9 Nov update
THE SHOWBOAT Engages THE IRON CHANCELLOR
I have been asked to post in black and am happy to comply.
Force H and the RAF square off with TG Cilax Round 2
2 JUNE 1941 1150 RN HQ Bunker under the Admiralty. Fleet Admiral Sir Alfred Dudley Pickman Rogers Pound's
Communication's Officer had just handed his "boss" Vice-Admiral Sir James Somerville's 113502JUN41 signal briefly stating the results of Force H's Air strike on TG Cilax and requesting RAF Bomber Command to put on as large an antiship raid as possible against TG Cilax. The time, position, course, speed and composition of the TG Cilax was given. The Fleet Admiral had stood stark still for about two minutes and then handed the signal to his soon to be successor Vice Admiral Ramsay. Ramsay read the signal through three times and handed it back to Pound.
Pound, to Ramsay and his Commo "The loss of his Air Group means "Jimmy" Somerville is about to take Renown, Shiny and a half dozen destroyers up against TG Cilax unless I order him not to. Well I can't do that but I can light a fire under the RAF to bomb the hell out of those Nazis."
"Ramsay, do you still want this "Fucking" job? Truth to tell, 5 June can't come fast enough for me, you poor bastard."
Pound was bitter and wracked with guilt because his Royal Navy had been out maneuvered, outfought and repeatedly savaged by the numerically inferior Nazis. There was a real possibility the Kriegsmarine surface raiders and U-Boats could do enough damage to England's seaborne life line as to force HM Government to sue for peace or see her population and industry "Starve". At the very least Winston, the absolutely essential leader if we were to win this war, be removed by a Vote of No Confidence. He would not put it past those "rodents" in parliament to do that.
He then brought himself up short and put all his years of experience, great intellect and bull dog stubbornness to bear on the problem of how to help Force H kill those two Nazi Battle Cruisers. The RAF just might be able to do something.
By this time his staff had taken station close by.
Pound To his aid "Get me Air Chief Marshal Portal and make sure whoever takes the call knows this is urgent."
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Frederick Algernon Portal's aid was on the line in ten minutes. "Fleet Admiral Pound, I am the Air Marshal's aid he will be with you as soon as he can get to a secure phone, I'd say about 15 minutes."
Pound "Please inform the Air Marshall time is of the essence and it is vitally important I speak to him as soon as possible. The lives of many of our people are at stake."
Portal's Aid "I will convey that message to him right away."
Ten minutes later, an out of breath Air Marshall was on a secure phone line with Admiral Pound. He quickly grasped the dire circumstances and promised Pound he would have a raid on TG Cilax in the air as soon as possible and his staff would keep your staff informed of the progress and work out the particulars of the raid.
Pound "Thank you Freddie; I just hope we will not be too late."
A very tired looking Fleet Admiral Pound then turned to Ramsay and said "Let's get out of this sewer for a few minutes Bertie." They walked in silence to the stairs leading up into the Admiralty Gardens, now planted with vegetables as a "Victory Garden". They found an old bench and sat down wearily, it had been a string of long nights relieved by all too little sleep and neither of them were the young, or even middle aged iron Men they once had been.
Pound lit his pipe and once he got it going said to Ramsay. "Sorry Bertie about my taunting you in front of the staff. It was unexcuseable but come June 6th or maybe seventh if you are lucky, you will understand why I displayed such rude behavior to a friend.
I truly am sorry Winston picked on you to clean up my mess. You really deserve better but we live to serve our political masters and that is that."
Ramsay lit his "Players" and said " Sir, I was not in the least offended by you. You had to take it out on someone. Better another admiral than any of those long suffering staffies that toil like galley slaves for us. Eh?"
"I'll tell you what I was thinking about at hat time.
What am I getting myself into? If an outstanding man, intellect and sailor like Pound had failed what chance do I have. Then you braced and started issuing orders, damn good ones if you don't mind me saying so.
Too bad for those RAF crews. I'd guess The Air Marshall will send in some of his Torpedo bombers like Bothas or Beauforts if we and they are lucky. I really can't imagine a dozen or so of those twin engine torpedo bombers will fare any better than Ark Royals Swordfish and Fulmars. Maybe, just maybe, accumulated damage from our previous attacks has degraded Cilax's ships AA batteries enough to give those boys a fighting chance but I doubt it from the after action report.
