Feel the Bearn - A Timeline of France's Only Carrier in WWII and Beyond

[Seafort]

"Undoubtedly I was as surprised as anyone when they brought him out," wrote Robert Page Arnot in a letter to Anna Louise Strong that was published in the months following her disappearance in what was mainland China. "To think that old Willie Gallacher was on the run like Lenin was a bit preposterous, but there we were. These are frightening times, with Churchill arresting our comrades in the night like the Gestapo. But Jack was there. And so was Reuben. Willie looked to be quite the worse for wear, but his speech was vigorous." Jack Dash echoed this sentiment in an unmailed letter to Wal Hallington following the latter's arrest. "He had a force about him that I had not seen before. Perhaps his brush with death had changed him, but he spoke with great certitude that the government of Winston Churchill was about to come to an end. And with the atrocities that the Prime Minister had committed, the fall of the capitalistic system itself." Phil Piratin also gave Gallacher strong praise in a letter to an unnamed admirer, "In these unprecedented times it was refreshing to be once more among a society of friends." Yet he did have his misgivings. "But still I wonder, how this will be accomplished? How, when the lot of us are being hunted down relentlessly? It seems implausible. And Gallacher's assistant, this Redgrave, never have I met a man more cold in my life."

Excerpt from Twilight Britain: 1945 - 1956, (2007) by David Kynaston

 

[22000 Kevin]

The rest of the surviving Imperial Japanese Navy haven't been sunked at this stage of the war, it would be destroyed in exactly one month and 10 days (probably a coincidence) if the USSR haven't intervened on Admiral Halsey's grand revenge plan that killed 102 Naval air men for a completely harmless fleet excluding the AAA that has to wait for the Americans to come rather than coming to threaten the Americans.

So the IJN is made up of in 1945,

Battleships (BB)
1 operational Nagato-class
IJN Nagato
- The ship apparently had enough fuel to start her engines and go on a short sortie to Sagami Bay with a fuel barge from god knows where giving the Battleship extra fuel in mid August to go on a longer a trip.
- The IJN Nagato is effectively Japan's last operational capital ship for the rest of the war and the last surviving "pure" Battleship of the IJN.

2 "operational" Hybrid Carrier's of the Ise-class
IJN Ise
IJN Hyuga
- They have no fuel and are just AAA batterys for Kure.

1 "Operational" Kongo-class fast Battleship
IJN Haruna
- The very last of the Kongo class Fast Battleships, she has only suffered minor damage as of late and starved of fuel as every other ship is.

Fleet Carriers (CV)
2 "operational" Unryū-class Fleet Carriers.
IJN Katsuragi
IJN Amagi
IJN Kasagi is 84% complete but construction was abandoned in April Fools day.
IJN Aso is 60% completed but worked was stopped in the 8 of November 1944.

- They have no fuel and are just AAA artillery platforms at Kure, it doesn't help that their not much crew members trained left to drive these things at all including air men.
- The budget version of the Unryū class called the Ikoma-class is scrapped, no point working on a 60% completed hull when rebuilding the Merchant fleet is more important.

1 broken Hiyō-class Fleet Carrier.
IJN Junyo
- The ship is already a effective museum ship thanks to 2 American Carrier Dive Bombers in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and 4 USN Submarines hunting her down and placing 3 fishes into her and somehow not sinking her, the Japanese attempted to repair her during the war but quickly gave up and after the war an American technical team deemed her as a constructive total loss.
She was slow as heck for a fleet Carrier with a max speed of 25 knots and she couldn't even operate the more modern Japanese Judy Dive Bomber.

Light Carrier"s" (CVL)
1 completely useless floating wreck of a Ryūhō-class.
IJN Ryuho
- She's a completely total loss and even is not fit for being a museum after meeting two rockets and 3 500 lb bombs from USN divebombers.

1 really intact Hōshō-class.
IJN Hōshō
- The worlds first commisioned Aircraft Carrier has a shot at becoming a museum.

Escort Carriers (CVE)
1 really broken converted Ocean Liner that was pre-planed to be converted and was formerly known as Argentina Maru.
IJN Kaiyo
- The ship is not doing to so hot with the amount of damage she has suffered from and with the ship being forced to be place on shallow water to prevent sinking.
- She's definally not sea worthy.

