Of lost monkeys and broken vehicles

[Lascaris]

Greece has a lot of back-up forts though. If they hold in fortress Smyrna they can fall back there as a last stand. Before that they can fall to Olympus-Aliakmon-Pindus line and after that to the narrow Boetia line and after that to the Peloponnese. Step by step ruining itself and chipping away at Axis forces. With a British and some Yugoslavian survivors, not to mention the Polish units that would be available because they would stay to defend The City more likely than not. Crete is indeed way better secured ITTL and if things go well the Dodecanese falls and cuts Turkey of Italy. Constantinople can be fortified and be hold due to a small and defendable front , although it would be bombed to oblivion. And of course the Turks inside would more likely than not revolt and make a mess.

It can be fortified, the Catalca lines are certainly very defensible. But how can it be supplied? The underlying assumption here is that Gallipoli peninsula also holds out and the Turks do not march all the way to the Bosporus on the Asian side. If they do any ships crossing the straits are subject to artillery fire. Even if they don't the convoys feeding 1.5 million people are on the receiving end of constant air attack...

Now that I think of it it maybe be better for Greece to hold against anyone that isn't Germany. Maybe go on an offensive against Turkey with everything cause Greece is falling ,

Philadepheia/Alasehir to Ankara is over 470km...

 

[X Oristos]

What is the production rate of Pulawski's Falcon?

In TTL Greece is a major asset for Britain. It helps control the Straits and thus allowing Britain to project power to the Black Sea, can endanger the german chrome imports and has a big enough yeoman to be actually helpful in doing yeoman's work in the Mediterranean if the RN has to fight in two fronts. Basically, Greece has usurped Turkey's OTL role with an even closer relationship to Britain.

In OTL Britain pledged the following warships to deliver to Turkey:
- 4 destroyers
- 4 submarines
- 4 escorts
- 2 minesweepers
- 2 minelayers

In TTL, Vickers had invested in Greece since the 1920s and its greek shipyard can build the previously mentioned vessels. Under the circumstances, I think it would be a win-win for both Greece and Britain, is the latter provided machinery, engines and weapons instead of full ships. This way british shipyards can lay ships for the RN while an allied navy could still get eventually the requested ships. I am talking of the 1938-1939 period.

Last but not least, what is the TTL fate of the Aetos-class destroyers? Terribly outdated by that point, but I doubt the Greek Navy would scrap semi-decent hulks. Are they turned into minelayers? Fast transports?

@Lascaris if I could make a request, since the butterflies are many by that point. Could we have a table before the Norwegian Campaign to show the overall difference in the various navies compared to OTL? Likewise, can we have some bullet points or a table to see the differences in the various armies and air forces before the Battle of France?

 

[Lascaris]

What is the production rate of Pulawski's Falcon?

That and PZL.37 is for me to know and you to guess...

In TTL Greece is a major asset for Britain. It helps control the Straits and thus allowing Britain to project power to the Black Sea, can endanger the german chrome imports and has a big enough yeoman to be actually helpful in doing yeoman's work in the Mediterranean if the RN has to fight in two fronts. Basically, Greece has usurped Turkey's OTL role with an even closer relationship to Britain.

Well that was the idea back in 1920...

In OTL Britain pledged the following warships to deliver to Turkey:
- 4 destroyers
- 4 submarines
- 4 escorts
- 2 minesweepers
- 2 minelayers

In TTL, Vickers had invested in Greece since the 1920s and its greek shipyard can build the previously mentioned vessels. Under the circumstances, I think it would be a win-win for both Greece and Britain, is the latter provided machinery, engines and weapons instead of full ships. This way british shipyards can lay ships for the RN while an allied navy could still get eventually the requested ships. I am talking of the 1938-1939 period.

Skaramanga does not have an infinite number of slips. To be exact as of 1940 and expansion in the late 1930s it has 4. So it can lay down a pair destroyers and a pair submarines, or any combination of the short. Of course Greece also has a number of smaller yards Vasileiadis in Piraeus for example that can build smaller ships... or wooden ships.

