Red Flood

[King Kurt]

2 - save them for another day - the harbour is obviously at a state of high alert so the chances of a success are slim - better to wait for an opportunity when the English are less on their guard. Also, the carrier has taken a good deal of damage and will need to be moved soon. Their will be better opportunities to attack it and its escorts when they move - witness the attack on the 2 cruisers - so let us wait for that opportunity.

[Kagemusha]

I agree with Kurt.Option 2.There is no element of suprise there at the moment.

[Rodion Romanovich]

I agree with King Kurt, no. 2 it is. The Italian frogmen should be saved for Alexandria, as someone (AggonyDuck?) suggested a few chapters ago. They're a good weapon and the first time they act should have the element of surprise, and attack a target that is larger, so that they do some more damage than just sink a single already damaged carrier.

Interesting with the AA at Malta. It seems like the invasion will be a lot tougher than first expected, if our planes will suffer such casualties.

[Stig]

Yes, 2 it is for me too

[DemonArchangel]

Option #2 for me, and since we're going to land (Option B4) soon enough, at least we know where the points of resistance are.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 36– Final Preparations
Naples, 30th January 1941

Ramcke tells Roatta that there is no need for an overhasty operation. He tells him to plan and prepare the special operations independently.

Although the days are filled with work, Ramcke has the feeling as if the time goes slower than normally. He is aching to take a hand in the events.
The news about the activities of the British submarines and bombers is alarming. Ramcke calls the RLM to accelerate the transfer of more fighter planes.

The news from Africa is more than alarming. The Italian retreat turns into a disaster.

The British start to attack Tobruk. Since the 7th Armored Brigade is heading for Martuba and Mechili the town is already isolated. On February 21st ships of the RN shell the Italian positions around the town. Afterwards the 6th Australian Division breaks through the Italian positions and takes Fort Palastrino. General Mannella is captured.

One day later the garrison of Tobruk surrenders. The British make 27,000 prisoners. They loose 500 men. The Italian Navy has done nothing to rescue this important harbour.

The X. Corps receives a report about the situation at Benghazi, the most important airport of the Italians. The Italian organisation is dissolving. Panic spreads among the rear echelons.
In Eritrea the Italian forces are falling back toward Agordat in the face of Platt's attacks. There is also some skirmishing along the border between Kenya and Italian Somaliland.

At January 24th there is a brief tank engagement near Mechili. The British 4th Armored Brigade and the Italian force suffer about equal losses before the Italians retire. The Italian forces in Libya are now split, with one group around Mechili and one on the coast at Derna. These positions do not give each other any support. The 19th Australian Brigade is moving on Derna while Mechili is to be encircled by 4th and 7th Armored Brigades. The blockade of Mechili is carelessly handled and the Italians pull out.

On Thursday 30th, the Australians take Derna.

Ramcke sighs. If this goes on this way, there will be no place left to land the German troops at Africa.

There is a call from Geisler’s office. The Illustrious is gone. First the pilots think she foundered. However, now they received message that she is on the way to Alexandria. Ramcke sighs again. Göring will fume, he thinks.
At least the German Fallschirmjäger arrive at their bases. Soon they will be ready for the most audacious airborne operation in history. The X. Corps already increases the number of reconnaissance flights. The first units of the 5th Leichte Div. arrive at Naples, too. Rommel wants to transfer some air defence and recon detachments first.

Finally there is some good news from the Italians, too. The Italian army starts a counterattack at Albania. It is slightly successful near Klisura.

Then all fortune is gone. Ramcke receives the weather report for the coming week. For the 5th, the weathermen expect closed cloud cover at low altitude, strong wind and occasionally heavy rain. There will be a gap between the clouds, but it is uncertain when it will be over Malta. Some forecasters think that it may be in the morning hours, some say that it will be later.

What to do?

A1) Postpone operation ‘Südsee’ for a week. Then the weather may be better.
A2) Execute the operation now. The weather will be fine enough. By the way, what do weathermen know about weather?

