Hippodrome (1940s Naval Action - Battleships, Cruisers, Carriers etc.)

[Sargon]

Just a little something I found in an old writing folder and wrote but forgot about years back. With a few tweaks I might actually be able to make something of it:

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Hippodrome


Part I: Pacific War
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USS Vincennes, TG 62.3 Fire Support Group L, Somewhere in the South-Western Pacific Ocean, Summer 1942, 22:47 hours

Captain Frederick Riefkohl gripped a rail on the bridge as another enemy shell scored a hit on his vessel. The battle had been going on for about twenty minutes now and Rear Admiral Scott's force was receiving a pasting. As he glanced to port he could make out the Australian heavy cruiser Canberra on fire as torpedoes and shells had found their mark on her. She was still in the fight though, hurling back salvoes of 8 inch shells at her assailants. Not far behind her the New Zealand cruiser Achilles added her 6 inchers to the mix.

Damage reports flowed in. Luckily nothing too vital had been hit so far but there was a serious superstructure fire aft that was edging its way too close to comfort to the main turret there. A hole underwater near the bow had caused a drop in speed and some of the port-side secondaries were out of action. Fortunately all main turrets were operational and lobbing their 8 inch shells steadily out towards their targets out in the murk. The radar was having a degree of difficulty, cluttered as it was with various returns, not all of them actual ships.

An explosion off the starboard side signalled a grievous hit on the US destroyer Phelps. She had already launched her torpedoes though, so at least that part of her job had been done. The news was even worse for the USS Atlanta however. She had apparently been seen wreathed in fire, slowing to a stop and listing badly if the last reports from early in the battle were accurate.


USS Quincy, Flagship, TG 62.3 Fire Support Group L, 23:02 hours

The heavy cruiser knifed through the water at maximum speed. So far she had not opened fire and was racing in the dark in an attempt to surprise the enemy. Rear Admiral Norman Scott hoped the enemy's lookouts were distracted by the fireworks off to his port, and he was determined to close and unleash hell on them if he could. In the meantime the main element of his force was taking a pounding allowing his ship and escorting destroyers to close and deal some hurt. They were landing hits on the enemy's ships, but seemingly to little effect. It was a common issue they seemed to be facing that their ships appeared to be incredibly damage resistant. Their heavy cruisers in particular were much feared as they appeared to race in, land heavy punches and although pelted in return, appeared to shrug off the worse of the Allied return fire.

Unfortunately the plan started to come apart as starshell lit up the sky and his location was revealed as his ships ran through an eerie aurora of light That was quickly followed by a rain of incoming shells, most of which missed, but the next lot marched closer in, and the third salvo started scoring damaging hits. Things were beginning to look grim, even as he ordered his small group of vessels to fire back with everything they had.

News was about to come though as a rating dashed in from the radio room and handed him a message. As he read it, he ordered another rating to pass him the tannoy mike. God knows the crew of his ship needed some morale boost after the defeats they had suffered so far.

"Now hear this. I've just received a message our reinforcements have managed to join in the fight. Hang in there boys, we're going to make 'em pay this time!".

And as if to illustrate that point streams of shells screamed overhead and flashed in eruptions indicating at least some had buried themselves into the targets ahead of them.


Allied Task Force, Battlespace, North of Guadalcanal, Summer 1942, 23:13 hours

Admirals Crutchley, Doorman, Mikawa, and Bérenger had arrived and the cruisers and destroyers of the Royal Navy, Royal Netherlands Navy, Imperial Japanese Navy, and French Marine National joined in to hand out some revenge.

Ships across the international task force erupted in cheers as their allies arrived and they redoubled their efforts to carry the fight forward against the fierce enemy they faced.

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Comments and discussion most welcome.

 

[Ato]

Intriguing. It appears to be a sot of Alien or otherworldly invasion happening during or prior to the second world war.

I would definitely be interested in seeing more.

 

[Sargon]

Intriguing. It appears to be a sot of Alien or otherworldly invasion happening during or prior to the second world war.

I would definitely be interested in seeing more.

Click to shrink...

Glad you like it. You'll be interested to see how it develops I think then.

I will post more in due course.

 

[waito_x]

Can't wait to see the IJN side of the fight!

 

[Sargon]

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Hippodrome


Part II: Mediterranean War

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KM Scharnhorst, Flagship, Leopard Force, South of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea, Summer 1942, 13:06 hours

The sun sparkled on the waters of the inner sea as the task force made its rapid way towards its objective. Consisting of Scharnhorst as well as one each of a German, Italian and Russian heavy cruiser escorted by a number of destroyers from the various navies, Rear-Admiral Oscar Kummetz's fleet made an imposing sight as it ploughed its way through the brine. Reports had come in of enemy ships being spotted nearby and the fleet had made all speed to intercept. They were the nearest surface force to be able to do so, and although there was another collection of vessels to the north-west they would have to do without reinforcements at least for a while. Much would depend on the direction the battle panned out and how long it lasted.