Last but not least, what is the TTL fate of the Aetos-class destroyers? Terribly outdated by that point, but I doubt the Greek Navy would scrap semi-decent hulks. Are they turned into minelayers? Fast transports?

Aetos had been thoroughly modernised in the mid 1920s in OTL (and TTL). Fully oil firing machinery, increased torpedo armanment, rather good AA for a DD. They may be outgunned by the larger fleet destroyers that start building in the late 1920s but are still more than a match for a Spica and about on par with a Hunt. So why put them to waste as long as something better does not come along?

@Lascaris if I could make a request, since the butterflies are many by that point. Could we have a table before the Norwegian Campaign to show the overall difference in the various navies compared to OTL?

There are obviously large differences in the Greek and Turkish navies TTL. For anyone else differences have been relatively, emphasis on relatively, limited. Certain design differences and slightly accelerated dates of battleship construction as described so far, for the Italians, British, Germans and French, two battleship reconstructions as proposed OTL in the Soviet Black Sea Fleet. Then one notes that Romania's TTL king was a navy officer which may... or may not matter.

Likewise, can we have some bullet points or a table to see the differences in the various armies and air forces before the Battle of France?

We can. Will we? That's a different matter. I'll note that an underlying assumption here is that industry wise there are certain limits, call me engine production, that cannot be easily altered.

 

[Lascaris]

Karelian Isthmus, February 18th, 1940

The Mannerheim line had been leaking like a sieve for the past several days. Disaster at Summa had been barely avoided by a timely counterattack on the 11th only for new breakthroughs to be made by the Soviets. Finally Mannerheim had been forced to order a retreat to the "Intermediate line". Even that would not be enough as the Finns were forced to retreat o the so called "rear line" before Viipuri. Fighting went on as did negotiations but Finland was getting into increasingly dire straits as Sweden refused to directly intervene beyond her provision of arms and volunteers and Finland was reluctant to accept Western military aid. This of course had not stopped Entente preparations to move an 135,000 men expeditionary force in support of Finland, that not accidentally should also cut off Swedish iron ore shipments to Germany. If everything went according to plan the force should deploy to Scandinavia by March 20.

Athens, February 20th, 1940

Ioannis Voulpiotis was not a happy man. Closely connected to German financial interests representing Siemens in Greece and even more closely connected to the Greek political system, he professed himself a Venizelist and his family was part of the Greek political elite all the way back to the revolution, Voulpiotis back a few years ago had managed his biggest deal, getting to supply and organize Greek state radio. According to the deal his local subsidiary of Siemens was to provide and locally produce and repair radio and electronic equipment for radio stations in Athens, Smyrna, Thessaloniki and Corfu and had even gotten the rights for future introduction of television into Greece. On the financial part Voulpiotis could not really complain the Greek state had stuck to the deal, facilitating importation into Greece of machinery and equipment through the Greek-German clearing and placing large orders with him after all the Greek army and air force had their ever increasing needs of radio equipment. But Voulpiotis original deal also gave him the management of Greek state radio. Unexpected delays to this actually happening had kept cropping up while Venizelos was alive and Voulpiotis did not dare confront Venizelos over them, or perhaps had been himself under the spell of the great Cretans charisma. He was certainly much less impressed by his successors though so he pressed, to get the management through means direct and indirect, only to end up finally confronting Ion Dragoumis. Dragoumis was an intellectual, a writer and had been a career diplomat. But anyone who made the mistake that he could be pushed around forgot that Dragoumis had also been the man who had coordinated the Greek side of the struggle for Macedonia as cosul of Thessaloniki, running a very effective campaign of guerrilla bands, spies and propaganda. Dragoumis had made ot amply clear he would not under any circumstances leave Greek propaganda in the hands of someone compromised by German interests. Then had gone a step further creating Ethniko Idryma Radiofonias, the National Radio Foundation to run the Athens and Smyrna stations as well as the older Tsiggiridis station in Thessaloniki. Stratis Myrivilis would serve as program director of EIR with Tsiggiridis as technical director. Voulpiotis... Voulpiotis was lucky to be left with his company in one piece...

