HMS Invincible

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Lord Wyclif

11:30 In the House of Commons, Secretary of State for War, Duff Cooper rose to his feet. “I am pleased to announce to the house, that her majesty Queen Elizabeth, along with the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret are in Belfast for the launching of the new aircraft carrier HMS Victorious. However five of the current eight Fleet Carriers will be spending the summer months at various dockyards receiving much needed maintenance and repair work carried out. Work on the battleship HMS Duke of Gloucester, has been temporarily suspended, and the construction of the two following battleship of the King George V class will not commence until the FY 1943-44. Work on the five Victorious class aircraft carriers, three of which were ordered in March, will also be held back and reviewed again in FY 1943-44. Victorious and Vengeance are expected to be in commission by Christmas. The current surface fleet has three Fleet Carriers and six light fleet carrier with 732 RNAS combat aircraft. A further three maintenance carriers are also available for combat missions as required. Eight battleships are available for fleet surface action if required.”

The house gave mixed reaction. Conservatives were concerned that naval construction would now be below the numbers required to keep two fleets at operational strength. Labour were concerned at the lack of work in shipbuilding.

“ An order for 6,000 new Centaurus engined Grendel fighters has been placed for the RAF and another 1,000 for the RNAS. 12,000 Lancaster bombers are on order and as well Shorts Sterling production would recommence, with 5,000 powered by the Centaurus radials.”

Labour back-benchers were in uproar as they knew many of the aircraft would be built at safer locations in Canada. The Speaker of the House Edward FitzRoy had to call for order several times.

Mr Cooper continued, “An order will be placed for a new battle tank, armed with a 3” 55 caliber gun firing a 16lbs HE shell and a 17 lbs anti-tank round. The tank would replace the Valentine, Churchill and Matilda’s. It has been estimated that a total of 15,000 vehicles would be required. Contracts have been signed with the Tank Assembly Plant at Port Melbourne, Victoria; Charles Ruwolts Company and the Chullora Tank Assembly Workshops in Sydney. Units will also be built at the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Angus Shops in Montreal, Canadian Tank Arsenal at Longue Pointe, Québeck; Dorman South African Iron & Steel Industrial Corporation and at the Tata works,Tatanagars.

Several British firms including Leyland, LMS Railway, Morris Motors, Metro-Cammell, Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, Royal Ordnance Leeds, Royal Arsenal, Harland & Wolf, John Fowler & Co., Ruston-Bucyrus, Vickers at Elswick and English Electric. Vauxhall would also manufacture the tank once production of Churchill was terminated in 1943.”

Again the was uproar at so much work going abroad. Eventually Mr FitzRoy had to banish two Labour MP’s and one each from the Conservatives and Liberals.

Prime-Minister Eden and his deputy Clement Attlee congratulated the house for the majority of support and Ernest Bevin, Secretary of State for Labour remarked, “Let us face the future, knowing that in the needs of today, we, as a nation and commonwealth stand united, in facing down Hitler and his axis of evil.”
 

Ash's Boomstick

How do we do that? I'm going to nominate this or the Top Trumps one (Although I bet that one already has been, these are two of my favourite TLs.
 

Lord Wyclif

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Front line 00:00hrs Monday April 27th 1942.

 

Lord Wyclif

Wolfgang Fischer, 10th Panzer;Gustav von Vaerst, 15th Panzer; Georg von Bismarck, 21st Panzer; Ulrich Kleemann 90th Light (to be redesignated Panzer Grenadier); Friedrich Weber 334th Infantry divisions had all pulled back through the Jebel Mghilla under the cover of darkness. Between them they had a total of 168 Panzer III’s, 34 Panzer VI’s plus 100 artillery guns.enough armour for one Panzer Division and enough ground troops for two divisions. Gustav von Vaerst, went on record as saying when the British XXX Corps and the American II Corps advance on Tunis, his divisions should all be re-equipped and will smash their opponents. A dozen transport ships, loaded with new ARV,s were expected in Tunis that night.

04:00 The men of 3RMLI advanced to the airfield at Depienne and 2 RMLI advanced to the Oudna airfield.

As dawn broke three squadrons of Stuka dive bombers appeared over head. For a space of twenty minutes they unleashed their payload on General Barre’s forces.

07:00 As the last aircraft departed the troops of the 3rd Battalion of the German 5th Parachute Regiment plus an armoured formation of twenty Panzer IV’s and Bitossi’s ten L6/40 and seven M14/40 tanks gathered two miles to the south of the town. Slowly they advanced. From within the town French modele 1917 artillery opened fire. The armour kept advancing as another squadron of Stukas arrived and attacked French troops garrisoned on the east bank. House by house, shop by shop, the Axis slowly dislodged the Free French troops. By lunch time the Axis forces has forced the French back to the train station.