2 JUNE 1941 1215 Somerville said "Staff make to Ark Royal and to Fearless. You are detached. Make best speed to Devonport" (HMS Drake AKA HMNB Devonport, Devonport, Devon). "That leaves Force H with Destroyers Duncan, Iris, Jupiter, Jersey, Fortune, Fury, & Foresight.
With any luck the RAF can provide ARK Royal and Fearless fighters and Coastal Command will dispatch some sub hunters to escort them into Devonport."
2 JUNE 1941 1220 Portal to his aid. "Get CO RAF St. Eval on line."
Portal "Portal here. The navy needs our help. What is the status of number 22 Squadron?"
CO RAF St. Eval Bazil T. Soreham " Operational; as of this morning's report we have all 12 fit for service. Conversion to the Beaufort is complete. We think we finally have the problems with the Bristol Taurus engines ironed out. The Squadron Leader, Ken Campbell, has been working his boys very hard on both torpedo and bomb attacks and over water navigation. They are ready for anything you care to throw them at."
Portal " I want you to lay on a strike against TG Cilax at the earliest possible time. Force H had it's air group decimated trying to stop Scharnhost, Gneisenau a Hipper class heavy cruiser and 4 destroyers earlier today. That leaves Ark Royal useless until the Navy can get her another Air group. Force H is down to a damaged Renown, the light Cruiser Sheffield and about a half dozen destroyers. The old Argus is in support but all her torpedo bombers were lost with Ark Royals'. She does have about 10 SeaHurricaines and as many of Ark Royal's Fulmars. The Fulmars will be able to guide your Beauforts onto the Nazi's."
The Bristol Beaufort is a twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as the Type 152, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber. Beauforts first saw service with Royal Air Force Coastal Command. They were used as torpedo bombers, conventional bombers and mine-layers.
Crew 4
Maximum speed: 271.5 mph at 6,500 ft 225 mph at sea level
Cruise speed: 255 mph at 6,500 ft
Range: 1,600 nmi.
Portal "I also want one of the new Catalina's to help the Navy keep close tabs on those Nazi's. The "Senior Service", has managed to muck things up right proper of late.
Soreham, I can not emphasize enough that this raid must be launched as soon as possible!"
Soreham immediately got on the "Horn" to 22 Squadron's CO and gave him his orders.
2 JUNE 1941 1245 A Number 210 Squadron Catalina 1 launched 15 minutes prior armed with four depth charges for an ASW mission. Her mission changed to keeping track of TG Cilax. She would need every knot of her very unimpressive speed to reach the Nazi's before the Beaufort's did. Her pilot decided to balance the need for endurance with speed. So he set his throttles for 150 mph, faster than best economical cruising speed of 130 but slower than the Cat-1s max, fuel gulping 183 mph.
The 100 RAF Catalina 1s were actually PBY-5s purchased directly by the RAF. The Catalina I was given British equipment, including six Vickers machine guns – one in the nose, one in the rear tunnel and a twin gun on a manual mounting in each of the blister windows. The PBY-5/ Catalina 1 was the first version of the Catalina to be produced in large numbers, and the last to be a pure flying boat.
The RAF had purchased a commercial version of the PBY-4 in July 1939, and this aircraft had been flown across the Atlantic for tests at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe, Suffolk. Although these tests were interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War, the RAF still decided to place an order for 106 Catalinas. Produced as the Consolidated 28-5, these aircraft became the Catalina 1s in RAF service and the PBY-5 for the USN
The PBY-5 /Cat 1 saw the introduction of the waist gunner’s blisters which gave the Catalina its familiar shape. The outer part of these circular blisters could be rotated up and under the top of the blister, giving the waist gunners a much better field of fire than on earlier versions of the Catalina, and also providing better protection from the slipstream.