Central Atlantic, February 24, 1940

One more ship went down to a German submarine. But the owner one Aristotle Onassis, had made sure that the ship was actually insured for more than its actual commercial worth. The young Smyrniot, a graduate of the Evangelical School of Smyrna and its commercial academy, had taken over his father's successful tobacco business and grown from strength to strength in the past 15 years first exporting tobacco to Argentina and the United States and then using his very substantial profits to enter shipping. There were around Greeks much richer than Onassis at the moment. But increasingly thet were starting to take notice of the new financial power growing out of Smyrna. In Smyrna itself Onassis was all the more influential between his family connections and his support and participation in Panionios... [1]

Moscow, March 13th, 1940

The Soviets had attacked the Finnish "Rear line" on March 5th. The attack had made progress but Finnish progress still held, while in Moscow a Finnish delegation was attempting to hammer an acceptable peace treaty with the Soviet Union. The main point of contention was the city of Viipuri, the fourth largest in Finland which the Soviets were demanding even though it was still being held by the Finnish army. The Finns were understandably most reluctant to give it up particularly since their army was still, if just barely, holding onto it. Finally Stalin's paranoia would work for once to the Finnish favour. Soviet intelligence was well aware of the preparations of the allied expeditionary force to deploy to Scandinavia. In Constantinople allied forces had grown to 2 Polish and 1 French divisions as well as a British brigade threatening the Crimea. It was better to end the war in Finland on slightly worse terms that invite war with Britain and France. After all it was hardly out of the question that in such a case the fascists would forget their war with the western powers and turn on the Soviets. After all if the war was being taken seriously there would be some actual fighting since September on the French-German border. The Soviet Union accepted peace along the line currently held by the Finnish army spanning from Viipuri through Kuparsaari along the northern shore of Vuoksi River to Taipale on the western shore of Lake Ladoga. After 15 weeks Finland had been defeated. But it had not come cheap to the Soviets who had suffered about 319,000 combat casualties in addition to another 62,000 sick or frostbitten in exchange for 70,000 Finnish casualties...

Germany, April 3rd, 1940

The first German ships start quietly leaving German ports heading north...

Selected terms of the Moscow peace treaty, March 12th, 1940

1. Finnish Karelia west of lake Ladoga south of the Viipuri-Kuparsaari-Vuoksi-Taipale line ceded to Soviet Union
2. Ladoga Karelia east of Sortavala ceded to Soviet Union
3. Salla-Kuusamo area ceded to Soviet Union
4. Finnish parts of Rybachi peninsula ceded to Soviet Union
5. Islands of Suursaari, Tytärsaari, Lavansaari, Peninsaari and Seiskari in Gulf of Finland ceded to Soviet Union
6. Hanko peninsula leased to Soviet Union for 30 years.

The VKT line courtesy of Wikepedia

Ladoga Karelia

Gray Map of Republic of Karelia

www.maphill.com

[1] And yes Onassis TTL is rising from a much bigger financial basis compared to OTL...

 

[Sphenodon]

Finland retains Viipuri (for now)! Not necessarily huge in the global scale of things, but a very big butterfly for Finland. Between the 80,000-odd inhabitants of the city and those in the other parts of retained Karelia, the anti-Soviet war lobby is going to be substantially smaller in Finland when the Axis starts warring with the USSR. On the flip side, having one of their more prominent population and shipping centers essentially right on the USSR's border is going to be a terse thing in and of itself.

 

[Aristomenes]

So, Finland lost less terrain, Onassis will become richer than OTL (and Panionios will be one of most powerful teams in Greece). However, the Unternehmen Weserübung proceeds as in OTL (for the time being).