Heavy Cruisers (CA)
1 irreparably Aoba-class Cruiser (early 1920s desgin)
IJN Aoba
- The ship was critically damaged by submarine torpedo shots into the boiler room and other places and further damaged by port raids from USN planes.
- Likely to be scrapped after the war since the IJN couldn't fix the damage, she's stuck in Kure.

1 damaged Myōkō class cruiser staying in Singapore (early-mid 1920s desgin)
IJN Myōkō
- The ship was damaged by a Torpedes into the aft and was parked up Singapore for the final days of the war since Singapore didn't have the materials to repair her.

1 moderately damaged Takao-class cruiser, the sole survivor of her class. (Late 1920s and early 1930s desgin (consider the most modern best desgin)) also trapped in Singapore.
IJN Takao
- The Soviets saved the ship from getting even more damaged by British special forces in midget submarines.
- Two Submarine launched Torpedoes are responsible for the stake of this ship and with no resources in Singapore to repair it.

1 "operational" Tone class cruiser, one of the last Imperial Japanese Cruiser.
IJN Tone
- The ship is now a training ship in Kure with no oil.
- She was part of the fleet that conducted the Perl Habor strike that started this war.

Light Cruisers (CL)
Ōyodo-class
IJN Ōyodo
- An wartime built cruiser that was obsolete upon completion in 1943.

Agano-class
IJN Sakawa
- Japan's only class of modern Light Cruisers class except the Oyodo in the entire war.
- IJN Sakawa was commissioned at the end of 1944 and suffered from systems failures thanks to how dire the war had became by 1945.

Katori class
IJN Kashima
- These training ships where the most recent Light Cruisers in the IJN before the Agano-class.

Kuma-class
IJN Kitakami
- Then very last surviving Japanese post World War 1 Japanese Cruiser also the last of her kind in the Imperial Navy.

And then they have some escorts ships suriving but counting will take too long.

 

[Seafort]

The rest of the surviving Imperial Japanese Navy haven't been sunked at this stage of the war, it would be destroyed in exactly one month and 10 days (probably a coincidence) if the USSR haven't intervened on Admiral Halsey's grand revenge plan that killed 102 Naval air men for a completely harmless fleet excluding the AAA that has to wait for the Americans to come rather than coming to threaten the Americans.

So the IJN is made up of in 1945,

Battleships (BB)
1 operational Nagato-class
IJN Nagato
- The ship apparently had enough fuel to start her engines and go on a short sortie to Sagami Bay with a fuel barge from god knows where giving the Battleship extra fuel in mid August to go on a longer a trip.
- The IJN Nagato is effectively Japan's last operational capital ship for the rest of the war and the last surviving "pure" Battleship of the IJN.

2 "operational" Hybrid Carrier's of the Ise-class
IJN Ise
IJN Hyuga
- They have no fuel and are just AAA batterys for Kure.

1 "Operational" Kongo-class fast Battleship
IJN Haruna
- The very last of the Kongo class Fast Battleships, she has only suffered minor damage as of late and starved of fuel as every other ship is.

Fleet Carriers (CV)
2 "operational" Unryū-class Fleet Carriers.
IJN Katsuragi
IJN Amagi
IJN Kasagi is 84% complete but construction was abandoned in April Fools day.
IJN Aso is 60% completed but worked was stopped in the 8 of November 1944.

- They have no fuel and are just AAA artillery platforms at Kure, it doesn't help that their not much crew members trained left to drive these things at all including air men.
- The budget version of the Unryū class called the Ikoma-class is scrapped, no point working on a 60% completed hull when rebuilding the Merchant fleet is more important.

1 broken Hiyō-class Fleet Carrier.
IJN Junyo
- The ship is already a effective museum ship thanks to 2 American Carrier Dive Bombers in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and 4 USN Submarines hunting her down and placing 3 fishes into her and somehow not sinking her, the Japanese attempted to repair her during the war but quickly gave up and after the war an American technical team deemed her as a constructive total loss.
She was slow as heck for a fleet Carrier with a max speed of 25 knots and she couldn't even operate the more modern Japanese Judy Dive Bomber.