Land based aircraft from France and Italy would give them cover. It was suspected a carrier may well be in the enemy force, although that had not been confirmed as yet. Nevertheless, the various flights of bombers escorted by fighters would attempt to soften up the targets before his fleet arrived to lay down some fire, hopefully scoring some kills of their own. The addition of incoming fighter cover would be welcome just in case there was a carrier and it decided to sting them before then.

Captain Kurt-Caesar Hoffmann lowered his binoculars and glanced towards Kummetz. The man seemed deep in thought. He was probably mulling over the recent defeat which had sent the battlecruiser Gneisenau heavily damaged into dock for the next few months and the loss of Köln along with two Italian destroyers not far from where they were steaming now. It hadn't been all one sided though, from the post battle reports, it seemed the enemy had lost a cruiser and a destroyer before they had broken off the action once airstrikes had arrived at just the right time to save Kummetz's force from the two large capital ships that were in the enemy fleet and had managed to rough up his ships.

Turning his attention from the Konteradmiral to the view outside, his eyes came to rest upon the Russian heavy cruiser Maxim Gorky and he reflected upon the strange train of events which had led to Russian ships joining their efforts. Even now he couldn't tell whether his world was having some bad joke inflicted upon it or just really bad luck.

They had suffered losses too in one of the earlier battles. A couple of destroyers sunk, another damaged and the cruiser Kirov badly damaged. At least they were giving their all, just as the Italians were. He'd heard they had accelerated work on their newest carrier and it should be completed before the winter. That ship would be useful in the Atlantic for the fights there too.

His thoughts were interrupted by the phone from the radar room ringing. He answered it and his heart sank a little more. Aircraft had been detected inbound from the south-west, and as they were heading in the direction of the fleet, they were unlikely to be friendly. Clearly there was a carrier in the opposing fleet and it had located them before their airstrike had been able to shut down flight operations.

He prayed their own fighter cover would arrive in time, and as if on cue the radar room reported another flight coming in.

Theirs.

The timing would be close.

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Comments and discussion are of course welcome.

 

[SSgtC]

This is really interesting. I'm enjoying it

 

[Sargon]

This is really interesting. I'm enjoying it

Click to shrink...

Glad you are liking it. Thanks for the support.

 

[ATP]

Italian bombers ? God save them,then. in OTL they attacked both Allies and italian ships. Italian fighters are another story - they sunk few british destroyers.
p.s If all Earth forces fight somebody, then who that somebody is ? enemy had ships which could be sunk - so, not fleet of the fog.Some alternate Earth with gates on seas ?

 

[Sargon]

Italian bombers ? God save them,then. in OTL they attacked both Allies and italian ships. Italian fighters are another story - they sunk few british destroyers.
p.s If all Earth forces fight somebody, then who that somebody is ? enemy had ships which could be sunk - so, not fleet of the fog.Some alternate Earth with gates on seas ?

Click to shrink...

Might not be just Italian planes. We'll find out later on.

As for who is out here, more will be revealed in due course.

Thanks for the comment.

 

[~Celeste~]

The premise is interesting. Please continue.

Italian bombers ? God save them,then. in OTL they attacked both Allies and italian ships. Italian fighters are another story - they sunk few british destroyers.
p.s If all Earth forces fight somebody, then who that somebody is ? enemy had ships which could be sunk - so, not fleet of the fog.Some alternate Earth with gates on seas ?

Click to shrink...

*rolls eyes*

That happened once at Punta Stilo, during high altitude level bombing, and then never again. Heck, German planes were responsible for far more friendly fire incidents against Italian ships (and their own).

And successful Italian air attacks against allied ships (not just destroyers, but also cruisers and larger ships) were mostly carried out by Italian bombers, dive bombers and torpedo bombers, so dunno what you're talking about.

 

[ATP]

The premise is interesting. Please continue.



*rolls eyes*

That happened once at Punta Stilo, during high altitude level bombing, and then never again. Heck, German planes were responsible for far more friendly fire incidents against Italian ships (and their own).

And successful Italian air attacks against allied ships (not just destroyers, but also cruisers and larger ships) were mostly carried out by Italian bombers, dive bombers and torpedo bombers, so dunno what you're talking about.

Click to shrink...

Mc200/later versions/ with 400kg bombs made from 320mm schells sink few destroyers near Tobruk.As for german bombers,they even manage to sink one or two german destroyers in the beginning of war.

