Three Kings (Kirov Series) (6 page)

“Good enough,” said Pound. “But
what if the Germans bunch up on either of the Northern Passages as they planned
it with Operation Valkyrie?”

“That’s where my squadron comes
in. I propose to move
Invincible
and the two new battleships south from
Scapa Flow to the Bristol Channel. I could operate from Cardiff or Bristol
itself, but it’s a good hundred miles from those ports to the Celtic Sea, and I
might want to post my squadron further west.”

“Where? Plymouth will be under
German bombers.”

“Milford Haven,” said Tovey.
“Yes, I know the German bombers can reach that too, but they’ve largely ignored
it. The place will need facility development, fuel depots, but it’s ideally
positioned to allow my fast battleships access to the Celtic Sea and Western
Approaches. From there I can mount standing patrols against any possible sortie
by the German heavy units in French Ports. They’ll have
Hindenburg
,
Bismarck
,
and we’ve identified what appears to be alight escort carrier. Beyond that, the
Germans got hold of two new French ships in the docks,
Joffre
and
DeGrasse
. The former is an aircraft carrier, and
given their success with
Graf Zeppelin
, I have no doubt that they will
do everything possible to get that ship rigged out for operations.”

“Admiralty estimates that will be
a long year at best,” said Pound. “But I agree that the threat is real, and it
is certainly something Bomber Command will be having a look at soon. One other
question, Admiral Tovey. The Russians ship, is it still in the Atlantic?”

Chapter 5

Tovey
shifted
uncomfortably. The Russian ship… the ship that had come from the depths of his
long remembered dreams, from that impossible, unseen future, with weapons and
technology that dazzled the mind and power that had not yet been fully engaged.
Yet
its
very presence here was exerting a strange
gravity on the war, bending the lines of history ever so subtly. Tovey had
little doubt that it would soon emerge from the shadows and take a much more
prominent role in the plans they were now forging. But how could he possibly
wield this weapon that had come into his hands, or even explain the ship’s
presence to men like Dudley Pound?

“The
Russian ship is
presently at Reykjavik, sir, relieved by HMS
Renown
and a pair of
cruisers.”

“I see. And I certainly hope the
Russians were not put off now that we have asked them to hold our coat and let
the Royal Navy handle the Germans.”

“They were very understanding.
Admiral Volsky fully appreciates the political issues involved. The staff work
done on opening the Arctic convoy routes to Murmansk is well underway. In that
event, Admiral Volsky has offered to meet our outbound convoys with a flotilla
of Soviet ships and serve as escorts in the Norwegian Sea.”

“And if the Germans interfere?”

“After the hand off, sir, the
convoy will be officially flagged as Russian. If the Germans want to take issue
with that, then they shall have to take it up with Moscow. Frankly, I don’t see
how the Soviets can sit on the fence for long as things stand. They’ve thrown
in with us, but haven’t declared war on Germany, yet something tells me that
will change soon enough.”

“Agreed,” said Pound. “Very well,
gentlemen. These dispositions are sound. “God help the boys who went down on
the Rock.”

“We knew Gibraltar was lost the
moment the Germans began their attack,” said Fraser, “in spite of Churchill’s
sabre rattling to the contrary.”

“Believe me, the Prime Minister
knew we could mount no serious relief operation for Gibraltar. He wasn’t happy
about it, but at least he’s made a good speech now that it’s done. The question
now is Malta. The Germans will soon have a strangle hold on the Straits of
Gibraltar, with guns on both sides,
Stukas
overhead, and U-boats freely
entering the Mediterranean. This is a disaster of the first order, and we
haven’t taken the full measure of it yet. Without Gibraltar, relief convoys to
arm and supply Malta cannot have any chance of success trying to run the
Straits. They will have to be mounted from Alexandria, and Admiral Cunningham
still has the Italian Navy to keep an eye on. We have therefore decided to see if
we can catch Mussolini napping and visit him at Taranto. We have HMS
Eagle
there at Alexandria, and we’re sending
Hermes
up through Suez to join
the party now that it has come off refit at Port Elizabeth. That should allow a
fifty plane raid against the Italian fleet anchored at Taranto. Our intention
is to even the odds in the Eastern Mediterranean, if we can, and give Admiral
Cunningham a little breathing room.”

