed him. It said that his planes that had been attacking Wake had been jumped by a flight of four German fighters. They lost five of their own number and had another two that had been damaged and were returning to the four carriers he had under his command. All four Germans had been shot down. If the Germans sole remaining heavy unit in the Pacific was here, that meant the Americans were nearby. That radically changed things for Jirou.


His current command was a long far cry from his former post. He had been the former Naval Minister for the Japanese Empire. Yet he had been forced out from his office for disagreements within the military click that had been running Japan since the early 1930s. The disagreement had been over which Western Power Japan should choose as an ally. Jirou had been of the pro-American foreign policy outlook. Even with the issues over China, Jirou still believed the Americans would be better allies than the British. Yet he had been pushed to the sidelines after the call had been made to go to war with China again. His friends through made sure he received a sea command to keep him from being killed by the more radical army officers who had a bad habit of killing officers who didn’t agree with them.


Jirou knew he had to seek battle with the Americans here. If he was to withdraw it would be his head. Yet he faced a major problem, that of the location of the American-German Fleet. Then again so did the Americans and Germans, they didn’t know where his fleet of four carriers were. Yet he had about quarter of his planes loaded up for a second strike on Wake which was to cover the landings which was to start in the next hour. The other quarter was loaded for an anti-ship strike. He could launch his strike piecemeal or he arm his planes that were set to strike at Wake. The problem there it would strip the Marines of the needed air cover as they pushed to invade Wake. Yet the chance to strike at the Americans was too much. “Order the planes currently armed for the second strike on Wake to rearm with anti-shipping weapons. Once finish have both groups launch to hunt out the Americans. When the strike from Wake returns, have it also rearm for anti-shipping strikes.”

 

[Jim Smitty]

VB-19
Somewhere over the Pacific, Near Wake
March 15 1939, 1023 Local


Lieutenant Matt Wiser was currently flying on the hunt for the Japanese Task Force that was to be supporting another effort to invade Wake Island. The United States had three aircraft carriers supporting the effort to relieve and resupply it with a German flat top making it a fourth. Currently the hunt was on for the Japanese task force with Wiser and VB-19 was flying off the USS Enterprise. The Vindicators of the squadron were all armed with 500 pound armored piecing bombs. Even through the Vindicators could carry a bomb load up to 1,000 pounds, they didn’t know where the Japanese were. So they performed a traded off, a smaller bomb for more fuel which meant more time to look for a target.


So far through the Vindicators of VB-19 had nothing to show for their fish expedition. They were about 30 minutes away from bingo fuel and having to return to the Enterprise. Matt knew they didn’t pay him to bring back ordnance so he was hoping the luck of the squadron would change soon. However, Matt also had to keep a sharp eye out as currently they were using hand signals instead of using the radios to alert the Japanese they were in the area. Because on freak days you could pick a signal from Los Angeles this far out. Not leaving things to chance they were operating radios shut down as they were looking for the Japanese.


Looking at his watch again he noticed they were down to 10 minutes of fishing time for this expedition. Then he noticed something at his 10 o’clock position. It looked like a pair of light cruisers and a couple of destroyers. He then hand signal his squadron leader which took a second to get his attention. After a few quick hand signals the squadron leader fired up the radio net. “All Top Hat Elements, targets at 10 o’clock position. Given them hell boys!”


They knew they found one of the screening elements of the Japanese fleet, but they didn’t have enough time to hunt for said fleet. So they were going to wack this screening element. One by one the Vindicators started their dives on the Japanese. Wiser was lining up for one of the light cruisers. Just as he started his dive the Japanese only started to open up with anti-aircraft fire. They had caught the Japanese by surprised and they were scrambling to get their guns trained that high. The flak through was still fairly thin as they had their guns mostly at zero elevation when they noticed the Americans.


Wiser pushed his Vindicator down and made his way to the target as he felt the gs starting to kick in. He kept his aim on the cruiser as he was starting to take evasive action to hopefully throw off Wiser’s aim. As he was pushing through the Gs through the corner of his eye he noticed that one of the tin cans going up in a major fireball. Unknown to Wiser the bomb hit the torpedoes of the destroyer causing the compressed oxygen to feed the explosive caused by the bomb itself and turn it into something far larger than it should had otherwise been. Yet Wiser kept pushing on till he reached the altitude he had to dropped the bomb. He pulled the level and felt the 500 pound bomb release from his aircraft as he pulled out of his dive.


