“And what if the ship is lost like Graf Spee? What then?”
Raeder eventually convinced Hitler that this was a trivial concern, and one unlikely to ever happen. We will build it so well that no British ship could ever stand against it,” he crowed, and Hitler finally agreed.
The massive ship was just over 911 feet long, 118 feet longer than Bismarck, and much heavier at 62,600 long tons fully loaded, largely due to extra armor and the weight of the bigger 16 inch gun turrets. Her secondary armament was identical to that of Bismarck, with twelve 5.9 inch guns, sixteen 4.1 inch dual purpose guns and another sixteen 3.7 inch AA guns, and the ship could work up to 30 knots, making it one of the fastest battleships in the world.
Raeder had done much to try and make good on his boast that the Hindenburg would never be sunk. Her double bottomed hull was divided into 21 water tight compartments, and an anti-torpedo bulkhead of Wotan Weich steel was added. Side armor was originally proposed at 300mm, but increased to 360mm at its thickest point, which was 40mm thicker than Bismarck. The turrets were protected with 385mm, or 15.2 inches of steel, compared to 14 inches on Bismarck. And Hindenburg was also better armored on the decks and bow to protect against vertical shell falls, bombs, and splinter damage.
When finally completed, the ship was not the 80,000 ton behemoth with 18 inch guns that Hitler dreamed of, but a far more practical and efficient design, with a perfect combination of speed, power and protection. Only one ship in the Royal Navy could justifiably claim a slight advantage against the fearsome new ship, and that was the G3 class wonder where Admiral Tovey set his flag on HMS Invincible. The British ship was two knots faster, had 13mm more side armor, and one extra 16-inch gun, though Hindenburg had more extensive secondary batteries. It was even money as to which ship might come away the better, and perhaps would come down to seamanship and fate if the two ships ever met in combat.
Admiral Gunther Lütjens was on the bridge of the new battleship in the pre-dawn hours of September 10th, and a rising young protégé Kapitan Zur See Karl Adler was at his side. Lütjens was a complex and conflicted man. On the one hand he was proud to see the rising strength of the new German Navy, yet he also harbored deep misgivings about its eventual fate, particularly over Germany’s lack of adequate fuel oil to sustain operations. That prospect had brightened somewhat when the Orenburg Federation under Ivan Volkov had joined the Axis powers. Orenburg controlled the rich oil reserves of Baku and the Caspian region, but there was still the problem of how to get the oil. Soviet Russia under Sergei Kirov controlled all the railroads, and the neutral states in the Balkans and Turkey all the major sea lanes and ports which might deliver that oil to Europe and eventually Germany.
With the Royal Navy prominently based in Alexandria, the Eastern Mediterranean was under their thumb unless Regia Marina could find some way to neutralize Admiral Cunningham’s fleet. So in order for the oil to reach ports in Italy and southern France, Raeder’s Mediterranean strategy would have to succeed, and the British must be driven from Egypt. Another solution might be to invade the Balkans and open ports like Constanta, Varna and Burgas on the Black Sea coast of Romania and Bulgaria, and Mussolini was contemplating such a move. That was, in fact, how most of the oil Germany needed was now reaching the Reich, but the minor powers controlled the rate of that flow, which might be doubled or tripled if Germany could revitalize those rail lines and utilize its rolling stock.
Lütjens was well aware of these strategic shortcomings and, in spite of Germany’s remarkable string of victories, he remained doubtful over the long term prospects for the war. And now, a new shadow troubled him with the news that the Russians had been able to unhinge two German operations at sea with the deployment of advanced naval rockets. He was aware of Germany’s own missile development programs, but shocked to learn that Soviet Russia had leapt so far ahead.
“What do you make of all this talk of rocketry, Adler,” he asked his young Kapitan.
“Rockets? I find it hard to believe, Admiral. Most of this talk comes from Kurt Hoffmann, which surprises me even more. He is not a man given to exaggeration, or one to back down from a fight at sea.”
“Böhmer says he saw the rocket that sunk the Heimdal. Lindemann saw them too,” said Lütjens. “He’s a fighting Kapitan, but elected to terminate Operation Valkyrie when these weapons struck his ships.”