“I’m afraid the whole center of
gravity of the war will be shifting his way, sir,” said Tovey.

“Indeed. The War Cabinet and
Bletchley Park both agree. With Gibraltar lost, the Germans can now move troops
to Oran or Algiers, and from there they can move overland to the east.”

“They can save themselves a long
haul and just land at Tripoli,” said Tovey. “Malta is a thorn in the central
Med, but can do little to prevent or hinder such a movement by the enemy as
things stand. What do we have there to stop them?”

 “A garrison no bigger than
the one we had on the rock, and no more than thirty six planes, six Gladiators
and twenty-eight Hurricanes and two Sunderlands.”

“We’ll need to stiffen that
garrison up,” said Fraser, “particularly in the case of aircraft. That will be
the only bite Malta has if the Germans take an interest there.”

As soon as these Atlantic Island
operations are concluded, we’ll have a look at using those same troops to
springboard to Dakar. That taken, our convoy route south around the Cape of
Good Hope will be secure. Then it will be our job to get as much in the way of
troops and material to Alexandria as possible. The Army wants to beef up the
Middle East Command, and they are worried the Germans may soon attack the
Balkans.”

“We’re seeing a buildup for that
now,” said Fraser, and the Italians have eyes on Greece.”

“Yes, well we both know where
that leads this war,” said Tovey.

“The Germans can waltz right
through the Balkans to the doorstep of Turkey at Istanbul, and the Turks will
be the last neutral state between the Third Reich and the Orenburg Federation.
So that is where the War Cabinet believes the fighting will lead us. Right into
the thick of the Middle East and Turkey. That’s where the oil is, gentlemen,
and Herr Hitler will be eager to get at it. He knows that even if he takes the
fields at Ploesti in Romania, it will not be enough to fuel his war machine, or
navy. The Bosporus is a chokepoint for all that oil traffic coming out of
Baku.”

“The Army has plans to reinforce
Greece,” said Pound. “If the Germans do move on the Balkans, then I doubt
they’ll politely stop at the Turkish frontier. Should Turkey to cooperate, or
worse, if they invade there, then we will have to be prepared to occupy both
Iraq and Persia. The Royal Navy won’t be doing the fighting, but it will be our
job to get the troops where they need to be. We’ll also have Greece, Crete,
Cyprus and Rhodes to worry about in due course, and even Palestine if the
Germans make such a move. But all that remains to be seen. For now, gentlemen,
let us catch our Canary and snatch the Cape Verde Islands in the bargain. One
day at a time.”

Yes, thought Tovey. That is the
only way we can work it now. We can make all these speculations and grand plans
for battles we might fight, but one day a man with a rifle or a good ship will
have to face down an enemy and make them come true. One day at a time will have
to do.

It was then that he thought he
might make his announcement concerning the Russians. Admiral Volsky had
recently sailed to Murmansk, ostensibly to survey the convoy route through the
Norwegian Sea. They were also going to establish another lonesome Ice Watch
with the fledgling weather station on Jan Mayan. With one of their radar sets
posted there, and the other already watching the Denmark Strait, his job was
much easier.

Yet Admiral Volsky had sent him
an urgent message concerning a new development. He seemed very eager to meet
with the British and bring the Soviet Government abreast of these plans. How to
broach this subject without getting Admiral Pound worked up about it? He took
off his shoes and waded in.

“Gentlemen,” he said quietly.
“The Russians have communicated with me recently, and they propose a meeting of
the minds at Suez to coordinate strategy and resources.”

“What? Without a formal
declaration of war by the Soviets?” It was just what Tovey thought Pound might
point out.

