Being stuck in lockdown, and a bachelor of maturity, I have too much time to think, and no one other than the gentleman here to debate ideas with. I find this Time Line very interesting, and I am reading it with much enjoyment and a little frustration. So let us take the time to look at some facts, in regards to the upcoming events in France once the British and eventually world dive into the hell that was World War Two. I think we can all agree that up until the Battle of Arras, there will be very little change in the events of the Time Line, other than the British being equipped with more and significantly better tanks than they had in Our Time Line. The same well meaning clowns will be in charge of British policy as was, and they will make the same mistakes. Winston with his mercurial temperament, will be First Lord of the Admiralty, Chamberlain who was both very physically sick and desperate to avoid war PM, while that permanent nervous Nelly and gray eminence Halifax will be ever present.
In 1939, having exhausted all other options Britain will reluctantly go to war, and the recently cobbled together BEF be sent to France, as was its predecessor in 1914. The BEF of 1939 was as was its predecessor in 1914, without doubt the best equipped and trained army in Europe at the time, but small very small. It from a nation that had a population of 48 million, six times that of Belgian, it fielded an army that was 25%, the size. OK, the Belgian army, much like the French wasn’t as lavished equipped, but it was four times the size of the BEF. There can be no doubt that man for man the British Tommy of 1939/40, was as good if not better than any other troops in the world, apart from some with special climate or terrain training. Ski troops, mountain troops, possibly some who specialised in jungle environments. He was tough, professional, and well trained by the standards of the day, especially in musketry, just like his father had been in 1914. This force was deficient in just three areas of equipment, it didn’t have any SMG’s, gagster weapons old bean don’t need them, it’s tanks were ether to light and unreliable, or fantastic but unreliable and short of motive power, and in very short supply, Matilda II. And it lacked any modern heavy artillery, as a result of under investment during the inter war years. Britain wasn’t going to get involved in an European war again thank you very much, and didn’t need big guns for Imperial policing. The only nation that had an extensive modern heavy artillery park was France, Germany thanks to the Versailles treaty and the development of the Luftwaffe, was deficient too.
In August of 1939, the BEF embarked to take up its allotted positions in France, as agreed to by the British government. It did not sail from Dover to Calais, other than a small number of Staff Officers, it went from Southampton, as had its predecessor in 1914. Dover in 39 was a small ferry port that foot passengers, the overnight train ferry, and handled local cargo in addition, mostly coal from British coal fields. The ferries it handled were small, there just wasn’t the traffic that there is now. And the only Ro Ro ferry was a train ferry, which required a closed dock to load unload in. Unlike cars and trucks, trains do not like steep ramps to negotiate, and so the ferry has to be brought to a height equal to that of the railway, and this took time and power for the pumps in the dock. Other than that the rich, very few British people went overseas to Europe, and if they took their motorcar, it had to be loaded on the ferry by crane, a slow and difficult task. Dover was linked to Britain by one double track railway, and one three lane road. Southampton had at the time, five separate double or better railway lines, and could make use of three, three lane roads. Note that the BEF didn’t disembark in Calais, they went to Le Havre and Cherbourg, both like Southampton, large commercial ports with extensive land links. They also had the big cranes able to handle the large loads that the military required. Few dock cranes were rated for loads greater than five tons, as this is the days of break bulk loading. In 1939, the standard dock cranes could handle anything up to a 6 in howitzer, but not its towing vehicle, the 3.7 in AA gun would need a heavy crane. Note I admit to a mistake in a previous post, the AA gun of the BEF, was the 3.7, not the 3 in 20 cwt, apologies. I seriously doubt that ether Calais or Dunkirk had many heavy lift cranes in 1939/40, and slinging and loading even standard loads requires skilled dock workers, you are not going to get much heavy equipment out during an evacuation. The British up until the scramble to evacuate used Calais for two things, personal movements, chaps going on leave, transferring to another posting, and mail. As it could link into the mail trains in the UK, and provide a swift service for personal mail for the troops.
Note prior to the sixties, most British people who travelled to the continent would have gone through Dunkirk in an organised group, to see the WWI Battlefields and grave sites. So we get to the 10th of May 1940, provided no butterflies ITTL, this is when the so called phoney war turned hot, people always forget that there never was a phoney war at sea. The BEF under its commander Lord Gort advanced into Belgian, in accordance to the Dyle plan, as had been agreed to with the French high command. Gort wasn’t master of his or his armies fate, he was a junior commander to the French high command, with only ten devisions under his command. While he wasn’t a big brain, he was not as one former Minister for War thought, utterly brainless and unable to grasp the simplest problem. Basically the two just couldn’t stand the sight of each other, and I have no doubt talked past each other. Gort was responsible bright for a British officer especially one who was a Guardsmen, at least he wasn’t a cavalry man. He by the standards of the day was responsible young at 53, and in comparison to his French commanders Gamelin 68, didn’t need an afternoon nap, but he was by today’s standards over age, and lacking in education. He wasn’t happy with ether the standard of the French army or its high command. Were as the British Army had even during the worst of the winter weather kept itself busy busy, with various work projects and training, the French appeared to do very little. His failure to understand the difference between the professional British Army and the Conscript French Army, was something that all the British officers had, until they had to deal with conscripts themselves. What you can get regulars to do is very different from what you can get conscripts to do.