“That was also surprising, sir. He had Bismarck and Tirpitz! Those two ships could have backed down anything the British have.”
“Agreed, but after seeing the damage to Gneisenau, I have come to believe Lindemann was correct to be cautious at the outset. In spite of all the fanfare at the docks when we slipped our berth, we may have to be cautious here as well.”
“Tell that to Axel Faust,” said Adler, referring to the ship’s burly gunnery officer. His name meant “fist” and he was the hard master of the Hindenburg’s real power, and an ex-champion boxer for the navy as well.
“Something tells me Faust will get his chance this time around,” said Lütjens. “We have orders to get down to Saint Nazaire. Raeder wants to make sure nothing bothers that new French aircraft carrier in the shipyards there. I told him the Luftwaffe would provide all the defense he needs, but he insists that we must establish ourselves there to gain access to the Atlantic without first having to fight our way past the British up here.”
“I agree, sir. We will be right astride the convoy routes there, and it will give the British fits. We can sortie at any hour and there is no way they can stop us.”
“Perhaps,” said Lütjens, with far less enthusiasm. “But we have to get there first, Adler. And Axel Faust may be busier than he realizes in a few days time.”
Adler looked at Lütjens, thinking something, but saying nothing. He had come to feel that the Admiral was becoming too sour of mind and heart, and did not think he had the same iron in his backbone that the builders had put into his ships. “Well sir,” he said at last. “Perhaps we may soon be able to call on Gibraltar! The operation is underway on the Franco-Spanish border this moment. Five days from now our troops will be ringing the doorbell there.”
“That would be most promising if we could take Gibraltar,” Lütjens agreed.
“Of course, sir. And if it comes to a fight up here, I do not think Axel Faust will disappoint us. I heard him talking with Hartman down in Bruno turret yesterday. The men are eager for battle. They are tired of shooting up garbage scows for target practice, and want a real British battleship to sink this time around. This is not Gneisenau, sir.”
“True,” said Lütjens, “but may I remind you, Kapitan, that Gneisenau had 350mm on her side belt armor, only 10mm less than we have here. That was a very sturdy ship, and it will be months before we can put it to any use after the beating it received from those naval rockets. Most of the damage was on the superstructure, where the side armor was of no help.”
“Don’t worry, Admiral. With Graf Zeppelin alongside we will find the enemy long before they even know we are close at hand. And he who finds his enemy first also has the option to strike first. This is the difference. Gneisenau was taken by surprise. From what Otto Fein told me, they thought they were steaming up on a slow British man-of-war when it fired those rockets at them. Forewarned is forearmed. We will have air cover over us, and more than sufficient warning of the enemy’s dispositions.”
Lütjens smiled. “That was what Kapitan Böhmer thought aboard Graf Zeppelin last time out. Then the missile found his task force before his planes ever had sight of the ship that fired them. I will tell you one thing, Adler, if that is true then it changes everything. All our ships would be rendered obsolete overnight! So I find myself of two minds. I want to see these rockets first hand and learn for myself what their capabilities might be—assuming they do not sink us first.”
Adler said nothing to that, as he could not imagine it possible. Then Lütjens looked at his watch, noting the time.
“Speaking of Böhmer,” he said, “we had better signal our intent
ions. Tell him I plan to steer 240 for the next three hours, but then we are heading south. See that Lindemann gets the message as well. Bismarck will be in the lead position.”
“So soon, sir?” That will put us on a course for the Faeroes. I thought we were heading out to Iceland.”
“Not this time,” said Lütjens. “No… This time we are going to be just a little more direct. The British will be thinking we will try the Denmark Strait or Iceland passage again, just as before. We will do everything to strengthen that notion, as Hoffmann has orders to demonstrate there with Scharnhorst and Hipper. Alfargruppe is already operational, but that is just a feint, and this time we play our hand out with an inside strait. I have a few surprises planned for the British as well.”