 

[X Oristos]

In Constantinople allied forces had grown to 2 Polish and 1 French division

If France falls as in OTL, the make-up of the french force may produce interesting butterflies. For once, the Poles will want to continue the fight. Would such resolve influence the French commanders as well? Likewise, if I understand correctly, the french division has a lot of Armenian and White Russian soldiers. These soldiers won't have the same incentive to stay loyal to Vichy as actual Frenchmen. Regardless of how much it pains me to say it, Petain's government was the legitimate government in June 1940. It seems that the Allies may gain a strong corps out of Constantinople.

 

[Asriellian]

Aw yay! I've always had a soft spot for Finland so I'm glad they didn't lose quite so much land, especially retaining petsamo in the far north. I do wonder if this will butterfly Finlands co-belligerent role against the Soviets or not. Only time will tell

 

[galileo-034]

Indeed, as long as this French corps stays in Constantinople, Turkey can hardly attack without putting itself in a very incomfortable position with Germany, depending on the terms of the June Armistice in relation to this matter. IOTL, the Germans were quite lenient on French colonial possessions, seeking to avoid them defecting to the British I understand. Now, Constantinople isn't exactly a colonial possession, but it wasn't quite concerned by the war and I hardly see how the Germans would have ground for having a say in it, except of course indirectly through the restrictions on the military strength of France could .

As I see it, like Syria, the French presence in the Levant and Constantinople may be somewhat similar to that of the French in Indochina in relation to Japan, as an ally of Germany but without a prior war. Eventually, Turkey may coerce the French to withdraw from Constantinople.
Alternatively, any turmoil in Constantinople may be a loophole for the French to go around armistice limitation. IOTL, after he took command in North Africa and until he was relieved under German pressure, Weygand pulled more or less the same tricks the Reichswehr used in the 1920s to get around the armistice limitations, building up a new army there that would illustrate itself under Free French flag in Italy and later in France, often disguising them as policing forces. I can see the same happening in Constantinople: " no soldiers or legionaries there, just police forces " .

 

[X Oristos]

They already have torpedo bombers at this point, both Fairey IIIF and Hawker Horsley bought in 1929 and Blackburn Velos procured earlier...

What is the current status of the greek torpedo bomber force ?

With Greece being surrounded by hostile powers and paranoia kicking in, I can see giving emphasis on a "first strike" doctrine. The only viable first strike doctrine at the era can be the utilization of torpedo bombers. The distances involved are relatively small, they are cheap and a late 30s torpedo bomber is vastly more accurate than a regular bomber.

 

[emperor joe]

I hope I ttl myrivilis get the nobel prize for literature...the secret Poppy chapter of life of in the tomb was the only thing that i have read in school that made me tear up

 

[Lascaris]

Finland retains Viipuri (for now)! Not necessarily huge in the global scale of things, but a very big butterfly for Finland. Between the 80,000-odd inhabitants of the city and those in the other parts of retained Karelia, the anti-Soviet war lobby is going to be substantially smaller in Finland when the Axis starts warring with the USSR. On the flip side, having one of their more prominent population and shipping centers essentially right on the USSR's border is going to be a terse thing in and of itself.

Finland must have still lost about two thirds or more of the territory it lost in OTL, I have not done an exact count but population and industry wise the territory not lost is much more significant, instead of 400,000 odd refugees you probably have 200-250,000 TTL...

So, Finland lost less terrain, Onassis will become richer than OTL (and Panionios will be one of most powerful teams in Greece). However, the Unternehmen Weserübung proceeds as in OTL (for the time being).

Panionios is certainly much stronger, so is Apollo. Post that you don't have AEK in Athens (or Apollo, or Panionios), Panathinaikos and Olympiakos will be all the more dominant among fans there, with Ethnikos likely a distant third in Piraeus. In similar fashion Aris is the most popular team in Thessaloniki with Herakles second (and Maccabi having and uhm obvious special niche). Then you have APS (Pera Club) in Constantinople that's AEK and PAOK combined it dominated Constantinople Greek sports, the local Heracles a very distant second.

