Mission to Britain

by J Eugene Porter

  Brand enjoyed the learning environment developed by the British. He saw how the classes included a sizeable number of women, who were better than most men at keeping track of multiple flights. He discerned how they plotted aircraft with their large array radar, detecting when the Germans were on their way to a bomb target in the British Islands and how the newest centimeter systems were being placed into night fighters and vectored to enemy concentrations. It was not perfected, but Brand could see how this aircraft-based radar would soon change aerial battles and lead to some interesting commercial capabilities.

  Brand had spent some time alone with Margret during the week, excluding the constant presence of Gunny Jones. He believed they were building a strong foundation for a longer-term relationship, but since he was very new to matters of the heart, he was unsure of his analysis. The two young people had managed to go to the cinema at least twice and had dinner at a small club near the West End. These had been magic, even though their chaperones were always seated nearby. James knew any future dates with Margret were going to be few while they were still in Britain. Many were interrupted or stopped because of late evening meetings with British and American commanders. But both young people vowed to make their relationship work.

  The most interesting of these late meetings was with the famous Lord Cherwell, Professor Alexander Lindeman. He had been the science advisor to Churchill when no one was listening to his alarms about the aims and power of the Nazis. Lindeman was German but had become a citizen of Britain in the early 1920s and was violently against Hitler and his cronies. He was now the official science advisor to the prime minister. He had set up the S-Branch for the government shortly after Churchill became prime minister in May 1940. The S-Branch was the Statistical Branch and constantly applied hard numbers to all aspects of the war and production. He had numbers that showed what worked and what didn’t and could back them up with hard facts. Churchill enjoyed his company and rational use of science, except of course when the S-Branch numbers did not back up what the prime minister wanted to do.

  Lord Cherwell had earned a doctorate from Oxford in Experimental Physics. He was an early advocate of radar but preferred his idea of aerial mines over the concept of early detection. He and Professor Tizard, who was the head of the radar development programs in the late 1930s, always battled over what was practical and beneficial to the national defense.

  Tizard’s mission to America in late 1940 had laid the groundwork for the mass production of the radar systems using the British cavity magnetron. The professor had brought a fully functioning system for the Americans to evaluate and copy. This gift was considered by many of the U.S. scientists as the “most valuable cargo ever brought to our shores.” Lord Cherwell was also an advocate of the saturation bombing of Germany and helped design the plans for the nighttime bombing of major German cities. He called these attacks “de-housing” campaigns, which aimed at destroying the German workers’ homes and their ability to function at their factories. This program had its first attack on February 12 and was deemed a success by Air Marshal Harris of RAF Bomber Command.

  Lord Cherwell was also a major leader in what was known as the “Battle of the Beams,” which was understanding how the Germans directed their bombers to hit specific areas of London and other major British cities at night. His teams toiled to understand how the Germans used different radio signals from two different towers in France to drop their bombs. The Professor had explained to Brand, who knew the process from his intelligence briefings, how the Germans would fly down one beam and when it encountered the other beam, they dropped their bombs. Once the British understood this, they countered the second beam by overpowering it (codenamed BROMIDE) and moving the drop point usually by as many as fifty miles, thus killing cattle or plowing up pasture land but not hitting the cities or people of Britain. The Germans figured this out and changed the signals which the British then quickly blocked. The RAF now used a different frequency to do the same thing to the Germans, but constantly varied the location and frequencies of the beams to stall any blocking attempts.

  Brand thought the Professor was stuck in his ways and not open to the latest ideas and always looked for ways to sidetrack the conversation when others made suggestions. Tedder had informed him about this, so Brand simply listened and learned as much as he could from Lord Cherwell but kept clear of discussing his ideas on technology. He was impressed by the work of S-Branch and how their analysis was usually correct and how it provided a good background for further research or changes in strategy. He would seek out more of this type of analysis when he visited the Western Approaches Command as well as the headquarters of Coastal Command.

  James had the impression, or was it fear, that U.S. Army Commander General Chaney was not the man for this mission. He did not think the general, even though a West Point graduate, had the strategic vision to make the American buildup in Britain a success. His staff was running in circles, and their view of logistics was abysmal. Brand’s recommendations for the infrastructure to support the planned airfields were met with hostility at best and often condescension. Captain Jameson felt the same, and after two more late night meetings with the general and his supply people, he agreed to take their requests under advisement. Following the meeting, he informed Brand this was the last meeting with the general and his people. He did not want to waste any more time when he felt additional progress wasn’t possible.

  Jameson noted that Admiral Ghormley was better informed and connected than General Chaney, but he also felt the admiral was mired down in details that made little difference to the war effort. Nor did he feel the admiral’s staff was capable of the strain the American build-up would mean to Britain and its Allies. The captain was concerned about the strategic vision of the admiral and a somewhat “slow to react” view of what was truly important. The admiral had done a yeoman’s job on the diplomatic side, and Jameson hoped this would be the best place for him for the duration.

