They Fought on the Beaches

Ace009

Ace009

Ladies and gentlemen? In all its glory, here lies the new timeline I had planned to reach from Operation: Sea Lion to the present-day. :evilsmile: Welcome to "They Fought on the Beaches"!

NOTE: This is my first timeline outside To The Planets Beyond, so wish me luck, boys and girls!
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"As history shows, no army is invincible, and this was proven correct once again on the 4th of September of 1940, when Nazi Germany executed Operation: Sea Lion to invade Britain following the near-defeat of the RAF. However, when it was executed, the Nazis forgot to account for one thing: Britain still had a much bigger Navy, and that Navy eventually led to disaster." - Hitler's Mistake: A History of Operation: Sea Lion; Chapter 2: Why it Failed.

"It all started on the 4th of September that day when the paratroopers began dropping into Brighton and Dover in the middle of night. Upon the spotting of the paratroopers, Britain realised it was under attack, and at around 21:00 hours London time, British Army divisions were deployed to Brighton and Dover. XII Corps Divisions were sent to deal with the assault on Dover, whereas the V Corps was sent in to deal with the units in Brighton. Lt. General Montgomery proved his success in Brighton, as the entire paratrooper force was wiped out. Lt. General Thorne was less fortunate in the First Battle of Dover and was unable to prevent it from falling. However, in the process, the paratroopers took heavy casualties, and from there, the XIII. and VII. Armee-Korps of the German 16. Armee began to land on Dover. The 9. Armee's XXXVIII. Armee-Korps could not reach its respective landing sites, instead being forced to land on Dover's beachhead. On day three, the first wave began pushing towards London, when the second wave was deployed. The V. Armee-Korps and the XXXI. Armee-Korps' 8. and 10. Panzer-Division were the only ones in the second wave to make it across the channel as the Royal Navy began to blockade the Germans under Admiral Sir Charles Forbes, who made it clear that if the third wave was getting across, they were going to at the bottom of the seas." - Operation: Sea Lion: An Overview; Chapter 3: Opening Phases

"As German troops began to push towards London, they began to secure towns across Kent County, such as Folkestone, and Ashford, while on the 6th day of the invasion, Canterbury was in a state of siege by the Germans as British Army troops attempted to defend the city. However, the advance began to slow down near Chatham, as Britain began to prepare for a counterattack, and the British Army began using delay tactics to inflict heavy losses on German troops. Between the 8th and 11th days of the invasion, the Battle of Rochester sent the Germans into retreat, while the Siege of Canterbury was broken. Over the course of a few days, British Army forces began to regain territory and push to retake Dover, all while the Royal Navy blockaded the English Channel." - Operation: Sea Lion: An Overview; Chapter 4: The Push to Rochester

"Meanwhile, in the English Channel, the Second Wave that was supposed to reach Britain was mostly sunk, and Hitler ordered the deployment of the third wave on the 14th of September, as soon as the Battle of Rochester began to become an apparent defeat for the Reich. Hitler ordered Admiral Raeder to divert as many U-Boats as he could to overwhelm the Royal Navy and deploy any surface ships to engage the Home Fleet, while escorting the third wave to Dover. Unfortunately for Hitler, this would prove to be fatal, and after losing 60% of the Reich's U-Boat forces and a majority of the third wave in the process, Hitler was forced to call off Sea Lion on the 13th day. By then, though, the surviving troops sent to Britain were already trapped." - Operation: Sea Lion: An Overview; Chapter 5: Fatal Mistake

"As the British Army troops liberated Dover, Operation: Sea Lion ended in a complete disaster for the Reich, not just militarily, but politically. This would have severe ramifications for the remainder of the Second World War, not just in the short-term, but in the long term. Admiral Raeder was executed and replaced by Admiral Karl Dönitz. Göring was sacked and replaced by Heinrich Himmler as Reichsmarschall, along with the surviving officers from the Third Wave of Sea Lion. In the end, the failure of Sea Lion only one of many. And things were about to get worse for the German Reich" - Operation: Sea Lion: An Overview; Chapter 7: Aftermath
 
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Lalli

Intresting. And Himmler as reichmarschall and commander of Luftwaffe? This can't end well.
 

