Fall and Rise: A WW2 ISOT

[simon darkshade]

They are described as from “a crack field force of dwarven troops (operating under Imperial control for the duration of the war under the terms of the 1190 Pact of Stonebridge)”, with the closest parallels being the Imperial Service Troops/Indian States Forces from Mysore or Hyderabad.

[lordroel]

Sept 1, 2024 10:43:08 GMT simon darkshade said:

They are described as from “a crack field force of dwarven troops (operating under Imperial control for the duration of the war under the terms of the 1190 Pact of Stonebridge)”, with the closest parallels being the Imperial Service Troops/Indian States Forces from Mysore or Hyderabad.

When i see them would they look something like this.

Dwarven Machinegun Soldier By Knaber on deviantart

[simon darkshade]

Not quite. A bit more armour and genuinely dwarven touches.

[lordroel]

Sept 1, 2024 10:20:09 GMT simon darkshade said:

Narvik
June 26th 1940

As Leutnant Unglückselig stood waiting on the dockside for his turn to embark upon the ship that would carry him across to England, captivity, and safety, he finally remembered the French phrase he had been trying to remember through the day

Coup de main.

The 2nd and 3rd Mountain Divisions had retaken Narvik less than three weeks ago, and in that time had quite naturally little opportunity for the erection of any permanent or major fortified defences and fieldworks. There had been some concern of repetition of the earlier naval raids and the rampage of Warspite, but the Allied evacuation of Norway had seemed to have put paid to that prospect. In any event, General Dietl’s force had maintained outer pickets out in the Ofotfjord and the surrounding heights overlooking and controlling the approaches to Narvik harbour, and these were naturally expected to provide warning of any approaching enemy.

It was thus a circumstance of no small perturbation and confustication to the German garrison when, at 0942, an enormous British fleet had appeared in the middle of the fjord and began shelling the battered remnants of the coastal batteries and other strong points. There had been no warning, nor even any telltale sound, just a normal June morning and then a veritable maelstrom of destruction. Five huge battleships, ten cruisers and dozens of destroyers, all flying battle flags and bristling with guns, had delivered the first punch, but that had not been the most disturbing feature of the day.

Nor, for that matter, had been the sudden appearance of hundreds of English fighters and dive bombers out of an empty sky, swooping down to strike everything in feldgrau that could be seen in the open with withering cannon fire, barrages of rockets and some sort of horrific jellied gasoline bomb. It was a shock, to be sure, and he still couldn’t understand how they seemed to appear out of nowhere without the usual noise of engines, but aircraft and ships were known threats and ones that could be understood.

What had came as a true shock beyond the ken of ordinary experience was the troops who had seemingly rose up from the mountainside and fell down upon the Gebirgsjager emplaced around Narvik, for one simple reason.

They were not men.

Thousands and thousands of heavily armoured dwarves had charged down forth at the Germans, firing stubby automatic rifles and machine guns and supported by mortars and mountain howitzers. Many of the mountain troops had tried to fight back gallantly as befits good German soldiers, but they were outnumbered, outgunned and beset from all sides; those positions that did offer resistance were swiftly subdued by some form of shoulder mounted rocket launchers wielded by the dwarves or equally devastating grenade guns.

The German troops on the other side of the Rombaksfjord had the distinctly strange experience of being better off facing a surprise attack by several thousand Gurkhas, even as the tender attentions of the furious fighters from the far-off Himalayas would very, very rarely be seen as the lesser of two evils; a ferocious smile and razor sharp kukri was only ever so slightly less disconcerting than a bearded midget trying to introduce a landser’s nether regions to a doubled-bitted battleaxe.

Within an hour of the appearance of the fleet, the swarms of aircraft and the troops, all semblance of organised resistance had ceased. The landing ships carrying the Light Division then appeared from behind their screens of illusion and began to land the division directly onto the dockside, whereupon they proceeded to fan out into the town as per the carefully laid plan. Once empty, they were used to ferry the German prisoners out to the transports further out in the fjord.

The morning would see other landings at Trondheim and at Bergen, similarly using the decidedly unfair combination of concealing magics and overwhelming force to come down upon the Germans as the Assyrians of old, like a wolf upon the fold. Royal Air Force bombers and Mosquitoes flying from Scotland and Gloster Reapers out of the Shetlands continued to hammer every airfield in Southern Norway through the morning, following on from the constant bombing of the last week, all working towards a greater purpose.

From airfields across the North of England, hundreds of Vickers Victoria transports took to the skies carrying the first wave of I Airborne Corps. The British and Canadian paratroopers were bound for Sola and destiny.

The liberation of Norway had begun.

Will they then roll Westwards to liberate Oslo.

[simon darkshade]

Salient bits from Part 4:

"The 2nd and 3rd Mountain Divisions were at Narvik, the 69th Infantry was at Stavanger, the 163rd and 196th advancing in the centre of the country, the 181st was at Trondheim and the 214th in the south. The prospect of substantial further German reinforcement of the invasion forces was not seen as a serious threat, given the more direct need of troops in France."