So far between 1922-39 for football titles have broken down like this...

Year	Championship	Cup
1922​	PAO	-
1923​	Peiraikos	-
1924​	Apollo	-
1925​	PAO	-
1926​	Apollo	-
1927​	OSFP	-
1928​	Ares	-
1929​	PAO	-
1930​	PAO	-
1931​	OSFP	-
1932​	Ares	ASP
1933​	OSFP	Ethnikos
1934​	OSFP	Herakles
1935​	Apollo	Ares
1936​	Apollo	OSFP
1937​	OSFP	Ares
1938​	OSFP	Apollo
1939​	ASP	Ethnikos

If France falls as in OTL, the make-up of the french force may produce interesting butterflies. For once, the Poles will want to continue the fight. Would such resolve influence the French commanders as well? Likewise, if I understand correctly, the french division has a lot of Armenian and White Russian soldiers. These soldiers won't have the same incentive to stay loyal to Vichy as actual Frenchmen. Regardless of how much it pains me to say it, Petain's government was the legitimate government in June 1940. It seems that the Allies may gain a strong corps out of Constantinople.

Ok that's a bit of a spoiler, but that's the current OOB of the French army in the Middle East, 193 DI is the one in Constantinople

Armee du Levant
ATL	1940​
86 DI	2 RZ
	2 RTA
	29 RTA
191 DI	16 RTT
	1 RIA
	12 RTT
192 DI	1 RIL
	17 RTS
	10 DBNA
193 DI	24 RMIC
	6 REI
	2 RIA
Cavalry
Truppes Speciales

Aw yay! I've always had a soft spot for Finland so I'm glad they didn't lose quite so much land, especially retaining petsamo in the far north. I do wonder if this will butterfly Finlands co-belligerent role against the Soviets or not. Only time will tell

That's an interesting question. On one hand the Finns have lost less. On the other they still lost something like 20-25,000 km2 of territory with about a couple hundred thousand refugees...

Indeed, as long as this French corps stays in Constantinople, Turkey can hardly attack without putting itself in a very incomfortable position with Germany, depending on the terms of the June Armistice in relation to this matter. IOTL, the Germans were quite lenient on French colonial possessions, seeking to avoid them defecting to the British I understand. Now, Constantinople isn't exactly a colonial possession, but it wasn't quite concerned by the war and I hardly see how the Germans would have ground for having a say in it, except of course indirectly through the restrictions on the military strength of France could .

It's not a solely French territory either. At the moment you have something like this in Constantinople:

France: 25,000
Britain: 6,000
Italy: 10,000
Poland: 42,000
Greece: 1000
Turkey: 1000
Greek Gendarmerie: ~2,500
Turkish Gendarmerie: ~3,000

I hope I ttl myrivilis get the nobel prize for literature...the secret Poppy chapter of life of in the tomb was the only thing that i have read in school that made me tear up

Most unlikely. That said Myrivilis will be getting his own bit of spotlight...

 

[Aristomenes]

It's not a solely French territory either. At the moment you have something like this in Constantinople:

France: 25,000
Britain: 6,000
Italy: 10,000
Poland: 42,000
Greece: 1000
Turkey: 1000
Greek Gendarmerie: ~2,500
Turkish Gendarmerie: ~3,000

What a lovely complicated situation we have in the City! Once Italy and Turkey enter the war the situation is going to become really messy. Perhaps Constantinople will be the site of a lengthy siege, akin to Leningrad. My risky prediction; if Turkey enters the war as an Axis ally, the Iron Curtain will also exist in the Anatolian Plateau after the end of the war.