Some Bloke

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Gudestein

Hmmm, ok so far. Would however be a pity if it just replays "a better show".
How are air craft losses compared to OTL. The Germans must have broken chain home and the British must have comitted everything nevertheless.
 
Ace009

Ace009

Gudestein said:
Hmmm, ok so far. Would however be a pity if it just replays "a better show".
How are air craft losses compared to OTL. The Germans must have broken chain home and the British must have comitted everything nevertheless.
Click to expand...

Hmmmmm. I should think that through. Either way, I was just about to post some things about Britain shortly after Sea Lion and a prelude to ATL Operation: Barbarossa, but just now, you gave me an extra idea.
 
Histor32

Histor32

America declares war when paratroopers land, when it fails the soviets push to take all of Poland , Italy switches sides.

hate to be blunt but germany shot its wad on England, Barbarossa would be a no go, the Japanese ate not going to side with them.

sharks are well fed though
 
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Some Bloke

Hitler still sees the USSR as the ultimate enemy, but he probably won't commit ground troops to North Africa. Greece maybe, but there's no way anyone would countenance sending troops over contested seas.
 
Ace009

Ace009

If you feel like I need to fix something, tell me, ladies and gentlemen.
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"Prior to Operation: Sea Lion, the RAF had lost over 1,910 aircraft out of 1,963 during the Battle of Britain. The RAF was smashed by the Luftwaffe, but they still had some aircraft left. The RAF's last remnants proved vital in the defence of Britain during Operation: Sea Lion, though it would not be until the Second Battle of Dover that the RAF's remnants would prove decisive. After the 19th of September, Britain began to rebuild the Royal Air Force and emphasis on repairing the damage from the Battle of Britain and Operation: Sea Lion began in earnest. Winston Churchill oversaw an industrialisation effort to make Britain ready to deal with the eventual liberation of France and occupation of Italy. It would not be until the start of Operation: Barbarossa, two years later, that the Royal Air Force would completely recover." - Industry and Air Power: A Brief Essay on Britain's Royal Air Force and Industry during World War II

"While Operation: Barbarossa was being planned, North Africa became problematic for the Vichy French government, as Britain and the Free French made gains against the Axis Powers in Africa. Italy was not faring any better, and within the span of two years, North Africa was controlled by Britain and the Free French. Hitler personally had plans to intervene in North Africa to save Italy, but the priorities for Barbarossa and the loss of many divisions in Operation: Sea Lion only made Nazi Germany incapable of assisting the Italians and Vichy French. By mid-1942, the stage was set and Italy would pay the consequences." - Desert Hell: A Brief History of WWII in Northern Africa

"Although the Americans had little interest in intervening at first, Pearl Habour changed their minds. This would not end well for the Axis Powers, as history would show. However, due to Germany's priorities with Barbarossa, Hitler could only declare war on the States and try to quickly get the Kriegsmarine back up to speed to strike at convoys. This meant that the remaining U-Boats that were not lost in Operation: Sea Lion had to be more careful when attacking American and British convoys sending supplies to Britain itself. The Kriegsmarine had to hurry if it was to ever win the war. It was only worsening from there." - The Fight for the Seas: An Overview of the Battle of the Atlantic; Chapter 5: The Eagle and the Swastika

"Narrator: Operation: Barbarossa's directive was given on the 18th of December of 1940, three months after Sea Lion ended in failure, and the plan was to invade the USSR and reach Moscow within three months. Originally, the plan was supposed to involve a military invasion beginning in June of 1941, but losing divisions in Britain and the recovery from that defeat meant that the Operation was delayed until June of 1942 to give Germany more time to prepare. Preparations took two years before Germany was ready to march on the border and on the 8th of June of 1942, German troops began to cross the border into the USSR. Operation: Barbarossa had begun." - Stories of WWII; Episode 10: Operation: Barbarossa (Script)
 