Ramcke also receives a phone call from the Luftflotte 4, which is currently deploying at Romania. The commander, General Sperrle, has planned a special operation. He wants to transfer a couple of bombers temporarily to Rhodes, from where they could reach the Suez Canal and drop mines. It would be some kind of risky, and Sperrle does not plan to do it twice. He asks you for you opinion. If you agree, the operation will take place within a week.

B1) Accept!
B2) Reject!

[Stig]

Going on the critical situation in Africa I would say: A2, Malta is important if we want to safely land our men in Africa.
But sensibly I would say A1, tho a week might be too much, I would go for the next day, or the day after that.
If it's possible to find the landing zones WITH EASE, I'd say A2, if that's impossible it's A1 for me.

And ofcourse it's B1

[Franconicus]

Going on the critical situation in Africa I would say: A2, Malta is important if we want to safely land our men in Africa.
But sensibly I would say A1, tho a week might be too much, I would go for the next day, or the day after that.
If it's possible to find the landing zones WITH EASE, I'd say A2, if that's impossible it's A1 for me.[/B]

[Kagemusha]

Damned, Franc you are on fire! Answers A1 AND B1.

[Stig]

[Rodion Romanovich]

With the new weather, operation Südsee sounds like it would become operation Suicide if it isn't postponed... So: A1 and B1 (we can afford to lose the bombers if there are only 2 of them)

[DemonArchangel]

A1, B1.

[AggonyDuck]

Definately A1 for me. We need good weather to ensure both safe landings and air support. Even if we might find a day with good weather, we would need a longer period of fine weather to ensure proper air support.

[King Kurt]

Nice to see that the carrier went when I said!!

Has to be A1, B1 - aren't we agreeing a lot at the moment!!

[JimBob]

A1 and B1. The flak being concentrated could very well be a good thing. At least we know where it is and can avoid it better.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 37– Waiting for the sun
Naples, 7th February 1941

Days pass by with painful slowness. The weather is rainy and stormy. Ramcke is frustrated that even the KG4, located on the Balkans, enters the war in the Med while he is sentenced to passivity. Seven He 111 of the 2./KG.4 under the command of Hauptmann Kühl drop mines into the Sues Canal. The operation is executed according plan. The planes return to their bases.
Within a week, two freighters sink in the channel. The authorities close it. Three days later British bombers attack the base on Rhodes.

February begins with the report of a German reconnaissance patrol. It spots a British formation with two battleships, one carrier, one cruiser and ten destroyers coming from Gibraltar. On February 2nd, 8 swordfish planes attack the dam of Tirso (Sardinia). Despite of fierce defence they hit it three times. Although damaged, the dam does not break.

Stormy whether prevents any successful operation against the British force. The English ships return to the harbour of Gibraltar on February 4th. Italian submarines, send to stop them, cannot find the enemy.

There are also several English submarines operating between Malta and Libya. Due to the weather, there is no combat operation.

Intelligence reports that the British carrier Formidable with a destroyer escort is in the Indian Ocean heading for Sues.

Ramcke is getting more and more nervous. He does not like these British activities. Do they just want to demonstrate that they rule the waves even since the X. Corps is there or do they know something about the planned operation?

The situation in Africa is getting more and more depressing. The Italians leave the Cyrenaica. They are not retreating, they are running. They are so fast, that the British cannot keep pace. Benghazi is taken by Australian units following the Italian retreat. The Italian forces are streaming back along the coast road to Beda Fomm and during the day they make desperate attacks on the British blocking force there. These attacks are repulsed with heavy loss but the small British force is compelled to give some ground.

On Friday 7th large-scale surrenders begin at Beda Fomm after the Italians have made fruitless attempts to break through to continue their retreat. Eventually about 25,000 more Italians will be taken, along with 200 guns and 120 tanks. Since the start of the campaign two months previously a force of no more than two divisions has destroyed 10 Italian divisions and taken 130,000 prisoners for the loss of 555 dead and 1400 wounded. Many of the British vehicles now desperately need repairs. In the evening Agedabia falls to the British forces.