 

[Sargon]

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Hippodrome

Part III: Baltic War
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Baltic Alliance Task Force Two, Baltic Sea, South of Malmö, Summer 1942, 22:47 hours

Trailing oil, the battered Swedish Pansarskepp Gustav V led the remnants of the joint taskforce back to Karlskrona. Down by the bow due to several flooded compartments, with a twelve degree starboard list, smoke spilling out of a dozen holes, and her aft 11 inch turret temporarily out of action, the coastal defence vessel resolutely pressed on. A motley collection of old and new ships cobbled together by the naval powers of the region sailed around her. Luckily many had received refits and new equipment from their allies, and training had been intense. New radar had been very useful in particular for this night encounter. The battle had seen the loss of the Russian destroyer leader Leningrad, heavy damage to the Polish destroyer Błyskawica, and serious damage to the German pre-dreadnought battleship Schleswig Holstein, forcing her early withdrawal from the battle and return to Kiel. Nearly all of the other ships in the fleet had suffered some level of damage, and this only against a small force of very tough cruisers and destroyers. The late arrival of the modern Finnish Pansarskepp Ilmarinen had helped turn the battle though with her salvoes of 10 inch shells biting into the enemy cruisers with some useful and welcome effects. She was not exactly a speedy ship but she had delivered the goods all the same.

The enemy had made an attempt near here once before, and initially they didn't seem too interested in major moves in the region, until their forces had been pinned down not far away. That had led to a response.

Already smarting from a previous battle which had seen another Swedish Pansarskepp, Oscar II, thrown into dock for serious repairs, both sides had decided to up their game this time around. One enemy heavy cruiser, two light cruisers, as well as nine destroyers had sortied this time, up from their two light cruisers and four destroyers before. However, the local nations had planned and put together a number of task forces around the Baltic and nearby areas which could hopefully limit their ambitions. Gathering up Dutch, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, German and Soviet ships for this particular strike force, they had managed to field an impressive small fleet of one pre-dreadnought, three Pansarskepps, a light cruiser and seven destroyers.

Even then it had been one hell of a fight to drive off the enemy's squadron and they had wreaked a fair amount of vengeance on the alliance's force. However, it looked like after some dock time, most would be battleworthy again. In the meantime maybe one or two of the local coalition of submarines could be in a decent position to shove a couple of well aimed fish into the damaged heavy cruiser and the remaining ships they had encountered. The commander of the force was sure they had managed to sink three destroyers, plus one of the light cruisers and given a good pounding to at least another two destroyers.

With the Russian battleship Marat out of commission and the German Panzerschiffe Admiral Scheer in dock for repairs, it seemed they were lacking decently powerful or new heavy metal at the moment. Luckily, word had it that the German heavy cruisers Blücher and Seydlitz would soon arrive and other vessels from their allies would be forthcoming in reasonable numbers too. The giant new German battleship Friedrich der Große would also be available soon, and scuttlebut had it that the large battleship Sovetsky Soyuz would soon make her presence felt as she was rushed out of her construction yard. More light forces, aircraft and ground forces were being funnelled to the region too. Thus, it was hoped, this theatre of war would at least stand a reasonable fighting chance. However, the feeling that everyone was being stretched in terms of availability of naval units would not go away.


Still, a victory was a victory.

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Comments, as usual, most welcome.

 

[SSgtC]

I'm really getting confused. Who is everyone fighting?! And judging by the German ship names, I'm guessing it's still Imperial Germany and not Nazi Germany?

 

[ATP]

Poland planned to buy 2 light cruisers and built 2 more destroyers - so, if you need more combatants, you could use that.
I still think,that they must fight people from alternate Earth using some sea gates. Real aliens would arleady buther our fleets.

 

[Sargon]

I'm really getting confused. Who is everyone fighting?! And judging by the German ship names, I'm guessing it's still Imperial Germany and not Nazi Germany?

Click to shrink...

It's, er, well, you'll find out. It's not Imperial Germany though.

Poland planned to buy 2 light cruisers and built 2 more destroyers - so, if you need more combatants, you could use that.
I still think,that they must fight people from alternate Earth using some sea gates. Real aliens would arleady buther our fleets.

Click to shrink...

Yes, Poland's navy is a bit more developed in this story. Quite a few of the smaller navies have seen modernisations, refits and additions. More to come on all that.

The arrivals are roughly similar in terms of technology but with various advances and not all doctrines are the same.

Alternate earth or roughly equivalent species? We'll see.

Thanks for the comments and support!

 

[Sargon]

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Hippodrome

Part IV: North Atlantic War​

HMS King George V, Flagship, Force J, Portsmouth Docks, United Kingdom, Summer 1942, 19:36 hours

Admiral John Tovey paced in his cabin aboard HMS King George V. Things had gone quiet in the operational area he was tasked with. It was all rather frustrating really. Still, at least the time had allowed for repairs and new construction to be done and even sped up. The Royal Navy could look forward to more carriers and battleships later in the year and early in the next. Work had been racing along on the battleships HMS Lion and her sister Temeraire. The second batch of improved Lions had been delayed somewhat due to considerable modifications added to them in light of war experience and reports from their allies on warship damage and areas to look out for. They would really wind up as half sisters to the first pair as a result. That was not to say improvements had been neglected upon Lion and her sister, however those had been worked in where possible and where not as extensive, being further along in construction it had not been possible to incorporate all of the alterations they would have wished.

