by gerald hall
The Luftwaffe couldn’t prevent the Englanders from heavily damaging Tirpitz with their bombers after she had been immobilized by those damned midget submarines either.”
“So what do you propose, Admiral?”
“We must complete construction on Flugzeugträger Graf Zeppelin as soon as possible. The aircraft carrier will need certain modifications to reflect the bitter lessons that we have learned at the hands of the Englanders’ carriers. We must also begin the conversion of the incomplete Hipper-class Kruzer Seydlitz into a second aircraft carrier. Our program to replace the large number of sunken Zerstorers badly needs to be accelerated so that our heavy ships will have an adequate escort force.”
“Admiral, this will not be enough. We will still need certain other ‘foreign’ assets to supplement our forces.”
“Is this why you were making inquiries about the French ships that remained in Vichy hands?” Admiral Raeder asked.
“Yes. I have talked with several of our naval architects at our shipyards in Kiel. They believe that the French battleship Jean Bart can be modified to operate an adequate number of aircraft while retaining her forward main gun turret. The conversion will take a relatively short period, especially with the assistance of several of our design engineers.
The French also have another aircraft carrier, the Joffre that was under construction at the time of the armistice. Construction could be resumed by the French and completed in less than a year. The French planned to build a sister ship to Joffre, but we believe that it would take far too long for our purposes to have them build it. There are a few other French warships whose construction that we would permit to be completed as well such as their large Zerstorers.”
“Why would the French be willing to build warships for us? We had only just defeated them on the battlefield two years ago.”
“They would if they thought that the ships would be for their own service. These warships would be using French guns and French ammunition obviously. We would even allow the French to design their own aircraft for use on these ships. Our propagandists could certainly come up with a campaign to convince the French that we are allowing this work to proceed in order to bind the wounds to their pride that their defeat at our hands inflicted. The Vichy leaders would be convinced to go along, of course. It would also devote resources away from other endeavors that could be a problem for us later on.”
“But what happens when the French warships are completed?
“That is a simple thing. We will take control and staff them with our own sailors as soon as these warships are combatworthy. Because of the involvement of our engineers, we will already know how the ships operate. We will even have incorporated features to allow us to replace certain systems with superior German technology as needed. This will include their light antiaircraft guns. However, French money, steel and manpower will be used instead of draining our own resources. Obviously, we will fly superior German aircraft designs from their decks instead of French aircraft.”
“The French will not be happy about this. They may try to sabotage these vessels before we can use them.”
“Increased security should prevent that. However, when we decide to take control of these ships, we will have to move very quickly to avoid most of the potential ‘unpleasantnesses’. If Goebbel’s people do their job properly, we may very well convince the French fools that we are taking the ships for their own good.” Speer said with a chuckle.
“What of your other technological wonders that you have promised us, Herr Speer? With so many resources being devoted to the Eastern campaign and Hitler’s own insistence that the Kriegsmarine do more with fewer resources, we need all of the help that we can get. The Englanders’ decision to devote all of their escort assets to protecting the shipping lanes to their own ports has made hunting merchantmen much more difficult in most of the Atlantic. On the other hand, our ships and U-Boats have virtually shut down all merchant shipping attempting to reach Soviet ports through the Baltic. It has certainly been a happy time for our men up there. ”
“I hope to make times even happier for the men of the Kriegsmarine in the future. We are designing an entirely new class of submarines that will incorporate many of the lessons that we have learned in the first two years of the war. These U-Boats will be faster and far superior endurance underwater than anything that we have ever built before. They will also be able to fire torpedoes that guide themselves towards the sounds of an enemy ship’s propellers. Unfortunately, it takes time to perfect these innovations.
For the new aircraft carriers, we have now determined that the original plan of using modified versions of the JU-87 Stuka bomber and Messerschmitt ME-109 fighter is inadequate. The Englanders are placing much superior aircraft on their carriers now. We cannot have inferior aircraft on our warships if we are going to win this war. I have ordered that design work begin to modify the Focke Wulf FW-190 fighter for carrier use. The Focke Wulf design has many characteristics that will make it superior to the Messerschmitt for carrier operations.
Messerschmitt, Junkers and Focke Wulf are also all submitting designs for a new carrier-based aircraft that will serve as both a dive bomber and a torpedo bomber. Certainly if the Englanders can do this with their new Buccaneer carrier bomber, we can build something better.
There is also a possibility that the new Arado jet bomber can be adapted for use on our aircraft carriers. It will be considerably more difficult to modify the Messerschmitt ME-262 jet fighter for carrier operations because of its high takeoff and landing speed. I know that Messerschmitt is already trying to make those very modifications. Junkers is also trying to adapt one of their new jet fighter designs for carrier use as well. I know very little about their aircraft except that it will only have one engine.”
“This is very interesting. With these new jets, we should be able to sweep the skies clear of enemy aircraft and hit our adversaries’ ships before they are able to react effectively.”