The 1st convoy of the Panzergruppe Africa will leave Naples on February 8th.
The new weather reports say that between February 8th and February 12th there will be less clouds. Wind will still be strong, sometimes mixed with rain.
Ramcke receives the message from the Italian intelligence. The outpost near Gibraltar sent the message that 2 battleships, one carrier, one cruiser and six destroyers left Gibraltar during the night from February 6th to 7th. They sail west to support guard convoy HG.53.

1) This is an opportunity to start the operation. Give order to assault on February 8th.
2) Wait!

[King Kurt]

Heh - what the hell - let's go. We could be waiting for ever. There is a lot going on, let's hope that diverts the attention. We also need to do something to help the Italians. The convoy could be bringing more troops, so our operation may make it turn back. Also our convoy may look like an invasion force for Malta.
It feels a bit like this - - let's hope we keep all the balls in the air.

[Kagemusha]

1.How glad would i now be if we would have taken Gibraltar.

[Stig]

1, obviously go for it, now we can win

[Rodion Romanovich]

No.1 - time for battle!

[AggonyDuck]

1 - and lets hope for the best!

[DemonArchangel]

Game on.

1.

[Franconicus]

Chapter 38– Operation ‘Südsee’
Malta, 8th February 1941

Sergeant Tom O’Connor steps out of the barracks at Hal air field, Malta, and takes a deep breath. He is waiting for the first light of day, the birth of a new day. After each night in waiting he enjoys this moment of peace, before the company awakes.

O’Connor looks into the sky. It looks like rain. Weather reports say that the clouds will break up today. Maybe the German will attack the airfield today. This has been expected since their first appearance, but until now they have only attacked the harbour.

While he is still looking into the sky, he sees a flitting over the airfield. Almost simultaneously, he hears the hammering of machine guns. Seconds later, the first bombs explode.

Alarms resound as soldiers run out of the barracks to disappear in trenches. At the southern edge a medium Flak fires into the sky, but it is over almost as soon as it started. Nevertheless, the air defence must have hit some planes. Sergeant O’Connor sees parachutes in the sky. In fact, there are quite a lot. The invasion of Malta has begun.

While Sergeant O’Connor is still watching the landing of the 3rd Fj.Reg., five transport planes appear over the airfield. At the same time a group of Stukas uses the first light of the day to bomb British air defence batteries. In the accompanying chaos, nobody notices that the transport planes touch down. In the twilight, one misses the runway and makes a crush. The transport planes spit Major Stentzler and his soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the Sturmregiment.

Their mission is to clear and protect the runways for the reinforcements. They spread and make themselves ready for combat, while they hear paratroopers of the 3rd regiment already involved in combat.

From the barracks, a British company is sent to support the soldiers at the southern side of the airfield. They run across the airfield, straight into the fire of the soldiers of the Sturmregiment. The British retreat. Fifteen minutes later, they are back, this time with the numbers and determination to defeat the Germans. The British garrison is much stronger than expected. Major Stentzler has to accept that he cannot hold the fort with just a handful of soldiers. He leaves the airfield and retreats to the southern side, to unite with the paratroopers. Hauptmann von der Heyde, the commander of the 1st Battalion, is glad to see reinforcements. So far, his mission has been more difficult than expected.

In the beginning, the British were too surprised to react. Von der Heyde and his men managed to touch down without casualties. However, as soon as they tried to gather and to collect the containers, they were powdered with heavy machine gun fire. They tried to assault the air defence positions at the southern side of the field, but they were stopped by barricades and gunfire. The British positions are stronger than expected.

Now, together with Major Stentzler’s platoon, he orders to assault the British positions again. Three Stukas observe the struggle on the ground and screamingly launch into the defenders. The airborne troops manage to drive the British away. To their surprise they find that most of the air defence bunkers are empty. Von der Heyde and Stentzler prepare themselves for a British counter strike. However, at the moment, the British are satisfied to control the airfield.