All around him the sky was being filled with Japanese led. His rear gunner, a 2nd class from Alabama was firing his 30s at the cruiser as Wiser level out aiming for anything that looked soft enough that his 30s could do damage. Yet as Wiser started to climb again his rear gunner cut the fire as they were moving away too fast to keep up fire for that long at the ships. But they were leaving behind one destroyer in pieces and a cruiser on fire along with hits on the other one. At the same time their squadron commander was calling out the position of these Japanese over the radio as there had to be more Japanese around here. Now they just had to find the bastards.

 

[Jim Smitty]

Wake Island
Near Field Hospital
March 15 1939, 1132 Local


Lt Commander Jeff Flake was taking aim down the sights of the Arisaka rifle he was using as he was prone on the ground. In the hours since the Japanese started their third invasion attempt of Wake things had gotten bad on the island. Jeff had given up even trying to do anything more than stop the bleeding of the wounded as he had no supplies for anything else. He was no defending the wounded in his care to keep them from being butchered by the Japanese as the battle for Wake had become no quarter asked for none given. Currently the Japanese were only about hundred or so yards from his hospital and he and his unit were making a last ditch defense of it.


Something moved in front of Flake and he pulled the trigger on his Arisaka. He cycled the bolt as he kept looking for another bastard to shoot. Once he had cycled the bolt he rolled to the left to keep from being in the same location for a third shot. It was one of the tricks he had learned in his time on this spec of an island in the middle of the vast Pacific. He couldn’t stay in the same spot after firing two shots without bring down a hell of fire on him by the Japanese. Sure enough just after he rolled there was a hell of fire from Japanese rifles coming down on his former hole in the ground.


As he started looking around for another bastard Japanese he heard a soft thud by him. He turned and saw a Japanese hand grenade not more than four feet from himself. Dropping the Arisaka he lunged at the grenade. With the grenade in his hand he threw it back at the Japanese. It blew up in the air only a second after Flake threw it back at the Japanese. It rained down on ground hitting nothing. But it wasn’t over, not by a long shot. Finding another Jap Marine after picking up his rifle he pulled the trigger on his Arisaka rifle only to hear the hammer strike nothing. “Damn it.” That was his last stripper clip and the damn thing was dry.


He pulled the rifle down and took the insanely long bayonet off the rifle and gripped it with his left hand. His right hand when and pulled out the Model 19 pistol he used. He was picking his head up to see where the fire was coming from now he heard the sound of aircraft overhead. He looked up briefly and saw the iron cross of the Germans. “Fucking Krauts! Welcome to the party.” Unknown to Flake the Germans had reformed their battleplans and sent the bulk of their airwing to give the Americans on Wake close air support by attacking the Japanese ships supporting the landing or those bring more troops into the battle.


As the sound of the German aircraft were loud, but the screams from the Japanese were louder. It was one word, “Banzai!” With that over 100 Japanese Marines rose up and changed the 40 or so Americans defending the field hospital. Flake raised his Model 19 and pulled his trigger quickly twice dropping one of the Jap marines. The sole machine gun in his defense unit when from short burst fire to full auto trying to cut down the numbers. During his hand to the left slightly he took aim at another Jap Marine he pulled the trigger again only to see half the head of the Jap Marine simply turn into bloody mess from the impact of the 45 ACP round. Yet the Japanese kept covering the distance, the losses be damned.


Jumping quickly to he feet Jeff took aim again and missed this time. Yet within seconds the Japanese were on top of him. Swinging with his left hand he made the Jap Marine trying to stab him miss and with his right hand brought up his Model 19 and pull the trigger at point break range hitting the man in the neck with blood spraying everywhere. Quickly turning as the dead Jap Marine dropped he pulled the trigger a sixth time he caught a Jap marine in his arm as his pistol locked open as it was out of ammo.


Dropping the pistol Jeff brought up his knife hand again to block another stabbing effort by another Japanese Marine. Only this time it wasn’t as effective and the blade of the bayonet cut a gash into his left forearm. Pushing the pain aside he brought up his right hand and grabbed the rifle and tried to throw the Japanese Marine off balance. It worked and following quickly the American doctor brought up his left hand with own bayonet and pushed it through the guts of the Jap Marine. He pulled it out quickly and when for the kill shot with taking his bayonet to the Jap Marine’s neck.