"The liberation of Bergen was to be the task of the Commandos, the Royal Naval Division and the 34th Infantry Division. Given the relative lack of a role for the airborne army assembled for Overlord in the ‘new old’ Battle of France, the entire of the I Airborne Corps had been issued orders for Norway. Finally, the newly arrived Norwegian Division had just ‘transitioned’ in the Scottish Highlands, where they had been undergoing training for the liberation of France alongside other Continental forces; this crack unit was assigned a very special mission in the renewed battle for their homeland."

The Norwegians, along with SAS and other units, are going for Fornebu in a surprise night landing by skyship with another coup de main. The forces at Bergen and Stavanger then advance by train to link up. The 163rd and 196th are cut off in the middle of Norway and are heavily targeted by tactical aircraft and...other surprises...

[lordroel]

Sept 1, 2024 11:47:27 GMT simon darkshade said:

Salient bits from Part 4:

"The 2nd and 3rd Mountain Divisions were at Narvik, the 69th Infantry was at Stavanger, the 163rd and 196th advancing in the centre of the country, the 181st was at Trondheim and the 214th in the south. The prospect of substantial further German reinforcement of the invasion forces was not seen as a serious threat, given the more direct need of troops in France."

"The liberation of Bergen was to be the task of the Commandos, the Royal Naval Division and the 34th Infantry Division. Given the relative lack of a role for the airborne army assembled for Overlord in the ‘new old’ Battle of France, the entire of the I Airborne Corps had been issued orders for Norway. Finally, the newly arrived Norwegian Division had just ‘transitioned’ in the Scottish Highlands, where they had been undergoing training for the liberation of France alongside other Continental forces; this crack unit was assigned a very special mission in the renewed battle for their homeland."

The Norwegians, along with SAS and other units, are going for Fornebu in a surprise night landing by skyship with another coup de main. The forces at Bergen and Stavanger then advance by train to link up. The 163rd and 196th are cut off in the middle of Norway and are heavily targeted by tactical aircraft and...other surprises...

Wonder if Sweden decides to join DA Britain because of this ore stay neutral.

[simon darkshade]

They simply won't have a great deal of time to deliberate and decide. This isn't a slow moving campaign by any stretch of the imagination, as their only path forward to some sort of reasonable adjustment is to win very, very quickly.

[lordroel]

Sept 1, 2024 11:54:21 GMT simon darkshade said:

They simply won't have a great deal of time to deliberate and decide. This isn't a slow moving campaign by any stretch of the imagination, as their only path forward to some sort of reasonable adjustment is to win very, very quickly.

So when Norway is liberated and that only is when and not if, will DE forces move on to liberate Denmark, it will open a second front to Germany.

[simon darkshade]

Logistics, my good friend, logistics. Denmark doesn't contain anything that needs to be taken, and has limited logistical support for any putative advance into Germany, even if a massive supply chain could be sustained across the North Sea.

The easier option to win the war is what is being done - cut off the German Army in France, then smash through the Low Countries into Germany proper. The whole campaign and story won't take that long, though.

[lordroel]

Sept 1, 2024 12:15:38 GMT simon darkshade said:

Logistics, my good friend, logistics. Denmark doesn't contain anything that needs to be taken, and has limited logistical support for any putative advance into Germany, even if a massive supply chain could be sustained across the North Sea.

The easier option to win the war is what is being done - cut off the German Army in France, then smash through the Low Countries into Germany proper. The whole campaign and story won't take that long, though.

So bypass areas in order to get the job done, which is the defeat of Germany.

[simon darkshade]

That is what was done historically and indeed in most wars.

How are troops in Denmark going to be supported when the supply source is in Britain?
Necessarily, through ships.

Where are Denmark's major ports?
Almost entirely on the east coast, with only Esbjerg lying on the North Sea coast, being a fishing and dairy export port. What area is it close to for air and submarine forces? The Heligoland Bight and a great number of German air bases. Not an ideal port to base a whole invasion flank upon.

To kill a monster, you don't need to first destroy its fingers, then its hands.

[stevep]

Sept 1, 2024 12:15:38 GMT simon darkshade said:

Logistics, my good friend, logistics. Denmark doesn't contain anything that needs to be taken, and has limited logistical support for any putative advance into Germany, even if a massive supply chain could be sustained across the North Sea.

The easier option to win the war is what is being done - cut off the German Army in France, then smash through the Low Countries into Germany proper. The whole campaign and story won't take that long, though.

  If so what is the basis for the liberation of Norway please?  The German fleet has been smashed and is anyway massively outnumbered and outclassed so why wage a campaign there at all rather that putting all resources into the drive into Germany from France.  I can't really see what Britain gains from this and the Norwegians didn't have a massively brutal occupation so more damage and fatalities might be done by the liberation rather than leaving the German force stuck there.