“I see little harm in opening
talks,” Tovey suggested. “The Russians have proven quite useful. Their radar
sets alone have enabled me to close the Denmark strait. Jerry has made two runs
out that way in recent months, and he’s been caught flat footed and turned
about in every case. I would like to take all the credit, but I’m afraid I
would be remiss to do so. The Russian radar sets have given me the warning I
need, and in each case I’ve been able to move my fast battleships into position
to dissuade the Germans from any ideas they may have had about breaking out.”

“And what about the
Bismarck
,”
said Pound. “What about
Hindenburg
. Yes, I know I do nothing but tighten
the noose about my own neck to bring them into this conversation again. I’ve
already admitted my culpability in that affair.”

“Well,” said Tovey. “They can
either sit in those French ports, or come out to see if they have what it takes
to challenge HMS
Invincible
, and may she live up to her name should that
ever be the case. As to our operations against the Atlantic islands, I assume
that meets with the Former Naval Person’s approval?”

Churchill
agreed that action now was imperative, and with a favorable eye on the Royal
Marines and commandos, he pushed for more decisive and timely action soon.

“The
Joint Planning Group has argued the “Marines” are that in name only,” said
Pound. “Being newly raised units, with no real experience in amphibious
landings, they insisted that regular army units should spearhead any major
amphibious operation, but Churchill told Keyes to continue building up his
amphibious striking force.”

“Well,”
said Fraser, “the Admiral continued collecting his “Marines,” in any case, and
now he has a pair of “Brigades,” which are also that in name only, as they are
each comprised of only two battalions of Royal Marines at this stage.”

“We can
augment that force with units under War Office control,” said Pound, “though
the Joint Planners still consider our amphibious forces inadequate for any
significant operation against Vichy held territory. Remember also that these
island outposts are not all French territories, they are held by Spain and
Portugal.”

There
were political considerations there until that fateful meeting at
Hendaye
that saw Spain defect to the Axis banner. Now Keyes
argued his men were well suited to the task of seizing these islands, and he
eventually won out with the fall of Gibraltar.

The
loss of Britain’s Rock had been a hard blow, but one that galvanized planners
to look for an alternative place to base Force H. It was determined that this
force had to maintain a watch on the West African coast, and operate as a
counterfoil to the French
Force De Raid
based out of Casablanca and
Dakar. While no single harbor could match the facilities and capacity they once
enjoyed at Gibraltar, the combined facilities available in the island outposts
would allow sufficient force to be kept in theater.

The
first target in Britain’s new Atlantic island campaign had been the Azores, an
operation that had been mounted at Churchill’s urging even while the fighting
was underway at Gibraltar. Led by Captain Christopher Wells aboard HMS
Glorious
,
1st and 5th battalions, Royal Marines, had been put ashore against no more than
a mild diplomatic protest logged by Portugal. It had been far easier than all
the hand wringing and discussion that preceded it. Churchill was elated when he
got the news that the Black Hole in the Atlantic, the place where Britain had
little or no air cover, would now be well patrolled by planes from the airfield
at the Azores. Now the question of how to proceed was on the table, with the
Canary Islands Operation Puma on one side, and the combined Dakar Cape Verde
Islands Operation Shrapnel on the other.

As it
happened, the positioning of French Naval assets weighed heavily in the balance
of that decision. The first battle off Dakar had convinced the Royal Navy that
the French could pose a significant threat to any amphibious operation that
they decided to oppose. And yet, in spite of the clear victory of Admiral
Plancon’s
force over the covering force for Operation
Menace, Darlan had come to the decision that Dakar was too far afield to be
adequately patrolled and defended in the long run. In this he was strongly
influenced by the Germans.

They
pointed out that the garrison would be inadequate against any determined
British attack, and it could not be easily or quickly reinforced, being simply
too far away from other Vichy held bastions in the region. The nearest friendly
force was over 2000 kilometers away in the Division de Marrakesh, and the
Germans had showed no interest in reinforcing Dakar for similar reasons. If it
were built up to a size that might hold its own in battle, then it could not be
easily supplied by sea. When the invasion plan was launched, OKW pointed out
that the entire
Force De Raid
would have to be based there to have any
chance of stopping it, leaving the better facilities at Casablanca vulnerable.