09:00 A small motorised column from the Derbyshire Yeomanry Regiment, attempted to advance along the road from Djebel Aboid, heading for Mateur. They ran into a German blocking force which included some armour, and suffered a defeat. The unit was forced to retreat back towards the rest of the 20th Armoured Brigade, which was following up.

10:30 Patton arrived in Gafsa and immediately formed HQ, II US Corps in the town. Giuseppe Falugi’s Pistoia Motorised Division engaged the 82nd Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion. Their M10 tank destroyers an M4 Shermans quickly routed the Italian Carro Armato M11/39 tanks and Semovente da 75/18 SPG's. For the loss of two Sherman’s the Americans destroyed 12 enemy AFV’s and captured another 16. It was later discovered these vehicles were abandoned when they ran out of fuel and not by military action.

The American 2nd Armoured Division swung east, setting off to rendezvous with the 9th Infantry at Sidi Bouzid.

Bitossi’s Littorio division with L6/40 and M14/40 tanks advanced into Medjez el Bab. They had to cross the eight arched bridge that spanned the 100 yard river. General Barre with 9,000 men held the town. As Hannibal declared, “Whoever has Medjez-el-Bab has the key to the door, and is master of all Tunisia.”

Throughout the day Hurricanes flew over 100 sorties against the Cuneense Alpine Division. The tanks and artillery of Norrie's 1st Armoured Division also kept up a constant barrage of the Italians in the hills. Dismounted troops from the 7th Motor Brigade made an extremely and cumbersome advance up the steep hills. Casualties were heavy on both sides as the soldiers fought hand to hand and every square inch conceded by the Italians was soaked with English blood.

12:00 The 51st Highlanders advanced northwards up the coast to the Wadi Akarit. The Giovani and Livorno Infantry Divisions were well dug in. Wellington bombers, taking advantage of the absence of Luftwaffe isolated the battlefield from the Italians HQ, disorganising their communications, attacking divisional and brigade headquarters, and bombing road junctions. Eight Army and XIII Corps heavy artillery regiments began their bombardment in the afternoon.
 

Lord Wyclif

12:30 The 22nd Infantry Division Cacciatori delle Alpi clashed with the Royal Marines at the Oudna airfield. Casualties were light on both sides.

13:00 News of the attack on Medjez-el-Bab finally at the HQ of the 78th Infantry Division in Bou Salem 46 miles north west, and with the American 1st Armoured Division whose forward units had reached Teboursouk 27 miles west of Medjez-el-Bab. The race was on.

13:20 Two squadrons of Grendel fighter-bombers took off from RAF Philippeville took off to support the Free French. At the same time American P40’s left Bône heading for Medjez-el-Bab.

13:30 The 56th Reconnaissance Regiment raced off towards Medjez-el-Bab. Humber armoured cars, universal carriers and CT5 trucks supported by Bedford 3 toners mounting 17 pounder anit-tank guns.

14:30 After running out of ammunition the French troops withdrew to the West Bank. The retreating French became victim of swaths of German machine gun fire. It didn’t take to long for the river to run with French blood.

14:45 French Renault R35 tanks concealed inside houses formed a formidable obstacle and prevented several attempts of the Axis forces to cross the bridge.

15:00 Colonel Robinett's 13th Armoured Regiment charged forward, but ran into the anti-tank guns of the Herman Goering Division. P40 fighter-bombers attacked the German lines.

15:10 RNAS Grendel aircraft attacked the Axis positions on the east bank. Fragmentation bombs caused many injuries, and the S gunned fighters strafed support units.

15:15 With artillery support the American armour again advanced, but the well dug in Germans quickly halted the attack forcing the Americans unto the back foot.

15:30 The British 1st Armoured Diviaion linked up with the American paratroops at El Guttar.

16:00 The British reached Oued Zarga 12 miles from the besieged French troops. Overhead support from RAF Hurricane II’s continued all day, however they were now diverted to break up a Stuka attack at Medjez-el-Bab. Four German aircraft were shot down.

