by gerald hall
Untimely Designs
Book #2 of the Yesterday’s War series
By Gerald L. Hall
Dedicated to my wife who is known to all as ‘Rev Bev’. She’s the good Shepherd that this old ‘sheepdog’ has been working together in love with for over twenty-three years. She has been and continues to be my ‘walking, talking miracle’.
Copyright Pending 2017, Gerald Hall
Image credits: Cover Art by Nijhia Serrano
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission by the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Prologue:
Just as Harold Cavill had predicted, Hitler invaded Poland from the west on the first of September, 1939. On the 17th of September, Stalin invaded Poland from the east. By the sixth of October, Poland had been defeated and carved up between the two rival powers.
The Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations due to their invasion of Finland on the 30th of October. The Baltic States had been coerced into signing mutual assistance pacts with the Soviet Union shortly after the Soviet invasion of Poland. This led to a de-facto annexation of those countries by the Soviet Union.
The stage was now set for the Second World War as it had happened before in the previous timeline. Nothing that Harold had done had changed this part of history. But he hoped that the work that he had laid the groundwork for would change the course of the war and the desolate future that he fled back in time from.
Chapter One:
Harold Cavill’s home
Derby, Western Australia
1 December, 1939
“Sweetheart, what do you think of this Phony War that the newspapers keep writing about? It’s been a couple of months now since Britain and France declared war on Germany. Surely, the war in your history was far more violent than this.” Dorothy asked.
“No, Dear. I’m afraid that this is pretty much how the Second World War started before. There have been some air raids from both sides and even a few skirmishes along the border of Germany and France, but most of the real fighting has been on the high seas so far. The German U-Boats are already creating havoc along with the Nazi surface raiders.” Harold said while looking at the news reports that he received from the newspapers that he owned.
“Will any of the actions that you have taken with Mister Churchill make a difference against the Germans at this point, Harold?”
“I hope so. Certainly, the increased number of aircraft carriers, cruisers and destroyers in the Royal Navy will fill England’s critical defense needs far better than a couple of slow old battleships. If history remains roughly as it was in the previous timeline, we will see the demise of one of Germany’s best surface raiders very soon. That particular battle may even be more one-sided against the Germans if my sources from the Royal Australian Navy are correct. They have said told me that the raider-hunting group in the South Atlantic has one of the Hawkins-class aircraft carriers attached to it. Not even a pocket battleship can avoid or defeat that combination of cruisers and aircraft.”
“What about our military here in Australia, Sweetheart? I read that we are sending ships, troops and aircraft to support England already. Won’t that leave us vulnerable here?”
“It could. But we do have a few assets here that the world in general is not aware of, don’t we?” Harold said with a knowing smile.
“Yes, I do believe so. The aborigines here have certainly flocked to becoming part of your militia. I think that the militia makes them feel as though they are going back to their warrior roots. The aborigines are clearly dedicated to defending you and this land.
Plus, our factories are all very busy producing modern equipment for the Australian Army and Navy. Much of this equipment has been first produced for our ‘little’ militia here, of course.” Dorothy proudly said.
“We are also prepared to produce modern aircraft for our air force once their jackass of a commander finally comes to his senses. I’m sure that our future Fleet Air Arm will want to use the aircraft sitting quietly in our cavern warehouses, especially once they have a carrier to fly them from.”
“Yes, Sweetheart. I just don’t how the admirals here will react when they that odd-looking ship that you have at the far edge of the shipyard. But I trust that you know what you are doing. After all, you know how so many things worked even decades from now.”
“The admirals in Canberra will figure it out once they see my innovations in action. The Japanese will not give them much of a choice when the war finally reaches us in the South Pacific.”
“There is still one thing that concerns me, Harold. How do you know that you are doing the right thing here, limiting the technology that you are introducing? You told me once that you had never served in the military. Wouldn’t it make it easier for our people to defeat the Axis if you gave them technology that was much more advanced than what we have now? That way, we can win the war without using these nuclear weapons that you say will destroy humanity.” Dorothy noted.
“You’re right. I have never served in the military. But I know history and how it evolved during and after the Second World War. I know people, both through their historical records and also how I have dealt with people in the course of being a manager and a leader of them. I am also one hell of a researcher who just happens to have one hundred years of the future at my fingertips.
“I am concerned about the outcome of the war too. But my main concern is not merely about nuclear weapons and the tyranny of Marxism that lead humanity over the precipice. It is also with what we might do with the wrong technology at the wrong time. So I have to be very careful in limiting it. Eventually, you and I will have to teach our children about what we have here. They will also have a responsibility to do as I have been doing so that we can save mankind’s future.”
“I just hope that we are not too cautious, Sweetheart. We could end up doing too little, too late.” Dorothy replied while giving Harold a gentle hug.