Light Carrier"s" (CVL)
1 completely useless floating wreck of a Ryūhō-class.
IJN Ryuho
- She's a completely total loss and even is not fit for being a museum after meeting two rockets and 3 500 lb bombs from USN divebombers.

1 really intact Hōshō-class.
IJN Hōshō
- The worlds first commisioned Aircraft Carrier has a shot at becoming a museum.

Escort Carriers (CVE)
1 really broken converted Ocean Liner that was pre-planed to be converted and was formerly known as Argentina Maru.
IJN Kaiyo
- The ship is not doing to so hot with the amount of damage she has suffered from and with the ship being forced to be place on shallow water to prevent sinking.
- She's definally not sea worthy.

Heavy Cruisers (CA)
1 irreparably Aoba-class Cruiser (early 1920s desgin)
IJN Aoba
- The ship was critically damaged by submarine torpedo shots into the boiler room and other places and further damaged by port raids from USN planes.
- Likely to be scrapped after the war since the IJN couldn't fix the damage, she's stuck in Kure.

1 damaged Myōkō class cruiser staying in Singapore (early-mid 1920s desgin)
IJN Myōkō
- The ship was damaged by a Torpedes into the aft and was parked up Singapore for the final days of the war since Singapore didn't have the materials to repair her.

1 moderately damaged Takao-class cruiser, the sole survivor of her class. (Late 1920s and early 1930s desgin (consider the most modern best desgin)) also trapped in Singapore.
IJN Takao
- The Soviets saved the ship from getting even more damaged by British special forces in midget submarines.
- Two Submarine launched Torpedoes are responsible for the stake of this ship and with no resources in Singapore to repair it.

1 "operational" Tone class cruiser, one of the last Imperial Japanese Cruiser.
IJN Tone
- The ship is now a training ship in Kure with no oil.
- She was part of the fleet that conducted the Perl Habor strike that started this war.

Light Cruisers (CL)
Ōyodo-class
IJN Ōyodo
- An wartime built cruiser that was obsolete upon completion in 1943.

Agano-class
IJN Sakawa
- Japan's only class of modern Light Cruisers class except the Oyodo in the entire war.
- IJN Sakawa was commissioned at the end of 1944 and suffered from systems failures thanks to how dire the war had became by 1945.

Katori class
IJN Kashima
- These training ships where the most recent Light Cruisers in the IJN before the Agano-class.

Kuma-class
IJN Kitakami
- Then very last surviving Japanese post World War 1 Japanese Cruiser also the last of her kind in the Imperial Navy.

And then they have some escorts ships suriving but counting will take too long.

They also still have one really, really competent destroyer captain.

 

[generalurist]

So the IJN is made up of in 1945,

Thanks for the detailed rundown including state of disrepair. Quite informative!

 

[Seafort]

June 18, 1945
5:15AM EST
London

Darkness. Unending. And then light. Images swirling around him. Flashes of memories...or of things to come he wondered. He looked about in a cacophony of visual battery. Propeller driven planes....no...these were of the new jet variant. Two battleships, yes they were of the King George V class. They were being dismantled. Or were they? They were being...altered. And a man, overseeing it all, his face in shadow. Looming over all. Waiting.

Winston Churchill gasped, suddenly finding himself on his side next to his desk. His chest hurt. His head was throbbing.

Major-General Colin Gubbins stood up, jerking opening the door. "Get medical attention here immediately! The Prime Minister is down!"

Gubbins got down on his knee and tried to prop the leader of the British government into a sitting position. Churchill, his eyes glassy, suddenly grabbed the General by the tie. "Find him," he hissed. "Find Fleming!"

5:16AM EST
London

My love, he wrote. This is but a short message because the hour of my departure draws short. I do not know when I will be able to write you again, as in the days to come I shall become a man without a country. But this period should undoubtedly be short, for if I succeed great changes shall be wrought. And a great and ever growing evil shall be extinguished. The details I cannot say here, but know that what you have been told on the radio and in print is not true. Nor is what they will say about me. If I would be so selfish I would dash you off with me to safety, in what will be assuredly my final mission. But I draw warmth in the fact that you are safe, and that someday soon I may see you again in a day that is not so darkened.