In terms of carriers, Implacable and her sister* were expected to be ready in early 1943, after building on them had been accelerated. A pair of improved designs had already been laid down and were midway through construction*. Plans had been made for even larger and more capable ships and those were not far from being laid down, but completion was expected to be some years away. Usually yard space would have been an issue, however, that was not quite the problem it had been due to some interesting and helpful developments which was allowing a few more ships and extra surprises for the enemy to be sprung. Tovey allowed himself a measure of hope there at least.

Tovey reflected upon recent events. They had won a recent victory at considerable cost. A large carrier battle had resulted in the loss of HMS Illustrious as bombs and torpedoes had found their mark in her. Her armoured deck appearing to cope reasonably with various of the bombs, but her hull unfortunately not with the seven torpedoes which had thumped their way into it. Glorious had been lost too in the same battle, overwhelmed by nine bombs and six torpedoes, though mercy being she had not sunk as quickly or with as heavy loss of life as that drubbing would suggest. The battleship Duke of York had been sent into dock by four bombs and three torpedo hits and the battlecruiser Repulse was going to need so much repair after being hit by seven bombs and two torpedoes they had decided to modernise her thoroughly whilst they were at it. Carriers Victorious and Furious had been hit by a number of bombs each, but luckily their repairs were already complete, the armoured box design in Victorious proving its worth in terms of survivability, although it had been noted there was a problem with some warping to the structure, making it harder to repair. The French had suffered medium damage via bombs and torpedoes to their battleship Richelieu. The other, Clemenceau, had taken light damage only, and was operational. However, the Italians had seen the new battleship Impero heavily hit suffering no less than thirteen bomb and torpedo hits combined. It was quite something she had managed to struggle back.

Various cruisers and destroyers had been damaged, including the German heavy cruiser Hipper, with two French destroyers and two Italian destroyers sunk. Hipper was repaired and waiting for the next encounter at least. Their US allies had got off scot-free in terms of damage with USS Wasp's aircraft doing well in the battle, managing to sink what may have been an enemy medium carrier by themselves. The rest of the task force had managed to sink a heavy carrier and it seemed to have badly damaged another. Added to that two battleships with some bombs and torpedoes in them and the enemy breaking off, it was no mean feat given how tough they were. Since the enemy had been driven away, it was considered a victory despite the pounding his force had taken. And all against a considerably smaller force than his.

He stopped pacing and picked up a report from his desk. Reading the details, it seemed things were not going as well as hoped in Western France, and it seemed there was still that redoubt in Germany causing problems. A touch of grimness entered his mind. They needed to be more effective or...

The ringing of his phone pushed those thoughts away. It was his flag lieutenant with news of an enemy sighting. It looked like things would no longer be quiet, and it seemed this time they were sending another convoy. And that meant there were bound to be covering forces. Again.

Time to get ready to sail and show the enemy despite their losses, they were not as out of action as they may be expecting. They could do with less costly victories it was true, and as Tovey made his way out of cabin and glanced across the dock to look at one particular allied warship, he was grateful more would be on the way soon. Goodness knows the technology and information exchange they had agreed to was invaluable and the best from the various powers could be combined together to field better ships.

*laid down earlier than in OTL.

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[ATP]

I read about plans for new french carriers - 40 planes each,15 fighters/D.529-sea version of D.520/ and 25 dive and torpedo bombers.Interesting thing - both would have two engines.
About italian - they would have 51,but only fighter and bomber fighter/Re2000 and Re2001/
German - 42 planes, 14 fighters/Me109/, 14 dive bombers/Ju87/ and 14 torpedo bombers/Fi167/
Unfortunatelly,i do not knw, what soviet planned for their carriers.

P.S sea gate is only explanation - but,who is attacking? alternate humans, or some reptilians ?

 

[Sargon]

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Hippodrome

Part V: Tokyo

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Prime Minister's Official Residence, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan, Summer 1942, 08:30 hours

Sunlight reflected off the window onto the large polished wooden table dominating the centre of the room, and the various figures sat around it. Prime Minister Mitsumasa Yonai was chairing an early morning meeting of the Regional War Council. As he glanced around at the faces present, he noticed the delegate who sat immediately to his right. He would never quite get over the strange appearance of their allies who had arrived a few years before during the attacks by an unknown force. Attacks which had taken the Japanese by surprise and resulted in many vessels sunk and damaged plus losses on land and in the air before the intervention of another unknown force had helped the Japanese fight back. Grievous losses had also been suffered by the Kwantung Army as they had desperately tried to defend Manchuria from land incursions as hideously powerful forces arrived and smashed their formations. The armies in China and Korea had been attacked as well. They too had suffered significant casualties, however the losses the enemy had sustained due to fanatical resistance had finally caused them to halt. There had also been the incursion into the Home Islands and the Kwantung Army's less than ideal relationship with the government in Tokyo had caused issues with that as well. Whilst the Navy had suffered their fair share of losing face over their comparatively smaller defeats, the Imperial Army, and the Kwantung Army in particular it seemed had been left with hardly any face remaining. Yonai couldn't help feel that was almost a blessing in disguise given it had follow on effects later on, beneficial to his more pro-western clique.