  *****

  The team, less Flannigan and his Marines who were still at the Commando School in Scotland, traveled to Liverpool, the headquarters of the Western Approaches Command under the capable leadership of Adm. Sir Percy Noble. The command was established to manage the critical area of convoys across the Atlantic and defending against the U-boats. Located at Derby House, the Royal Navy had decided to place all aspects of the Battle of the Atlantic under one leader who had control over the convoys, their escorts, Coastal Command aircraft, and intelligence. Admiral Noble had been working on developing schools for the convoy commanders as well as the captains of the escort vessels to improve their skills in finding and killing German submarines. He also utilized numerous scientists, technicians, and statisticians to help improve these skills and develop new ways to counter the U-boat menace.

  The admiral had been advised by the First Sea Lord, Adm. of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound, about the American team and especially Lieutenant Brand. How Pound found the time to do all of this was amazing as he was still defending the actions of the Royal Navy after the unsuccessful attempt to sink the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, accompanied by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen on their dash up the Channel from Brest in late February.

  The Germans operation named Cerberus, after a mythical three--headed dog, had outfoxed the British, going undiscovered for twelve hours. The efforts to stop these ships and their escorts were poorly planned and executed, resulting in very little damage to the three German ships. Pound took the negative publicity about the navy’s inability to sink the three German ships in the English Channel very poorly. He was now looking for positive stories to replace the failure of the Royal Navy. Pound hoped the American delegation would soon provide help for the Royal Navy.

  Admiral Noble was a professional navy man and was not going to waste his time with fools or on publicity stunts. Every day his operations center tracked all the convoys heading to and from Britain as well as those transporting vital raw materials, war supplies, and troops across
the Empire. Convoys were traveling from Cape Town in South Africa around to the Suez Canal or going the other way to Freetown in Sierra Leone where they would wait for sufficient escorts to make the harrowing run to England. These convoys would face the brunt of German sea and air power as they slowly steamed their way around the Iberian Peninsula and then across the Bay of Biscay. Anywhere from Freetown to Southampton the Germans might be waiting under the sea or flying far south from bases in France in their long-range Condors to attack them.

  Other convoys worked their way up from South America to the Caribbean, then either directly to the United Kingdom or up the coast of the United States and then to Britain. Some convoys formed in Iceland and made the slow struggle around the North Cape in the Arctic to Murmansk, the ice-free port of the Soviet Union, all the time facing the might of the German Navy and Luftwaffe. Additional convoys were plying the Indian Ocean from Australia to India and on to the Suez or around the Cape to the Atlantic. These efforts were coordinated in Liverpool, and Admiral Noble was the man in charge of it all.

  He greeted the Americans warmly and invited them to have the traditional tea. “Captain Jameson, you and Lieutenant Brand are most welcome to our command. I hope your time here will be well spent and that we can learn from one another how to defeat the Germans.”

  The admiral pointed them to the large table in the center of the room where two of his assistants were waiting. “May I present one of my most talented staff officers, Commander Williams, and Professor Patrick Blackett who runs our scientific operations group.”

  Everyone shook hands, and before the admiral continued, Brand, who could not contain his happiness in meeting the famous Professor Blackett blurted, “Sir, I’ve heard nothing but remarkable things about you since I first took this assignment. Your paper ‘Scientists at the Operational Level’ was the most impressive piece of research I’ve read since I joined the navy. I hope we can spend more time with you while we’re here.”

  Blackett was taken back by this rash young man, but he appreciated brilliance and everything he had been told about Brand had impressed him. He hoped this American prodigy could provide a secondary source of knowledge in his campaign against the U-boat.

  “Lieutenant Brand, I am pleased to meet you. I have heard a lot about you as well from some of our mutual acquaintances in the United States. I too hope we can find the time to compare notes and ideas.”

  Noble jumped between the two scientists. “I am sure the Professor will provide you with the information you are looking for to help your side, how do I say, improve its ability to deal with the U-boats. I mean no disrespect, but I hope you will be able to see what we are doing and understand the long and difficult ordeal it has taken us to learn so many harsh lessons.”

  Jameson joined the conversation to ensure there were no hurt feelings. “Admiral, the one thing we want to learn from you and your organization is how to expand our knowledge quickly and speed up our learning curve by understanding your mission and your current processes and procedures.”

  The admiral took this positively and began a quick overview of his command.

  After a ten-minute briefing of the major elements, Admiral Noble opened the floor to questions.

  Jameson was first to inquire about training. “Sir, your convoy school for commanders, how does that work, and would it be possible for us to visit or gain access to some of your coursework?”

  “Certainly, Captain, I am quite sure that the commander could arrange a tour of the operation and provide a copy of all the materials we use in the class. This would be helpful for our future joint operations. We have had many of your long-legged destroyers in our convoys, and we need to understand better how you operate. Then perhaps we can come up with a joint philosophy and operating procedure to ensure efficient escort command.”

  “Thank you, Admiral. I’m quite sure Lieutenant Brand has a dozen or so questions. James, if you would ask the one that is most relevant, it would be helpful because of the many demands on the admiral’s time.”

