by gerald hall
“Yes, but for what purpose? German industry can be very impressive when mobilized as is currently happening. I fear that Hitler will be starting a war in the near future, the likes of which we have never seen before. We must be ready for that or we will see many thousands of our countrymen die unnecessarily, much like what happened in the previous war.”
“We will do whatever we can to help you, Mister Cavill. You can be assured of that, Sir.”
“Thank you. I have another meeting to prepare for now. I will contact you again for copies of all of the production drawings and technical data. I will take them back with me to Australia so that we can get started on production there. Of course, your company will receive the appropriate licensing fees for each aircraft that we produce here.”
“Thank you. It will take us a couple of weeks to make the copies, but we will have them ready for you, Mister Cavill.”
“I am certainly looking forward to it, gentlemen.” A pleased Harold replied before continuing.
“One other thing, I would also like production drawings for the smaller two-seat version that I had requested as well. I intend to produce this as a combat-capable trainer. The appropriate licensing fees would be paid for those aircraft as well. I intend to call this trainer version the ‘Damselfly.’”
While Harold was in England, there were events unfolding in Australia at the same time that could threaten all that he was planning.
In a small house on the outskirts of Brisbane, a group of men were meeting in secret. They were mostly a combination of upper-class youth who had never worked a day in their lives, middle-class merchants and rough-looking factory workers. The few exceptions were a handful of men in their latethirties or early forties who dressed like the factory workers but talked more like people who had some degree of higher education. What had started with quiet discussions about politics and economics now flared into a series of passionate arguments.
“We must do something to reclaim the fruits of our labor from the thieves of the ruling class.” One young man loudly exclaimed, not mentioning that his father was one of the more successful businessmen in Brisbane.
“But we have no say in the current economic situation, much less the government in Canberra.” Another man angrily answered back.
“Gentlemen, we can still act to redress the inequities in this nation of ours. TheBourgeoisiemay currently possess the lion’s share of this nation’s wealth. But we of theProletariathave the hands and strong backs that produce that wealth for them. Those same hands and strong backs also have the means to take that wealth back and share it and the power among the people equitably.” One of the educated-sounding men explained to the others.
“Are you saying that we would have to start an insurrection and seize power by force from the government?” The wealthy businessman’s son quickly asked.
“No, at least, not right away. But we can move against certain of the capitalistBourgeoisiewho had been raping your land and enslaving your people.” Alexander Chapin, the most articulate man, told the others.
“Do you have anyone in particular in mind?” Alan Broadside, the businessman’s foppish son asked.
“Yes, there are several wealthyBourgeoisiewho we have been looking at as a focus for our wrath. But I feel that we must focus our efforts on just one of these capitalist parasites at this time. There is a man in the state of Western Australia who has grown obscenely wealthy exploiting the land and forcing the ignorant natives to work for him. He pays wages that are far less than his workers deserve and even forces them to buy their food from only his company stores. His name is Harold Cavill.”
“Who cares if a bloke is working the damned Abos to death? I certainly don’t. It just means fewer of them sucking off of the government’s teat and our wallets.” One of the factory workers growled impatiently.
“We need to stop this so that the natives can go back to their natural way of living. They need not be a burden to the state if they are allowed to resume their former way of life.”
“You still haven’t told me why this really matters to me if a bunch of darkies are being made to work, Mister. Seems to me that would be a good thing, especially out there far away from us in the civilized part of our country.”
“I see. But the natives are not the only ones being sucked dry by this greedy capitalist Bourgeoisie.There are many men and even women who are just like you being forced to work like slaves for this man. He even has bloody Germans working for him who are in charge over your fellow countrymen.
I have even heard that he swore allegiance to the Nazis while visiting the German embassy in Paris.” Alexander declared to the shock of the others in the room.
“Where did you hear this?” One of the other Australian men in the crowd. The mere thought of an Australian being involved with Germany after so many Australian men died in combat during the Great War was still very offensive to the people in this meeting.
“I have a friend of mine who saw Harold Cavill talking to the assistant of the Nazi Ambassador to France a year and a half ago. It took a while for us to learn about this connection though. Who knows what treason that he and his German compatriots are planning now? We have to do something to stop this man before he can do even more harm to the workers of our country.” Alexander told the others in the room. He actually almost accidentally said ‘your country’ though but caught himself before making such a mistake.
This was because Australia wasn’t Alexander’s country. In fact, Alexander’s real name was Aleksandr Shapkin, a Bolshevik revolutionary born in what was originally known as Saint Petersburg, Russia. Aleksandr had come to Australia from the Soviet Union over ten years earlier under the guise of an immigrant worker from Prague. During his time in Australia, Aleksandr assumed several different identities as a laborer, a teacher as well as others.
To most of the people around him, Alexander Chapin was a working man by day and rabble rouser at night. But Aleksandr Shapkin’s actual mission since leaving the Soviet Union was to forment uprisings against capitalist governments and recruit people into the international Bolshevik movement.