 

[goumaister]

Let's hope Hagia Sophia survives the siege and the war in general. The situation there is heavily tilted on the Allies favor for now but maybe some terrorist attacks from the Turkish Gendarmerie would cripple the Allied position there. Well I see the Italians leaving from there before they start a war with Greece due to being outnumbered and very much out of logistic support.

Panionios is certainly much stronger, so is Apollo. Post that you don't have AEK in Athens (or Apollo, or Panionios), Panathinaikos and Olympiakos will be all the more dominant among fans there, with Ethnikos likely a distant third in Piraeus. In similar fashion Aris is the most popular team in Thessaloniki with Herakles second (and Maccabi having and uhm obvious special niche). Then you have APS (Pera Club) in Constantinople that's AEK and PAOK combined it dominated Constantinople Greek sports, the local Heracles a very distant second.

So far between 1922-39 for football titles have broken down like this...

Year	Championship	Cup
1922​	PAO	-
1923​	Peiraikos	-
1924​	Apollo	-
1925​	PAO	-
1926​	Apollo	-
1927​	OSFP	-
1928​	Ares	-
1929​	PAO	-
1930​	PAO	-
1931​	OSFP	-
1932​	Ares	ASP
1933​	OSFP	Ethnikos
1934​	OSFP	Herakles
1935​	Apollo	Ares
1936​	Apollo	OSFP
1937​	OSFP	Ares
1938​	OSFP	Apollo
1939​	ASP	Ethnikos

Loved the sports update.The formati of the Greek championship is like OTL? Where there were a lot of local championships and then they played with each other or is there something else? I seems ASP is not that powerful as I was expecting but any way fun flavor.

Well Finland could when Barbarossa comes negotiate those territories back if Stalin doesn't want them joining the Germans.

 

[Lascaris]

Loved the sports update.The formati of the Greek championship is like OTL? Where there were a lot of local championships and then they played with each other or is there something else? I seems ASP is not that powerful as I was expecting but any way fun flavor.

I think that due to economics following the OTL pattern was the only practical way. In OTL you had local Athens, Piraeus and Macedonia championships with the leading teams of each of the three playing among themselves afterwards. TTL you also have Ionia and Constantinople ones. APS would be undoubtedly very strong. Dominating everyone else? Not as certain. For example Apollo proved particularly strong in OTL while in exile. It had every chance of being even stronger when playing from Smyrna. Then you have Panathinaikos with Messaris, probably the best striker of his era not leaving football...

 

[X Oristos]

The Agricultural university of Athens had been given as a priority task the introduction of American tobacco varieties to Greece back in 1933 and following the first successful experiments in the 1935 planting season, the Agricultural Bank of Greece had start subsidising the switch to Virginia and Burley tobacco, in place of the lower quality varieties of Oriental tobacco.

The first locally made Mle 1936 gun left the assembly line

A licence for the older M1931 gun had been bought from Belgium instead.

It occured to me that one of the main bottlenecks for Greece producing artillery could be steel. Technical expertise is another thing, something that only time will fix, along with assitance from experts. Schneider may be able to send a few additional experts in Hephaestus Works to speed up the learning curve.

On the other hand, I sincerely doubt that Britain and France would export artillery-quality steel as they need every ton they can produce. In the 1938-1939 period there was another source though: Sweden. Now Greece produces both american and oriental tobacco. There may have been already a chance to exchange tobacco for steel ingots, thus enhancing the artillery production rates.

When it comes to France and Britain, other than the different naval procurement, I think the biggest butterflies in land and air is Britain producing a semi-automatic rifle (Vickers-Pedersen) and Centaurs and France having a better fighter (LN-161) what are the butterflies that have already impacted the two (non-naval) militaries?

Daladier will still be backing Gamelin and Georges is thought of as too right wing. Now a more hale Georges could be more effective in command... or he could have had enough clashes with Gamelin and Daladier that he has been sent out of theatre altogether.