- F

Ian Fleming stood up from the worn, pockmarked desk that he had commandeered in the corner of the basement. Henry Morgenthau sat in his chair, still bound, silently watching him. Stuart Adams was sorting his gear in the opposite corner. Readying himself.

Yes, he thought. We're all readying ourselves. Fleming folded the letter and placed it in an envelope. He would mail it to Ann when they departed, and by the time she received it - if she received it - they would be long gone. Away from London, and indeed if all went well away from Great Britain itself.

 

[Seafort]

Thanks for the detailed rundown including state of disrepair. Quite informative!

Absolutely. Thank you for providing that!

One thing as well that the Japanese still had...or actually three of them.

 

[22000 Kevin]

Absolutely. Thank you for providing that!

One thing as well that the Japanese still had...or actually three of them.

View attachment 557819

The I-400 class I assume?

But the back of the I boat doesn't match the I-400 class profile...
Still 3 I-400s were built otl so this is either a coincidence or their is some other class of Japanese I-boats I have missed.

Also here is a video of the majority of the ship loses the Japanese Empire suffered throughout the war...
Focus for any Japanese ships sunk after the Yamato, since this means that some forces in the IJN or Merchant marine were finding fuel and suppling themselves with it for journeys. Remember the Dutch East Indies and Borneo plus Malaya have oil.

The butterflys of the British Royal Navy getting distracted by the French Navy and the sinking of the Richelieu I have to ask how did she sink so fast? That ship had AAA that was 3 times better than the rubbish Japanese ones and how did the heck Royal Navy gather their Carriers to go on a wild goose chase when .
(I'll post a second comment on the complaints of the battleship Richelieu because I have suddenly become a French Battleship fan.),
(And I'm going to question everything that happened during the naval war between the UK and France),
(wait is the war against the French and British maritime forces still going on),
(Memorys a bit hazy with the story with all the stuff going on in Germany and Britian),

 

[22000 Kevin]

@Seafort have bad news...
I am astounded by myself for not questioning about this for so long but I knew something was off about that incident all those years ago.

I am going to honour the crew members of the French Battleship.
also I became a French Battleship fan now all of a sudden but that's not important...

I AM DECLARING WAR

Ce navire le Richelieu ne sera jamais oublié par moi Seafort!
Comme j'utilise ce logiciel mal traduit pour me faire paraître plus dramatique.


I have come across multiple glaring flaws that happened in the June 4, 1945!
The end result of this conflict between us will decide wether if you are going to capitulate and change the history of this world and story or force yourself to use a Alien Space Bat to get the result you want in June the 4th.

June 4, 1945 has finally come back to haunt you Seafort and I will make sure you can't swat it away like a insect.

In 7-9 Hours I will begin the opening shots of this war by asking questions and then I will stat facts and then I will use Memes!
I'm not like the Japanese who pull a Perl Harbor on your back with no warning.​

(Litteraly just going to ask questions and scrutinise you to provide an explanation of them while I go waste 2 hours of my life researching eVeRyThInG.)
Get your Defences sorted out Seafort because I warned ya (smiles evily)
Remember June the 4th because it has finally come back to haunt you heee hee.

*Samsung Galaxy Tablet meanwhile dies as it runs out of Battery*

​

 

[Korlan]

One thing as well that the Japanese still had...or actually three of them.

The I-400 class I assume?

That is the I-15 class, a smaller predecessor to the I-400

If the shipbuilding was as OTL, Japan also should have several I-201 class "fast attack submarines" (roughly equivalent to a German type XXI)

OTL 4 of them were commissionned just before the end of the war, but were not used and 3 were captured intact by the US. (and there were several more under construction)

 

[22000 Kevin]

@Seafort Before I launch the shots I have loaded up on the sinking of the RN Richelieu I need to ask questions.

1. Was the battleship Richelieu escorted by French ships? (I know the answer after 20 minutes of research)
2. What escort did the HMS Illustrious have?
3. How did the British detect the Battleship?

Note I will cancel my ask questions plan from now on since I can just research the answer's and pile them all up to build my case.
Also less pressure on you as well.