16:30 At Oudna airfield after a day of consistently accurate sniper fire from both sides, the Italians brought their artillery to bear on the entrenched Commandoes. The Marines were well dug in. They had almost two day to prepare the defence of the airfield. Rock sangers, earthworks, barbed wire, minefields, with Vickers machine guns, mortars and 3” shoulder guns were strategically placed within interlocking arc’s of fire surrounded the base. Other earthworks, barbed wire, minefields were all placed within cover of the RMA’s battery of eight 25 pounder artillery and four of the new 17pounder anti-tank guns. There was no return artillery fire from the Marines to disguise their strength.

17:00 Under guidance from forward air controllers RNAS Grendel’s provided close air support strikes on the unconcealed Italian artillery.

18:30 Patton and Norrie met up to discuss their options. Bypassing protocol they findings were sent directly to the Supreme Allied Commander Middle East - Field Marshal William Edmund Ironside.
 

Lord Wyclif

Tuesday April 28th.

88 British bombers attacked the U-boat yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, destroying all the main shipyard facilities and killing 15; 6 bombers were destroyed in his mission. 33 British bombers attacked German battleship Ulrich von Hutten at Keil, Germany; two Halifax bombers were destroyed. The attack pushed her completion date a further 18 months.

Through the night Wellington bombers from RAF Tafaraoui and RAF Djidjelli bombed the Axis forces to the east of Medjez-el-Bab.

Convoy HX186 consisting of Empire Ray, Beaconoil, Pacific Pioneer, Manchester Citizen, Kafiristan, Empire Rowan, Ocean Valley, Empire Emerald, British Faith, Trondheim, Pacific Enterprise, Empire Nomad, Maaskerk, Palembang, Darina, British Ardour, Brant County, Ocean Vision, Brimanger, Jamaica Producer, British Tornus, British Ardour, Empire Nomad and Ocean Valley, which had left Halifax on the 20th had so far a trouble free journey.

04:30 The flower class corvette HMS Danelle, under the command of T/Lt. J.G. Rankin, RNR made an Asdic contact. With his boat just being in commission for eight days Oblt. Hellmuth-Bert Richard was manoeuvring for an attack on the general cargo ship Manchester Citizen. Together with Peter John Fitzgerald on HMS Churchill, the two destroyers dropped a dozen depth charges each forcing the U446 to the surface. The entire crew were rescued before she disappeared under the cold North Atlantic for the last time.

05:00 After being pushed on during the night the American 1st Armoured Division along with the American 1st Infantry Division, the Free French Colonial Moroccan Infantry Regiment and the 1st Hunters of Africa Regiment formed a ten mile wide defensive line. It ran three miles west of Mejez el Bab from the Medjerda river south through the hills.

05:30 The 41 ships of the Allied convoy PQ-15, which had departed Iceland two days prior, was joined by British battleship HMS King George V, American battleship USS Washington, British aircraft carrier HMS Britannia, 5 cruisers, 12 destroyers, and 4 submarines for its journey toward Murmansk, Russia; the convoy was spotted by German aircraft 200 miles northwest of Tromsø, Norway. On the same day, returning convoy QP-11 departed Kola Inlet in northern Russia; it was consisted of 13 merchant ships and was escorted by 6 destroyers, 4 corvettes, 1 trawler, and 4 minesweepers.

05:45 Italian submarine Corallo sank Tunisian fishing boat Dar El Salam and the British tug HMS West Dean.

06:15 The U-boat U612 Oblt. Paul Siegmann was spotted by an RNAS Sunderland in the Bay of Biscay. The flying boat swooped in low from the east, with the early morning sun obscuring there view, she wasn’t seen until it was too late. Her first bomb penetrated the bow before exploding in the torpedo room. The submarine disappeared almost immediately, but the resulting shock wave almost brought the aircraft down.

06:45 The convoy FS03 consisting of three tankers, twelve general cargo ships and four troopships escorted by the warships HNLMS Java, HMAS Perth, HMS Eclipse, HMS Electra, HNLMS Witte de With, USS Pope and USS Stewart rendezvoused 8 miles north west of Jakarta, with Rear-Admiral Fredrick Rutland's Task-force consisting of HMS Fortitude, HMS Formidable the anti-aircraft cruisers HMS Curacoa and HMS Coventry; the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter, the light cruisers HNLMS De Ruyter, HMAS Perth, HNLMS Tromp and the destroyers, HNLMS Piet Hein, HNLMS Kortenaer, HNLMS Witte de With, USS John D. Edwards, USS John D. Ford, USS Pope, USS Parrott, USS Pillsbury, and USS Stewart. The fleet also include HMS Artifex, RFA Bacchus, RFA Cedardale, RFA Oligarch and RFA Winchester Castle.