Further north, the 2nd Fj.Reg. lands at about the same time. Their mission is to take the village Luqa, to block the road from Veletta and to attack Luqa airfield from the north. In the beginning, everything works fine. The bombing of the airfield attracts the attention of the British soldiers, which camp at Luqa village. They immediately reinforce the airfield. So, the paratroopers can get down and take Luqa village without resistance.

Hauptmann Pietzonka and his men have the mission to block the road from Veletta. They reach ground at the right place and collect their equipment. Then they lay a mine barrier on the road and hide behind the stones that border the road. Ten minutes later a column approaches from Veletta. The front vehicle is armoured, followed by five trucks and about thirty soldiers on bicycles.

When the armoured crosses the barrier, a mine explodes and makes the car sliding. It is stopped by the rocks that border the road. At the same moment, Pietzonka and his men open fire. The trucks start to burn and some well place hand grenades destroy the armoured vehicle, too. The rest of the British infantry retreats. Now the road from Valetta is blocked.

In the eastern area the 1st Regiment gets down. Gusts welcome the paratroopers as they leave the planes. On the ground, Oberst Bräuer sees that the regiment is dispersed and that it is hard to find all containers.

Although there is no sign of Brits, it takes long until the regiment is ready for combat. Then it occupies the villages of Siggiewi, Mqabba and Zurieq. Still no signs of the enemy! Bräuer sends a reconnaissance troops to the airfield of Luqa. When they return, they report that there is a hard combat between the Britsh forces and the platoon of the Sturmregiment, that landed straight on the runway.

It is 10 o’clock in the morning when Ramcke receives the first report. The first wave of paratroopers landed. The second wave is on the way. Casualties are low, but the two airfields are still occupied by the British.

He receives another message from the navy liaison-officer. U47, a German submarine, attacked convoy HG.53 west of Gibraltar. The commander reports that the convoy is guarded by a half a dozen destroyers and corvettes. Ramcke gives the officer a questioning look. “Well, Sir, I thought you would like to know that. There is no word about battleships and the carrier. Of course they can follow the convoy in some distance. Then the submarine would not have spotted them. However, …”

The young navy officer is right. Where is Force H? Has it left the convoy? Did it return to the Mediterranean? If yes, where are they now? Ramcke hurries to a map at the wall. Last time Force H was at Gibraltar during the night of February 6th to 7th. Their course was west. If they had returned and passed Gibraltar unseen during night? The distance from Gibraltar is about 1,000 km. With a speed of 50 km/h, the battle force could be …? Hell, it could be anywhere. It could be straight at the shores of Valetta.

Ramcke immediately calls Geisler, to ask for more air patrols over the sea.
Then he has to call the airfield at Sicily. The second wave of paratroopers is in the air. He has to decide:

1) To call them back. The troops at Malta have to hold the fort until the British battle group is found and eliminated.

2) To send them. The invasion is at a critical point.

3) Order all troops at Malta to take Hal airfield. From there they can be evacuated.

[Stig]

2

We should go on now, they can use every man now. It's not the time for decisions as they were made at Arnhem in just go on with the attack. Every man is needed. If the Airlanding Division was here I would even say that they should be flown in, as the 52nd should have been flown in at Arnhem, every man is off use now.

[AggonyDuck]

Number 2. No point in turning back now.

[SwordsMaster]

Number 2. IT's too late to have doubts.

[Kagemusha]

Yes.Number 2 it is.No turning back now.

[DemonArchangel]

#2, and get every airplane we have into the air RIGHT NOW. We can't afford to have British carrier borne fighters and flak units shoot down our Ju-52s. We need to find the British battle group and eliminate it immediately.

Look at the barricades, barricades take time to set up, they knew we were going to come knocking, they predicted the invasion of Malta was going to take place, the ships are probably already in Malta harbor, ready to nail our FSJ with naval artillery. We need to hit those ships hard with our aerial assets while our FSJ secure landing zones.

[DemonArchangel]

Whoops, doubled post.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Great chapter! I think I'll have to go for no. 2.