“I pray every night, asking for God’s wisdom to avoid doing too much or too little. This situation terrifies me, but not nearly as much as the world that I saw coming to an end a hundred years from now. Perhaps, this time I can do something about it.” Harold solemnly said, not knowing for certain if he would be successful or if history would turn out even worse than before.
Royal Navy Shipyards
Portsmouth, UK
8 December, 1939
With the beginning of the conflict in Europe, Winston Churchill was quickly named First Lord of the Admiralty once again. But in many ways, the situation had changed very little in spite of all of the work that he had successfully championed behind the scenes during the past ten years. Churchill quickly accelerated the mobilization of British naval shipbuilding as soon as he stepped into his office however.
Now, Churchill stood out the cold late autumn wind along with several dozen Royal Navy officers looking over many of the warships that were under construction or had recently been completed. He saw in the faces of many of the officers, a sense of awe in what they now witnessed.
“Mister Churchill, Sir. I don’t know how you managed it. But we are all damned pleased that you found the funding to have these two cruisers built.”
“These new Southhamptons are very good ships, I must say. But even if certain politicians have decided not to build any more eight-inch gun cruisers, having two more of these powerful cruisers built than had been originally budgeted with their fine six-inch guns will strengthen the Navy. You should also know that the same process of disposing of older, obsolescent warships from our rolls for
resale or scrapping is also supplying the funding for another pair of Dido’s that are being launched shortly from another yard in addition to more than a score of new destroyers.”
“I know a lot of Royal Navy sailors who will be very pleased to hear about that. They have been sailing in cruisers that date back to the Great War for far too long.” A grey-haired Commander commented.
“Something tells me that we are going to need these cruisers’ antiaircraft guns as well as their main batteries very soon, gentlemen. The Nazis are not going to sit still for much longer, I’m afraid. When they finally move, we are going to very much be in a real war. The Royal Navy’s role in it will only get larger then as we seek to keep our shipping lanes open from both U-Boats and Axis surface ships.” Churchill told the group of Royal Navy officers.
But not all of the Royal Navy’s senior leadership were happy about what Winston Churchill had done during the past few years. Two of those senior officers silently stood in the background listening to Churchill before turning and walking away. The older man was Rear Admiral Tarleton Grey while the younger man was his aide de camp, Captain Joseph Hawkins.
“Churchill has left us dangerously weak in numbers of capital ships. He sold Ramilles to Chile and demilitarized both Royal Oak and Resolution to become training ships and target ships. He also sent both Iron Duke and Centurion to the breakers so that they are no longer available either. That meant that we have now lost three fifteen-inch armed battleships from the fleet.
What did we get back for them? We saved one old, weakly armored battle cruiser with Tiger and we upgraded many of our older capital ships with heavier anti-aircraft batteries. What use are those when we next clash with the Axis on the high seas?” Admiral Grey bitterly said.
“I regret the loss of the three R-class battleships and their firepower as well. But Churchill did get our new battleship program back on track with a heavier main armament, you have to admit, Sir. He also spearheaded increases in our cruiser and escort construction programs with the funding that he managed to acquire.”
“Listen to me. The Royal Navy’s battle line is the most important measure of our naval power, indeed of our national power. Look at what the French, Italians and even the Germans are doing. They are not focusing on this fad of putting fragile aircraft onboard ships. They are building new battleships that are larger and more powerful than ever before.
Instead, Churchill has turned away from that, even with his support of the new battleship line. Remember what happened to our battle cruiser force at Jutland. We cannot focus on such fragile ships as battle cruisers and aircraft carriers.”
“It seems to me that Mister Churchill has already managed to get his way in these matters, Sir.” Captain Hawkins said with a shrug.
“Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like it. Mark my words, Hawkins. We are going to pay dearly for these poor decisions of his. A lot of British sailors will end up dying because of what Churchill has done. I know that I am not alone in my views in this matter either. It is simply that people are afraid to speak out against Churchill right now.”
“He is very charismatic, isn’t he? Plus, it seems that his warnings against Hitler during the past few years have been proven to be correct. That gives First Lord Churchill a lot of credibility at this time. Who knows? He may even take over for Prime Minister Chamberlain if things get any worse.”
“I don’t know if there could be anything worse than to have that meddling Churchill become Prime Minister though.” The admiral growled.
“I can’t say, Sir. The current Prime Minister certainly seems to have bolloxed the whole business with Hitler. Instead of buying Hitler off, appeasement appears to have only encouraged the Nazis even more. I know that there are some people who claim that Chamberlain went to Munich and signed that document for Hitler to buy us additional time to rebuild our military.”
“If that was the case, then let us hope that it was not too little, too late. At least for the moment, it seems that Hitler has been mostly content with slicing up Poland with the Russians.”