  Brand thought for a moment and decided to go to his biggest question. “Admiral, thinking back to the beginning days of the war, prior even to you assuming command of Western Approaches, what has been the biggest mistake made by the Royal Navy in dealing with the German submarines?”

  Jameson cringed as did Royal Navy Commander Williams. Blackett didn’t cringe or smile but nodded that the question was valid.

  The admiral didn’t seem upset by the question but sat there looking at the young American. “Lieutenant, the biggest mistake was in under-estimating the enemy and overestimating our knowledge of how to defend against a skilled and aggressive enemy. We assumed the Germans would do what they did in the last war and we were caught totally off guard.”

  Noble looked at Professor Blackett and then at the American lieutenant. His voice dropped and he continued his answer. “We were fortunate they entered the war with only a few dozen ocean-going submarines capable of operations deep into the Atlantic. We did not anticipate their wolf pack tactics, their ability to concentrate quickly for maximum damage, and we did not anticipate the effectiveness of their U-boats working in conjunction with long-range aircraft which made their hunting easier.”

  The admiral paused, sipped his tea and resumed, “We did not possess adequate convoy escort vessels. We did not properly invest the time and resources over the years leading up to the war on how to fight the submarine. We failed to appreciate their ability to work inside a convoy and attack not only with their torpedoes but with large caliber deck guns. We failed to appreciate their ability to withstand damage and their uncanny ability to escape from our efforts even after we had found them.”

  The admiral looked at Blackett and continued his thoughts, “Only now, with the work of dedicated convoy escort captains and scientists, such as Professor Blackett and his group of wizards, are we now able to see a way to beat these pirates. So, lieutenant, we made the same mistakes made in all wars. We started unprepared, looking backward not forward regarding strategy, tactics, and equipment, and we failed to dedicate the proper resources fast enough to stem the tide of disaster. I hope that from our many mistakes, you Americans can learn quickly. We need your help and your intelligence, so please ask more questions so we all can learn.”

  Brand nodded his head as did Blackett who liked people who asked challenging questions, especially those to the higher echelons of command, if for no other purpose but to make sure the people at the top are thinking and listening to other opinions. Blackett’s operational research had shown him most of the issues facing the war effort were the lack of consistent thought about what various organizations were doing with their current weapons and procedures and then allocating the time and effort to understand what worked and what didn’t. He believed many of the cries for new weapons or improvements were not where the effort should be made. He had told his teams to first understand what is going on, how is the existing system used, who has been trained to do what with it, and do the powers behind these efforts understand the results.

  James jumped into the deep end of the pool by asking another difficult and somewhat politically sensitive question. “Admiral, I realize the addition of more and better escorts is a major requirement. Could you tell me about the success of the Flower-class escort vessels and your ideas for additional vessels?” Brand waited for the admiral’s response with his pencil at the ready.

  “My dear Lieutenant, you are well informed on many aspects of our operation, so it does not surprise me that you are aware of our escort difficulties. The Flower-class escort, which the Canadians call corvettes, is modeled on a whaling ship that is about two hundred feet long and uses old style reciprocating engines which are easy to acquire and maintain. Saying that, these little ships are slow at around sixteen knots, which I have been told is slower than the U-boats they are chasing, and in heavy seas are none too stable. But, they are quick to build in our smaller yards and in Canada.”

  The admiral stopped for
a moment to sip his tea and then looked at Commander Williams who was looking at his watch, signaling another meeting was waiting for Noble’s participation. He raised his eyebrows ever so slightly to indicate he was aware of the time. He was enjoying the time with the Americans so he continued with his analysis.

  “The major issue is getting them crewed, which brings us back to the various schools we have established. Some of the Canadian crews are farm boys who have never even seen the sea and must work their ways through the foulest sea conditions known in the world. The newer class of frigates you are building for us will be much better, but we do not expect delivery until later this year.” The admiral took another sip of his tea and then looking at Professor Blackett continued.

  “The other encouraging development is what you call the escort carrier. We have had a few and lost a few, but this type vessel with a small complement of aircraft can make all the difference. I know the prime minister has put this high on his list of requests made to your president. Lastly, and of utmost importance, we need more aircraft. Your wonderful PBY Catalina is a proven U-boat killer, and the idea of acquiring some of your long-range B-24 bombers will make the Germans think twice about sending his submarines to sea.”

  James was looking intently at the admiral ready to take more notes. He knew from his other meetings about the need to get more aircraft to Britain. Tedder had been the first to discuss this need as well as Admiral Ramsey. Now another admiral was making the plea for long-range aircraft. Noble, added a new piece of information which would help James understand the political situation driving all of these requests.

  The admiral continued his assessment saying, “Unfortunately, our requests are overshadowed by Bomber Command which gets all the long-range planes. Air Marshal Harris has told me repeatedly the way to defeat the U-boat is to kill it in port or destroy its berthing locations. I fear intelligence does not bear out his claims, and attacks on the French bases have brought no success and many bomber losses. Plus, I fear this bombing is taking a terrible toll on French civilians which we may deeply regret in the future. I and others have not won over Mr. Churchill on changing this strategy, and I fear that we will continue to endure heavy losses of planes and crews for minimal results.”