John Schettler - Three Kings

“Indeed they will,” said Fraser. “As to Operation Puma against the Canaries, Lieutenant General Alexander proposes to deploy the troops that were earmarked for the failed Dakar operation. Puma will commit 101 and 102 Royal Marine Brigades, and units of the new Special Boat Squadron in the initial assault. As to the Cape Verde Islands, Operation Sackbut, now renamed Shrapnel, can go as well. Brigadier Campbell has 2nd and 3rd Battalions, Royal Marines, ready at a moment’s notice.”

“Can we mount both operations concurrently?” Pound looked to Tovey now.

“The Azores Carrier Force will be assigned to Operation Puma,” said Tovey. “Somerville has moved Force H there to refuel, and he’ll provide the heavy covering force for Puma. The Cape Verde operation will launch from Freetown, but it will need either surprise or considerable naval support. The French Force De Raid is still operating out of Casablanca, and the Dakar battlegroup has moved there, at least the heavy ships. This will make Casablanca a very tough nut to crack in the foreseeable future. The French will now have Jean Bart, Richelieu and Normandie there, a formidable task force. Both groups are well attended with cruisers and destroyers, and we must also consider that Toulon could send further reinforcements if the French get wind of these operations.”

“Formidable indeed,” said Fraser. “But the movement of these ships leaves Dakar open to attack if we move quickly. We have spoken with General de Gaulle again on the matter, particularly after these reports that he was unwilling to commit his troops against fellow Frenchmen.”

“What?” Tovey seemed surprised. “Well who did he think would be there, the Bulgarian Army?”

“Exactly,” said Fraser. “Well our Mister de Gaulle seems to have found his backbone after learning that Darlan has put a price on his head. He was considering a move into Equatorial Africa from Cameroon, but we’ve convinced him Dakar is the real prize now.”

“Cunningham wants to roll up his sleeves and have another go,” said Pound. “I think we should recommend it, only this time no mistakes. I’ll want the whole of Force H in attendance. If this Force De Raid wants to do anything about it this time, they’ll have to get past Rodney and Nelson.”

“Agreed,” said Tovey. “Eliminating Dakar is a vital necessity. It’s a dagger right on the throat of all southbound convoy traffic.”

“Correct,” said Pound. “With Gibraltar lost, and Force H operating from the Azores, we remain in dire straits, particularly now that the Germans have heavy ships at Brest and Saint Nazaire. We’ve lost Barham, and Resolution was brought home for repairs after the engagement off Dakar. That, if anything, has shown us that we can not underestimate the French Fleet in any subsequent engagement.”

“True sir,” said Tovey. “Those are fast, capable ships, and the French have their blood up after Dakar. Now, we pulled Ramilles and Revenge off convoy escort for the Azores operation. I propose to keep those two ships assigned as the close covering force for Puma and Shrapnel. Then we can let Somerville take a more aggressive stance against the Force de Raid. But make no mistake, gentlemen, He’ll be playing defense. Somerville has Valiant, Rodney and Nelson at hand, but none of those ships could really serve to get after the French unless they chose to engage us further. Somerville’s battleships are simply too slow. He’ll have to operate as distant cover, and our first line of defense for these operations. As to carrier assignments, we will stay with Glorious and Furious for the moment, and the escort carrier Argus remains at the Azores. That leaves us Ark Royal and Illustrious to watch the northern passages. That said, the German heavy metal is now sitting in French ports, and so Home fleet must deploy accordingly.”

“What do you suggest?” After HX-69, Pound had decided to let Tovey have the bit between his teeth and let him run.

“That is the problem,” said Tovey. “We very nearly caught up with the Germans, but they slipped away. It’s coming down to speed, gentlemen, that’s what we need in a good capital ship now. Thank God we have Renown and Repulse back on their feet, and in a pinch I could get Hood out of bed if necessary, though that ship, and Admiral Holland as well, might need a little more time convalescing.”

“Holland tells me he’s fit and ready,” said Pound.

“He will certainly be welcome if that is so,” said Tovey. “I propose that Holland take up the watch here on the Northern Passages. We’ll put two heavy cruisers and one of the two battlecruisers in each passage, the Denmark Strait, and the Iceland-Faeroes Gap. Hood will have to play on the back row, and reinforce either group as necessary. The German threat there is still significant. They’ll have Tirpitz, and the Twins, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. On top of that there’s Graf Zeppelin to worry about.”

“And what if they make a run at the inside passage again?” Pound did not want a repetition of the maneuver the Germans had just used so successfully.

“With Spitfires at R.A.F. Vagar now, that should prevent any recurrence of what we just suffered with HX-69. Once burned, twice prepared. As soon as these operations conclude I shall return Ramilles and Revenge to Scapa Flow to watch that inside passage.”

“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?”

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. Yetits 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.”