07:00 The British 6th Armoured division again attempted to advance towards Mateur travelling along both the road and railway line as they twisted and turned their way down the Melah valley. Despite a dozen air strikes during the day, the defending Italians ambushed the armoured columns at every opportunity.

07:30 The mixed force of RMLI & US Rangers ambushed an ammunition convoy travelling west from Menzel Bourguiba. They first called in an air strike from four 40mm armed Grendel’s before they attacked with small arms fire. 15 soft skinned vehicles were destroyed.

08:00 American artillery began bombardment if the Axis forces at Mejez el Bab.

09:00 At the Oudna Aerodrome the Italians attacked the north-west corner of the defences. Peter Kemp’s Commandoes repulsed the attack with the Italians suffering heavy casualties.

09:00 The British fleet of Invincible, Perseus, Duke of York, Howe, Imogen, Inglefield, Sutlej and the USS Paul Jones arrived at the Free French Naval Base at Luanda. During their six day voyage each of the ships crews spent their time repairing what battle damage they could. In true Royal Navy style each of the ships looked magnificent with the crews, lined up around the deck edges, splendidly dressed in their whites.

11:30 U-222 which was getting ready to attack the convoy PQ-15 was spotted by one of Britannia’s swordfish. Several bombs were dropped covering a large area around where the submarine was thought to be. The ASW Trawler HMS Cape Palliser picked up an an asdic contact. Several depth charges later an oil slick was spotted on the surface. This was quickly followed by several pieces of debris and the bodies of German sailors.
 

Some Bloke

Lord Wyclif said:
Tuesday April 28th.

88 British bombers attacked the U-boat yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, destroying all the main shipyard facilities and killing 15; 6 bombers were destroyed in his mission. 33 British bombers attacked German battleship Ulrich von Hutten at Keil, Germany; two Halifax bombers were destroyed. The attack pushed her completion date a further 18 months.
Click to expand...

So Germany orders another Battleship. Interesting butterfly.
New class?
 

Lord Wyclif

Some Bloke said:
So Germany orders another Battleship. Interesting butterfly.
New class?
Click to expand...

Bismarck class
Bismarck was laid down in July 1936 and completed in September 1940 sunk 24/05/41.

Tirpitz was laid down in October 1936 and completed February 1941 sunk 08/02/42.

H class 6 planned none ever completed.
Ulrich von Hutten was laid down in July 1939 and launched September 1941 but was never commissioned.

Götz von Berlichingen was laid down in September 1939 and launched September 1941 but was never commissioned.

Franz von Sickingen was laid down April 1942 and was never completed.


Graf Zeppelin was laid down 28/12/35 She was launched on 8 December 1938, and commissioned on April 1940 sunk 29/04/40

Peter Strasser laid down December 1938 and completed on April 1942
 
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diestormlie

Lord Wyclif said:
Anyone know the dimensions of the Paxman V12 TP designed for the TOG 1 & 2 designs.
Click to expand...

http://www.paxmanhistory.org.uk/paxeng34.htm This page seems useful for you.

I can also tell you that, according to Peter Chamerlain and Chris Ellis' British and American Tanks of World War 2 is that it had an output of 600HP (with electric transmission,) modified from a 450hp V12 model. (Note: This book lists the enginger as a Paxman-Ricardo.)

Listen to these requirements here:

  • All round tracks able to cross Shell-torn ground.
  • Armour proof against 47mm, 37mm AT guns and 105mm Howizters at 100 yards.
  • Front mounted Field gun to destory fortifications.
  • Sponson mounted 2 pdrs.
  • All arcs covered by BESA machine guns.
  • Travel range of at least 50 miles.
  • Speed of a wopping 5 mph.
  • 8 man crew.
  • And of course: Rail Transportable.
 

Lord Wyclif

12:00 The British 44th Infantry Division fanned out across the hills to the east slowly clearing the area of Axis units. During the day the managed to advance three miles.

12:30 the artillery of the 78th Infantry, 25 pounder with a range 7.5 miles; 100 pounder with a 9 miles range and their 200 pounder up to 9.5 miles began bombarding Axis lines to the east of Mejez el Bab, effectively cutting the ground troops from receiving any resupply or reinforcements. RNAS Grendel’s and RAF Wellingtons kept yo the pressure.