Chapter 27
Admiral Tovey received the warning through channels from the Admiralty, his eyes darkening with concern. The Germans were on the move, and the operations now seemed to be associated with an even more ominous prospect—an attack against Gibraltar! Tovey had been there with the Cruiser Squadron just before being promoted to Admiral of Home Fleet. He knew the place well, yet had no illusions about its prospects of resisting a determined attack from the land. There were no more than four battalions in the garrison, and it was unlikely Gibraltar could be reinforced by sea once the attack began.
The Admiralty was of the same mind, in spite of the vital nature on the base and its intrinsic value as a symbol of British power. Gibraltar was a hinge of fate in so many ways, and yet the screws were weak, and rust had crept in over the long decades of British rule. The War Cabinet had long known that if Spain cooperated with Germany, the airfield at Gibraltar would be useless within hours, and the harbor within a day. Now the Admiralty was already casting about for some alternative place to base the units of Force H while also mounting some effective counter to the juggernaut of the German military.
Churchill was flabbergasted to learn that the Admiralty had no firm plan to reinforce Gibraltar. When it was explained that it would be impossible to land fresh troops in a harbor under fire from enemy artillery, the grim reality of the situation became apparent. Gibraltar would have to stand or fall with the garrison it had, but Force H would do what it could to lend support if the Germans actually carried out an attack.
The instant Tovey received the warning that Hindenburg was missing he ordered his ships to four hour steam, and put to sea immediately thereafter. Yet now he had a new problem to deal with. Admiral Pound had never been easy with the posting of a Russian battlecruiser to the watch on the Denmark Strait. He made the obvious point that even though Russia had signed a pledge of alliance with Great Britain, the Soviet Union had not gone so far as to declare war on Germany. Still involved in obvious negotiations with France and Spain, Germany had also refrained from declaring war on Russia, and so an uneasy tension remained all along the Polish frontier.
“Suppose this Russian ship is capable of defending the Denmark Strait,” Pound had said at the Admiralty meeting. “That alone would be a stretch, but even if it were so, this creates some rather thorny political problems. The Russians are not keen to engage in open hostilities with the Germans—this Admiral Volsky you speak of aside. Unless they go so far as to declare war on Germany, I find it inappropriate to have that ship posted to such a vital position. The Denmark Strait is the route most often chosen by German raiders.”
“Believe one thing,” said Tovey. “This ship can fight. I have no doubt it can hold its own on that watch. That said, I agree with your political assessment of the situation. If, however, I ask the Russians to withdraw, then I shall have to take up that watch myself in HMS Invincible, and leave the Iceland Faeroes Gap to the debutantes.” Tovey was referring to the two new King George V class battleships, still untried and out for their first combat sortie.
“They should be able to manage,” said Pound.
“Perhaps, but it had been my intention to keep the battleships together with me and undertake a more active campaign by entering the Norwegian Sea. Playing on the back row to guard all the exits to the Atlantic allows the enemy to choose his breakout point, and it will force me to spread very thin resources even thinner. If I take all three ships north now, we might catch the Germans before they turn for their intended breakout point.”
Their Lordships discussed it further, but in the end Admiral Pound would have his way. So Tovey caught a plane to Holyhead where he jumped on a fast destroyer to rendezvous with HMS Invincible, already well out to sea. Home Fleet was a full day out of port from Scapa Flow, now steaming at 20 knots to a position southwest of the Faeroe Islands. With him Tovey had his two new battleships, five cruisers, and a handful of destroyers. The carrier Ark Royal was already further west approaching Iceland to use her air wing there on active search. Tovey would take Invincible and the cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk to comprise his western task force. HMS Illustrious would stay on the Iceland-Faeroes watch with the other two battleships and remaining escorts, York, Glasgow and Newcastle,
His dispositions complete, Tovey signaled the remainder of his squadron farewell and detached at high speed for Reykjavik, where he intended to meet with the Russians and convey the decision Pound had forced upon him. He had some misgivings about leaving the debutantes on their own, but had faith in his Captains, Louis Hamilton taking a new post from Otway-Ruthven, who was taken ill aboard Prince of Wales, and Wilfred Rupert Patterson as the Squadron Flag aboard King George V.