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Ace009

Ace009

"Operation: Barbarossa started as planned for the Germans on the 8th of June of 1942 as the the German advance towards Moscow commenced. The battles between then and the 1st of July of 1942 went well for the Wehrmacht and the divisions involved in Operation: Barbarossa, but the Soviets managed to put up a fierce resistance in the process, resulting in heavy casualties for the Germans. Between the 28th of July and the 11th of August, the Wehrmacht's luck began to run out and the German advance stalled at the Dnieper River. The First Battle of Smolensk resulted in a Soviet counter-offensive being able to stall the Germans. As a result, priorities for Hitler were on taking Kiev before the Soviets could launch another counterattack. On the 3rd of September, Hitler ordered the advance towards Kiev." - World War II: A Complete History; Part II: The Eastern Front; Chapter 13: Opening Stages

"As the Germans began to push towards Kiev, things took a turn for the worst on the 8th of September of 1942, as the Soviets began to launch another counter-offensive, this time with the intent of pushing back the Germans. Stalin had named it: Operation: Red Hammer (Операция: Красный молот; transliteration: Operatsiya: Krasnyy Molot). Under the command of General Mikhail Kipornos, the Soviets took General Fedor von Bock and his men by surprise, as the swarm of Soviet troops began encroaching upon the Germans. Both sides took heavy losses, and General von Bock ordered a retreat, though his men were eventually cornered. After almost a week of fighting, Operation: Red Hammer had finished Phase One, and the Soviets would begin the process of pushing the Germans out of the USSR and back across the border with Germany." - Stories of the Eastern Front; Chapter 4: Out of Luck

"During the Battle of the Dnieper, the Germans were also taking note of similar counter-offensives across the entire advance, and the Second Battle of Smolensk sealed the failure of Operation: Barbarossa in blood. Afterwards, the Germans were forced to retreat from the Dnieper River line. They attempted to regroup in Minsk and launched the Fall Offensive in order to stall Operation: Red Hammer. The Offensive ended horribly and the Germans lost 370,000 before being forced to retreat. As the 18th of January of 1943 rolled along, the Soviets had pushed the Nazis as far back as the 1939 Polish border with the USSR. Operation: Red Hammer was a success at a high cost, with the Soviets taking at least 3.8 to 4.4 million casualties in total during Operation: Barbarossa and Operation: Red Hammer put of the initial force of 4.6 - 5.3 million, along with any divisions that were stationed elsewhere, and reserves, which added up to a total of 8.1 - 10.4 million personnel. By comparison, the Germans lost at least 1.9 to 2.3 million troops out of the initial 3.6 million men strong force sent to push towards Moscow, and the 500,000 reinforcements that were deployed to the Eastern Front. It was not over yet, however, and the push towards Berlin had just begun....." - World War II: A Complete History; Part II: The Eastern Front; Chapter 16: The Push Towards Berlin

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Coming soon: the Battle of Greece, Operation: Augustus and D-Day. Stay tuned for updates, ladies and gentlemen!
 
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zert

Very fast paced and so far interesting. A little unbelievable, but I can wave that aside for entertainment and writer fiat.
 

zert

Well even if the Chain Home radar stations had been eliminated before the airborne attacks, I would think there would be listening posts and observers to detect the transports before landing. Also, as good the RN could be, I am doubtful that 60% of the u-boats would be sunk. Also you have more than 95% of the RAF being destroyed before the invasion. That seems way to high, in my opinion.

Take this for what you will. As I said, I enjoyed what you have posted so far. :)
 

merlin

95% is not just too high - it's IMHO an untenable figure. OTL the LW needed a 4-to-1 kill figure over that RAF - you're going for 10 or 20 -1, usually in the large encounters it was the RAF who achieved between 1 - 1 & 2.5 - 1
IF Hitler had left going East for 12 months, it might have been too late - the Soviets might have attacked first! But even so, what was he doing in the meantime - N. Africa & the Med. is more likely.
 