As he pulled it out and looked around he could see a pile of dead bodies or those who were dying. It was a bloody mess but he couldn’t see any threat near him. He looked around for a moment and picked up his Model 19 and blew on it for a moment to blow the sand out the slide. He shook it to try and get more sand out of it and blew on it again. He than reloaded the weapon and placed it back in its holster. He then tore off part of his sleeve to use it to tend to his wound. As he was doing to it one of his medics under his personal command came running up to him, “Sir I think that was the last of them.”


“No, they will be back.” Jeff said with a coldness in his voice. “Pick up weapons from the dead and issue them out.” As he finished wrapping up his newest wound.


“Aye, aye sir.” The medic said and started running off to pass the orders. Jeff himself picked up another Arisaka rifle and worked the bolt finding only a single round left in it as it popped out. He than searched the dead Jap Marine in front of him and pulled out a fresh stripper clip and loaded it into the rifle. With the rifle locked and loaded he when about finding all the ammo he could for said rifle. It was shaping up to be a long day.

 

[Jim Smitty]

USS Enterprise CV-3
Pacific Ocean, Near Wake
March 15 1939, 1354 Local


Vice Admiral Pete Oswald knew it was the same game now, waiting. It was a time honor military tradition, one he didn’t care for but at this point there was nothing more he could do. The last of his bombers for the second strike mission of the day had just launched after being refueled and rearmed in the past few minutes. Besides the few fighters he had on the decks of the carriers to revive the current CAP aircraft his flight decks were empty of aircraft. And with the fact they had found the Jap carriers, even briefly they had good odds of finding the bastards and hurt them. Now he was just waiting for the word on how the strike would go.


Currently he was sitting in the CIC of the Enterprise. There really wasn’t that much to do for Oswald at the moment and he wasn’t going to watch over the bridge staff like a hawk. His position was here where he had the radios and radar sets up to command the battle. Then one of the radar petty officers spoke up, “Large contact, bearing two-seven-nine! Speed 171 knots! Distance 75 miles and closing! Angel’s 19!”


“Sound general quarters!” Oswald bellowed. Within moments the general quarter klaxon on the Enterprise was ringing as the crew started running to their battlestations. Oswald thought for a moment, “Vector the CAP to that target ASAP! Launch the stand by fighters!” At that the radio operators started sending the messages to the CAP fighters and the other carriers of the task force. He could feel the Big E as she was known turned as the ship was turning into the wind to launch the 8 fighters on her decks.


At that the ships started doing what was needed to get ready for battle. Hatches were closed. Crews were running to their battlestations and reliving he person at their post to allow them to go to their battlestations. The last remaining 22 fighters that had been on the carriers were being launched to give the CAP all of the fighters they could do defeat the Japanese assault. As they were waiting the CAP aircraft started to get a visual on the Japanese, “My god. There must be over 250 aircraft heading this way.” Crackled over the radio.


That was bad an Oswald knew it. He only had with the fighters that were launching now 60 aircraft over head. He was going to be outnumbered in the air a little over four to one. Those were never good numbers. He was listening as the CAP aircraft started to dive on the Japs and started to try and thin out the numbers.


He listened to the radio as the pilots were calling out what was happening, but things were happening fast here. His own fighters were starting to fall to the defending Japanese fighters. The distance between the Japanese aerial wing and his own ships was radially sinking. Then he could hear the 5/38s of his ships start to fire as they were starting to fill the air with flak. They were the longest ranged anti-air weapon his ships had. Right now he was wishing he had a few Havana Class CLAA with his task force. However on two of the ten ship order had joined the fleet so far and they were operating with the Atlantic Fleet. It would be a while before the Pacific Fleet got a few of those. As the Japs got closer he could hear the 1.1 inch autocannons join in the fight. But the reports from the Atlantic were already pointing to they needed to replace those. Then the Big-E started a sharp turn to starboard to make the dive and torpedo bombers miss.


It was said it was 95% pure boredom and 5% pure terror. Normally that was the truth. But for the USS Hornet, the terror was still on going after the battle. She had been the focus of the Japanese attack and had taken two torpedo hits and 5 bomb hits and was listing to port as her crew was fighting to save her. The Enterprise took a bomb hit in the attack and the crews were working to repair the damage. The Cabot also took a pair of bomb hits, but the damage in both the case of the Cabot and the Enterprise they were still in the fight from the reports that Oswald had heard. The Hornet through it was a fight to save her from sinking now.