Well, Weygand is still in the Orient. I doubt Georges would have been sent to Algeria in peacetime. If he was to be removed from the theater altogether it would have been Syria as it is a potential "fighting" theater and not a garrison backwater in a strict sense. That means, Georges is around, even if he is probably clashing with Gamelin regularly.

Hmm what would that mean? A gentleman from another friend had a proposition:

at the very least if you derail Weygnand on the top job after the sack of Gamelin it may suffice to get a fighting France...

 

[Lascaris]

Off Trondheim, 08:00 April 8th, 1940

"No captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy". The captain of HMS Ardent when forced to action against the Admiral Graf Spee proves true to Nelson's words when he rams his ship on the German pocket battleship. Graf Spee suffered extensive damage, but Ardent was sunk by German fire without managing to report its engagement to the admiralty.

Off Lillesand, 10:00 April 8th 1940

The German troopship, MS Rio De Janeiro, was supposed to support German landing on Bergen. Instead it had met HMS Tarpon. The British boat would sink it with a pair of torpedoes. No report of the sinking would reach the admiralty till the next day as Tarpon was under strict orders to maintain radio silence.

Norwegian Sea, 14:00 April 8th 1940

The British Home fleet turned Northwest following reports of sighting a group of German ships, it was assumed the German goal was to slip the blockading forces and break into the Atlantic. Meanwhile plans for the landing of troops to Norway continued, the Scots Guards and supporting units had already been loaded on 4 Royal Navy cruisers which should be sailing out within the next day.

Oslo, 04:00 April 9th 1940

The Norwegian cabinet was in session for the past several hours after news had reached it of the navy engaging German ships outside Oslo. Finally the decision to order a partial mobilization was issued. Colonel Rasmus Hatledal the chief of the general staff had instead asked for a general mobilisation but to no avail, could only say that he'd order the army to start mailing call-up notes to reservists right away only to be met by shock. The army could conduct the ordered mobilization only by mail? It was Hatledal's turn to be shocked, hadn't the ministers just order a secret partial mobilization? It took defence minister Birger Ljungberg to explain the vagaries of the mobilization system, and that partial mobilization was allowed only by secret call-up. One more hour would be lost before the cabinet issued the order for a general mobilization. Elsewhere in Norway fighting was already underway.

Narvik, 06:00 April 9th 1940

An hour ago 10 German destroyers had sunk the two Norwegian coastal defence ships protecting the city and landed 2,000 Gebirgsjäger. The Norwegian commander, a colonel Sudlo, had surrendered Narvik shortly afterwards. He would be put on trial on charges of high treason for his action. The German ships start immediately refuelling from the couple of German tankers that had put into the port before the invasion under the guise of merchant ships, while the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau provided distant cover to the force. It was estimated that it would take 18 to 20 hours to refuel all ten ships. The battleship Renown backed by 5 destroyers turned toward Narvik, while the 2nd destroyer flotilla with 5 more destroyers was ordered into Narvik. Renown's sister Repulse, escorted by 4 more destroyers and the light cruiser Penelope turned north to join Renown but she was still much further out.

Trondheim, Morning April 9th 1940

With coastal defences smashed by Admiral Graf Spee's heavy guns, the city was forced to surrender...

Bergen, Morning April 9th 1940

Coastal defences would manage to severely damage the light cruiser Karlsruhe and moderately damage a transport before massed Luftwaffe bombardment forced their surrender. Karlsruhe would be sunk by Fleet Air Arm bombers the next day.

Copenhagen, 08:30 April 9th 1940

The Danish government surrendered, 6 hours after the country had been invaded by the Germans. Had not Zanzibar surrendered to Britain in 38 minutes back in 1896 it might had been the shortest war in history...

Kristiansand, 14:00 April 9th 1940

The light cruiser Köln had run aground under Norwegian fire but the town had nevertheless fallen to the Germans. Köln would be unstuck and ordered back to Germany for repairs only to be sunk by the Polish submarine Orzel that had managed to position itself outside Kristiansand by then.