[simon darkshade]

A means to reduce the number of troops in Britain; use the Home Fleet; use the infrastructure built up in Scotland and Northern England in DE to support the Norwegian Front; ensure that they had full access to Swedish iron ore in the event that the war was more protracted; and their own ‘memories’ of the damage done to Norway and its people by the Nazis. Projecting force from the Shetlands to Norway is a lot simply than Harwich to Esbjerg, particularly given that it is beyond air range of Germany.

That retaking Norway effectively seals off the North Atlantic to whatever U-Boats that Germany can muster is simply the cherry on top.


In terms of resources and GDP, DE Britain of 1943 is comparable to the USA in 1942. In no way are they fundamentally limited to a single front.

[simon darkshade]

June 26th 1940
Gulf of Suez

Ahmed was always getting into trouble and today was no exception. He knew he was supposed to stay away from the British Bofors gun position up on the Attaka headland, as they had been awfully strict over the last two weeks since the new soldiers arrived. Before then, he had always noticed them about, what with the Canal in sight across the gulf, but they had mainly been passing through on their way to more important places. There were an awful lot more of them now, with more guns as well, and wire, sandbags and signs with strange skulls and crossbones on them. Any amount of forbiddance, though, was of little consequence to ten year old boys anywhere in the world. So it was, early on this warm June morning, that he was perched in his own little alcove on one of the sandhills behind and to the side of the little fort. He liked it, as he had a wonderfully clear view of the ships out to sea as they went by on their way to Suez and the Canal.

And now he could see ships alright. More ships than he had ever seen before. Dozens and dozens of huge grey shapes, as far as the eye could see, stretched out to the south.

The Grand Fleet had arrived.

Their journey back from Singapore, well within the range of the battleships, carriers and cruisers, but pushing the destroyers, frigates and support vessels to their limit, had been without event until they had passed Aden and entered the Red Sea on June 24th. The Italian base at Kismayo in Somaliland had been visited by heavy bombers of the RAF and RNAS long before the fleet came within range, reducing it to a smouldering wreck incapable of supporting defence, let alone warships. Upon reaching the narrowing seas of the Gulf of Aden, long before even sighting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, 245 aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm had sallied forth against Assab, smashing every Italian building in the settlement with rockets, bombs and rocket-bombs, and plastering the wharves with ordnance. Massawa's turn came the next day, with those unlucky Italian destroyers, motor torpedo boats and submarines in or around the harbour devastated by over 500 Spearfish, Fireflies, Corsairs, Eagles and Buccaneers, including the first use of napalm in the continent of Africa. Those submarines and surface ships that survived the preliminary air raids did not last long nor cause any inordinate trouble as the main body of the Grand Fleet forged forward at high speed, spearheaded by dozens of the Royal Navy's fast modern destroyers.

It was this vanguard that Ahmed could see on this bright summer morn, followed by the larger cruisers and, somewhat ironically, HMS Vanguard, where two officers stood on the bridge.

"The whole Canal?" asked Captain Povey, erstwhile of the 'downtime' Mediterranean Fleet and flown down to the incoming Grand Fleet as part of their reception committee. He really didn't know what to think of these confounded hell-icopters, however dashed convenient they were. His question was mainly to himself, as, however much one might hear about a fleet of hundreds of ships from the future, the actual sight of it was enough to thoroughly discombobulate the most combobulated chap out there.

"Absolutely, Captain. We've got 25 carriers,  34 battleships and battlecruisers, 72 cruisers and 67 auxiliaries, to get through as the fast element, with the others to follow on a non-emergency basis. It'll be non-stop and we'll be running the convoys damned close together; if it weren't for the fleet's wizards, there would be no way we'd be able to get them all through in this short a time. Back when we sent the fleet out east, we only ran Force W and Force Z through Suez, with X and Y going via the Cape. 32 hours for the whole fleet is remarkable. " Commander Richard Saville thought that Povey was a bit peeky, but all things considered, that was understandable.

"What about...this?" exclaimed Povey, pointing up into the air above, where a destroyer was being lifted by two enormous 'skyships' and swiftly carried to the north. "You can't airlift a ship...It's just not right!"

"Needs must, sir. We can take eight escorts an hour like that, two in the air at a time, clearing up the canal for the bigger chaps. Think of it as portage, if you will."

"Whatever you call it, if I didn't see it, I wouldn't believe it; I can see it, and I'm still not so bally sure!"

"Look at it this way, sir - if you can't believe what is going on before your own eyes, how d'you think the reports of whatever German and Italian agents are out there are going to be received?"

Ahmed certainly had a tale to tell of that morning.

[lordroel]

Nov 14, 2024 12:45:18 GMT simon darkshade said:

"Look at it this way, sir - if you can't believe what is going on before your own eyes, how d'you think the reports of whatever German and Italian agents are out there are going to be received?"

Would love to read those reports and the reactions they get.