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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 17, 2023 15:57:45 GMT
Part of the next instalment:
7th Panzer Division HQ, Dieppe, Normandy
"Herr General!"
"What is it, Hauptman?"
"All of our radios have gone dead and none of the vehicles will start. And there is a man in the air.”
"What?! What nonsense is this?”
”Look, Herr General. There!”
General Erwin Rommel pushed past his aide to see what Hauptman Von Köpenick was raving about. There, fifty metres up above them in midair was a robed man, pointing some sort of staff down at them.
One of the guards went to level his rifles at the impossible sight, but as he did, he was distracted by a strange approaching skirl.
Bagpipes.
”Achtung! Tommies!”
Yet even as the warning cry rang out, Rommel could see the guards keeling over with arrows jutting out of their eyes before he was pushed bodily back under cover by the blast of a fireball.
”On them lads!” roared Colonel Jack Churchill, leveling his broadsword at the command tents as he charged forward at the head of his Commando platoon.
A few bloody minutes later, the erstwhile commanding general was escorted at bayonet point to where the commander of the special assault company stood, legs akimbo and hands on his hips.
”General Rommel, this is Brigadier the Lord Flashheart.”
“General! All deine Stützpunkt sind gehören uns! For you, the war is over! Soon, you will be back in England; I daresay Mr Churchill will be interested to see you!”
Rommel said nothing, still groggy from the effects of the magic.
Flashheart rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Bloody Fritz. They don’t like it up ‘em. How long until Rimmer is here with the dragons?”
“Another two minutes, My Lord.”
“Woof woof!”
……………….
Having never traveled by dragon before, General Rommel was perhaps understandably preoccupied by the experience and did not look up as they sped back across the Channel at only a few scant yards above the waves.
If he had, he would have seen a small number of the fighter-bombers unleashed upon his Panzer division. Hundreds of Typhoons, Thunderbolts, Beaufighters, Hurricanes and Tempests sped their way over the narrow sea, their wings heavy with rockets, napalm and cluster bombs. Throughout the day, nine separate waves of attacks and were to strike the 7th Panzer, inflicting sufficient damage to render it distinctly combat ineffective.
In another world, another time, another place, they had earned themselves the name of the Ghost Division.
Now, they were just ghosts.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 17, 2023 17:28:34 GMT
”General Rommel, this is Brigadier the Lord Flashheart.” “ Please do not tell me it is this one.  |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 17, 2023 23:55:48 GMT
No, it is his son.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 18, 2023 2:44:00 GMT
From one of the 500 girlfriends his father had most likley, the apple does not fall far from the tree. At least Rommel will live. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 18, 2023 8:52:35 GMT
The first would entail a birth on the wrong side of the sheets, which would remove the chance of inheritance. Although characters make an appearance, they aren’t always direct facsimiles.
Rommel survives and ultimately a few more Germans will also do so.
The 7th Panzer Division, though, won’t be among them. Without significant AAA beyond their organic 20mm, nine waves, each of 600+ fighter-bombers, do the job. The addition of cluster bombs, more developed in DE from the US M29, and napalm to rockets and cannon strafing does particular damage to the soft skin vehicles that predominate in the 1940 Panzer division TOE (trucks, buses, motorcycles and cars). Thousands of dead.
5th Panzer Division gets a different attack (dragons).
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Apr 18, 2023 11:09:20 GMT
The first would entail a birth on the wrong side of the sheets, which would remove the chance of inheritance. Although characters make an appearance, they aren’t always direct facsimiles. Rommel survives and ultimately a few more Germans will also do so. The 7th Panzer Division, though, won’t be among them. Without significant AAA beyond their organic 20mm, nine waves, each of 600+ fighter-bombers, do the job. The addition of cluster bombs, more developed in DE from the US M29, and napalm to rockets and cannon strafing does particular damage to the soft skin vehicles that predominate in the 1940 Panzer division TOE (trucks, buses, motorcycles and cars). Thousands of dead. 5th Panzer Division gets a different attack (dragons).
Ouch. That's going to both be a very nasty shock for the Germans and do a lot of damage with 2 of their 10 IIRC Arm Divs being pretty much destroyed. It could well make a number more Frenchmen think of fighting on. Get a chance for a foothold in France for the sizeable British forces in the UK or even continued French resistance in FNA and elsewhere would greatly weaken the Axis.