Harold Cavill’s Main Office
Derby, Western Australia
17 December, 1939
Harold was sitting in the main office lobby, drinking coffee and reading through the five newspapers that he received daily from Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney each day to see what was happening with the war. Most of what he read confirmed what had been the case during the previous couple of months of the war.
Just as what happened in the original timeline that Harold came from, the first few months of the war saw very little activity occurring on the Western Front. But there was plenty of conflict to the north however with the German invasion of Norway. England and her allies still were being forced to react to Hitler’s moves. Politics kept the Allies from being able to act decisively against the Axis at this point. But there were already a few changes in history as a result of Harold’s activities before the war.
“Mister Cavill, did you just read the latest news about that battle with the German pocket battleship?” asked one of the office clerks who had just come in to work.
Harold initially nodded his head in response. He had been paying close attention to the Battle of the River Plate because it had been the most noteworthy example of an altered outcome so far. The Panzerschiff Admiral Graf Spee encountered a Royal Navy force just off of the South American coast. But this time, the light cruisers Ajax and Achilles not only had the heavy cruisers Exeter and Cumberland, but also the light carrier Effingham and four destroyers in support. The Cumberland was with Effingham and her destroyers when Ajax, Achilles and Exeter encountered the panzerschiff. The cruisers engaged the Graf Spee while at the same time calling for aerial support. One flight each of Skua dive-bombers and Swordfish torpedo bombers attacked Graf Spee. They scored two bomb hits and a torpedo hit that crippled the Graf Spee. Between the damage inflicted by the carrier aircraft and shell hits by the cruisers, the Graf Spee’s captain had no choice but to abandon ship and scuttle his command. Tragically, it was learned that one of the bombs dropped by a Skua had landed on Graf Spee’s stern and penetrated into a compartment where dozens of captive sailors were being held. Most of the men in that compartment were killed as a result of that bomb.
“It’s a bloody shame about those sailors who were killed aboard Graf Spee. I’m not surprised that Churchill is being so cavalier about it though. He doesn’t have any problem spilling the blood of other people from what I have heard.” The clerk bitterly noted.
This loss of innocent lives also led to considerable debate within Parliament concerning the policies concerning combat with German commerce raiders. First Lord of the Admiralty Churchill simply ignored the debate and stated that the responsibility for the safety of captured mariners lay exclusively with their captors, not with the Royal Navy. He would not allow the unfortunate captives to become human shields for the Germans.
“Perhaps so. But the Jerries should have released those sailors a lot sooner or at least sent them off on a boat before going into battle.”
Harold hoped that this unfortunate incident would not reduce Churchill’s influence within the Commonwealth as well as the United Kingdom. History had shown that Churchill was the one man in England who could lead them past the horrors of the London Blitz and the tragedy of Dunkirk. Harold needed to ensure Churchill’s success in order to achieve the desired outcome for the war.
But for the most part, Churchill himself would be the greatest agent of his own success or failure. This was regardless of anything else Harold did or tried to do. But history had shown once before that Winston Churchill’s successes far outweighed his failures. Harold was confident that this would prove to be the case once again.
Chapter Two:
First Lord of the Admiralty’s Office
London, England
April 11, 1940
“It is a damned shame that we were not able to lay those minefields off of the coast of Norway in time to block thos
e German troops from being landed.” Winston Churchill growled impatiently as he looked through the latest dispatches from the War Ministry.
“Sir, we simply were caught off guard when the first landings occurred on the Ninth. The Danes fell to the Nazis in less than a day at the same time.” Colonel Thomas Stewart, the officer chosen by the Ministry to bear the bad news to the First Lord of the Admiralty.
“We have to send the Norwegians all of the help that we can to see if we can throw the Jerries back into the sea.”
“The War Ministry has already been debating this. They are rather skeptical that we would be able to get a large enough force there in time to make a real difference. The Norwegians themselves managed to sink a German heavy cruiser and damage several transports on their own. But it doesn’t appear to have made much of a difference. The Norwegians have already been knocked back on their heels by the Germans.”
“I saw that from the reports. However, I hate to allow the Germans to have access to the raw materials that Norway has available.”
“What do you propose that we do then, Sir?”
“We try to help the Norwegians hang onto their country. But if we fail in that, we provide as much as possible to help the Norwegian people resist the German occupation. That will make it much harder for the Germans to exploit Norway’s resources to fuel the German war machine. We will keep this up until Germans are forced to all go back home.”
“It’s a shame that the Finns didn’t have anyone to help them against the Soviets. The Finns gave Stalin and his Red Army one hell of a fight, Sir.”
“Unfortunately, the Finns were finally overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Red Army. I have a bad feeling that eventually that the Soviet attack on Finland will drive the Finns into an alliance with the Nazis, regardless of the treaty that Stalin made with Hitler. Things will get very ugly as a result.”