The crowd immediately got even angrier. Alexander recognized this and quickly sought to exploit their anger.
“We must gather as many people as possible and go out to Harold Cavill’s center of power on the western coast of our nation. There, we will confront him and expose him to everyone as the greedy exploiter of the people that he is.”
“What if he hires people to try to stop us?” Alan asked.
“We will need to ensure that we are all armed when we arrive in Derby. That way, no one will be able to stand in our way. If there is a fight, we will ensure that the blood of the peoples’ enemy and his hirelings will freely flow on his streets.” Alexander quickly explained.
The furious cheers were quickly joined by calls for Harold’s death from within the crowd. The latter had been started by other men who were fellow Bolsheviks scattered among the crowd by prior arrangement with Alexander.
Once the noise had quieted down some, Alexander spoke again, only this time, much more quietly.
“Now, my fellow workers. Here is the plan.”
Chapter Twenty-Three: Chartwell House
Westerham, Kent, England October 8, 1937
Harold was warmly welcomed by Winston Churchill at the door of Churchill’s home that morning. Harold had called ahead from his hotel room to let Mister Churchill know of the former’s arrival. Harold had spent the last few days flying from Derby to England after receiving an invitation from Churchill. Harold had wanted to visit some of his business ventures in England anyway, though he hated to leave his family once again.
“Good morning, Harold. I have been looking forward to having another chat with you. Let us go to my study for some privacy before we talk though.” Churchill suggested.
Harold nodded in quiet agreement and then followed Churchill into the latter’s home. The two men walked a short distance before entering a room that was liter
ally lined with shelves of books. An easel and a palette of paints sat in one corner of the study as well.
“Harold, please sit down.” Churchill said, pointing to a comfortable leather chair.
“Thank you.” Harold replied as he took the offered chair while Churchill sat in an identical chair across from Harold. Churchill poured himself a glass of sherry and offered one to Harold as well before beginning to talk about the subject at hand.
“First, Harold. I wanted you to know that the suggestions that you made earlier concerning the replacement battleship class have virtually all been adopted by the Admiralty. The keels for the two ships,King George VandPrince of Wales, were laid down nearly a year ago. The construction of the other three ships in the class,Duke of York,AnsonandHowe, started later this year. The only element that the Admiralty did not adapt was your suggestion for the pom-pom anti-aircraft gun to be replaced by the Bofors cannon. The leaders of the Admiralty were unwilling to complicate the Royal Navy’s logistics at this point with the addition of a new gun type.”
“Thank you, Winston. I have tried to help the Commonwealth in any way that I can. It is unfortunate that the Royal Navy chose not to purchase the Bofors. They will end up dearly regretting that decision, I’m afraid. With the increasing speed and size of military aircraft, we need automatic cannons that will reach out further and hit harder than ever before in order to effectively engage them. The Bofors 40mm cannon certainly outperforms the pom-pom by a wide margin.”
“I hope that we do not pay too heavy of a price in ships and blood before the Admiralty changes its mind. I also wanted to mention that I had been previously pushing for additional battleships to be constructed as well, Harold. But your vision for the use of capital ships in conjunction with aircraft carriers was something that I found utterly compelling, I must admit. So, I have been using my influence to encourage the Admiralty to focus more on aircraft carriers and smaller combatants lately. I’m sure that it came as a shock to the people at Portsmouth when I told them that I felt that we needed more cruisers and destroyers in addition to aircraft carriers instead of pushing for the big guns.” Churchill said with a twinkle in his eye.
“I’m sure that it did, Winston.” Harold chuckled before continuing.
“Did you have any success with the new antiaircraft cruiser proposal? It would certainly provide Royal Navy formations with substantially increased anti-aircraft coverage.”
“Ten of the ships that you so strongly recommended are being constructed even as we speak, Harold. I must admit that I am very pleased with the design that the Admiralty settled on. The ship has six twin BD Mark II mounts on a modifiedArethusa-class light cruiser hull. The superfiring gun mounts are all mounted on the centerline for the maximum amount of firepower, both fore and aft as well as on the broadside. The design has two triple torpedo launchers, one on each beam. The Admiralty would not have accepted the design if it did not have any real ship-killing capability. The torpedo tubes give it that, of course.” Churchill said with a satisfied smile before continuing.
The short range anti-aircraft battery is as impressive as the main armament. The ships will carry four quadruple pom-pom mounts and a pair of quadruple Vickers heavy machine gun mounts. I dare say that any enemy pilot would find this ship very unpleasant to approach.”
Harold knew that the machine gun mounts would quickly be replaced by Oerlikon twentymillimeter automatic cannons once the conflict started and the shortcomings of the machine guns were exposed. The machine guns had neither the range nor the hitting power necessary. The short range of the pom-poms would plague all of the Royal Navy ships that carried them throughout the war however. But the ships’ main armament was exactly what would be needed in the coming war.