 

[22000 Kevin]

Since you failed to provide any answer's I might as well launch my first Nuclear weapon to force you to change the story (not significantly)


*me reading the information on what HMS Illustrious was doing in June 1945.*

heh heh ha ha I have found the smoking gun to unsink the Richelieu Muh ha ha!



The naval war between France and the United Kingdom started in June 1, 1945 when the HMS Battler launched it's infamous first strike against the French Carrier Bearn that would go down in infamy for ruining Anglo-Franco relations for the rest of the 20th Century.


HMS Illustrious in June 1945 was sailing to Rosyth harbor to receive some major repairs to her after she suffered a major damage from a near miss by a Japanese Kamikaze D4Y3 Judy Dive bomber in 6 April, 1945. Most of the severe damage was done by the 1,000-kilogram (2,200 lb) bomb the Japanese plane was caring exploding under water only 50 metre's from the side of the ship.

The resulting shock damage was initially believe to have caused "little" harm but the vibrations of the ship worsened and to make matter's worse only a few months ago in early March vibration problems with her center propeller shaft, which had never been properly repaired after she was bombed at Malta, were so bad that the propeller was removed altogether and the shaft locked in place, reducing her maximum speed to 24 knots. Now the ship couldn't even go to 24 knots with the damage unless the RN wanted to ship vibration's to worsen the damage the Japanese Kamikaze actually did.

The actual damage the ship suffered was found out to be not "little" but actually found to be extensive to hull structure and plating. HMS Formidable was ordered to replace the Illustrious position but in the meantime she conducted operation's with Task Force 57 for the rest of her time spent in supporting the invasion of Okinawa, a more thorough inspection lator by diver's in the Philippines found the damage outer plating was split and that some transverse frames were cracked.

When the rest of TF 57 arrived in the Philippines the HMS Illustrious transferred aircraft, spares, stores, and newly arrived pilots to the other carriers of TF 57 before sailing for Sydney on 3 May.

After receiving emergency's repairs and some more perminment repairs in Sydney to allow her to survive the journey to Rosyth HMS Illustrious left Sydney in May the 24th heading for the Suez canal... But's their is a catch she didn't travel with 854 squadron the TBF Avenger Torpedo Bomber group because they were disembarked in Sydney.

However the ship still carried it's two squadron's of F4U Corsair's during her OTL journey back to Britain. Said planes of which she lost a total of 9 frames of them during operation Iceberg (the invasion of Okinawa), this is not including the extra air frames she transferred to the Carrier's of TF 57 back in the Philippines.

I find it unlikely that the Royal Navy would refile the stocks of HMS Illustrious land leased F4U Crosair Naval Air Squadrons of 1830 and 1833 of the FAA especially after the 854 squadron of Avenger's was disembarked. The Royal Navy would be playing a large part in Operation Downfall (if Japan hadn't surrendered), I don't really think the Royal Navy would waste planes on a ship that was heading to the Dry dock for months and be many miles away from the front lines.

The order to go to war against all forces of De Gaulle which literally meant all of French military asset's happened in June 2 after HMS Battler sank.
This mean's that Illustrious was 9 days in sea with a escort of 2 or 3 Destroyer's (no ever thought to record her escort).

This is a very rough estimate of where HMS Illustrious is with her small Task force in June 2, 1945 heading to the Suez Canal.
The British Carrier is the red dot.

So in conclusion HMS Illustrious the pros and cons.

Pro's

• Having two F4U Crosair Fighter Bomber squadron's of experience pilot's.
• Being in the right place at the right time.
• Despite being slower than the French Battleship the Carrier is in a position to intercept RM Richelieu if she is spotted unless the Battleship head's very near to Japanese controlled Malaya and DEI and make's a run to US/Australian controlled New Guinea to rendezvous with other French ships near the French islands of New Caledonia and French Polynesia, thus avoiding HMS Illustrious.

