Keynes' Cruisers Volume 2
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There was no Dieppe Raid in this time line. A big break for the Canadians in the Second Division.
Story 2309
Bremerton, Washington November 11, 1943
438 new men were due aboard the USS Enterprise today. The executive officer sipped his coffee as he listened to the final discussions about where the fresh from school ensigns and JGs would be allocated. Some were easy. The engineers belonged to the black gang, and the men who were coming from radar school would be assigned to the darkened rooms where they would become vampires. The rest were generalists and could be thought of as almost interchangeable. His goal, along with that of the chiefs and department heads who were also enjoying their coffee in the briefing room, was to get as much from the ensigns as possible without them endangering the ship or its veteran crew. The main challenge was not the officers; it was the almost four hundred enlisted men. Forty men had significant sea time. A few were veterans of Hornet or Saratoga. More had spent time aboard Ranger or the training carriers that meandered their way through Chesapeake Bay. However the overwhelming majority had never been more than three miles out to sea just a year ago.
He sighed. It was the fate of a warship in an expanding Navy. Forty percent of the veteran carrier's crew had departed with orders to report elsewhere after either a thirty or forty five day leave. Almost all of them were heading to either training commands or to be plank-owners on new Essex class carriers. At least he did not have to design a work-up plan for a brand new ship that had perhaps twenty percent of the crew well experienced. The second batch of war emergency fleet carriers were thin on experience. He had a solid core. Now they just had to arrange the training schedule for the next seventy five days. The first thirty, the ship would still be in dry dock and then forty five more days to gallup up and down the West Coast and re-emerge as a weapon of war.
438 new men were due aboard the USS Enterprise today. The executive officer sipped his coffee as he listened to the final discussions about where the fresh from school ensigns and JGs would be allocated. Some were easy. The engineers belonged to the black gang, and the men who were coming from radar school would be assigned to the darkened rooms where they would become vampires. The rest were generalists and could be thought of as almost interchangeable. His goal, along with that of the chiefs and department heads who were also enjoying their coffee in the briefing room, was to get as much from the ensigns as possible without them endangering the ship or its veteran crew. The main challenge was not the officers; it was the almost four hundred enlisted men. Forty men had significant sea time. A few were veterans of Hornet or Saratoga. More had spent time aboard Ranger or the training carriers that meandered their way through Chesapeake Bay. However the overwhelming majority had never been more than three miles out to sea just a year ago.
He sighed. It was the fate of a warship in an expanding Navy. Forty percent of the veteran carrier's crew had departed with orders to report elsewhere after either a thirty or forty five day leave. Almost all of them were heading to either training commands or to be plank-owners on new Essex class carriers. At least he did not have to design a work-up plan for a brand new ship that had perhaps twenty percent of the crew well experienced. The second batch of war emergency fleet carriers were thin on experience. He had a solid core. Now they just had to arrange the training schedule for the next seventy five days. The first thirty, the ship would still be in dry dock and then forty five more days to gallup up and down the West Coast and re-emerge as a weapon of war.
Apparently they performed a critical role in patrolling off the East Coast during the OTL Drumbeat. Until the USN (Admiral King) got their act together.
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Story 2310
Oglio River Valley, Italy 0300 November 12, 1943
The pathfinders had landed slightly north of their target. They had jogged across the almost endless fields that had fed Rome for almost three thousand years without contact. Once they had arrived at the Gold 1 and Gold 2, the teams split into two. Each team began to inspect the fields. There were a few minor obstacles including a stone wall that was not evident in the last set of photos taken by a high speed, low level Apache pass. However, and shockingly, most of the plan was intact even after they had landed. Neither landing zone was perfect but both were good enough for training jumps much less combat jumps.
An hour later, the pathfinders had set up their lamps and were now assembling to begin marching towards the brigade's highest priority objectives. Even as the elite of the elite were forming up, a dozen troop carrying squadrons were slowly approaching the drop zone. Even as the first paratrooper was yanked upward by their static line pulling open their chutes, two corps worth of artillery started to fire on a narrow front north of Parma and south of the drop zone. Two German infantry divisions were going to be caught between the ad-hoc paratrooper division, a pair of American armored divisions and another three American infantry divisions.
The pathfinders had landed slightly north of their target. They had jogged across the almost endless fields that had fed Rome for almost three thousand years without contact. Once they had arrived at the Gold 1 and Gold 2, the teams split into two. Each team began to inspect the fields. There were a few minor obstacles including a stone wall that was not evident in the last set of photos taken by a high speed, low level Apache pass. However, and shockingly, most of the plan was intact even after they had landed. Neither landing zone was perfect but both were good enough for training jumps much less combat jumps.
An hour later, the pathfinders had set up their lamps and were now assembling to begin marching towards the brigade's highest priority objectives. Even as the elite of the elite were forming up, a dozen troop carrying squadrons were slowly approaching the drop zone. Even as the first paratrooper was yanked upward by their static line pulling open their chutes, two corps worth of artillery started to fire on a narrow front north of Parma and south of the drop zone. Two German infantry divisions were going to be caught between the ad-hoc paratrooper division, a pair of American armored divisions and another three American infantry divisions.
It is something you can train for though. Here in Lapland we swim in holes in the ice during the winters and, while the initial shock (if you do it for the first time) is brutal and cuts off your breathing, you can get the hang of it. Actually, you have to be more careful, when you get out, especially if it is windy, or if there is no dry spot to put your feet (they will freeze to the ground).
I have the feeling the biggest difference here is that without successful-ish large-scale paradrops ... the Germans aren't thinking about fighting against large scale paradrops (or glider assaults).
Especially without a couple of airborne divisions coming in on D-Day. It's just not on their mind.
Especially without a couple of airborne divisions coming in on D-Day. It's just not on their mind.
Yes they did; No reason to not deploy them on the West Coast. Also there are routine Navy flights up and down the coast for training from Naval Air Stations on the West Coast
This batch may include Deck Handlers and pilots trained on the USS Wolverine and Sable; who have been in Commission since May out of Chicago.. Or he is losing people to them as instructors to them
Coulsdon Eagle
Monthly Donor
I understand that as you start to drown, reflexes take over and we tend to move into a cruciform shape and concentrate on breathing only, so no shouts for help or waving arms to attract attention.
That's why the paratroopers have been sent to hold those bridges. To prevent the Germans from withdrawing North and to prevent re-supply and reinforcement. Possibly the remnants of two German infantry divisions are going into the bag if this works out. But the U.S. paras are going to be facing repeated attacks.
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Please note where the Hermann Goerring Panzer division is heading. The Op is slightly more ambitious than bagging 2 infantry divisions although that would be an entirely cromunlent intermediate case outcome.
I'm afraid I don't know the word cromunlent. Should I ask Colonel Zoidberg for help with it? He knows all kind of words.
If the American paratroopers have to hold the bridges from an advancing panzer division they're really going to need those anti-tank guns. And every available fighter bomber in Northern Italy. Pray for clear skies.
IOTL the Germans did include anti-airborne exercises as part of their formation training - 9 and 10 SS Panzer Divs, raised for service in the West, were indoctrinated in this since their formation.
But there may be less emphasis ITTL, for the reasons you state.
The HG is going in the other direction away from the American attack in response to the Commonwealth attack.I'm afraid I don't know the word cromunlent. Should I ask Colonel Zoidberg for help with it? He knows all kind of words.
If the American paratroopers have to hold the bridges from an advancing panzer division they're really going to need those anti-tank guns. And every available fighter bomber in Northern Italy. Pray for clear skies.
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