The PBY-5/ Catalina 1 was powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1830-82 engines and used Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propellers. On the PBY-4 the air intake for the engine had been on top of the engine nacelle, but on the PBY-5/ Catalina 1 it was moved to a position inside the engine cowling, above the propeller. The PBY-5/ Catalina 1 had a redesigned squared off rudder, and new horizontal stabilizers and elevators.
Maximum Speed: 183 mph
Cruising Speed: 130 mph
Range: 3,000
Armament :four 0.30-in machine-guns and either 4,000lbs of bombs or four depth charges or two torpedoes
2 JUNE 1941 1405 the last of Number 22 Squadron's 12 Beauforts joined his mates and headed for TG Cilax. The ground crews had done a magnificent job of arming, fueling and doing everything else necessary to get the aircraft ready for a combat flight. The Air crews had been briefed. The navigators had been given the very latest position, course and speed of TG Cilax by the Fulmar scout. Radio frequency and set compatibility between Fulmars, Sea Hurricanes and the Beaufort's had been established and tested.
2 JUNE 1941 1635 Number 22 Squdron's 11 Beaufort torpedo bombers rendezvoused with 5 Sea Hurricanes and 4 Fulmars. One Beaufort turned back due to her notorious Taurus engines seizing. Since this was a daylight torpedo attack the Hurries and Fulmars would once again lead the way, beat up the screen and then make strafing runs on the Battle and Heavy Cruisers. The hope was that the much faster Beauforts would have better luck than did the swordfish. It was also hoped the AA defenses of the Capital ships had been degraded. Time would soon tell.
TG Cilax was now 60 nautical miles away from What was left of Force H. The strike commander, Squadron Leader Ken Campbell, ordered his force to take up strike formation with the SeaHurrys and and Fulmars in the lead.
The Sea Hurricane Mk IB was a modified Hurricane Mk I equipped with catapult spools plus an arrester hook. The Sea Hurries also mounted the lighter de Havilland propellers instead of the Rotol types; it was found during tests that the Rotol unit could lead to the nose dipping during arrested landings, causing the propeller blades to "peck" the carrier deck. The lighter de Havilland units avoided this problem.
The Mk 1 made an excellent conversion carrier fighter because it's handling qualities during take-off and landings were excellent due to a wide-track undercarriage with relatively wide low-pressure tires. Because of this wide, stable platform the Hurricane was an easier aircraft to land, with less fear of nose-overs or "ground-loops" than its RAF Fighter Command counterpart the Supermarine Spitfire.
Like the Mk 1 Hurricane the Sea Hurricane's large, thick wing meant that the fighter proved to be a stable gun platform. It was armed with eight .303 in Browning machine guns. The armament was arranged in two lots of four in large gun bays incorporated into the outer wing panels. 70 pounds of armor protection was added in the form of head, back plates and an armor-glass panel was incorporated on the front of the windscreen. The old String Bags and Fulmars lacked that armor which just might allow the Sea Hurries to last long enough to really chew up the upper works, including light and medium AA guns of their targets. Unlike the Fulmars the Sea Hurries carried no bombs.
As the flight closed to 40 miles North from TG Cilax Squadron Leader Ken Campbel contacted the trailing Fulmar. He recieved the latest posit, speed, course and disposition of the Nazi TG. He then ordered the flight down to 250 ft.
He was a bit too late because Gneisenau's radar had been tracking them for 15 minutes. Vizeadmiral. Cilax had ordered his TG to "Battle stations" at that time.
Campbel's plan was similar to Ark Royals attack. He would first send in his five Sea Hurries to make strafing runs on the screening destroyers. Then the Hurries would go flat out against the capital ships for a single run concentrating on medium and light AA batteries that would deplete their MG ammo. The Hurries would then clear the AA area of TG and return to Argus.
Next in would be the four Fulmars, leading from a bit above and hosing down anything in the path of his squadron. Once past the destroyers his 11 Beauforts would break into three groups. Groups 1 and 2 of 4 would go after the Battle Cruisers in a classic Hammerhead torpedo attack. Group 3 would hang back under Campbel's direct control and either go in for the battle cruisers that avoided being hit by groups 1 and 2 or go after the heavy cruiser if both battle cruisers were severely damaged. The Fulmars would lead the way making strafing runs on the medium and light AA batteries of the Battle Cruisers followed by their single 250 lb glide bomb run. They would then clear the area and return directly to Argus.