13:00 A convoy of 104 merchant ships assembled of the coast of the Isle of Man. 18 Royal Navy escorts were provided. The Heavy cruisers Bedford & Rutland, the light cruisers HMS Glasgow an HMS Manchester. The anti-aircraft cruisers, HMS Cairo and HMS Concord. The destroyers HMS Achates, HMS Active and HMS Antelope. The Grimsby class sloops, HMS Leith, HMS Lowestoft, HMS Wellington, HMS Londonderry, HMS Aberdeen and HMS Deptford. The Egret class sloops HMS Pelican, HMS Heron and HMS Egret. Five of Captain M. S. Slattery’s 'auxiliary fighter carriers’ 3 equipped with six Swordfish and two with four Gallants.

HMS Archer with 12 Gallants and four Swordfish would join the convoy as it past Gibraltar. Surprisingly the convoy consisted of fifteen tankers each carrying 11,700 tons of aviation fuel, two with 10,000 tons of diesel fuel. Twenty general cargo ships contained 200 crated aircraft. Fifty were ammunition ships, a dozen contained military vehicles, one tanker of paraffin, one with replacement uniforms nine with refrigerated food, two with grain and one with uniforms and 25,000 of the new .303 jungle carbines and 2,000 shortened Bren guns.

14:00 On slipway 3 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth smashed the bottle of ‘Black Bush’ on the bow of the gigantic aircraft carrier HMS Victorious. A few minutes the warship was buoyant at the mouth of the river Lagan.

14;10 The German submarine U-352 was sunk south of Cape Hatteras, by depth charges from the US Coast Guard cutter USCGC Icarus.

15:35 The German submarine U-136 sank Dutch ship Arundo 30 miles southeast of New York.

17:50 Just as darkness began to fall, the armoured vehicles of the RNAS LRARS (Long Range Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron) from 1RMASG arrived in Tebourba rapidly over coming the German forces and relieving the small French garrison in the town. Commandoes an US Rangers attacked two convoys outside Mateur. One was retreating from the 6th Armoured and the other taking fresh conscripts and ammunition forward. Both ambushes were ruthlessly carried out, with neither reaching their intended destination.

18:00 The convoy FS03 was approaching striking distance of Singapore. Arthur William La Touche Bisse and Capt. Michael Bryan Laing’s aircrews were preparing for a night strike in support of the commonwealth troops on the island.


Back in the USA the propaganda machine was filling the American movie goers with how well the American were doing. They were quickly reminded that it took the British 154 days to cover 1,200 miles and Patton covered 1,200 miles in 12 days.
 

Lord Wyclif

Wednesday April 29th

00:00 A total of 2,400 Soviet available field guns and mortars concentrated on the defenses along the German front line. The Red Air Force used all available ground-support aircraft for both preparation for the forth coming advance and fighter-bomber support of the penetration.

03:30 A force of 88 British bombers attacked the Gnome et Rhône aircraft engine factory near Paris, France; one building was destroyed and three buildings damaged at the cost of 3 bombers destroyed.

04:00 British vessel Terpsithea sunk by U562, forty miles west of Malta.

05:30 G.I. Zhukov was determined to destroy Army Group Centre. Soviet forces launched a counter offensive near Kursk, Russia. The operation began with the landing of the 4th and 8th Airborne Corps. The assault got of to a bad start when the commander, Major General V. A. Glazunov, and much of his staff were killed when a German night fighter shot down their aeroplane.

05:45 Three US B-28 bombers attacked Rabaul, New Britain, destroying five Zero fighters on the ground and damaged four more. They reported back that the area was packed with cargo ships and destroyers and two, possibly three flat-tops.

06:00 Rabaul, Japanese Special Naval Landing Force depart for New Britain aboard transports for the invasion of the RAAF seaplane base at Tulagi, Solomon Islands.

06:45 Rabaul another fleet of freighters embark with equipment necessary to build a new base at Port Moresby, Australian Papua.

07:35 The USCGC Ingham sinks the U702 south of New York.

08:00 Pearl Harbor, Joseph Rochefort's cryptanalytic team intercepted a radio message from Isoroku Yamamoto to Shigeyoshi Inoue regarding Operation MO, in which Yamamoto made mention of northern Australia, thus giving Rochefort confidence regarding the hypothesis that Operation MO's target was Port Moresby.

09:00 The Soviet ground offensive consisting of 16 infantry and three cavalry divisions supported by six armouired brigades of 20-KV, 40 T-34, and 40 T-60 tanks each. Focusing their forces on a narrow frontage to achieve overwhelming superiority of strength against a single German unit. The front-level attack had a width of only 20 miles targeting the drive for Kursk. Once the infantry and armor began moving forward to attack, the artillery concentrated on remaining centers of enemy resistance to support the penetration. Once the initial penetration was achieved, the artillery were ordered to shift to deeper targets to support the exploitation of that penetration.
 
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