He also had serous reservations about a number of the restrictions that he French high command had placed upon his forces. The worst of which was the banning of radio/wireless exercises, the French were paranoid about the ability of the Germans to intercept radio signals, and gain vital information. But good Guardsman that he was, and not really trusting the politicians in the UK, who had short changed the army for years, then stuck them with a job that they weren’t truly ready for, he kept his thoughts to himself and did his best. And so he advanced to his allotted place on the Dyle river, and prepared to receive the enemy. Repulsing the first German attack, he was upset to find out that the Belgian Fort at Eben Emael, had been taken and things didn’t seem to be going anywhere like planned. Communications with the French high command and his French superior were to say the least problematic, and he couldn’t seem to get any sense out of anyone, including London. As things quickly begin to fall apart around him, and he and his army were forced to retire in some confusion, while under increasing air attack, which the RAF seemed to be able to do little about. I personally believe that by the 20th he had a very good idea that events were completely out of control, and were going to be a complete disaster. And so one the 22nd he made up his mind that, despite what London was telling him, and the French weren’t, his duty was to save as much of the BEF, as he could. This was a courageous decision, but given the circumstances on the ground as he saw them, the right one. Now let us look at the situation on the ground as of the 20th, the BEF is in Belgian north east of Dunkirk, and north of Calais, in a retreat to the sea, it would have to bypass Dunkirk to get to Calais. The roads are poor, they tend, much like in England with London, to head to an from Paris, and there is away from the coast very little cross country.
The BEF, is in two parts, the fighting formations and their immediate support elements in Belgian, while the third line elements are around the big commercial ports far to the south. He has been cut off from his third line by the German Sickle Cut, and needs to put a block force in to his southern flank. At this time there is no British garrison in Calais or Boulogna, and the land between Calais, Boulogna, and Cambrai is very hilly with no major road running through it. If he can give the Germans hard punch in the nose, and get some blocking force into Calais and Boulogna, he can cut the coast road and secure his southern flank. And it is now that the butterfly’s of a more successful battle of Arras, can really start the flutter their wings. Given that the result of the Germans getting a complete work over on the 21st at Arras, one that requires them to put a halt to all activities in the area on the 22nd while they sort out the mess that has been made of their forces. The British should be able to garrison both Boulogna and Calais, while beginning to sort out things in Dunkirk. If the complete Guards Brigade with its supporting units of artillery and engineers, can be deployed to Boulogna, and the 30th infantry Brigade plus 3rd RTR, with all their equipment been landed at Calais. And they had had until the 23rd before being attacked, things would have been very different, while they could not have prevented the Germans from taking ether port, or provided a route out for the BEF. They could have imposed a major delay on the German forces coming from the south, giving the British at Dunkirk more time, to get the useless mouths out and prepare the defences of Dunkirk.
So why weren’t the train ferries used to move the BEF’s tanks and lorries in 1939? The principal ports allocated to the BEF by the French were Le Havre and Cherbourg, as they linked up easily with the principal port of embarkation Southampton. Sending a small part of your force through a minor port with poor connections, to one or two minor ports with poor connections, apart from the bulk of your army is a very bad idea. And the French, the big dog, and the ones calling the tune didn’t want the British using ether Dunkirk or Calais, as it would mean that the British supply line crossed that of the French 7th army which was to the right of the BEF. The French didn’t want the British with their right flank against the Channel, they wanted them between two French armies and under French command. Why Dunkirk not Calais? The first major road that the retreating BEF come to as they withdrew from Belgian goes to Dunkirk not Calais. Dunkirk because of the numinous water obstacles around it offers better defensive lines, and there is no high ground for the attackers to use. Much of the land is ether low lying or even beneath high tide level and can be flooded, as it was. Try driving your tank through three feet of water, over a sea of mud, while you infantry try to keep up. Given just two days extra, so much can be done to better prepare the evacuation. And end up with a much better result, including getting more of the French rear guard out. Bringing one or two big ships down from the north to carry out a night time bombardment of the German positions. And giving the RAF time to get its act together, and provide better air coverage.
In addition with the Germans tied down around Dunkirk, and fighting the French, you will have more time to get the over a hundred thousand third line troops out of the south. Given that the majority of the supplies captured by the Germans, were in the south not in the north with the BEF. You might be able to do more to deny them to the Germans especially the fuel, not just yours but also the French supply. And with luck you can get the RMS Lancastria, home in one peace saving at least five thousand lives.
RR.