Good simple plan with two really unavoidable flaws.
1. His boys were going in against the best shipborn AA defense today... in broad daylight.
2. He had only 11 Mark XII torpedoes with those puny 388 lb 18 inch warheads. That meant they would require multiple hits in fairly close proximity to do real damage to those Battle Cruisers.
He had no doubt his boys would bore in and only release their fish at the last minute but that meant flying low and slow, which made them dead meat for those Nazi AA gunners. But Maybe, just maybe, the Hurries and Fulmars strafing and glide bombing runs would do enough damage to the AA guns, gunners and their directors to give his boys a real chance at good hits and survival. There was always that chance.
The fulmar had also informed him the Cat-1 was not too far out and Force H's battleship and cruiser scout float planes would be on station to pick up or direct ships to downed air crews.
2 JUNE 1941 1650 The Sea Hurricanes began their Flak Suppression runs. They found the two remaining destroyers of the "screen" put up a very weak and inaccurate Flak Barrage and chose to waste little ammo on them. Sea Hurricanes found the Battle and Heavy Cruisers Flak barrage quite a different story. They got as close to the deck as they could to confuse the Nazi Fire Control, especially the heavy FLAK mounts. As ordered, they pounded the light and medium Flak batteries along with radar and Fire control antennas and mountings. Being human they also peppered the armored bridges on the off chance they might hit someone important.
The pilots really bored in close. They held their fire until they were in "the cone" where their wing mounted eight .303 in Browning's armor piercing and incendiary rounds concentrated. The armament was arranged in two lots of four in large gun bays incorporated into the outer wing panels. It was now that the 70 pounds of added armor protection in the form of head, back plates and an armor-glass panel front windscreen paid huge dividends. It not only provided protection to the pilots on the way in and out but it also steadied nerves in their attack runs. It was quite evident that the Sea Hurricanes had all but silenced the 20 and 37 mm guns on the engaged side, for now. How long that would last was anyone's guess.
However, most of the 105mm dual purpose L/65 C/33 guns on twin coaxially-stabilized C/73 armored mounts were still quite functional. The Sea Hurricanes were "on the deck" because the Heavy FLAK's elevation was -8 to +85 degrees. That partially shielded the fast and nimble fighters from their devastating collective 160 rounds per minute. What worked for the fighters might not be possible for the Beauforts and it was they who had to deliver the decisive hits to help Force H and save WS 12 troop convoy.
All of the Sea Hurricaines made it back to Argus; although two would not fly again any time soon and that went for one of the pilots also.
2 JUNE 1941 1655 It was now time for the Fulmars and Beauforts to make their decisive runs. The four Fulmars, led the way firing a few shots at the almost silent destroyers. They went low and quickly commenced making strafing runs on the Heavy FLAK batteries of the Battle Cruisers followed by their single 250 lb bomb. With ammo exhausted cleared the area and returned directly to Argus.
Once past the destroyers the surviving 11 Beauforts broke into three groups as planned. Groups 1 went for Scharnhorst, 2 for Niesnau in a classic 4 plane Hammerhead torpedo attack. Although the Hammerhead was a deadly efficient attack formation it was far from 100% perfect. A lot of variables could negate it's potential.
A successful torpedo drop required that the approach run to the target needed to be straight and at a speed and height where the torpedo would enter the water smoothly: too high or too low and the torpedo could "porpoise" (skip through the water), dive or even break up. Height over the water had to be judged without the benefit of a radio altimiter and misjudgement was easy, especially in calm conditions. For the Beauforts using the 18-inch Mk XII aerial torpedo, the average drop-height was 68ft and the average range of release was 670 yds. During the run-in, the aircraft was vulnerable to defensive FLAK and it took courage to fly through it with no chance of evasive manoeuvres.