Much had changed since then. Imperial rescripts had been issued and there had even been a gradual return to a limited form of party politics. The troublesome issue of either the Navy or Army minister holding the Cabinet hostage by threatening to resign causing the government to fall had also been removed. A cautious initial contact had led to great exchanges in trade, useful materials and technology, and the people from the second force had become firm friends and allies such that the two had worked on joint projects to improve their respective armed services. When the full knowledge of the threat they faced became clear and attacks on other countries around the world had later materialised, it became evident they would have to work together with other world powers to defend against the terrible threats which had arrived.

Japan had been the first to be attacked. Initially the defeats had been covered up, but over time as more had happened, there was little to hide the fact that Japan was fighting someone. By that time many decisions had been reached and the government and country had been much more prepared and open to work with other countries for the common good.

Heavy defeats on land, sea and air had shaken the Army and Navy to the core and had earnt sharp criticism from the Emperor as well as a large measure of discontent from the people. It has also led to a degree of reorganisation and purging of troublesome elements in the armed forces after an attempted coup by extreme nationalists, dealing with these malcontent elements had been helped along by a good dose of seppuku across the board due to knowledge of the Emperor's extreme displeasure, plus changes in doctrine, staffing, designs, tactics and strategy, although it was admittedly done in a grudging fashion at first. All this had also been helped along with the knowledge their new allies had freely given them. This knowledge and experience was being shared with other countries, and had been for a while now, ever since the dramatic incursions into Germany and Russia and other places had occurred a few years back.

There had been varying attacks since then across the world, and worryingly they were now starting to become more frequent. Their allies had warned them it would happen, but at least they had been able to have some time to jointly prepare. Still, time never seemed to be enough.

Glancing at their special ally again, Yonai pondered how generous and helpful these Gerinians had been. Knowing they stood a better chance with many here as their own allies, they had shared whatever they could to help the war effort. Firstly with Japan, and then with others. Their armed forces were also scattered around the world, not in large numbers given the number of fronts they had to deal with themselves elsewhere, but enough to help make some difference here and there. Technology transfers, war experience, trade and raw materials had been a boon to all. The latest joint projects were starting to bear fruit in the form of internationally designed warships, vehicles, aircraft, weapons and equipment. These would be few at first, as many countries still had plans for their own projects to be completed, but as those were, then more of the joint projects would become reality. And if people were honest, there was still the pride factor manifest of wanting to produce local projects.

All to face the enemy. All to face the formidable Hakkor.

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Comments as always most welcome.

 

[BF110C4]

The one good thing about an external enemy is that the radicals at the japanese government either were killed by the Hakkor or they have a new threat to direct their energy. Even then maybe you should increase the details of Yonai's faction, since in a nation at war the power of the Army/Navy ministers should increase and the restoration of opposing political parties should be way harder unless the moderate faction got some exceptional soldiers and impressive victories to their names.

 

[Sargon]

I read about plans for new french carriers - 40 planes each,15 fighters/D.529-sea version of D.520/ and 25 dive and torpedo bombers.Interesting thing - both would have two engines.
About italian - they would have 51,but only fighter and bomber fighter/Re2000 and Re2001/
German - 42 planes, 14 fighters/Me109/, 14 dive bombers/Ju87/ and 14 torpedo bombers/Fi167/
Unfortunatelly,i do not knw, what soviet planned for their carriers.

P.S sea gate is only explanation - but,who is attacking? alternate humans, or some reptilians ?

Click to shrink...

Most of the main navies have carriers in this. International co-operation has seen quite a few changes and assistance to lesser navies too.

There are gates, not just on the sea. The nature of them will be covered in a later part as will more about the otherworldly factions.

The one good thing about an external enemy is that the radicals at the japanese government either were killed by the Hakkor or they have a new threat to direct their energy. Even then maybe you should increase the details of Yonai's faction, since in a nation at war the power of the Army/Navy ministers should increase and the restoration of opposing political parties should be way harder unless the moderate faction got some exceptional soldiers and impressive victories to their names.

Click to shrink...

There's a very good reason why the power of the Navy and Army Minsters have been removed and the extreme nationalists have lost influence, and it is to do with the coup mentioned. A future part has a Japanese member of the military thinking over past events. It'll make sense when it's posted (wrote it a while ago). My writing style is that I don't tend to reveal everything at once, so as each part is posted readers learn more about this world where things have been turned upside down in many respects with clues given in the text, but things are made especially clear in that upcoming part, which is not far off.