Cons

• Spoiler

  I will outline the cons later after I make another detailed post focusing on the Battleship Richelieu .
  [*]I will outline the cons later after I make another detailed post focusing on the Battleship Richelieu .
  [*]I will outline the cons later after I make another detailed post focusing on the Battleship Richelieu .
  [*]I will outline the cons later after I make another detailed post focusing on the Battleship Richelieu .
  [*]I will outline the cons later after I make another detailed post focusing on the Battleship Richelieu .
  [*]I will outline the cons later after I make another detailed post focusing on the Battleship Richelieu .
  [*]I will outline the cons later after I make another detailed post focusing on the Battleship Richelieu .
  [*]I will outline the cons later after I make another detailed post focusing on the Battleship Richelieu .

 

[Seafort]

22000 Kevin, this is fantastic! I love it!

Background when I was writing that scene:

• The HMS Illustrious had experienced vibration trouble in 1945 and after being examined in the Philippines she departed for Australia in May. She departed for England on May 24th.
• The Richilieu was part of Group 3 of Force 61 and had departed for Durban on June the 3rd in the OTL. Because of the fighting breaking out between Britain and France on June 1st, she would have been recalled immediately. It might make for an interesting scene in an expanded version of the story to have the Richilieu have to fight her way out, such as having to take on the HMS Cumberland.
• As you stated, this put the Illustrious in a hypothetical situation to intercept and ultimately sink the French battleship

The Richilieu appears (I think) to have been escorted by the destroyer Le Triomphant. If not in the original timeline, certainly now. I'm unaware of any other French naval assets in the region at the time. I do not believe that the Senegalais or the Somali were in the area.

A potential con was when the Richilieu docked at Diego Suarez prior to reaching Durban. I never could find out when she stopped at Suarez.

Please list your cons that you found. I want this story to be as accurate as possible, and while there are some wild pivot points - a rebuilt Bearn, Project Deluge - it has to use real locations and real equipment.

Thanks!

 

[22000 Kevin]

...





I just accidentally deleted a 2 hour long post I was making and I realized it the second my Finger press press control + C.

(I actually got it back my god my heart )

A potential con was when the Richilieu docked at Diego Suarez prior to reaching Durban. I never could find out when she stopped at Suarez.

What actually happened was that the South African Government requested the Richilieu to disembark non-white crewmen, though this caused resentment among the crew, the French nevertheless complied.

That's what I found in the internet and it makes logically sense to me.

The Richilieu appears (I think) to have been escorted by the destroyer Le Triomphant. If not in the original timeline, certainly now. I'm unaware of any other French naval assets in the region at the time. I do not believe that the Senegalais or the Somali were in the area.

I can confirm after many hours of research it is highly likely that Le Triomphant escorted her and later joined the British fleet based in Celyon.

Le Triomphant was also carrying some equipment for for the Richilieu but for what we will never know.
Also the "Destroyer" Le Triomphant is now reclassified as a Light Cruiser.

Edit: The Preview button saved most of my 2 hour post.

Edit 2: I going to sleep now so the Richelieu post will be delayed.

 

[Seafort]

June 18, 1945
5:35AM EST
London

Anthony Eden hurried past the guards to the bunker and immediately recoiled as a wave of sweat and ozone hit him. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affair made his way through the cramped chamber, one filled with overheating machinery and dozens of technicians. It was mid-day now, and even underground with air conditioners running the structure was stifling. He stopped, and let out a small gasp as he saw two medics placing Winston Churchill onto a stretcher.

"What happened?" he asked in alarm.

Ernest Bevin shook his head. "We're not certain," said the Minister of Labor. "But he may have suffered a heart attack."

"Good Lord," muttered Eden.

Major-General Colin Gubbins watched the two of them silently, and said nothing as Churchill was wheeled out of the bunker. Time was slipping, he thought. I have to act with haste.

6:58AM EST

Joint session of Congress called; Truman to make major announcement on postwar Germany - New York Times headline

President to address de-Nazification in speech to Congress - Washington Times-Herald headline

 

[Seafort]

June 18, 1945
8:47AM EST
London

Once more Henry Morgenthau found himself riding through London. Although this time he was not the honored emissary of a trusted ally. No, he thought as he waited in the backseat with Adams, I am a prisoner. Or was he? He pondered that point wordlessly as the sights of Britain's capital passed by. Stores and restaurants were open with civilians milling about, but these seemed pockets of normalcy amidst a veritable archipelago of ruin and military vehicles.

