AHC: AM's/RAF's best reply to LW and Heer in 1940

Don't order 2 Supermarine B.12/36 prototypes so that the firm's design department can devote more resources to its other projects including improving the Spitfire.

Transfer production of the Walrus to Saunders Roe sooner. This will allow Supermarine to concentrate on Spitfires.

To create more space at Saunders Roe:
  • Don't order 11 A.33 flying boats. These were ordered at the same time as the first 11 production Sunderlands. This order was cancelled after the prototype was written off in an accident.
  • Don't order the 21 Lerwick flying boats.
54 Sunderlands were ordered before World War II broke out (42 RAF and 12 RAAF). The first 11 were ordered in March 1936. The 42 ordered by the RAF appear to have been delivered between April 1938 and October 1939.

Another 42 Sunderlands should be ordered between 1936 and 1939, starting with 22 in March 1936. This includes 32 ordered instead of the 11 Saro A.33s and 21 Saro Lerwicks.

Short Brothers should be able to deliver the extra aircraft between April 1938 and October 1939. However, if they can't then the extra aircraft should be ordered from Blackburn or Short & Harland. That would help both companies set up their Sunderland production lines several years earlier.

It would also help if the RCAF ordered an eventual total of 40 Sunderlands from Short Brothers, Short & Harland or Blackburn instead of the 40 Supermarine Stranraers that were built by Canadian Vickers.
 
This was the OTL plan in 1936. The source is National Archives file Air 20/67

Air 20-67 12.10.36.png
 
Before we jump into bits and pieces that warm the rivet-counter's heart, a good look at doctrine, training, communication, cooperation and defence of assets is needed. Change the historical RAF/AM doctrine when/where needed.
I realise that I totally forgot the part about countering the LW in my earlier post, as the option to bloody the Heer caught my minds eye, and, well...
My 2¢ worth, go with some thing like;

1) Based upon WWI experience, pre-war make aerial maps of every single route of advance that an invading German army will have to use in any and every sector for their supply trains to use, and train a large number of dedicated dive bombers to smash logistics motor vehicles/horse drawn transports on said terrain, both within France, and outside.
2) Have fighter pilots trained in joint exercises with the dive bombers, to keep the Luftwaffe off them as well as possible.
3) Use all other bombers to smash buildings/bridges to delay advances, and especially to massacre traffic jammed up concentrations of supply convoys.
4) Have a pre-war plan to draw the Heer forward, in the least favorable terrain to defend their supply convoys as possible, and let the Germans think they have found a hole in your lines, and smash their logistics with everything you have, once their forces enter the trap.

So now, to stick it too the Luftwaffe, have the RAF/AM establish 3 lines of chain home like radar stations within the French boarder's, say something like 100 miles back, 200 miles back, and 300 miles back.
1) Have all such stations prepped for demolitions, just in case you need to withdraw rapidly...
2) Have an integrated Joint RAF/AM FC built and trained up prewar, that can handle operations in and around French airspace, in at least both English and French languages, and also have pre-planned demolitions capabilities to thoroughly destroy these locations built in, just in case...

That about covers it.
 
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The plan for the Overseas Commands in October 1936 according to National Archives File Air 20/67

However, it doesn't include the Bomber-Transport flight in India or the coast artillery spotter flight planned for Hong Kong. The Volunteer Unit for Singapore was a coast artillery spotter flight. In other versions of Scheme F there were to be 3 with 6 aircraft each, with one at Malta, Singapore and Hong Kong respectively.

Air 20-67 October 1936 Overseas Commands.png
 
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...
So now, to stick it too the Luftwaffe, have the RAF/AM establish 3 lines of chain home like radar stations within the French boarder's, say something like 100 miles back, 200 miles back, and 300 miles back.
1) Have all such stations prepped for demolitions, just in case you need to withdraw rapidly...
2) Have an integrated Joint RAF/AM FC built and trained up prewar, that can handle operations in and around French airspace, in at least both English and French languages, and also have pre-planned demolitions capabilities to thoroughly destroy these locations built in, just in case...

That about covers it.

RAF bases will also need to be covered well with AA guns. The 40mm Bofors is the gold standard, but might not be available in good numbers unless the purchase is done earlier. Here the earlier contract with Oerlikon might also be a boon. The 25.4mm Vickers also fits. Even the 2pdr HV, provided other stuff is not available in good numbers.
 
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