Thanks to you both for your comments and support. Always appreciated.

 

[Sargon]

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Hippodrome

Part VI: South Atlantic War​

HMS Cumberland, Flagship, 6th Cruiser Squadron, Force G, South American Division, East of Buenos Aires, South Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1942, 17:52 hours

The British heavy cruiser steadily made her way though the large swell she and her consorts had found themselves in. As she rose and fell, similar feelings were being experienced by some of her crew as their stomachs churned in tune with the movement of the ship. Many new sailors had recently joined her and her deployment to the South Atlantic was seen as relatively safe assignment suitable for greener recruits to break in their sea legs. A few years back there had been a handful of naval incursions in the general area, but they had not been major. The local forces had suffered a wake-up call however, and it had motivated the various navies present to up their game and equipment as a result.

Vice Admiral Henry Harwood gazed out from his position on the bridge of the cruiser as his ship dipped into a trough and presumably a number of his crew headed for one to void their guts. As the ship slowly recovered and pulled herself up and more of the horizon became clear once more, the upperworks of a battleship came into view. Harwood was glad to have her company in case any trouble did in fact materialise. His own cruiser had been modernised of course, but that was nothing compared to the thorough modernisation the ship he was watching had received in a U.S. yard.

Harwood's force was on patrol, and the international effort co-ordinating the naval dispositions in this part of the world had made sure the various navies of the region trained and sailed together in case the worse happened. Experienced commander as he was, Harwood could not shake the feeling at some point it would and was of course keen to take any opportunity for exercises and patrols to hone the efficiency of those taking part. His own squadron of ships with their nominal headquarters based in South Africa, but in practice based in Rio de Janeiro at the Brazilian Navy's naval base of Arsenal de Marinha, consisted of two heavy cruisers and four light cruisers in wartime configuration, up from the two or three vessels it would have in peacetime. There were no Royal Navy destroyers attached at this time, however that was another matter in which a curious twist of fate had been involved in, for that wasn't quite true.

And that part of the answer was also illustrated by the presence of another ship as Cumberland once more rode a wave up from another trough and the superstructures of a nearby destroyer came into view. A British built destroyer of the H class in fact.


Brazilian Navy Destroyer Jaguaribe, Naval Force North East, East of Buenos Aires, South Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1942. 17:59 hours

One of a group of six new destroyers built for the Brazilian Navy in British yards and delivered in 1940, Jaguaribe was thought of as a tight ship by the Admiralty. Her commander, Luiz Machado, was justifiably proud of his ship and crew. During gunnery competitions and exercises they had achieved consistently high scores, and she was known as no slouch with her abilities at launching torpedoes as well. He was certain she would put up a good show in combat. If we ever see combat that is, he thought rather ruefully. There had been little chance recently of showing off their skills, the only previous encounter the Brazilian navy had taken part in had seen two of their old destroyers sunk and the then freshly modernised battleship São Paulo thrown into dock for extensive repairs after she had nearly been sent down for a salty appointment with Davy Jones.

In Machado's mind, payback was long overdue, especially as São Paulo had not only been repaired since then, but had, like her sister Minas Gerais, been completely rebuilt and modernised with some of the latest equipment the navy could get their hands on. The elderly vessels not comparing well with contemporary battleships had been given a whole new lease of life with much better machinery, electronics, protection and armaments to name just a few changes.

Still, Machado would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid of the enemy they faced. He had certainly kept up to date with the defeats they had inflicted in various battles across the world and was not suffering from much in the way of overconfidence. If anything, he was a reasonably cautious man. That didn't however dampen his desire for getting a few licks in with his own ship if he ever got the chance.

What did dampen him rather a bit was another wave over the forecastle leading to him uttering another curse. What worried him right now was actually being able to see the enemy in this rough weather.

At least he had no trouble seeing their own battleships though and that gave him comfort as he once more glimpsed the bulk of Sao Paulo as she appeared on the horizon. Not far off he could also make out the silhouette of the Argentinian battleship Moreno, which if anything had been even more modernised in the US and he felt a small tinge of old habitual jealousy hit him as he considered their South American rivals really had done well with their modernisation efforts.

But those jealousies did not matter so much these days. The more heavy units wherever they came from amongst the global allies was fine by him.


ARA Moreno, 1st Naval Division, East of Buenos Aires, South Atlantic Ocean, Summer 1942, 18:04 hours

A few years back the old battleship would have been regarded as hopelessly obsolete. That had all changed after the battles off the South American coast which had followed more than one land incursion on the continent. Whilst the land incursions had caused some mayhem, attacks from the sea had inflicted considerably more damage upon the cities and towns near and on the coast. The Argentinian Navy's main base had been hit causing a large degree of confusion and damage. Luckily only a few ships had been sunk in shallow water and other damaged ships had been made good enough to send off to foreign yards to be repaired and rebuilt. New allies had arrived with floating drydocks and repair ships to help with the sunken vessels and to assist with sorting out the damage done to the naval facilities.