He still wasn't entirely sure what to believe. That he had been targeted for assassination - he had only Fleming's word to go by. Well, that and the copy of the Times that he held in his lap. The paper that had a feature on his own funeral which was due to take place in North Carolina the very next day. Morgenthau winced at the pain that his wife Elinor had to be experiencing. He was tempted to thrust himself at the window, to scream I am alive! But instead he sat quietly, firm in the knowledge that any attempt at escape would be countered by the pistol that Lieutenant Adams had pressed against his side.

Ian Fleming was equally quiet as he manuevered the Ford Anglia towards the outskirts of London. He had left the Mercedes behind yesterday, along with most of his hair courtesy of a pair of electric sheers that he had brought back. One could never be too cautious. Now, as they approached Putney Bridge the first real test was to come. Even though curfew had passed, there were rings of security around London checking people going in and out of the city. Martial law was in force, and non-essential travel had been prohibited.

As their vehicle came closer to the checkpoint, he wondered about his decision to keep Morgenthau in the back seat. "What if he's recognized?", Adams had asked as they left the basement hours earlier. And why would he be, had come been the response. To the entire world, the US Secretary of the Treasury was dead. And if they were successful, perhaps he would stay that way. If.

Eventually they entered the line to the fortified entrance of Putney Bridge. "It wasn't this secured during the Blitz," exclaimed Adams. Dozens of soldiers manned the entrance, checking the papers of drivers who waited in line to cross.

"No," replied Fleming dryly. "And if you had not aided Gubbins as you did, it never would have been this secured."

Adams turned red and said nothing. Fleming was satisfied. Despite his aid and attack of conscience, Ian was certain not to forget the part that the Naval officer had played in this entire affair. Or the lives that he had ended.

Several minutes later he pulled up to the checkpoint.

"Your identification," demanded one of the soldiers who approached the vehicle.

"Here," said Fleming. He handed over the ID, and the soldier scrutinized it. After a few moments, the man walked away and headed towards the guardhouse.

"They know," whispered Adams from the back.

"Perhaps," said Fleming. "We shall soon find out."

At the guard house, the Soldier entered and handed the identification to his sergeant. He looked at the picture on the wall before him, and then at the ID. The resemblance was there.

Meanwhile in the car a rivulet of sweat ran down Henry Morgenthau's face. Was this the time, he wondered. Or is it my last chance of escape? He could scream for help, and scores of soldiers would come running to his aid. Within minutes, Elinor could know that he was safe and within a day he could be reunited with her. Or he could get shot for his efforts. Or, if what he had been told was true, he would never be allowed to return to the United States embassy. Scenarios danced through his mind, odds being weighed and counterweighed.

Two minutes later the Soldier returned. He studied the occupants of the Ford. The older gentleman was sweating, far more than one should normally. Even on a summer morning. Both men in the backseat both appeared nervous.

"Have you caught any of the German sympathizers?", asked Fleming.

"I'm not at liberty to say," replied the Soldier dryly. He took another look at the older man in the backseat. He seemed to be trembling, almost panicked.

Fleming noticed the man's expression and tried to distract him. "If you, do not treat them gently. I had friends at the Claridge."

The Soldier nodded. After a few seconds he handed him back the papers. "Have safe travels, Mister -"

"Secretan. James Secretan."

The Soldier waved them by, and after a few seconds they were crossing the bridge and disappeared into Putney. The man shook his head. The identification papers were good, but were clearly forgeries. It was definitely Ian Fleming. And when the moment of opportunity arose he would let his contact with the OSS know.

 

[22000 Kevin]

Ahhhhh my motivation to research every Royal Navy asset around the Bay of Bengal in 1945 has completely collapse it's almost a month since I first started the war to explain why French Battleship Richelieu would not have been sunk.


But the 21st Aircraft Carrier Squadron assassinated my motivation and then other things in the internet nailed my free time.