Ace009

Ace009

"While the Eastern Front was beginning to look horrible for the Germans, things took a turn for the worst in the Battle of the Mediterranean for Italy, as Royal Navy and Regia Marina began to face each other while the preparations for Operation: Augustus began. The situation for the Italians only grew worse as the North African front collapsed, Tunisia was overrun in Operation: Torch and the Allies began to use Crete as a forward base of operations against Regia Marina ships in the area. The Royal Navy was ready to smash the Italy's ships into oblivion, and fuel shortages made survival more and more of an issue. In the end, the Regia Marina was completely sunk and on the 11th of July of 1942, Operation: Augustus began......" - Quiet on the Italian Peninsula: A Brief Overview of the Invasion of Italy

"Sicily was the first to get struck in Operation: Augustus under Operation: Husky, as British Army and US Army troops began to deploy in the island. Paratroopers began the initial assault, while ships began to deploy troops on Sicily just a day later. The ports of Syracuse and Gela were the first to be taken by the Allies, and from there, they pushed to secure the remainder of Sicily. As the Allies pushed towards Sicily, the Germans and the remaining Italian forces were evacuated from Sicily via Messina all the way to the mainland, but by the time they arrived, the mainland was already being attacked by the Allies. " - The Invasion of Italy: A Brief Essay

"Immediately before Sicily was overrun, the Allies began the main phase of Operation: Augustus: a full scale invasion of mainland Italy around the 21st of August of 1942, and they began to land in Salerno, Calabria and Taranto, where they began to set up beachheads in an attempt to push towards Rome. However, just three days later, Benito Mussolini was deposed in a coup d'etat by the Grand Council of Fascism and replaced by Pietro Badoglio, who led the Italian Kingdom against the later escaped Mussolini's Italian Social Republic in the ensuing civil war that followed. The Italian Civil War had begun.........." - Downfall: A History of the Invasion of Italy and Mussolini's Demise; Epilogue

"As the months passed and the Italian Campaign continued, along with the Italian Civil War, the Allies began to plan for the invasion to liberate France under two operations: Operation: Roundhammer and Operation: Anvil. Operation: Roundhammer was initially under Operation: Sledgehammer, calling for a late-1942 invasion of France, though plans were delayed until the 7th of June of 1943, and Operation: Sledgehammer, which called for 48 divisions, was dumbed down to include at least 36 divisions. The original plans to land in Brest were kept, and the plan was renamed to what we know as Operation: Roundhammer. After a year of planning and on the 7th of June of 1943, Opoeration: Roundhammer had begun. The landings in Brest became the opening stages of the attempt to liberate France, and as the Allies took control of Brest after a day of heavy fighting, the push towards Paris began. At the same time, Operation: Anvil began with landings in Southern France, with American and British forces assisted by local French Resistance and Free French forces pushing to crush the Germans. Like Roundhammer, the Allies faced fierce resistance, but they managed to secure beachheads in Marseille and Toulon. After months of fighting, the Allies reached Paris on the 24th of December of 1943, just days after the Soviets reached Berlin. The fighting there lasted until the 3rd of January of 1944, when Paris was overrun. The Allies liberated France, but they had bigger problems........." - Vive la Resistance: A Brief Overview of the Liberation of France

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Well, now. I need to deal with the remainder of the Eastern Front AND the Pacific soon. If anyone has any input on the Pacific, feel free to message me. I already know what to do with the Eastern Front.
 
Ace009

Ace009

merlin said:
95% is not just too high - it's IMHO an untenable figure. OTL the LW needed a 4-to-1 kill figure over that RAF - you're going for 10 or 20 -1, usually in the large encounters it was the RAF who achieved between 1 - 1 & 2.5 - 1
IF Hitler had left going East for 12 months, it might have been too late - the Soviets might have attacked first! But even so, what was he doing in the meantime - N. Africa & the Med. is more likely.
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Well, you have a better number for the lost RAF craft in ATL?
 
Ace009

Ace009

zert said:
Well even if the Chain Home radar stations had been eliminated before the airborne attacks, I would think there would be listening posts and observers to detect the transports before landing. Also, as good the RN could be, I am doubtful that 60% of the u-boats would be sunk. Also you have more than 95% of the RAF being destroyed before the invasion. That seems way to high, in my opinion.

Take this for what you will. As I said, I enjoyed what you have posted so far. :)
Click to expand...

Also, a question: if you think 60% of Germany's U-Boats are not going to the bottom, then what do you recommend, then, that could still affect the Battle of the Atlantic?
 
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