Moreno was one of those ships lucky enough to be sent to the US and have a thorough rebuild. With Gerinian engineering expertise and efficiency, her machinery had seen astonishing improvements raising her speed greatly. Improved protection had been installed, advanced electronics and radar now enabled her main armament to target ships effectively during the day and in the dark of night at longer ranges. The removal of her casemated guns and replacement with much more useful dual purpose guns had seen her fighting efficiency significantly improved. Her new light anti-aircraft artillery also made her a less vulnerable target in case air attacks found her. And that was not all. She sported two Gerinian rotorcraft which greatly extended her search capabilities. She was not alone in carrying such machines either. A US cruiser in the group also embarked one as did São Paulo.

It was lucky the combined fleet of ships had them. Even luckier many of their ships had been refiitted. They would need all their new advantages to face what was coming.

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Comments and discussion most welcome and well received from the good readers of this story.

 

[Starsall]

The funny thing if I read it right is the only weapon that can deal damage to the new enemy is battleships.

 

[Sargon]

The funny thing if I read it right is the only weapon that can deal damage to the new enemy is battleships.

Click to shrink...

Well, they do have tougher ships in terms of class comparison, but just like our navies, not all their ships are the most modern types and their designs are by no means perfect, as there's variety of them in their forces. It's true heavier shells are more likely to deal decent damage, but Earth's navies do not require battleship levels to hurt their frigate, destroyer, light cruiser, medium cruiser, heavy cruiser equivalents for example. Even tough armour can suffer if repeatedly hit. Just have to get more on target and hit 'em, and keep hitting 'em. Though it's a fair point it would be helpful to have battleships or battlecruisers in their force if they don't want a quick pasting to happen to themselves, and they'd certainly want those if their opponents are deploying heavier ships such as CBs and above.

Thanks for the comment.

Posting more soon.

 

[Sargon]

As promised, another part:

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Hippodrome

Part VII: Indian Ocean War​

HIJMS Jinkaku*, Grand Alliance Task Force 3, HMS Haitan Naval Base, Addu Atoll Fleet Anchorage, Indian Ocean, Summer 1942, 07:15 hours

The joint British, American, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Gerinian task force emerged from the secret base of Addu Atoll and rapidly formed up into sailing formation. Long range aircraft had detected a Hakkor carrier force entering the area once more seeking battle. Vice Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi, the task force commander, took stock of the fleet as he observed from the bridge of His Imperial Majesty's heavy carrier Jinkaku, an improved variant of the Shokaku class.

The recent battles had been a mixed bag. Some inconclusive results, some defeats, but some victories too. And as their Gerinian allies' technology and ideas filtered and became established amongst the various members of the Great Alliance perhaps the fight against the powerful Hakkor could result in more of their ships sunk instead. At least, that was the plan.

He could be confident he had a fleet which was indeed most impressive. Eight fleet carriers, the aforementioned Imperial Navy's Jinkaku, with her near sisters Shokaku and Zuikaku, Royal Navy carriers Ark Royal and Formidable, US carrier Enterprise, the new Kriegsmarine carrier Graf Hindenburg, and the Regnal Gerinian Navy warcarrrier Kohrserg. There would have been other fleet carriers assigned but most were in dock for repairs, refits, or deployed elsewhere. Yamaguchi knew back in Japan a number of new carriers would be joining the fleet soon, including the gigantic supercarrier Sagami. New British, US, French, German and Italian carriers were being laid down, constructed and launched. Some were not far from being commissioned. Even the Soviets had a handful under construction. All of this activity was being aided by the combined resources, manpower and knowhow of the Alliance.

They didn't lack for surface units in this task force either. Part of the extended fleet were the battlecruisers Hood, Renown, Strasbourg and Moltke. Hood had been fully modernised and upgraded. Some remarked she didn't look as beautiful as before, however such concerns were secondary to surviving the war they had found themselves in, and she was a more powerful unit as a result. Moltke was a new German battlecruiser armed with six 15 inch guns and like other new builds had benefitted from wartime experience and international cooperation in her design and construction. This battlecruiser squadron was attached to the light carrier division.

The fast battleships Bismarck, Roma, Kirishima, Haruna, Jean Bart and the RGN warnaught Regnate Yarrad, which was armed with 12 16.2 inch guns rounded out the heavy metal in the group. Between them they could throw up a huge amount of effective AA fire, especially as most of them had undergone extensive refits and had benefitted from a pooling of ideas, equipment and modifications from the best the Grand Alliance had to offer between themselves. Most of the ships had the new radars produced by the Alliance research teams which would make life much easier in terms of air and surface detection and fighting.