The Beaufort's optimum torpedo dropping speed was a great deal higher than than the old Vildebeests it replaced, and it took practice to judge the range and speed of the target ship. A ship the size and speed of Scharnhorst would look huge, filling the windscreen at well over 1 mi and it was easy to underestimate the range. In action, torpedoes were often released too far away from the target, although there was one recorded instance of a torpedo being released too close. For safety reasons, torpedo warhead had a set distance (usually about 300 yds from the release point before they were armed. It also took some distance for the torpedo to settle to its running depth. Once the torpedo had been dropped, if there was room, a sharp turn away from the enemy was possible: more often than not the aircraft had to fly around or over the ship, usually at full-throttle and below mast height. A sharp pull-up could be fatal as it exposed a large area of the aircraft to anti-aircraft guns.
Campbel's held back Group 3 under direct control until he could evaluate the initial attacks. If Group 3 survived the FLAK they would go in for the battle cruisers that avoided being hit by groups 1 and 2 or go after the heavy cruiser if both battle cruisers were severely damaged. Calculated risk but groups 1 and 2 should preoccupy most, if not all, of the depleted FLAK guns of the three Cruisers.
As it happened Groups One and Two conducted text book Hammerhead attacks on the two Battle Cruisers. Unfortunately the director controlled Heavy FLAK batteries and a few of the 37mms brought down 2 of Group 1's Beauforts, both from the port bow section. The CO of Scharnhorst managed to comb the wakes of the remaining torpedoes unscathed.
Group two manged all four torpedo launches against Gneisenau but lost two Beauforts as they retired. One was a flamer but the second managed to clear the FLAK zone and successfully ditch with the loss of one crewman. Kapitän zur See Harald Netzbrand, CO of the flag Gneisenau, did a masterful job of combing the wakes of the starboard side Hammerhead but took one of the puny 388 lb warheads on her armored belt. Damage did not degrade her speed or combat power. The second fish missed Gneisenau by 18 inches; not bad considering the bomb aimer had a 4 ounce hunk of shrapnel in his thigh and was about to pass out due to loss of blood.
2 JUNE 1941 1705 Squadron leader Campbel took Group 3 in to attack Gneisenau, in the hope the one torpedo hit had damaged the Battle cruiser and maybe Group 3 could finish her off and even the odds a little Bit for Renown and Shiny. under direct control until he could evaluate the initial attacks. He would go in alone on the port bow and his other two torpedo bombers would attack from the Starboard bow. The concentrated fire of two Battle and on heavy cruiser was unleashed on the three Beauforts. Campbel took a solid hit from a 105 and his entire plane disintegrated as it's fuel tanks and torpedo warhead sympathetically detonated within milli seconds of that hit.
The other two Beauforts determinedly bore in to their Starbaord bow drop point. Both fish dropped successfully and were running HOT, Straight and Normal. Both Beauforts hammered Gneisenau with every gun that would bear and managed to escape beyond the FLAK Zone. They loitered just out of range observing their fish. Both missed because with only one arm of the hammer head to deal with Kapitän zur See Harald Netzbrand manged to comb the wakes again. The remaining Beauforts formed up under the 3rd senior pilot and headed for home. Another damn good try by brave and skillful men but once again too few aircraft and an lack of dive bombers saved TG CILAX. "Des Teufels eigenes Glück" (Devils own luck) was still on the Nazi's side.
2 JUNE 1941 1715 The shadowing Fulmar made it's strike report to Somerville who quickly had it coded and sent off to Pound and Commodore Thesiger in WS 12. He then turned to Renown's CO and said. "So you now get to command a RN Battle Cruiser against two of the Naxis. Well we have the 15 inch guns and we still have torpedo loaded operational destroyers. The Nazi bastards have neither. That will be something to tell your grandchildren about."
CO Renown thought "Now if "Jimmy" could guarantee I will see my Grand children again, that is exactly what I will do." Instead he just said. "Old Refit will make this a fight those new Battle Cruisers will never forget for the few hours they have left Sir James."
Somerville just looked at the man and made an ironic smile. Good man, good but old ship, crew with too many hostilities only ratings and lady luck still seems to hate us. Wonder what the Old Andrew did to her to forsake us lately? The question is have our Regular Navy PO's and warrants trained those green hands well enough to get the best out of those guns against split targets. We need hits and we need them before those damn excellent Boch gunners get our range. Well we have spotters and they do not. That should help a good deal.