Some hours later Tovey got a signal from Kirov indicating that at least two German warships seemed intent on trying a run through the Denmark Strait. They had been spotted by the Russian Airship Narva approaching Jan Mayen. He went to his chart room, laying out a ruler on the map. That was just over a thousand kilometers to the north. If the Germans made good speed they might be able to run the strait to a position west of Reykjavik on 24 hours. That gave him plenty of time to get Invincible into position. He put on thirty knots and aimed to be off Reykjavik in seven hours, one good night’s sleep away. There he would meet briefly with Admiral Volsky to explain the Admiralty decision and relieve Kirov in the Denmark Strait.
As to Hindenburg, the weather was very bad, and no word had come from the north, where F.A.A. planes had been out searching for any sign of the battleship. Last reported near Bergen, the Germans could now be anywhere in an ever widening farthest on circle. Initial reports had suggested there might be at least two battleships in the German task force, which is why he wanted to stay with his two new girls and maintain an advantage in firepower. As it was, his strength was diluted on a much wider front now, largely at Admiral Pound’s insistence.
He passed a fitful night’s sleep, with images of the dark silhouettes of distant ships sailing through his mind. When morning came he shook off the weariness and tried to clear his thoughts with a cup of stiff coffee. The weight of command was now heavy on his shoulders, but the closer he came to his newfound Russian allies, the lighter the burden became. If the Admiralty only knew the full truth he had discovered about this Russian ship… He shook his head, realizing that he could not breathe a word of what he knew and still be regarded as sane by any man he had sat with at the recent meeting. Perhaps Admiral Fraser might eventually be brought into the foyer. Fraser had always given him a sympathetic ear and fair hearing, but how would he react to the truth if it was finally revealed?
He would think it preposterous, thought Tovey, even as I did when Turing first began to open that Pandora’s box of photographs and reports. The shock of seeing his own hand writing on those documents was still profound. He clearly heard his own voice in the line and letter of those reports, just as he might have written them, yet it was all… preposterous. That was the only reaction a sane man could offer.
Word came from Ark Royal that the forward scout planes had sighted a large warship on an intercept course. Kirov was approaching, and he turned the bridge over to the able hands of Captain Bennett to get down to the aft boat deck.
* * *
“Your airship has
done me a great service,” said Tovey as he shook hands with Admiral Volsky and Fedorov again aboard Kirov. “It appears that we have wind of the fox loose up north, but there is still a wolf at large.” He shared his report concerning the German battleship Hindenburg.
“That would be Jötnargruppe, from a word referring to ancient Norse giants,” said Fedorov, and Nikolin translated.
“Well named, because this is a monster of a ship—a match for my flagship Invincible, which says a great deal. We are not yet certain as to its intentions, but coast watchers reported it leaving Bergen ten hours ago and heading north. It may be planning to join with these other contacts to form one powerful battlegroup. In this event, I should be grateful for your assistance here, though I do have some news to share with you.” He told them, as diplomatically as possible, what the Admiralty had decided.
“This does not come as a surprise,” said Volsky. “We have already quarreled with the Germans on two occasions, and the situation is somewhat delicate. Thus far I have exercised considerable restraint, but if we were to engage again, and sink a major German capital ship…”
“I understand the implications,” said Tovey. “If at all possible, I should like to bear the burden of combat here, though your assistance in finding the enemy would be much appreciated.”
“But what if the Germans do form a battlegroup too large for your single ship to engage?” said Fedorov.
“They must choose one passage or another,” said Tovey. “Indications are that they are looking at the Denmark Strait again. That is the opinion of the Admiralty. But I have two good ships posted in the passage east of Iceland should they take that route. Given the circumstances, it would be my decision to fall back and recombine Home Fleet if either of my present task groups is overmatched. A position a couple hundred miles southwest of Reykjavik would put me in a good location to intercept a German task force in either passage as it exits into the Atlantic.”
Kirov Saga: Hinge Of Fate: Altered States Volume III (Kirov Series) Page 23