Also if FIC stays with the allies the Japanese have a dangerous trip-wire much earlier which further restricts their threat to Indo-China as a whole and enables supplies to continue reaching China.
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 18, 2023 12:32:26 GMT
Absolutely spot on as ever, Steve.
Two divisions being knocked out with as much thought and exertion as a boy gives to stamping out an anthill (ie not very much at all) takes place on June 16, or the same day as Norway.
It will follow on a bit on the initial French reaction to the news from the British (which has been quickly double checked with some flying visits to England by a French delegation lead by the Undersecretary of War on the 14th/15th) and how it shifts the Weygand/Pétain/Laval vs Reynard/Blum/Mandel argument. Whilst DE doesn’t see the exact same French cabinet rupture occur in June (occurring in July after the Great Retreat to Algeria), there is enough information fed to Reynaud of who the worries are. There will be an overflight above Bordeaux of two of the pre-production Avro York 8 engined superheavy bombers during the meeting, but even gestures may not completely sway the situation, at least until an unexpected few fellows turn up.
What is very likely in the event of a split is a withdrawal to FNA and Britain plus other forces melting into the countryside; the British and Commonwealth liberation will come and is simply a matter of shipping, landing craft, planning and the right weather. That there will be a specific promise offered that it will come as soon as possible; that may not be soon enough to sway the whole of Weygand faction. As matters stand, there is sufficient shipping and air cover to get a corps in Britanny and a division in the Cotentin within 1 week to 10 days, with 1.5 divisions per major port/week once the ports are secure; that means Brest, Cherbourg, Lorient and Saint Malo.
Part of the reason for the delay is that I’m leaning towards the French fighting on and the British beginning an administrative landing in Northern France based on a few factors:
- Admin landings don’t need landing craft, just shipping
- The tacair strikes are going to shock the Jim Christ out of Germany in terms of capability (plus BC going for Berlin and the mediums starting to hammer the German supply lines)
- I had an idea about how to change some minds in France
- British advantage is not so completely huge as to render Jerry completely obsolete/lacking in threat
- It would be too politically unpopular to not “go” when the window is open and thus push the war well into 1941 (no good invasion weather until May)
- Money, money, money! Winning the war sooner saves it, as well as not spending as much on extended war production. DE Britain is better off economically, but not utterly radically so
- Whilst Brooke (Dark Earth version) is reasonably circumspect and cautious, there are some more offensively minded/aggressive commanders who are champing at the bit to go
Japan is just checkmated, really.
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 18, 2023 15:52:31 GMT
Absolutely spot on as ever, Steve. Two divisions being knocked out with as much thought and exertion as a boy gives to stamping out an anthill (ie not very much at all) takes place on June 16, or the same day as Norway. It will follow on a bit on the initial French reaction to the news from the British (which has been quickly double checked with some flying visits to England by a French delegation lead by the Undersecretary of War on the 14th/15th) and how it shifts the Weygand/Pétain/Laval vs Reynard/Blum/Mandel argument. Whilst DE doesn’t see the exact same French cabinet rupture occur in June (occurring in July after the Great Retreat to Algeria), there is enough information fed to Reynaud of who the worries are. There will be an overflight above Bordeaux of two of the pre-production Avro York 8 engined superheavy bombers during the meeting, but even gestures may not completely sway the situation, at least until an unexpected few fellows turn up. What is very likely in the event of a split is a withdrawal to FNA and Britain plus other forces melting into the countryside; the British and Commonwealth liberation will come and is simply a matter of shipping, landing craft, planning and the right weather. That there will be a specific promise offered that it will come as soon as possible; that may not be soon enough to sway the whole of Weygand faction. As matters stand, there is sufficient shipping and air cover to get a corps in Britanny and a division in the Cotentin within 1 week to 10 days, with 1.5 divisions per major port/week once the ports are secure; that means Brest, Cherbourg, Lorient and Saint Malo. Part of the reason for the delay is that I’m leaning towards the French fighting on and the British beginning an administrative landing in Northern France based on a few factors: - Admin landings don’t need landing craft, just shipping - The tacair strikes are going to shock the Jim Christ out of Germany in terms of capability (plus BC going for Berlin and the mediums starting to hammer the German supply lines) - I had an idea about how to change some minds in France - British advantage is not so completely huge as to render Jerry completely obsolete/lacking in threat - It would be too politically unpopular to not “go” when the window is open and thus push the war well into 1941 (no good invasion weather until May) - Money, money, money! Winning the war sooner saves it, as well as not spending as much on extended war production. DE Britain is better off economically, but not utterly radically so - Whilst Brooke (Dark Earth version) is reasonably circumspect and cautious, there are some more offensively minded/aggressive commanders who are champing at the bit to go Japan is just checkmated, really. There is somebody in Rome thinking, lets sit this one out shall we. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 18, 2023 16:15:04 GMT