“Yes, our scientists and engineers are performing miracles in a variety of fields in spite of the shortages of so many badly needed materials. I am hopeful that we will finally gain access to those materials with the defeat of the Bolsheviks.
Currently, Rheinmetall and other ordinance manufacturers are designing new Flak guns for the Wehrmacht that can easily be adapted for naval use. One is a 5.5cm Gerät 58 automatic cannon that promises to even outperform the Bofors 4cm cannon that pops up like flowers on the decks of so many enemy ships now. The other is an adaptation of the Mk 103 3cm automatic cannon. A four-barrel mount for this weapon would be utterly devastating against enemy bombers at close range. Both of these new weapons will be installed on our new Zerstorers, Graf Zeppelin and even the battleship Gneisenau when she finally comes out of her reconstruction. We can also refit the new French warships with these new Flak weapons after we confiscate those vessels. ” Speer insisted with a smile.
“These are all very hopeful signs. But how much will you truly be able to deliver with the current allocation of resources? Operation Barbarossa is taking up the lion’s share of all war production as the Wehrmacht attempts to overcome the Bolsheviks in the East.” Admiral Raeder asked.
“If you can continue to prevent shipping from reaching the port of Murmansk, the General Staff has told me that it is optimistic that the Wehrmacht can finally crush the Red Army and capture Moscow. Cutting the snake’s head off usually can kill it. The nightly bombing raids by the Englanders are becoming a problem though. Even if they don’t hit our factories, their bombs are devastating vast portions of our cities. Our rocket program promises to take the war back to our enemies’ cities. It also could assist in the defense of our own land with guided rockets that can reach up and strike down enemy bombers from the skies.”
“We will do our part to overcome our enemies, Herr Speer. Our U-Boats have paid a heavy price for their successes, as have our sailors on the surface. With these new ships and weapons, perhaps the Fuhrer will finally allow me to unleash the full
strength of the Kriegsmarine upon our enemies. The ghosts of the men from Bismarck, Scharnhorst and too many of our other great warships demand it.”
Chapter Twelve:
Harold Cavill’s Home
Derby, Western Australia
July 21, 1942
“Your computer database has a lot of information on what history says about the attempts upon Hitler’s life, correct?” Dorothy asked.
“I do have large amounts of information on that subject in the database. They are just a small part of the history files that I brought with me from the future.”
“Let’s help the people trying to depose or kill Hitler succeed then. It can’t help but save lives in the long run.” She said in a matter of fact way.
“How do you propose that we do that, Dorothy?”
“Well, we could use Franz….” Dorothy said with a sly smile. Harold knew that she was referring to Franz Keppler, a German engineer that Harold had hired a decade earlier during one of his trips to the Lurssen shipyards. A couple of years later, Harold had discovered that Franz was also working as an operative for the German Abwehr military intelligence service. Franz was reporting to the Abwehr on what Harold had been doing in his shipyard, though even Franz had no idea about Harold’s special project with the hull of the old Australian battle cruiser.
Harold kept quiet about his discovery for several years while learning about Franz’s own discomfort over the direction of the new Nazi regime. Harold cultivated a close professional working relationship with Franz during that time. But Harold still could not fully trust Franz enough to try to turn him. So instead, Harold had been using Franz as a conduit for disinformation instead.
“The question then is how we can use information that we give to Franz to alter Adolf Hitler’s actions so that instead of avoiding his foes within the Reich, instead Hitler runs right into their hands?”
“I’m sure that you will find something appropriate, Sweetheart. You have always been a very clever man.” Dorothy laughed while giving Harold a quick hug.
“I hope clever enough. Perhaps we can save some innocent lives this way, both now and in the decades to come. I pray that we succeed in this.”
“I remember that your history files showed all of the people in Germany who plotted against Hitler during this war. We could employ that information so that we get our information to the right people.”
“You’ve been searching through the computer again obviously. Dorothy, we have to be very careful with my computer. I just don’t know how long it will last before something fails that I cannot replace. Those devices do not last forever, even in my time. So we have to keep the time that we use the computer to an absolute minimum. There is also the danger that by using the information, we end up making things worse than before.” Harold said with a frown.
“I realize that, Sweetheart. But eventually your computer is going to stop functioning, whether we use it or not. We need to keep searching for information so that we can achieve the goals that you set when you came back here from the future to save humanity. You know what you need to have happen. We just have to find the right combination of events to achieve that goal.”
“That is part of the problem, Dorothy. We may think that we have determined the right path for history to take. But what if we make things worse, not better? The safest changes to make are small ones. If something goes wrong, they are going to be a lot easier to correct. If we make a major change that ends up going in the wrong direction, it may be impossible for us to fix the damage.”
“But we have to do something, Harold. It seems that our enemies are winning virtually everywhere now.” A clearly worried Dorothy insisted.