 

[Seafort]

June 18, 1945
10:00AM EST
Washington, DC

My fellow Americans. Today, we stand just two weeks away from celebrating that most important anniversary in the history of our great nation. On that glorious day, it will be the one hundred and sixty ninth anniversary of the birth of the independence of our country. Our forefathers in Philadelphia not only established a new nation—they established a nation based on a new idea. They said that all men were created equal. They based the whole idea of government on this God-given equality of men. They said that the people had the right to govern themselves. They said the purpose of government was to protect the unalienable rights of man to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We have just concluded one front of a war against nations dedicated to the exact opposite of these ideals. Nations dedicated to the purpose of the subjugation of man over man. Of one man having the right to govern the many. That all men were not created equal, that not only did should some men be eliminated but that others, in fact countless millions should be brought into submission and killed. Our opponent was unlike any that we have faced on the field of battle, yet we as Americans have triumphed. But while the war draws to its inevitable conclusion on islands of the Pacific and soon the homeland of Japan, we find another front reopening once more. An enemy that refuses to honor its own surrender. An enemy that has used the terms that it had agreed to as merely a cloak to continue military operations against not only our armed forces, but against civilians all across liberated Europe.

Agents of the Nazi regime have sought a renewed encounter against the Allies. Terror reigns in Great Britain. The leader of liberated France is targeted for assassination. The submarines of a once vanquished regime now prowl the Atlantic, having torpedoed the French carrier Bearn. In the shattered heartland of our defeated opponent, Allied military forces find themselves under direct attack in an armed, sustained German uprising. Generals Eisenhower and Bradley was murdered. Not fallen upon the field of battle, but killed in a desperate, dishonorable, and cowardly attack. And Secretary Morgenthau, he too slain by this monstrous cause. These are just three of a growing list of names taken by an enemy that has not in fact surrendered, that has no honor, no compassion, but remains a threat to all of us still.

President Roosevelt once said that the Axis Powers were driven by a philosophy that is nothing more nor less than an attempt to overthrow and to cancel out the great upsurge of human liberty of which the American Bill of Rights is the fundamental document. He was entirely correct, but I reiterate that human liberty exists not just in the hearts of every American. It lives in the hearts of all. Whether in here, or in Asia, or in Europe, it is a universal longing. The Nazi regime's attempts both then and now run antithetical to this hope. Therefore it is our responsibility as Americans to ensure that this flickering hope is not extinguished.

As your President, I therefore come to you with the following steps.

Firstly, this shall be a harsh peace. For in fact, our enemy has not given us peace in surrender, but further war. Therefore once they have been brought to submission, that submission will be rendered absolute. Henceforth, no industrialization shall be allowed within the former Nazi Germany. As they have cost us and our Allies a countless toll in blood and treasure, so shall that recompense be taken from them. The resources of Germany will be split equitably and peacefully amongst the Allied Powers. Nevermore will German planes bomb cities. Nevermore will German warships ply the seas, torpedoing unsuspecting merchants of trade. Nevermore will German tanks roll in a blitzkrieg through innocent nations. And nevermore will the German people, an entire generation now tainted by the ideology of Nazism be permitted to impose their will over others. These fanatics will be made to understand both the futility and evil of their cause.

However, we are not our enemy. The sins of the fathers and mothers are not to be passed on to the sons or the daughters. Human liberty is a universal longing, and one that even in the ruins of Nazi Germany still lays untainted within the babes of this generation. For them, we insist upon mercy. While their parents learn the true nature of their crimes, there can be no reason to impose the same punishment upon the innocent. Therefore as President, and in coordination with our Allies we will be undertaking the following steps. All German children under the age of five shall be evacuated and relocated to host sites within not only the United States, but also with our Allies. Here they can grow untainted by the ideology that led to the corruption and downfall of their parentage. That longing for freedom will not be hindered, but encouraged and grow in the sunshine of democracy.

These are new demands, but as Americans these are burdens that we are uniquely qualified as a people to bear. In the weeks and months to come, I ask that you all bear them equally with me as we seek to bring this war to a conclusion for the betterment of all the peoples of the world.

Transcript of President Harry Truman's address to the Joint Session of Congress

 

[generalurist]

So the Morganthau gets his posthumous vengeance.

Curious how the war with Japan will be finished though.

 

[Seafort]

So the Morganthau gets his posthumous vengeance.

Curious how the war with Japan will be finished though.

Well, that is the thing. Morgenthau is still alive, although only a handful of people know about it.

 

[lotrian]

It's back ! Looking forward for the next update already !