Drøbak Sound, April 9th 1940

The German invasion force led by heavy cruisers Admiral Hipper and Blücher was forced back after Norwegian coastal defences sunk Hipper and severely damaged Blücher. Oslo would be captured later in the day by German paratroopers but not before, the Norwegian cabinet, royal family and gold reserves could be evacuated.

Narvik, 03:00 April 10th 1940

German destroyers start leaving port for the return voyage to Germany...

 

[CV(N)-6]

Meanwhile plans for the landing of troops to Norway continued, the Scots Guards and supporting units had already been loaded on 4 Royal Navy cruisers which should be sailing out within the next day.

That's a big change right there, if the British can get that force to Narvik sooner and before the Germans can really dig in and take it before (and if, which is looking like a big if) France falls, the Allies could stay in Norway, which also saves Glorious.

 

[X Oristos]

So... Koln and Karlsruhe bagged instead of Karlsruhe and Konigsberg. Eriksen gets Hipper instead of Blucher.

I am looking forward to see the fate of Graf Spee. If I remember correctly, the Panzerschiffe were poor boats. Damage from a Glowworm-style ramming may be fatal in the rough Norwegian Sea. If water gets inside, it will make the slow cruiser even slower. Moreover, I am looking forward if the Blucher returns safely in Germany. There were various submarines in the Kattegat. In OTL Lutzow was almost torpedoed. And the main question remains: where is the Home Fleet at April 10th? The Refit and Repair are getting ready for battle, but where is the main body with the battleships?

Lastly, I wonder if butterflies have influenced HMS Hood. In TTL the german Twins carry 15'' guns. The slow battleships cannot catch them and Repulse and Renown can damage them but their armor is thin. To me it would make sense that the Admiralty would prioritize moderzning Hood very thoroughly in the late 30s. Our author often surprises us and his absolute silence in the case of Hood (the only countermove the admiralty could do against 15inch Twins barring new BCs) is suspicious. I think it is time for popcorn.

 

[Lascaris]

That's a big change right there, if the British can get that force to Narvik sooner and before the Germans can really dig in and take it before (and if, which is looking like a big if) France falls, the Allies could stay in Norway, which also saves Glorious.

Technically this is the Avonmouth force that in OTL was ordered to disembark its troops and sail out to help intercept the supposed German breakout to the Atlantic, in reality the Trondheim force. Why here the British have been... unlucky in their scouting efforts as no report from HMS Ardent prior to her sinking got out. The Home Fleet is still looking out for that breakout but it was somewhat less urgent, enough for Devonshire, York, Berwick and Glasgow not to be ordered to disembark their troops and head north in a hurry...

So... Koln and Karlsruhe bagged instead of Karlsruhe and Konigsberg. Eriksen gets Hipper instead of Blucher.

I am looking forward to see the fate of Graf Spee. If I remember correctly, the Panzerschiffe were poor boats. Damage from a Glowworm-style ramming may be fatal in the rough Norwegian Sea. If water gets inside, it will make the slow cruiser even slower. Moreover, I am looking forward if the Blucher returns safely in Germany. There were various submarines in the Kattegat. In OTL Lutzow was almost torpedoed. And the main question remains: where is the Home Fleet at April 10th? The Refit and Repair are getting ready for battle, but where is the main body with the battleships?

To the west of Bergen... in the early hours of April 9th. Map by Gordon Smith on www.naval-history.net

Lastly, I wonder if butterflies have influenced HMS Hood. In TTL the german Twins carry 15'' guns. The slow battleships cannot catch them and Repulse and Renown can damage them but their armor is thin. To me it would make sense that the Admiralty would prioritize moderzning Hood very thoroughly in the late 30s. Our author often surprises us and his absolute silence in the case of Hood (the only countermove the admiralty could do against 15inch Twins barring new BCs) is suspicious. I think it is time for popcorn.

Just like OTL, the British completed heavily modernizing 4 battleships in the mid late 1930s...