“Patience, my dear. Things will turn around soon enough, I promise.” Harold replied as he reached out and pulled Dorothy into his arms to comfort her.
HMAS Submarine A1
Formosa Straits
September 4, 1942
Lieutenant Commander Julian Oxford carefully looked around using his periscope to see if any Japanese warships were in the area. This was the Commander Oxford’s first command. The diminutive blond-haired British submariner had been seconded to the Royal Australian Navy after having served as the executive officer onboard the British U-class submarine HMS Ursula. Now, he was in charge of a brand new submarine and sixty sailors, most of whom had never served in combat aboard a submarine before. This boat was also the first submarine to be completed in Harold Cavill’s shipyard.
The Barramundi and its crew had only been on patrol a couple of weeks when it finally got into enemy-controlled waters. They had no idea what would happen next.
“Anything up there interesting, Sir? It’s been a while since most of us have seen the light of day.” Lieutenant William Scott asked from his station in the submarine’s small conning tower.
“Nothing much, so far, Bill. We were strongly advised by the folks who built this boat that if we wanted to stay alive this close to Jap waters, that we needed to rely on that snorkel and stay underwater.”
“Well, I suppose that it’s only appropriate for the Barramundi to be a creature under the water rather than on top of it.” The first officer replied, using the crew’s nickname for the submarine. They had named it after a species of sea bass that was common in northern Australian waters. Commander Oxford already knew the crew’s nickname for the A1 was the Barramundi. He actually hoped that Australian Admiralty would consider officially naming the submarine that. It seemed so much more personal than a mere letter and number.
While the Barramundi’s crew had a few experienced submariners, it was still a comparatively young crew. The most unusual part of the sixty man crew were the four aborigines there. It took a very rare individual among the aborigines to be willing to be confined inside of a small steel tube for days, if not weeks, on end. But these aborigines were also special for another reason. They had been working for Harold on the new submarines from the very beginning. They also knew the most about the submarine’s new sonar and hydrophone arrays, even more than the former Australian submariners that had been recruited to man Barramundi. These aborigines would be the submarine’s ‘eyes and ears’ while she sailed under the surface of the Formosa Straits.
“Captain, Sir. I hear something on our hydrophones.” Michael Curry, the Barramundi’s chief sonarman quietly said.
For most people, the indicators on the small screen of the hydrophone’s scope looked like little more than a bunch of moving squiggly lines. But for Michael, they were a kind of magic that helped his sensitive ears find where there was another ship out there and even what kind of ship that it was.
Michael began making adjustments on his hydrophone controls, switching from one hydrophone to another to try to get a bearing on the sound. Each of the hydrophones was pointed in a different direction so that the operator can determine in which direction the strongest audio signal was coming from. Everyone in the conning tower was as quiet as if they were in church even though Michael wore the finest audio headphones that Harold could make.
“Sir, the strongest signal is coming about thirty degrees off of our starboard bow. I am also now hearing sounds from multiple ships. I believe that they are warships also. They sound just like the sound recordings of various warship noises that Mister Cavill got from the Royal Navy.”
Like the American navy, the Royal Navy had made audio recordings of foreign warships and cargo ships whenever they had an opportunity. These recordings were then copied onto vinyl albums for training sonar operators. After listening to these recordings, the sonar operators could identity ships by the sounds of their engines and propellers alone. Michael was very good at making those ship identifications.
“Alright, gentlemen. Let’s go hunting. Secure the boat from diesel propulsion and stow the snorkel. Turn thirty degrees starboard to bearing zero three five. Make turns for eight knots and a depth of fifty meters. Tell everyone that we need to avoid making any noises ourselves.” Commander Oxford ordered as he quickly lowered
his periscope.
There were already six torpedoes loaded in the forward torpedo tubes. Like the German Type XXI, this submarine did not have any stern torpedo tubes. Barramundi was built to be a predator of the oceans depths, always hunting and on the attack.
For nearly two hours, Barramundi silently cruised under the ocean’s surface towards the unknown group of warships. Michael continued to listen and provide insight about what Barramundi and her crew were pursuing.
“There are at least eight ships out there. Two of them are certainly very large warships, probably with four screws driving each one. Several of the other ships are probably twin-screw escorts like destroyers. These ships are almost certainly Japanese ships based on how they sound.” Michael quietly explained.
“Very good, mate. Tell us where we need to go to get a good shot on the biggest one, Michael.” The captain requested.
Michael listened carefully into his headset, adjusting his hydrophones and periodically giving instructions for the submarine’s navigator to make small course corrections. Barramundi was getting so close to its intended target that gradually the entire crew started hearing the sounds of twin-screws through the hull as the submarine slipped through the convoy’s defensive screen.
“Are we close enough, Michael?” The captain asked.
Michael simply nodded as he continued his listening to everything around the submarine, including the target that they were stalking.