“This ship is indeed very impressive, Winston. There was another subject that I wanted to ask you about though.” Harold noted before continuing.
“What do you know about using radio waves to detect objects at sea or in the air? It would seem to be a very effective way of extending our ability to find enemy ships and aircraft, perhaps even allowing us to fire upon them in total darkness.” Harold very carefully stated this in the language of the day. The term RADAR had not yet been invented by the Americans.
For a moment, Churchill looked slightly concerned.
“There has been some work done on that very idea. It is in the earliest stages of research and development. So it is all ‘hush-hush’. I shouldn’t even really be talking with you about it, of course.”
“I understand completely, Winston. But it is my understanding that England isn’t the only country working on radio wave detection devices. My sources tell me that the Germans and Americans both are also working on similar systems along with perhaps several other nations like the Soviets. The electronics company that I own has done some investigation into the potential of this as well. I hope that perhaps we could work together with British researchers so that Australia could also benefit. Our cruisers would be far more effective in their trade protection role if they could detect enemy raiders at long distances in any weather or light conditions obviously. Scout planes are helpful, but under adverse weather conditions, they will have difficulty spotting the enemy.”
Harold had derived some information from his computer database on early radars already. But in order to obscure his sources, Harold’s electronics company had established relationships with the German electronics manufacturerStandard Elektrik Lorenz, one of the first German developers of radar historically in addition to the German electronics companyTelefunkenand the American firm RCA. These business relationships would give Harold a believable cover story on how he was able to obtain radar technology.
“I do understand the need for security. I was able to obtain some information through the connections that one of my companies has with several German and American radio manufacturers. Obviously, I want to design and produce such radio based detection equipment for Australia as well.”
“That appears to be a very wise idea. We need to have a technological edge whenever possible. It also helps if we can have more than one manufacturer available.
I will recommend that our people working on radio detection contact you about sharing information so that we can diversify our research and production base. It would behoove us not to have ‘all of our eggs in one basket’. I’m sure that you would agree, Mister Cavill.”
“Of course. Who knows what sort of innovations we might also come up with at my research laboratories as well?
On another note, I understand that your political fortunes seem to be on the rise. Even though Neville Chamberlain was recently named Prime Minister, you have been regaining considerable influence. I’m sure that your rivals are seething at your success in spite of the fact that officially you remain on the back bench in Parliament.”
“Somehow, I think that success of mine is again, in no small measure, due to your assistance, Harold. I have gained also several additional Conservative allies in Parliament whose political campaigns received a great deal of funding from you, I believe.
There is also the matter of all of the ‘suggestions’ of yours that I had the wisdom to pass along to the Admiralty. They have largely been implemented with considerable acclaim. That success has raised my stature within the War Ministry in general and the Admiralty in particular.
Of course, they shouldn’t really be all that surprised that I would make those recommendations. They all correspond quite closely to Jackie Fisher’s original ideas for the Royal Navy, only updated to incorporate naval aviation to extend the reach and firepower of Royal Navy formations.”
“Do not forget the need to expand the Royal Navy’s escort forces, Winston. I seriously doubt that Hitler fellow will comply with the Versailles Treaty concerning U-Boats. The German submarines were terribly effective in the first war against our mercantile fleet. Doubtlessly, the German U-Boat force will be reconstituted to be used against England once again if war erupts. The Royal Navy will need as many new destro
yers as possible, both for fleet action as well as merchant convoy escort duties.
But new destroyers and other anti-submarine escorts must also be able to defend themselves against enemy aircraft as well. Too many destroyers in both the British and Australian navies have very little defense against aircraft, I’m afraid. The German’s newLuftwaffealready appears to be one of the most formidable air forces on the continent. That force will only increase in strength if Hitler is truly determined to go to war.”
“I will be sure to impress that too upon the admirals at Portsmouth as well during my future discussions with them, Harold. If I have the opportunity, I will also speak to the commanders of the Royal Air Force as well.” Churchill solemnly replied.
“I will try to do the same with the leaders in Australia’s military establishment as well. I do have a few friends there as well as with the politicians.”
“I would be very surprised if you hadn’t done so, Harold.” Churchill said with a knowing twinkle in his eye as he lit up a cigar and looked off through the window of his study.
Certainly Harold had been doing just that for more than a decade after coming back through the time portal and establishing his financial base. But some people in power saw Harold more as a threat than as a potential asset. Harold already knew about some of them. But there were others who kept their opinions and their activities against Harold far less obvious.
Harold had to continue to cultivate his friendships and alliances with those people who could and would help him. At the same time, he had to be very watchful about the activities of his opponents, whether they were foreign or domestic. At this point, Harold wasn’t sure which would be the greater threat.
Soon, Harold knew that he would have to fly back to Australia. There, he would have to deal with the various issues that his businesses faced as well as those enemies in Australia. Some were simply business competitors. But others hated Harold for other reasons.