This did not mean every ship had been modernised. There had simply been no time for some to get into yards for refits, or for space to be freed up for them, and so some weren't as adequate as others. These tended to be lighter ships, however Renown for example had only received fairly average additions with what had been available at the bases she had visited since her main reconstruction as she had been such a busy ship deployed wherever the need had arisen so far. Perhaps later in the year she may get her chance to enter dock and undergo a comprehensive second modernisation.

And not just the ships, but the aircraft embarked too had benefitted from modifications and technology transfers. Yamaguchi's own aircraft for example were much improved and had for a long time now carried much better radios and protection as well as having employed more effective flight management doctrine worked on with their allies. As it had been necessary to work, plan and fight together the levels of operational co-ordination required were much more important, and it had only made sense that doctrine had been altered as a result of that. Plus battle experience had played a part as well. Each country had found areas where improvements could be made.

He winced again as he recalled the flaws in his own country's tactics, designs and doctrine had become apparent and the rapid efforts to address them. Similar realisations, mulling over and then rapid but considered action to deal with these matters had occurred for all of them. It had been quite a humbling experience in many ways since no one liked to easily admit they had errors in their methods, yet it was necessary. Some had not reacted well to the changes the world had seen.

He remembered the attempted coup against the Emperor back home, the near death of the Empress caused by wounds from fanatics of both the Army and Navy who had attempted to take over the Imperial Palace, an effort which had luckily been thwarted. The usually placid Emperor's sheer fury had been something to behold after that and his unprecedented national radio broadcast to denounce those elements in the Army and Navy had led not just to loyal forces aggressively intensifying their efforts to purge such aspects in their ranks but to mobs hunting down those fanatics who had escaped. The results had not been pretty as ordinary people had taken their revenge upon those who would assault their sovereign and there had been no hiding places for those who violently stood against the new direction the Emperor's government wished to follow.

Things had changed much since then. Yamaguchi had had some misgivings of course, but it was necessary. And now he found himself in what years before would be an unthinkable position of leading an international task force. The previous commander of this particular force, Vice Admiral Sir Philip Vian, had been injured by splinters when a bomb had struck near the island of his carrier Formidable in a previous battle and was currently recovering. Formidable's damage had been minor and she was quickly repaired rejoining the task force in quick order. As second in command of the force and just a few months behind Vian in seniority, Yamaguchi had subsequently been given command in his stead. A great honour and responsibility especially as it wasn't just the large carriers under his overall command.

Four light carriers were also attached to the fleet under the command of Gerinian Thunder Eagle* Sennia Ti Kylas'a, and they had sortied a little earlier with the battlecruisers. This group consisted of the British Hermes, the Japanese Zuiho, the German Adler and the RGN speedcarrier Carras and would hopefully prove their worth as they carried mostly fighters for fleet defence. The Hakkor had a habit of sending in heavily escorted strikes thus a large CAP needed to be mounted in response. Annoyingly their aircraft proved to be pretty tough as well although on their ships their light AA was not as deadly as it could be. Their heavy AA however was another story and they also maintained a decent level of CAP able to cause a significant bruising to strikes sent against them. For this reason, the airgroups of the Alliance carrier groups employed a larger complement of fighters than before. Deck parks and outriggers assisted with this, and had been adopted across the various navies wherever possible.

Air defence being important then, the two forces were accompanied by several of the British Dido class carrying improved electronics and weapons plus US Atlanta class AA cruisers and a number of Japanese Akizuki class air defence destroyers. A couple of Italian heavy cruisers, Bolzano and Gorizia, sported their effective 3.5 inch AAA with much improved and more robust mountings, a result of a recent refit. This would mean the force would hopefully be well protected from air attack. A diverse collection of heavy and light cruisers, plus an array of destroyers completed the escort details for the two forces. Amongst these an interesting attendee was the Spanish heavy cruiser Baleares. Her war had so far been a remarkably chequered one, seeing action in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Pacific theatres as she had found herself reassigned when replacements were needed to bolster numbers. She was by now a veteran of many battles and had doggedly built up a well respected reputation for herself and her crew.

Yamaguchi's force headed out, many among the crews apprehensive but completely determined to give their all in this region of the war.

* 迅鶴 "Expeditious Crane" or "Swift Crane ". Shokaku and Zuikaku of course being "Soaring Crane" and "Auspicious Crane" respectively
*roughly equivalent to Commodore. Ranks are named after meteorological phenomena/manifestations of the main elements of earth, water, wind, fire and so on with role indicated by an animal appropriate to the task

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Observations and comments of course welcome.

 

[SSgtC]

How much cross pollination has there been of tech like the American Mk37 FCS to countries like Japan and Germany (Germany in particular since their FCS tended to break from the concussion of their own guns firing)? What about things like the Bofors 40mm or Orleikon 20mm? I would hate to think of the IJN heading into battle against a superior foe still wielding their God awful 25mm light AA.