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 18, 2023 16:39:44 GMT
A forget about the date, anyway the DE Britain will overlook it. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 18, 2023 17:09:14 GMT
Absolutely not. In what circumstances would any country ignore an enemy state that had declared war on them; invaded their ally; sunk the cruiser HMS Calypso; is poised on the edge of Egypt with a large army; that the Western Desert Force has invaded, capturing two forts; and that the RAF has already bombed on the night of the 11th/12th of June (Genoa and Turin)? Does that seem like it can be overlooked as the 1940s version of accidentally dialing a mobile phone with one’s backside?  Given that you’ve done a day by day account of WW2 yourself, I’d have thought that some of these events might have come to mind before asking whether any Britain would just suddenly let Italy off…because reasons? Pity, maybe? What if Mussolini gets a note from his mum that he is feeling sick and can he please be excused from the war?  Now, I do understand that you can’t be expected to remember all of them, but surely the Italian invasion of France is something that most historical aficionados of WW2 are vaguely aware of? I love and appreciate your feedback and comments, but on a few rare occasions, you manage to make me chuckle. Given that I no longer laugh or have any of those type of emotions, I thank you for the inadvertent humour. |
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Post by lordroel on Apr 18, 2023 17:22:57 GMT
Absolutely not. In what circumstances would any country ignore an enemy state that had declared war on them; invaded their ally; sunk the cruiser HMS Calypso; is poised on the edge of Egypt with a large army; that the Western Desert Force has invaded, capturing two forts; and that the RAF has already bombed on the night of the 11th/12th of June (Genoa and Turin)? Does that seem like it can be overlooked as the 1940s version of accidentally dialing a mobile phone with one’s backside? Given that you’ve done a day by day account of WW2 yourself, I’d have thought that some of these events might have come to mind before asking whether any Britain would just suddenly let Italy off…because reasons? Pity, maybe? What if Mussolini gets a note from his mum that he is feeling sick and can he please be excused from the war? Now, I do understand that you can’t be expected to remember all of them, but surely the Italian invasion of France is something that most historical aficionados of WW2 are vaguely aware of? I love and appreciate your feedback and comments, but on a few rare occasions, you manage to make me chuckle. Given that I no longer laugh or have any of those type of emotions, I thank you for the inadvertent humour. My apologies, just was wondering, how the man in Rome could get himself out of the mess he made by joining Germany, especially if he gets reports on what is happening in France right now. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 18, 2023 17:31:20 GMT
No worries and no need to apologise; I just found the idea of being able to go “backsies” on a DoW and subsequent acts of war on both sides amusing. That is a rare pleasure for me.
The only thing that Mussolini could do is the option he can’t and won’t take - unconditional surrender. It is too late. This is a Britain that has fought the Italians in Greece, in North Africa, in Sicily and in Spain. There is no love lost and plenty of hate there no present in @.
The only response they would get is “Vae victis.”
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Post by lordroel on Apr 18, 2023 17:35:28 GMT
No worries and no need to apologise; I just found the idea of being able to go “backsies” on a DoW and subsequent acts of war on both sides amusing. That is a rare pleasure for me. The only thing that Mussolini could do is the option he can’t and won’t take - unconditional surrender. It is too late. This is a Britain that has fought the Italians in Greece, in North Africa, in Sicily and in Spain. There is no love lost and plenty of hate there no present in @. The only response they would get is “Vae victis.” What if Mussolini gets removed like OTL, at least this time his buddy in Berlin will not be able to help him, he is kinda busy preventing being eaten by a Dragon ore what ever will kill him. |
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Post by simon darkshade on Apr 18, 2023 17:41:24 GMT
Purely theoretical, as events will move too quickly for the King of Italy to take action or for any unrest to grow in the high councils of fascism.
Italy has around 15 days until the Grand Fleet gets to Suez.
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